Dear Helen: Is Beauty Bush the same plant as Beauty Berry?D.T.
Both are deciduous and both prefer full sun, but they are different shrubs.
Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) grows 1.8 to three metres (six to 10 feet) tall and wide, with arched branches and, in summer, profuse clusters of small, bell-shaped, pink flowers with yellow throats.
Beauty Berry grows up to 1.8 metres tall and wide. As the name suggests, the plants are most valued for the beautiful berry clusters in the fall. ‘Profusion’ is the most commonly grown variety, with long-lasting violet berry clusters held along the branches in autumn. New growth is tinged in bronze. There are more compact varieties with varying berry colours.
Dear Helen: Just one rose, among many in my garden, is infested with aphids. Why, and how do I get rid of them? I don’t want to use anything toxic.
W.M.
It could be the variety. Roses are not all equally tough and pest-resistant. Other possible causes lie in the plant’s growing conditions.
I’ve observed in my garden the odd plant becoming weakened when feeder roots from nearby vigorous trees have grown into its space. Aphids are attracted to weak plants.
Drought-stressed plants are commonly colonized by aphids. Over-fertilizing and/or over-watering can produce soft, juicy growth that aphids love.
Strong sprays of water will dislodge aphids from the rose. Repeat a few times, every second day. Encourage beneficial insects that control aphids by planting flowers rich in pollen and nectar, such as sweet alyssum, cilantro, dill, yarrow, lavender, and daisy type flowers (especially yellow ones.)
Dear Helen: I notice that you often write about the joys of treasure-hunting in local garden centres. We’ve been in the Victoria area only a short time now, and have not yet found a “home base” nursery. Which one(s) would you recommend?
P.G.
Experience has taught me that garden centres I enthuse about can turn out to be disappointments for others. What delights one gardener will turn others off.
Neither would I suggest frequenting just one or two places. To develop a roster of favourites, drop in to several in your area throughout the year, and observe.
Sometimes an unlikely prospect will surprise. Recently, because a friend had started working there and wanted to show me around, I toured a nursery in my area that looked fairly obscure from the road.
What a delightful surprise — young shrubs and trees neatly laid out and labelled, several large greenhouses filled with plants clearly sectioned off and marked for various purposes and locations.
There were surprises, like a pale blue and a yellow Torenia as well as the usual darker blue. We both were drawn also to demure little flowers such as a pink marguerite daisy called ‘Angelic Magenta.’
Keep your local outlets monitored. A few may become reliably comfortable home bases.
GARDEN EVENTS
Sooke meeting. The Sooke Garden Club will meet this evening at 7 in St. Rose of Lima Church, 2191 Townsend Rd. Cathy Sansom, a Beacon Hill Park gardener, will talk about roses. Newcomers welcome.
Cactus show and sale. The Victoria Cactus & Succulent Society is hosting its annual Spring Show and Sale on Friday and Saturday, during mall hours in the Tillicum Centre (lower level).
Rhododendron sale. The Victoria Rhododendron Society is sponsoring a public sale of collector rhododendrons on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4640 Cordova Bay Rd. For the first time in Canada, there will be many Jim Barlup hybrids for sale. Jim is a gold medal recipient from the American Rhododendron Society for his hybridizing work.
HCP courses. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific is offering the following classes. To register call 250-479-6162. Details at hcp.ca
• The Art of Herbal Tea Blends, Wednesday, May 4, 6 to 9 p.m. and Sunday, May 8, 1 to 4 p.m. This two-part class will delve into the history, health benefits and creation of herbal teas. Participants will take home their own tea and enjoy high tea at each session. Cost for HCP members is $75, others $85.
• Mother & Daughter Soap Making Workshop, Sunday, May 8, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. A Mother’s Day class for mothers and their adult daughters or sons, who will learn how to make natural soaps to take home. Members $90 per pair, others $95.
