Check out ‘Fascinating Facts’ each month for new and interesting facts about some of your favorite perennials. Great for dinner party conversation, or to share with your garden center customers.

December 2009 — Fascinating Facts Beetles bothering a plant? Try establishing a Rosemary plant nearby. It contains a substance that shoos them away. Slugs and snails taking over their gardens? These pests are dispelled by Monarda (Bee Balm), Thyme, Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot) and Caulophyllum thalicthroides (Blue Cohosh). Troubled by eelworms? As these pests dislike many culinary herbs, suggest planting basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, summer savoury, bay and lavender. Many of these herbs are so attractive that they also make a welcome addition to the ornamental garden.

November 2009 — Five Fascinating Facts Increasingly mild winters in are adding to the life span of Viburnum tinus. Several years ago, these plants could not survive a hard winter.  Plants older than ten years are no longer an exception in northern Europe. Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) purifies water and is thus a commonly used water plant in natural water filtering systems for purifying surface water.    Many heather (Erica and Calluna) varieties flower early in the year when few other sources of nectar are available. This makes them very important for bumblebees. The bees can then collect enough food to develop their colonies or establish new ones.    Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) are known for their wonderful autumn color but northern European weather conditions during some years fail to produce the desired effect. Some cultivars such as ‘Osakazuki’, however, turn a bright color every year — good to know for all sorts of zones.    The autumn colors of Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum) can differ from year to year in our changeable climate. Some cultivars that guarantee a beautiful color display are ‘Worplesdon’, ‘Burgundy’, ‘Festival’ and ‘Lane Roberts’.   September 2009 — Fascinating Facts Some specimens of Taxus baccata have lived for more than 3000 years. This makes it a plant with one of the longest life spans on Earth. Cats are attracted to the ‘herbal’ scent of catnip (Nepeta) that apparently stimulates their sex drive. This is because the plant contains nepetalactone, a chemical substance that closely resembles one of the natural feline pheromones. Older cats tend not to be so attracted by it. Modern masonry walls will not suffer any damage from clinging climbing plants such as Common Ivy or Virginia Creeper. The only risk of crumbling occurs with old walls built using lime and cement mortar.   August 2009 — Fascinating Facts The pharmaceutical industry uses an indirect process to extract taxol from the needles and bark of Taxus (Yew). This poisonous substance is used to treat ovarian cancer. The fleshy leaves of Sedum are covered with a thick layer of wax which minimizes transpiration. This makes them very tolerant to drought conditions and ideal for roof plantings. Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens. a.k.a. Eastern Teaberry, Checkerberry, Boxberry or American Wintergreen) contains a high percentage of methyl salicylate, an ingredient often found in sports massage products. Rub one between your fingers; you’ll be sure to recognize the smell.   July 2009 — Fascinating Facts Check out ‘Fascinating Facts’ each month for new and interesting facts about some of your favorite perennials. Great for dinner party conversation, or to share with your garden center customers. Read more...

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