Dear Helen: I was admiring a pot full of blooming dwarf daffodils with lovely double flowers on a friend鈥檚 deck a few weeks ago. She said they were a double form of T锚te 脿 T锚te, a dwarf narcissus that I know well. Would you confirm that there really is a double-flowered variation?
L.D.
There is. 鈥淭锚te Boucle,鈥� roughly translated as 鈥渃urly head,鈥� appeared as a new variety last fall. The bulbs I planted have grown and flowered as strongly and abundantly as T锚te 脿 T锚te, a deservedly popular multiflowering dwarf daffodil, but with quietly showy petal-packed blooms.
These dwarf daffodils are superbly handy for popping into pots with pansies in the fall. The bulbs bloom as the pansies come into full flower in early spring.
Dear Helen: The house I moved into last year has a very weedy garden, probably the result of allowing weeds to grow, mature, and shed seeds over many years. The perpetual appearance of fresh weeds is a particular problem as I鈥檓 trying to establish ornamental beds. Newly planted perennials are quickly inundated with weedy growth that is tricky and picky to extricate from underneath a perennial. Can you suggest a way to 鈥渨eed-proof鈥� perennials I鈥檒l be planting this spring?
F.S.
You can try using a weed-suppressing mulch when you plant. Prepare the site and plant as usual. Then tuck newspaper (several layers thick) under and around the plant. Cover the newspaper with some weed-free mulch such as purchased, bagged topsoil or compost. The newspaper will gradually meld into the soil as it suppresses the growth of new young weeds.
Dear Helen: I walked into a friend鈥檚 apartment a while back and was greeted by a powerfully sweet scent 鈥� from sprays of small white flowers emerging from the crown of a potted corn plant. I thought these were foliage plants. Have you heard of them flowering?
D.C.
Bloom on a potted corn plant (Dracaena fragrans massangeana) is not common, but it does occur occasionally on mature plants grown in close to ideal conditions. These conditions include bright indirect light, temperatures between 15 and 24 C, and a soil that is allowed to dry a little between thorough waterings. The plants routinely bloom in their native habitats.
As with most tropical plants, they do best with reduced watering in winter. During the active growing season the soil surface should feel slightly damp to the touch. In winter, it should feel slightly dry.
The 鈥渃orn plant鈥� name probably comes from the corn-coloured centre lengthwise band on its glossy, arching leaves.
Garden Events
Biodiversity Fair. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is hosting an Earth Day Biodiversity Fair on Thursday, April 19, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This family event will include demonstrations, activities and walks showcasing the importance of biodiversity to ensure natural sustainability for all life forms. Come and find inspiration to be good stewards of our planet. Admission is by donation. hcp.ca.
Spring show and sale. The Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society will hold its annual Spring Show and Plant Sale on Friday, April 20, 1 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 21,9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cadboro Bay United Church, 2625 Arbutus Rd. in Victoria. This well-established show features wonderful rock and alpine garden plants, succulents, woodlanders and bog plants. As well as show entries, there will be commercial and member plant sales, seed sales and displays. The members鈥� plant sale will open 11 a.m. on Saturday. Admission is by donation. virags.com.
Plant sales on Saturday:
鈥� Victoria Dahlia Society tuber and plant sale starting 9:30 a.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 2964 Richmond Rd. Rare and exquisite varieties found only through club members as well as more common varieties.
鈥� Peninsula Garden Club Spring Sale, 9 to 11 a.m. at Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney.
鈥� Cowichan Valley Garden Club, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. John's Church, 486 Jubilee St. in Duncan (Jubilee and First St.).
鈥� Cairnsmore Place Volunteer Gardeners鈥� annual sale, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 250 Cairnsmore St. in Duncan.
HCP sale. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific is holding a spring plant sale on Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Unique plants propagated from the HCP gardens. Free admission. Master gardeners on site.
