An Adventure in “New Perennial Planting” on Alberta’s Boreal Edge
At George Pegg Botanic Garden, we are excited to be a part of this interest in the "New Perennialist" style of planting. The goal is to bring together all the elements gardeners need to plan, plant, and care for their own beautiful beds. Success depends on inspiration, research, regional designs, plants proven to be hardy, and long-term maintenance strategies.
Plans to plant a demonstration bed began in March 2020. Key to this collaboration are Maria Beers of Double Dutch Designs (Parkland County, Alberta) and Clara Qualizza of Meadow & Thicket Farm Flowers (Wildwood, Alberta).
Demonstration bed preparation began in Autumn 2020.
Combining their design expertise and plant knowledge, Maria and Clara completed the planting plan.
A design workshop was presented by Maria and Clara, sponsored by Lac Ste. Anne county, in June 2021. Participants took a virtual tour of some of the iconic gardens planted in this style, explored elements of design, learned about key plants for this region, and evaluated options for bed preparation.
The plants were ordered, November 2021. More than 150 plants make up the Pegg Garden plan; some favourites plus new to test: Echinacea, Monarda didyma ‘Fireball’, Stachys monieri ‘Hummelo’, Baptisia australis, Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’, Gaillardia ‘Arizona Sun’, and Heliopsis ‘Burning Hearts’.
The shapes of leaves, flowers and seed heads are just as important or even more important than colour. Look for spires, buttons and globes, umbels, plumes and screens.
A Wildscaping Webinar with Tony Spencer, aka "The New Perennialist," writer, photographer, podcaster, speaker and award-winning planting designer, took place on January 15th, 2022. What a delight to work with Tony!
Summer 2022
The plants arrived at the Garden in mid May 2022, and volunteers learned how to pot up and maintain the plant plugs.
Planting took place in July 2022!
Summer 2023
A season of careful maintenance began as soon as the plants began growing. Throughout the summer we hand weeded once a month, replaced some plants that did not survive the winter, added new plants to fill gaps, and used a rototiller around the perimeter to keep the lawn from creeping into the bed.
See a presentation of the development of this demonstration bed, from site selection, to transplanting, to glorious colour here. September 2020-January 2024.
Maria Beers, of Double Dutch Landscape Design & Consulting, thoughts on the ‘New Perennial’ movement initiative:
“I think it is a great initiative with great potential, especially for our climate and in rural settings. It could potentially widen the array of plants that we use and influence the way we garden. I am excited to be part of it. The design principles from Piet Oudolf are not restricted to certain types of perennials. It is all about design, perennials are chosen for their ‘natural look’ and contrast in form, texture and colour, and flowering time. Designs can be implemented with new perennials that are not tried yet or with tried and trusted perennials.”
A Call to Join the Adventure
Join a group of like-minded gardeners to explore this planting style. Learn about designing and implementing a “New Perennial” bed as we build this one at the George Pegg Botanic Garden. Interested? For more information email PeggBotanicGarden@gmail.com
On the shores of the Lobstick River, the bed at Meadow & Thicket Farm Flowers is a showcase of plants hardy for zone 2b. Planted in 2019, it beautifully meets the vision of “New Perennial” designs a “stylized” version of natural plant communities practicing ecology in the garden with a horticultural-aesthetic twist”