As part of their studies in our Horticulture programs our students prepare fact sheets called “Garden Clippings”, which give you basic maintenance information for various plants, as well as the history behind some of our leafy friends.
Questions? Our library will grow so please check back from time to time. If you have questions please feel free to contact the Greenhouse and we will be happy to share information with you.
Bamboo and Sound Barrier
A living sound barrier can soften the sounds of traffic and neighbourhood noise, create a visually pleasing privacy barrier and block winds. If you have an outdoor space but find noise to be a problem, you can plant a bamboo screen and create a comfortable place to garden, entertain or just relax
Bearded Tongue ‘Husker Red’
Native to the eastern United States, the bearded tongue received its name because of the tuft of yellow hairs just outside the throats of the flowers.
Bleeding Heart
The classic perennial Dicentra, more commonly known as the bleeding heart, has been gracing gardens for over a century. The bleeding heart was brought to North America by Robert Fortune in the late 1850 s from Japan.
Bouncing Bet
Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis) is also known as soapwort or bruisewort. It is a native plant of Europe but has naturalized over most of North America.
Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle
In the late 1980s , the brown spruce longhorn beetle arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on a shipment of wooden packing material from Europe or Asia. Since then, it has been attacking the spruce in Nova Scotia’s Point Pleasant Park and the surrounding wooded areas.
Burdock
Great burdock, Arctium lappa, is a coarse biennial herb native to Europe and Asia and brought to North America by European settlers. It is valued by herbalists but is a weed to gardeners since it grows as tall as 9 ft. (3 m) in its second year.
Butterfly Blue (Scabiosa columbaria)
‘Butterfly Blue’ is a member of the Dipsacaceae family; it is known as the pincushion flower and has the botanical name of Scabiosa columbaria. The Perennial Plant Association named it perennial plant of the year in 2000.
Butterfly Bush
The butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii, is just the right plant for attracting butterflies. This plant does more than just attract butterflies; it is a magnet to all butterflies attracted to nectar. The butterfly bush lasts from mid summer to early October.
Calamagrostis xacultiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Perennial Plant of the Year for 2001, C. xacutiflora's name derives from the Greek work Kalamos, meaning “reed,” and agrostis for “grass.” It originated in the Hamburg botanical gardens in Germany as a natural hybrid of Calamagrostis epigejos and Calamagrostis arundinacea.
Christmas Cactus
While the poinsettia remains the most popular of the holiday plants, a healthy Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridesii) in full bloom is a great gift idea for a special person.
