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$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
I've grown Scarlet Runner Beans for many years for a very specific purpose: the flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds! I plant them along the fence of my food garden enclosure, where I train them to wind horizontally - each seed produces a vine 10-15 ft. Ruby Throated Hummingbirds (the only type I've seen in my Zone 5 gardens) visit the scarlet flowers, then zoom to the fruit and veggie plants, herbs and native plants. It's a joy to see.
While usually grown for their splendid flowers, every part of this versatile veggie is edible! The starchy roots, young leaves and even the flowers can be eaten. (Check out the bright pink-light purple fresh seeds! So fun.) Runner beans must be thoroughly cooked before eating, as they contain traces of lectin (phytohaemagglutinin), which is toxic in large quantities. The beans are dense, with a thick texture, and slightly smoky flavour.
Dried beans store excellent in the pantry, and can be added to soups and stews after soaking.
To get the most flowers, pinch off forming pods; this sends a message to the plant to push out more buds.
Type: Vegetable
Height: 10-15ft.
Light: full sun
Soil: well draining, warm
Planting: Direct sow late spring-early summer, 1-2" deep into warm soil (too cold, and the seeds will rot), 3-4" apart.
Harvest: 75 days
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
What I love most about Cranberry Beans is their versatility (and that the pods are pink!): harvest them fresh off the vine for immediate eating, freezing, dehydrating or canning. Leave them on the vine to dry, and the seeds store perfect in the pantry for adding to soups and stews.
These Cranberry Beans (also known as borlotti) are meaty and hearty, with a richer taste than their bush bean cousins. They are vigorous pole beans, growing over 8 ft. tall in my veggie garden last year! They literally went up my trellis, then hung over the top like Dr. Seuss hair.
Beans are an excellent source of protein, fibre, starch and vitamins A & C.
Type: Vegetable, Pole Bean
Height: 8 ft+
Light: full sun
Moisture: keep soil evenly moist, but not wet or seeds will rot
Planting: 1" deep, into warm soil. I plant dense, in a container 3-4" apart
Harvest: 75-90 days
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
These gorgeous flowers absolutely pop in the garden, producing non-stop blooms from early summer-hard frost. They crawl with bumblebees, especially through the fall - non only for food, but as a soft sleeping bed in the cooling temperatures.
Blanket Flower need full sun and love the heat. I have them all over my property, in every type of soil - once established, they are happy as long as there's sun. Deadheading will keep the flowers prolific. A beautiful cut flower, tucked among amaranth, white phlox and sunflowers in a late summer bouquet.
Type: native perennial flower
Height: 2-3 ft.
Light: full sun
Moisture: drought tolerant
Planting: needs light to germinate. Lightly cover with soil, pressing to make contact. Keep evenly moist until germination. Can be direct sown after last frost.
Care: once established, Blanket Flower is low maintenance. Deadhead for more blooms
Bloom time: early summer-hard frost
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Uxbridge Township’s flower!
These delightful beauties in cheery pinks (my favourite colour!) are showstoppers in my full sun gardens.
Daisy-like blooms sit atop long, slender stems with feathery leaves, forming a cloud of colour. Once blooming, you’ll have non-stop flowers until a hard frost.
They crawl with bumblebees, hoverflies, sweat bees and ladybugs; I love sitting quiet and close to a patch of Cosmos, listening to soft buzzing and watching the action. Small birds such as goldfinches and chickadees eat seeds from the dried flower heads.
An excellent cut flower, lasting a week or more. East Gwillimbury Garden Club 3rd place winner in 2023, any other annuals category.
Open-pollinated
Heirloom
Type: annual, but reliably self-seeds and returns in my Zone 5b garden
Colour: pink shades, from pale to dark crimson, some variegated, yellow centres
Mix of single, double and fluted blooms
Height: 30-183 cm (1-6 ft)
Soil: well drained, drought tolerant
Light: full to partial (6+ hours/day)
Planting: direct sow lightly, no more than 1/4” deep, in warm soil after last frost. For earlier blooms, start seeds indoors 4 weeks before last frost, then transplant outside after hardening off (LINK: how to harden off seedlings)
Care: low maintenance. Deadhead regularly
Bloom time: early summer - hard frost
Carly’s Tip: Water soil first, let saturate, then plant seeds. This prevent seeds – especially light, delicate ones not deeply sown – from moving/washing away.
Solid wood, food-grade 6" honey dipper with deep grooves for that perfect, no-mess scoop straight from the jar
Plants have personality. These adorable funny plant stakes will let your plants show how freaking hilarious they (and you are). Grab one of each and treat all your plants to a beautiful wooden plant stake.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Sunflowers are a must-grow annual each season - their bright, cheery faces make me smile, and I absolutely love them in fall bouquets. They're always covered in bees of all sizes, even ladybugs. Then the birds, squirrels and chipmunks feast on the seeds.
I adore Ring of Fire, with their chocolate brown centres surrounded by golden yellow petals that turn to red. People ask me about them every year. I find the more sun they get, the deeper the red colour.
Ring of Fire is a basal branching variety, so you get multiple blooms off each plant. When you're tight on space, this is a bonus. Succession plant the seeds for continuous blooms.
Chipmunks and squirrels LOVE sunflower seeds and small shoots, and will relentlessly dig up the seeds and/or chop the tender plants off. My neighbours have heard my sobs and swearing in equal measure over the years. Here are my tried and tested ways to fight them:
- Direct sow seeds in containers or pots, then completely cage them with small-holed wire mesh (forget plastic - they will eat right through it) for as long as possible
- Start seeds indoors 4 weeks before last frost, then transplant to the garden with tall, wire mesh collars around the seedlings and DO NOT remove all season
Note: I learned the hard way that sunflowers are allelopathic, meaning they give off toxins that impede the growth of or even kill other plants. They also deplete soil of nutrients. Because I grow so much food in containers, I now grow my sunflowers in separate pots and place them near their fruit, veg and herb companions
Type: Annual
Height: 4-5 ft.
Light: full sun
Soil: heavy feeders, sunflowers need organically-rich soil that's well draining
Planting: Sow in warm soil after the danger of frost, 1/2" deep, 6" apart
Harvest: 8-12 weeks
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
An excellent choice for small gardens and containers! Sugar Ann peas only grow 2 ft. tall, and do not require a trellis. Incredibly sweet, crisp, fresh pods about 2" long. I eat them right off the vine in the morning when they're cool.
If any sugar snap peas make it in the house, store them in a container of water in the fridge to keep them crisp. Delicious raw, stir fried or lightly steamed. Kids love 'em.
Type: Vegetable
Height: 2 ft.
Light: full sun
Soil: well drained with good organic matter; add compost before planting
Planting: Peas prefer cool temperatures. Plant as soon as the soil can be worked, from later winter-early spring (container/raised bed soil warms up quicker!). Sow 1" deep, 1-3" apart. Try for a fall crop by planting again late summer if it's not too hot
Harvest: 55-60 days
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love this plant's nectar, making Dense Blazing Star an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Birds then eat the seeds through the winter.
I love the whimsical, long-lasting, bright, feathery pop of purples as it grows and flowers from the top down - truly unique. I grow it among White (dwarf) Lavender, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Spotted Bee Balm and Blanket Flower.
Type: Native Perennial
Height: 5 ft.
Light: full sun-part shade
Moisture: well draining, drought tolerant
Bloom time: July-late fall
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. Lightly cover (1/8" depth) with moist soil, and do not let seedlings dry out. OR direct sow in late fall to overwinter in the garden for blooms the following spring
I first had Thai Basil at my local Thai restaurant on top of a mango salad - I'd never tasted anything like it, and was completely hooked.
It is sweet and savory, with a rich anise flavour. I add it to curries, stir fries, fresh salads, sparkling water and all manner of beverages.
Thai Basil's dark purple stem and light purple flowers are an eye-catching addition to any garden. I grow mine with tomatoes and cucumber. Excellent container plant.
Type: Herb
Height: 20"
Light: Full sun
Soil: Loose, well drained
Planting: Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Sow seeds 1/8" deep, transplant plants 8-12" apart
Care: To keep plant bushy, pinch out flowers and pick leaves regularly
This tall, stately beauty grows freely in my shaded woodland garden among Bluestem Goldenrod, Poke Milkweed, Foam Flower and Astilbe. I love the drama and texture she provides! And the name truly lives up: you can twist the flowers whatever direction you'd like, and they will "obedient"-ly stay.
I keep Obedient Plant in check by surrounding it with other strong native plants, and regularly pulling out new shoots - these are very easy to spot, and shallow. It provides much-needed late season food for pollinators.
Type: Native Perennial
Height: 4 ft.
Light: partial shade-full sun
Soil: medium-wet
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. Press seeds into soil and lightly cover 1/8". Do not let seedlings dry out
Sweet local Uxbridge honey is tangy from lemon, bursting with the warm flavours of cinnamon and clove - and topped with a caramelized lemon slice you're gonna fight over.
Preserving the bounty from my Uxbridge suburban Homestead gardens + Ontario growers is among my greatest joys, capturing the incomparable taste of sun-kissed local food. Every product is made by hand, in small batches, in our Celiac-safe gluten-free kitchen, that is certified by the Durham Region Health Department.
Ingredients: 100% local Uxbridge honey, lemon, cinnamon, cloves
Do not feed honey to infants under 1 year old