Plants - All

The lowest of care plants! Air plants do not require soil to survive.  Just as the name implies, they survive in air!  They can be displayed in many decorative formats.  With their unique look, they can be quite fun to display.  They originate from Central and South America.  Air Plants come in all shapes and sizes as well as multiple colours.

Scientific Name: Tillandsia 

Common Name: Air Plant

Light Requirements: Bright Indirect Light, direct sun for too many hours can scorch the leaves.

Water: Once a week, submerge in water and then be sure to completely dry out.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

The lowest of care plants! Air plants do not require soil to survive.  Just as the name implies, they survive in air!  They can be displayed in many decorative formats.  With their unique look, they can be quite fun to display.  They originate from Central and South America.  Air Plants come in all shapes and sizes as well as multiple colours.

Scientific Name: Tillandsia 

Common Name: Air Plant

Light Requirements: Bright Indirect Light, direct sun for too many hours can scorch the leaves.

Water: Once a week, submerge in water and then be sure to completely dry out.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

Easy to care for Aloe Vera are great as a window plant. Cut open one of their branches and use it to soothe sunburns and other burns. Originating from the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula.  When this plant reaches maturity, it can produce pretty little yellow, red, and orange flowers!

Scientific Name: Aloe barbadensis miller

Common Name: Aloe Vera

Growth: Can grow 8-10 inches in four years.

Light: Bright, Indirect light

Watering: Let soil dry out before watering again.

Pet safe: No

Care: Easy

A carnivorous plant with deep maroon pitchers.  Native to Southeast Asia, this plant is so unique in the fact that they use they're pitcher leaves to catch their food.  These pitchers lure, trap, and digest insects to supplement their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor soil.  Since they are from a tropical climate, they do thrive with lots of moisture and humidity.

Scientific Name: Nepenthes

Common Name: Asian Pitcher Plant

Light: Bright indirect light

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated, likes being misted.

Growth: Slow growing, can take 5-10 years to mature.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate 

A weird little succulent that looks like…well…baby toes!

Scientific Name: Fenestraria rhopalophylla

Common Name: Baby Toes

Growth: 2-3 inches tall

Watering: Let dry between watering 

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate 

Light: Bright, indirect light

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

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

A fun variety of Begonia with exciting spotted leaves! This type of begonia is one of the easiest begonias to grow. It originates from the rain forests of Brazil.  With their spotted leaves in the shape of an angel wing, this is a stand out plant that will get your guests talking.  When in a place where it thrives, this plant produces beautiful flowers.

Scientific Name: Begonia Coccinea

Common Name:  Angel Wing Begonia

Light: Bright indirect light 

Growth: 4-6 feet tall

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated, bottom water ONLY

Pet Safe: No

Care: Moderate 

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

Don't be scared by my name. I'm a gentle plant with deep crimson leaves. Originating from the tropical regions of South America, this plant doesn't like to go dry. Cultivated as an ornamental plant worldwide for its brightly coloured red, purple, and pink foliage.

Scientific Name: Iresine herbstii

Common Name: Bloodleaf

Light: Bright indirect light

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated, likes being misted.

Growth: 12-18 inches tall

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

Delicate but hardy. Bring the forest inside with this adorable Blue Star fern. A popular beginner friendly plant known for its attractive blue green leaves.  It originates from tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas.

Scientific Name: Phlebodium Aureum

Common Name: Blue Star Fern

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: 2-3 feet indoors over several years

Watering: They need a very deep watering followed by letting them dry out.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

This beautiful hanging plant looks like a giant puff ball! With a shimmery green on the top of the leaves and a vibrant dark pink on the bottom, this plant is a stunner.  Originating from the tropical zones of Central and South America.

Scientific Name: Gibasis Pellucida

Common Name: Bridal Veil

Light: Bright, Indirect light

Growth: Fast to moderate rate

Water: Do not water until the top two inches are dry, then water thoroughly 

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

Delicate but hardy. Bring the forest inside with this adorable Button Fern.  Originating from Australia and New Zealand, this little gut typically grows in moist, open forests, rocky crevices, and on limestone cliffs.

Scientific Name: Pellaea Rotundifolia

Common Name: Button Fern

Light: Bright indirect light

Watering: They need a very deep watering followed by letting them dry out.

Growth: Can grow up to 12 inches

Pet Safe: yes

Care: Easy

Enjoy a prickly friend to add interest to your space!

This Cactus is native to South Western United States and Mexico. They love their hillsides and deserts.  Needless to say, this plant loves sunlight and dry conditions.  If in the right conditions, this prickly plant can produce beautiful flowers!

The name comes from the Ancient Greek (echinos), meaning "sea urchin", and the Latin meaning "candle".  

Scientific Name: Echinocereus

Common Name: Hedgehog Cacti

Growth: They Can grow up to 23 inches

Light: Bright indirect light to full sun

Watering: Let dry out between watering, water sparingly 

Pet Safe: Yes (be careful of the spines!)

Care: Easy

This succulent is very reminiscent of a certain green fellow wouldn’t you say?

It originated in cultivation, not from a specific natural habitat, though its parent plant, Crassula ovata. The most distinguishing feature is the unique, leaves with a slight inward curve, resembling suction cups or fingers!

Scientific Name: Crassula ovata

Common Name: Gollum, Shrek Ears

Growth: Up to 3 ft (30 cm to 91 cm) tall, and up to 2 ft (30 cm to 60 cm) wide

Light: Bright indirect light to full sun

Watering: Let dry out between waterings

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

Chinese Evergreens are characterized by large, oval-shaped leaves with striking patterns, and this Stripes variety does not disappoint. The rich green leaves have bands of sparkling, silvery-white striations. It's a great beginner houseplant that thrives in both low + bright light conditions, making it a versatile plant perfect for a housewarming gift.

Scientific Name: Aglaonema 'Stripes'

Common Name: Chinese Evergreen Stripes

Light: Medium-Low

Growth: 1 ft - 2 ft growing compact + bushy

Watering: Let top 2" dry between waterings; likes humidity + misting (great in a bathroom!)

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

A curious palm sprouting straight from the coconut!  This palm, while kept indoors, will not grow into a tall tree. Their growth depends on the size of their pot. Coconut palms that are grown indoors are also not likely not reach a size that allows it to bear fruit.  As your palm grows, be sure to up the pot size to give the root system lots of room.  

Scientific Name: Cocos Nucifera

Common Name: Coconut Palm

Light: Full sun for as many hours as possible.  In the winter months, consider using a grow light to compensate for the shorter days.

Watering: Keep the soil consistently hydrated but not soggy.  Fertilize regularly if possible.

Pet safe: Yes

Care: Easy

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.

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

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

Bloom time: July-late fall

Looking like a palm tree gives this plant a tropical look! This variety has lovely pink edges to its leaves.  This plant originates from tropical Madagascar and It can live for decades under the right conditions.  

Scientific Name: Dracaena Marginata "Colorama"

Common Name: Dracaena Colorama/Dragon Tree

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: 4-6 feet tall indoors

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy