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48 products
Meet Forbidden Cereal, our soilless tropical houseplant potting mix that’s a little magical and a lot practical. Packed with 8 premium ingredients, this chunky, peat-free blend recreates the lush environment your Aroids, Monsteras, Pothos, Orchids, and other tropicals crave. Each bag is carefully crafted with coconut chunks & fibers, Douglas fir bark, earthworm castings, LECA, perlite, sphagnum moss and horticultural charcoal, delivering the ideal balance of aeration and moisture.
Key Features
- Made with 8 Organic Sustainable Ingredients
- Stops Overwatering & Restores Plant Growth
- Separated New Zealand Sphagnum Moss
- Fertilizer Free & Ph Neutral
- Pet Friendly & Non Toxic
- Peat & Soil Free
- Resealable Bag
- Extra Chunky
- Pest Free
Cacti store water in their stems, which is why they are thrive in the desert. The spines on cacti are actually modified leaves. They help to protect the plant from animals and reduce water loss by shading the stem.
Scientific Name: Mammillaria Hahniana
Common Name: Old Lady Pincushion Cactus
Growth: 6-8 inches
Light: Bright, Indirect sun
Watering: Let the soil dry out completely before watering
Pet Safe: Yes
Care: Easy
Cacti store water in their stems, which is why they are thrive in the desert. The spines on cacti are actually modified leaves. They help to protect the plant from animals and reduce water loss by shading the stem.
Scientific Name: Mammillaria Elongata
Common Name: Copper King
Growth: 6-8 inches
Light: Bright, Indirect sun
Watering: Let the soil dry out completely before watering
Pet Safe: Yes
Care: Easy
Native to South America, this cactus is a slow-growing, dwarf prickly pear cactus that forms unusual, shrub-like, or tree-like shapes and requires bright light, good drainage, and frost protection, but can tolerate slightly more frequent watering than some other cacti.
Scientific Name: Opuntia monacantha
Common Name: Maverick Cactus
Growth: very slow
Light: Bright light
Watering: Once soil has completely dried out, then soak
Pet Safe: Yes
Care: Easy
The starfish Cactus is a South African succulent with star shaped flowers that smells like a dead animal to attract flies for pollination. Don't be turned off by the smell, the flower only lasts a day or two then falls off after shrivelling. Though it's called a Cactus, it's not a true cactus.
Scientific Name: Stapelia Gigantea
Common Name: Starfish Cactus
Growth: Can grow 3-6 feet long
Light: Bright, Indirect sun
Watering: Let the soil dry out completely before watering
Pet Safe: Yes
Care: Easy
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Like all milkweeds, Swamp Milkweed, is a food source for the Monarch butterfly larvae. Unlike Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed is well behaved in the garden as it does not sucker. This is an extremely beautiful plant and is a must have in a native plant garden!
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 3-4 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil: Rich to medium rich soils, however it may survive a season or two in poorer, dryer soils.
Water: As the name suggests, Swamp Milkweed is happiest where it gets consistent moisture. However, it can be used in rain gardens and dryer areas although it may not be as long lived.
Bloom time: July to August. NOTE: This plant is very late to reappear in the spring! Sometimes it doesn't poke through the soil until the end of May- so be patient!
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. This website offers an excellent overview of this plant and how to grow it from seeds: Swamp Milkweed – A Beginners Guide – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: Leaves are a food source for Monarch caterpillars, Tussock moth caterpillars, Milkweed beetle. A variety of bees and wasps use the nectar and pollen.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A lovely grass with delicate stems that sway in the breeze and soft white seed heads. Leaves turn bronze colour in the fall. It is clump forming and will not overtake the garden. Little Bluestem is a warm season grass so it will be slower to show in the spring.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 2-3'
Light: full sun to light shade
Soil: sandy to loam
Water: will tolerate very dry soils
Bloom time: fall
Planting: Seeds grow best when planted into containers in the spring. Press into the soil well to make contact with the soil. They will take some time to germinate and will only do so when it gets a bit warmer. Here is a good guide: A Beginner's Guide To Little Bluestem | GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: Seeds feed a variety of birds and are great for creating hiding and shelter spots for birds and other wildlife. They can be used in the vegetable garden to create a "beetle bank"- an area to protect ground beetles which are awesome predators of garden pests.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
An outstanding native plant! The yellow colour of the blooms is exquisite and you will enjoy watching native bees literally swimming in the abundant pollen! The dark seed heads are also attractive for the rest of the season, although they should be removed if you want to limit it's spread as it will self seed quite readily.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 3-4'
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: loamy to sandy, adaptable
Water: likes it on the moist side but will tolerate drier areas once established. It will grow shorter where it is dryer.
Bloom time: June-July
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. This website offers an excellent overview of this plant and how to grow it from seeds: Giant St. John’s Wort – Facts, Identification, Grow and Care – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: This plant provides abundant pollen as a reward. It is mostly pollinated by bumblebees but is also loved by sweat bees and other small bees.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A beautifully tall grass native to the original prairies of Southern Ontario. Lovely, bronze colour in the fall, lends graceful movement to the garden as it sways in the wind. Give them a few years to establish as they sink their roots down to incredible depths, making them great carbon sequesters. Big Blue Stem is also known as Turkey's foot due to the shape of it's seed heads. A warm season grass, it will be slow to return in the spring. Be patient!
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 6-10'
Light: Full sun
Soil: sandy, loam
Water: moist to dry
Bloom time: fall
Planting: Seeds grow best when planted into containers in the spring. Press into the soil well to make contact with the soil. They will take some time to germinate and will only do so when it gets a bit warmer. Here is a good guide: Big Bluestem – A Big Grass With Big Benefits – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: Seeds feed feed a variety of birds and are great for creating hiding and shelter spots for birds and other wildlife.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A stunning plant that is visually distinctive in the garden. Later the pea like seed pods are very attractive. It is in the legume family so it will fix nitrogen in the soil.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 4-5'
Light: full sun
Soil: rich loam to sandy loam
Water: likes a moister soil but apparently can withstand drier conditions.
Bloom time: late summer, August
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. Seeds need to be scarified (rubbed between sandpaper to break the coat a bit_ then they need a period of cold, moist stratification.
Wild life support: Offers pollen later in the season for bees looking to supply their larvae with food. Loved by many different types of bees but mainly visited by bumble bees in my garden.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Cup plant is a very tall plant! But if you have the room, it is worth growing for it's statuesque presence in the garden. It will require staking.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 8 to 12'
Light: full sun to light shade.
Soil: sand to clay
Water: Cup plant likes it moister but if you want to control it's growth, place it in a dryer area. It won't grow quite so big and will self seed less.
Bloom time: Late July to September
Planting: Seeds need a 60 day period of cold, moist stratification - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. * This website offers an excellent overview of this plant and how to grow it from seeds: Cup Plant – Silphium perfoliatum – Grow and Care Guide – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: The flowers are adored by bees and the seed heads are a favourite of chipmunks and gold finches in the late summer, early fall. Where the leaves meet the stem, a cup like structure is formed, hence the name. This collects water from which insects and birds will drink- how charming!
Warning: The only drawback to Cup Plant is that it self seeds quite aggressively and you should remove seedling quickly in the spring to control the spread.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Mountain Mint is a beautiful, shrub like native plant with minty foliage and dainty white flowers that bloom for 3 months of the summer! It is brings in an abundance of pollinators
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 2-3'
Light: full sun to light shade
Soil: sand, loam or clay
Water: Medium to wet. Short lived in drier areas
Bloom time: July to September
Planting: Seeds can be planted directly into the soil in the spring. Do not cover as these tiny seeds need light to germinate. You could also start these in trays.
Wild life support: Many native bees and wasps flock to this plant so it is actively buzzing the whole time it is in bloom! Many butterflies love the nectar of this plant as well.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Strawflowers are so pretty and unusual! They are a must have for the cutting garden and make an excellent dried flower. The flowers in this mix range from yellow, bronze and crimson to pinky rose colour. Petals are papery and dry, like straw.
Type: Annual flower
Height: 2'
Light: full sun
Soil: any good garden soil
Water: keep evenly watered throughout the summer
Bloom time: July onwards. Cutting the blooms will encourage continuous growth.
Planting: Sow seeds indoors 3-4 weeks before the last frost. Press seeds into the soil but do not cover the seeds as light aids germination. Transplant to the garden once the danger of frost has passed and the seedlings are big enough to handle. Alternatively, they can be directly sown into the garden once the soil is warm.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A very old variety, this is a great flower for the historical garden. Flowers are such a rich deep purple/ red that they appear black and have lovely yellow centres. May need staking.
Type: Biennial
Height: 6'+
Light: Full sun
Soil: good garden soil
Water: keep evenly watered
Bloom time: mid to late summer
Planting: Start inside 6-8 weeks before planting out. Do not cover seed, needs light to geminate. Transplant after last frost into full sun or light shade.
Growing tip: Pinch out the growing tip after transplanting to make your plants stocky and strong. Cut back after first bloom to encourage reblooming. Do not move established plants. May be short lived, but hollyhocks self-seed dependably.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A bright and happy flower, these nasturtiums look like sunshine in the garden! The foliage is spicy and can be used in salads, as can the flowers, for a very pretty presentation!
Type: Annual flower
Height: 12-18"
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: not too rich or you will only get leaves
Water: fairly drought tolerant once established
Bloom time: all summer
Planting: you can start the seeds indoors a few weeks before the last frost or direct sow them into the garden after frost danger has passed.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A "happy" flower for the garden. It is not a perennial in the common sense of the word as it does not reliably come back every year. To keep it in the garden you must allow it to self seed and plan for it to appear randomly throughout the garden. Some may find this charming, but for those who like a planned garden, it might be annoying. Black Eyed Susan like to grow in disturbed soils, so it is often thought of as a colonizing plant. Once a garden is established, it is less likely to grow in your garden.
Type: Annual to short lived perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 1-2'
Light: full sun to light shade
Soil: sand to richer loams, adaptable
Water: dry to moist
Bloom time: all summer, June to end of August
Planting: Cold moist stratification for 30 days - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. . This website offers a great guide to "winter sowing". Winter Sowing – Complete Guide To Starting Seeds In Winter – GrowIt BuildIT
Stratification & Scarification: Breaking Seed Dormancy – Halton region Master Gardeners
Wild life support: Larval host plant for several butterflies and enjoyed by small bees and adult butterflies. Gold Finches enjoy the seeds throughout the fall.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Type: Annual flower
Height: 4-6'
Light: Full sun
Soil: average garden soil
Water: keep well watered
Bloom time: late summer
Planting: Can be started indoors 2-3 weeks before last frost or direct sown into the garden after danger of frost.
Notes: 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
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A gorgeous plant for the border! It grows into a shrub full of flowers which are adored by bees and butterflies and the seeds are eaten by birds.
Type: Annual flower
Height: 4-5'
Light: full sun
Soil: average
Water: keep evenly watered
Bloom time: mid to late summer
Planting: start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Give plants lots of space in the garden to grow!