Calgary Garden Coach

what to do with clay soil?

Yikes.  This is the worst garden soil I have ever seen!  There is maybe 10-15 cm of topsoil in this garden, and underneath is pure Calgary clay.  Whoever landscaped this yard ripped the homeowner off.  Fortunately for me, it's not my soil.  But what to tell my client?

There are two ways to improve garden soil.  A good 30 cm of topsoil is required for plants to really thrive.  45 cm would be even better.  The best way is to get this is to get a Bobcat in to remove the existing soil down to at least 30 cm and have it replaced with good black loam.  This is great if you are starting from scratch (and if you are, then I highly recommend doing this!  You will not regret it), but if you already have an established yard or just want to add a few plants here and there, it's not very practical. 

The other option is to improve the soil as you dig each hole and plant each plant.  Faster in the short-term but possibly more work in the long-term.  So, in this garden, I dug each hole 3 times bigger than the size of the pot that the plant was in (what a workout!), and mixed lots of compost with the existing soil in each hole.  This will make space for each plant to grow its roots into without struggling in the hard clay.  Top-dressing the whole garden with 2-4" of compost each spring will also gradually help improve the garden soil.

a sunny, hot front garden part 2

Here again, the client decided to keep what she had, to add shrubs this fall, and more flowers next spring.  Here's what it looked like before.  She says she likes the look of bare soil, but wants colour, colour, colour.

Well, this is a start.  The 'Skyrocket' juniper is the narrowest upright juniper you can get, I think the the blue colour looks great in front of the gold wall, and it will echo the junipers on the other side of the walkway.  This one will eventually get 3 m high and only 75 cm wide.  We also added 3 potentillas (2 are 'Gold Drop' and the third was moved from the garden in the back), all with bright yellow flowers.  They will eventually form a nice, low-growing hedge in front of the bench.

I re-arranged the yuccas, heucheras and fescues, and added some daylilies, since she had too many on the other side of the walkway.  They all had to be moved anyway, to make space for the shrubs we added.  There are quite a few 'spiky'-shaped plants here, so I definately see some tall sedums in the future, as well as gaillardia, shasta daisies, cranesbill geranium...

Since the client likes the look of bare soil, I recommend top-dressing these beds with at least 2" of compost every spring.  It will help keep the weeds down, improve the soil, and fertilize the plants. 

screening an air conditioning unit part 2

This client wanted to screen the air conditioning unit, and have more colour.  She decided we would add shrubs this fall (a great time to plant!), and flowers in the spring.  Here is what it looked like before, and below is after I added the shrubs and re-arranged some of her existing perennials:

The new juniper 'Moonglow' will eventually get large enough to screen the view, without blocking access.  In the meantime, the ornamental grass 'Karl Foerster' will help block the view.

There's a Dart's Red spirea in the corner closest to the front door.  It will add flower colour in summer and have reddish-purple foliage in fall.

I also added 3 'Black Beauty' elderberries, whose purple-black foliage contrast well with the blue juniper and fescues.  They will eventually get 5 ft tall and wide.

The blue fescues were moved from the other side of the front sidewalk, and I also re-arranged the variegated grasses and yellow daylilies a little.

Also, the Karl Foerster grass will be big enough by next year to screen the view as you get closer to the house.

We haven't added any flowers yet and I think it already looks a lot better with the various colours and textures of foliage.

help! the annuals are taking over!!

This was a brand new area of the garden this spring and it looked fairly bare.  Because perennials take a few years to get going, I started some annuals from seed to fill in the gaps.  I don't really know what I was thinking though, because all the annuals I planted are giants by the end of the season!  Here are lavatera, castor bean, cleome and nicotiana taking over the garden.

They look great but I can barely see my new perennials.  I'm almost tempted to cut these annuals down just so I can get a better look at the permanent perennial composition.  I already pulled out the floppy clarkia and added some 'Husker's Red' penstemon instead (not in this pic).

Hmm, what to do, what to do...  Maybe we'll get an early frost and this will all be moot.  Wait, did I just wish for frost?  It must be getting close to the end of summer and I am getting tired!

stachys byzantina (lamb's ears)

I think I must have 'Silver Carpet', a non-flowering variety, because this plant has never flowered for me.  That's OK, I planted it for its leaves.  Kids love this plant, and I do, too!  The leaves are so, so, soooo soft.

Lamb's ears likes full sun and is very drought tolerant.  In fact, the only way to kill it is to give it too much water or too rich soil.

nicotiana sylvestris (flowering tobacco)

Here's an annual I started from seed to fill up some new spots in the garden, and fill them up it does!

This one is huge (150 cm tall?) and I chose it for its beautiful fragrance.  It is in full sun.

hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

There are lots of newer varieties of hydrangea that can be babied through Calgary winters, but Annabelle is a reliably hardy shrub.  It dies back to the ground every winter, but just needs cutting back in spring and grows quickly into a large shrub again.

Hydrangeas like moist soil and partial shade, so I have mine near a downspout and it needs no extra care.

The flowers are huge and they last and last, and they even look nice dried (I leave mine on the shrub and they look nice all winter long).

bee balm, agastache and verbena bonariensis

These plants are all attractive to either hummingbirds (bee balm), or butterflies (agastache and verbena).  Bees like them too!

liatris, russian sage and purple sedum

Here's one of my favourite combinations for fall colour in full sun:

liatris

russian sage

purple sedum

I used to have a purple echinacea in here too, but lost it last winter.  I think I'll have to get another one next year...

liatris spicata

These spiky plants come in pink, purple and white, and the flowers open from the top down.  You can find them for cheap, cheap, cheap if you wait and buy bare bulbs in the spring.

These are so easy to grow that I stuffed some extras in the "cutting garden" at the side of the house, so I'd have some for bouquets without spoiling the display in the main garden.

spec's: 90 cm tall, full sun, drought tolerant.

monarda didyma (bee balm) 'Marshall's Delight'

Here's the other colour of bee balm I have in my garden.  This variety is also highly mildew resistant, which is a bonus. 

Again, I like bee balm for its late summer colour, drought tolerance and ability to bloom in partial shade.  Not to mention that hummingbirds and bees love it!

spec's: 75-90 cm tall, 45 cm wide, sun to part shade, drought tolerant, low maintenance.

blue fescue and bergenia

Do you keep reading articles talking about the importance of contrasting foliage for season-long interest?  You can't get much better than blue fescue and bergenia (actually, I like any ornamental grass paired with bergenia).

artemesia and clary sage

artemesia 'oriental limelight' and annual self-seeded clary sage (plus annual cosmos in the background)

castor bean, echinacea and lavatera

daylily and borage

a garden salad - my kids eat veggies!

After reading lots of articles about how growing veggies will get kids more interested in eating them, I can finally report that yes, it's true!  This lettuce is growing right beside the patio and my kids like to walk over and yank off leaves to munch on while they're playing in the backyard.  I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!!

... and here's the salad I made last night.  The kids didn't eat the flowers but at least thought they were interesting!  They had 3 helpings of lettuce and tomato.

After blogging about how borage flowers are edible, I decided to give them a try.  I wouldn't say they taste like cucumber, but they do have a pleasant, very mild flavour.  I still think they're nicer in the garden, though.

verbena bonariensis

This is the second year for verbena bonariensis in my garden - a butterfly magnet!

I've seen it in the perennial section of certain garden centres for big $$ but it doesn't overwinter here.  I started mine from seed, and bought new seed this year because I didn't want to risk not having it again.  But, my plant from last year self-seeded all over the place and now I have verbena bonariensis growing up between my patio stones!  Not hard to remove, though.

The self-seeded ones are blooming only a week or two behind the ones I started inside this spring, so hooray!  Looks like verbena bonariensis is here to stay.

disappointed in chocolate cosmos

I planted these because they supposedly smell like chocolate, so I thought they'd be a fun plant for the kids.

Ummm, not.  If you stick your nose right into the flower and inhale very deeply, you might catch a faint whiff of chocolate.  But it smells more like the fake-chocolate of the smelly stickers I collected when I was young, rather than a real chocolate fragrance.  No wafting of scent from across the patio, that's for sure...

Also, these are in a terra cotta pot and need watering every day or else they wilt in the heat.  Too much maintenance for me.

Still, I do like the flower colour and I don't give up easily.  Maybe I'll try overwintering them in my cold room just once and if it's not too much effort, I'll keep them and put them in a glazed or plastic pot (more moisture-retentive) next year.

a fast-growing bean teepee for kids

Here's my first attempt at a bean teepee.  I realized when I made it that in order to make the base wide enough for 2 kids to fit under, the tee pee was going to be too short.  Next year I'll invest in some bamboo stakes at least 8 ft long.

Anyway, scarlet runner bean is a fast-growing vine, but it still takes until the end of august for it to fully cover the teepee.  Maybe I should have planted more densely?  I'll give it another shot next year before I decide if the whole effort is worthwhile...

The flowers are finishing now and the beans are starting.

clarkia unguiculata

Here's another annual I planted to fill up space in my new perennial garden this year.  I threw the seeds in at the beginning of June, and now I have a lovely display of floppy pink and purple plants...

Pretty, but I don't think I'll bother again.  I'm fine with perennials that need staking because I keep telling myself that some year I'll actually get around to staking them in time.  Annuals?  They must be extremely low maintenance to get a spot in my garden.  No flopping allowed.

spec's: 60 cm tall, full sun or light shade, drought tolerant, requires staking.

aconitum (monkshood) bicolour

This variety blooms later than my pure purple ones and doesn't get as tall, but it is probably because this one is in deep, dry shade.  As you can see, it's right beside a spruce tree (as is almost everything in my yard, for that matter...)

Monkshood supposedly likes moisture but this one is doing OK with no extra care - as bonus, it doesn't require staking!!

spec's: 150 cm tall, partial shade, likes moisture.

cleome (spider flower)

I don't usually plant many annuals (too much work) but I started some cleome from seed this year to fill in some spaces as my new hill garden matures.  I am loving cleome!  It is easy to grow and the white just sparkles in the garden.  The white ones have bloomed already and the white/pink mix ones are still in bud.

spec's: full sun, 1 m tall, 30 cm wide.

rudbeckia laciniata 'Golden Glow'

This is a plant I inherited with my first house.  It gets almost 2m tall and looks great at the back of my hill garden, especially backed by blue sky.

It should be staked but I never get around to doing anything to support it except to leave a peony ring permanently in place.  A few of the stalks eventually fall over but I see it as an excuse to cut them and bring them into the house.

Someday, someday, I will get around to properly staking my plants...

spec's: 2 m tall, full sun, drought tolerant.

daylily, blue veronica, rose campion, purple emporer sedum

There should also be a paprika yarrow in this picture (my favorite variety), but unfortunately this is my front garden and the hares keep eating the flower buds (I have no problems with hares in the backyard thanks to my dog).  The yarrow foliage is there, but the flower buds keep disappearing.  I've seen yarrow on lists of plants that hares don't like - nuh uh!

While I could complain, I think that's one of the things I like about gardening - the unexpected challenges that arise in working with nature.  The daylilies, yarrow and veronica were all supposed to bloom at the same time, and make a great combination, but it is not to be.  A great excuse to try something new next year!

what to do about powdery mildew

Sigh. Why do I keep these Jacob's ladder plants?  Every year they get powdery mildew - the leaves look like they have flour dusted on them, and they eventually die to the ground and look horrible.  They get a fair amount of sun, but maybe not enough air circulation due to being planted right beside the garage?

I may try moving them to a new spot next spring and giving them one more chance...

Preventative measures for powdery mildew include giving space for air circulation, and keeping foliage dry (i.e. not watering in the evening).  A spray of 1 tsp baking soda and a drop of dish soap in 1 L of water will also stop it from spreading.

bleeding heart going dormant

Don't worry if your bleeding heart looks like this!  A 5-day heat wave and this is what mine looks like.  Actually, I have more in the backyard that get more shade and are still green, but this one gets a fair amount of morning sun.  Bleeding hearts will go dormant in the summer if they get too much sun/heat.

It looks alright but will soon get ratty, so I am cutting mine to the ground.

more astilbe

OK, if I were a true sustainable gardener, I wouldn't grow astilbe.  They like a lot of water and I don't have anywhere in my garden that I could put them without babying them in that department (lots of trees, too dry).

But I justify it by only having one area where I plant my shade plants that require extra water - having them all in once place also saves on watering time.  This garden area also contains hostas, goat's beard, bleeding heart and ferns.

Astilbes come in a variety of heights, flower and leaf colours and bloom times.  I don't know what varieites I have because I got them all in a bulk package from Costco a few years ago. 

more hosta

This one has been in its spot for 4 years now and is very happy.  Due to the removal of a fence last year, it gets more sun than it used to but doesn't seem to mind.  I have several others in my backyard shade garden.

The flowers of hostas are pretty, but they're generally grown for their foliage (which comes in all sizes, shapes and shades of yellow/green/white/blue).  In fact, for some of my newer plants, I cut the flowers off for the first few years to give them more energy to grow into larger plants. 

Hostas were all the rage for shade gardens a few years ago (like ornamental grasses for sun are now).  For a while, I saw lots of articles recommending them for sun, too.  Yes, most varieties will do fine in sun if you give them lots of water, but in the interests of sustainable gardening and the environment, I don't recommend it.  I think hosta growers just want to sell more hostas!  They belong in shade if you ask me.

calamagrostis acutiflora 'Overdam'

What a terrible picture but this is my new variegated feather reed grass.  I thought the striped foliage would look nice in front of the dark wood, and it fits nicely in the narrow space between my and my neighbour's gates.

It's small now, and will never get as big as its cousin, 'Karl Foerster'.  It's also quite shade tolerant, another bonus in my highly treed neighbourhood.

spec's: 75 cm tall, 30 cm wide, partial shade, year-round interest.

artemesia (wormwood) 'Oriental Limelight'

I should really get rid of this as I know it is supposed to be very agressive in the garden.  But the variegated yellow/silver/green foliage is so pretty, especially with the pink and purple clary sage and cosmos around it! 

It's at the edge of the rock garden, how bad can it get?  I will probably regret this.

spec's: 90 cm tall, 60 cm wide, full to partial sun, drought tolerant.

borage

Borage is an annual herb that mysteriously appeared in my back garden a few years ago.  I let it stay because I am a sucker for blue and anything that self-seeds but isn't invasive.  I especially like how the hairy flowers and stems look when they are backlit in the evening - so pretty!!  Plus the bees loves it.  The flowers open pink and turn to blue, which is also cool.

Apparently it can be added to salads and tastes like cucumber, but I've never tried it.  Anyone recommend this?

spec's: gets 60 cm tall and wide, likes full sun, self-seeds, is drought tolerant.

clematis 'Etoile Violette'

Another great large-flowered hybrid clematis for Calgary.  Care is the same as for clematis jackmanii.

I have this planted with 'Jackmanii' and a 'Ville de Lyon' clematis, and hope the flowers will intermingle when the plants get bigger in a few years.

spec's: flower size 12 cm; height 3-4 m; not drought tolerant.

clematis 'Jackmanii'

This is a common variety of clematis that does very well in Calgary.  It will bloom July to frost.  It produces all flowers on the current season's growth, so it should be cut down to almost the ground (the first 2 buds or branches on each stem, or about 30 cm high) in fall or early spring (pruning group C).

Clematis like cool roots, so it is a good idea to put something in front of it - either a bushy plant or a rock to shade the roots.  This type of large-flowered hybrid clematis also needs to be planted near a foundation wall in order to make it through the winter.

spec's: flower size 10-15 cm; height 4-6 m; full sun

Not drought tolerant.

do as I say, not as I do

This may be the first picture I've actually taken of the whole front yard!  That's because the right side is done (except for a few minor changes, there are always a few minor changes), but I haven't done anything to the left side at all yet (not even bothered to mow the lawn).

Today I planted a red-leafed rose and 3 cute little nest spruce shrubs on the left.  Did I remove the grass?  No.  Did I prepare the area at all?  No.  Would I recommend this to anyone who is planning to get rid of a little lawn?  No.

What can I say. You do what you have to do when you have 3 little kids and most of your gardening gets done in half-hour bursts before they wake up every morning.  Instead of removing the grass (I have discussed ways of doing this before), I just dug generous holes for each shrub, amended the soil within the holes, and planted.  My plan is to smother the grass starting next spring, then turn the soil, amend with compost, and hopefully by the end of next summer most of the rest of the left lawn will be garden.

I know, it looks like crap.  It helps when you envision a work-in-progress as what it will look in 2 or 3 years, rather than right now.  The neighbours probably think it looks terrible, and maybe my friends and family do too!  But I can picture how the mature shrubs will be large enough to touch each other, how the evergreens will divide the space between the sun-loving plants close to the sidewalk and the shade-loving plants close to the house, how the repeition of key plants on either side of the walkway will bring unity to the whole yard, yadda yadda yadda.  I know it's gonna look great, everyone else will just have to wait and see!!

monarda (bee balm) 'Raspberry Wine'

This plant is in my hummingbird/butterfly garden and just starting to bloom.  It's also a bee magnet.

What can I say, it's pretty, blooms a long time, can take quite a bit of shade, and is drought tolerant.  What's not to like?  Some older varieties are prone to powdery mildew but this one is supposedly mildew-resistant and so far has been that way in my garden (this is its second year).

This variety gets about 80 cm tall and wide, but bee balm also comes in many other colours and heights.  Great plant for late summer colour.

gypsophila paniculata (baby's breath) 'Pink Fairy'

Here is another plant in my dry, south facing "ultra drought tolerant, super low maintenance" garden.

I'm not totally happy with where I put it because it's only supposed to get 60 cm wide but it's definately bigger than that and blocking out some of my lower-growing creeping sedums and hens and chicks.  However, since baby's breath doesn't like to be moved (long tap root), I'll have to re-arrange the sedums sometime instead (yah right, i'll get on that right away... not). 

This plant gets to be about 45 cm tall and is hardy to zone 2.

deschampsia caespitosa (tufted hair grass)

Look closely and you will see this grass in front of the shasta daisies.  It doesn't look like much now - that's because I bought a $3-sized perennial in the spring this year (can't resist a deal!) and it gets quite a bit of shade.

But in a year or two this will fill in to become a large, dense clump, and I am already loving the fine, airy seed heads. 

Tufted hair grass will get to be about 1 m tall and is a highly recommended ornamental grass for the prairies.

what's blooming in Calgary zone 3

It's garden blogger's bloom day again!  While the garden doesn't look quite as fresh as it did in July (a few things didn't get staked in time, my 2-year-old likes to pull the leaves off certain plants, and the dog dug a few holes and has sat on a few things), I can still make it look pretty good if I take pictures from the right angles.  :-) 

Shade garden

ligularia, astilbe, heuchera, hostas

The back hill

perennials in this photo: shasta daisy 'Becky', asiatic lilies, yarrow, masterwort

annuals in this photo: self-seeded borage; clarkia, cleome and lavatera and castor bean from seed
and more perennials: monkshood, daylilies, rudbeckia 'Golden Glow', roses 'Morden Centennial', 'Morden Sunrise', and 'Hansa', blue salvia, iceland poppies, russian sage, peachleaf bellflower, echinacea, catmint, lady's mantle, pinks

and more annuals: self-seeded clary sage; cosmos from seed

Butterfly/hummingbird/veggie garden:

perennials: LA hybrid lilies, delphiniums, agastache foeniculum, clematis, lamium, honeysuckle, violas, thyme, bee balm

annuals: marigolds, scarlet runner beans, nasturtiums, portulaca, verbena bonariensis

The sunny/dry south-side garden:

The clematis here wasn't doing very well until I hooked up a soaker hose to some rain barrels for a permanent watering system.  I expect big things for next year!  Everything else here is very drought tolerant and managing well without any care.

perennials: globe thistle, baby's breath, clematis, liatris

annuals: self-seeded California poppies

The front curbside garden:

perennials: daylilies, rose campion, LA hybrid lilies, creeping sedum, veronica 'Sunny Border Blue', potentilla 'Pink Beauty'

annuals: California poppies

The front entry garden:

This is the garden I have the most trouble with, as it is sandwiched between 5 giant spruce trees i.e. lots of shade and not much water or nutrients.  Things are doing OK but not thriving.  If I can convince my husband, one of those spruce is coming out next year...

perennials: monkshood, LA hybrid lilies, veronica 'Red Fox', blue flax, annabelle hydrangea (just starting)

annuals: clary sage from seed

LA hybrid lilies

I bought a bag of mixed LA hybrid lilies last spring at Costco, and this is what they look like after 1 year.  I am impressed! 

echinops ritro (globe thistle) 'Vietch's Blue'

I have this plant growing under the eaves on the sunny side of the house, which is the "ultra drought-tolerant, super low maintenance zone".  Globe thistle fits the bill.

It's a bit floppy, so I should probably get around to staking it, but it's not the end of the world.  I generally cut the flowers to bring inside anyway. 

This variety gets about 1 m tall and 75 cm wide and is hardy to zone 2.

hermerocallis (daylily) 'Frans Hals'

feather reed grass and bergenia

This calamagrostis (feather reed grass) was new this spring, so it's a little thin, but I am loving it beside my patch of bergenia.  In fact, any ornamental grass would pair well with bergenia, thanks to their contrasting height and texture.

I also like to specifically place ornamental grasses where they will be back lit for part of the day i.e. not up against a building or fence.  This one is viewed from the kitchen window and I know I will be even happier I planted it in when I am looking at it in the middle of winter and it will still look great.

the dangers of RoundUp

Speaking of RoundUp, I don't know what this neighbour was thinking.  Trying to kill the grass in the back alley?  Why?  It made an easy groundcover. 

Trying to kill a few weeds?  Was it a windy day or something?  The shrubs, peonies and other healthy perennials that used to be here are also half-dead.  RoundUp kills anything green that it touches, so if you use it, be careful! 

While I don't use it myself anymore, there are a few instances where I still think it a necessary evil to use RoundUp.  For a well-balanced review of the hazards and advantages, click here.

campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower)

... is evil!  If you see this plant anywhere in or near your garden, get rid of it, fast!

When I moved into my current house, 4 years ago, this plant had taken over many areas of the existing garden.  I'm still trying to get rid of it.

My methods have been to pull up the leaves and as much of the root as possible as soon as I see the plant.  Unfortunately, the roots break easily and any little bits left in the ground will turn into a new plant (which is why trying to dig it up isn't worth the trouble), so this needs to be done over and over again until the roots finally die.  I have also in the past resorted to painting Roundup on a few of the leaves in spring (before any of the other perennials get too big so I don't risk getting it on plants I want to keep) but I had so much of this plant that it wasn't even worth the time and effort.  Not to mention having pesticide in my yard.

This plant is in the alley behind my neighbour's yard.  I wish they'd get rid of it!  It can also spread by seed.

a very sad weeping larch

I don't know what I was thinking!!

I went to the garden center in spring, looking for a narrow evergreen to mark the top of my (future) dry stream bed on the back hill.  Enamored with the weeping shape, plus the promise of beautiful fall colour, I came home with this weeping larch (larix decidua 'pendula').  When I got home, I read the tag more closely and noticed it said it needed moist conditions.

I don't have moist conditions anywhere in my yard.

I planted it anyway and tried to make sure I gave it lots of water. Apparently it wasn't enough.  Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.  While I do feel a little guilty for killing a tree, not to mention stupid for buying it in the first place, at least I get to go shopping again for a replacement!  Thank goodness for guarantees.

[Update: I went back and looked on the tag that came on this plant, and it says "useful for rock gardens".  Since rock gardens are generally hot and dry, I would call this a little misleading and don't feel so guilty anymore...]

clary sage (painted sage)

This is an annual that self-seeds in my garden, and I always start a few from seed as well, just to make sure I have them every year.  The bracts turn pink, white or purple on this plant and are very colourful and interesting.

There are few annuals I grow in my garden but I like this one because it is pretty much zero maintenance.

spec's: 30 cm tall, full sun, drought tolerant, self seeds.

Becky's lily

I'm a Healthy Yard

I seem to be collecting ladybug signs this year, without intending to!  That's OK, I think they look great.

I got the round one from taking part in the City of Calgary's Healthy Yards program.  You get lots of sustainable gardening information (which I didn't really need), a compost bin and a rain barrel (what I really wanted) all for free, just for signing up and promising to compost, use your rainbarrel, and not to use pesticides in your yard for 2 years.  Since I do all those things anyway, it was a great deal!  I highly recommend this program.

perovskia (Russian Sage)

the new orchard

There used to be a hedge of cotoneasters here, at the north edge of the back garden.  I took them out (I do like their fall colour but I have more elsewhere anyway), and replaced them with 5 fruiting bushes.  In a few years, we'll have a little Upik in our own backyard!

The two shrubs you can see are my two new cherries, Crimson Passion (at the top) and Carmine Jewel (at the bottom).  I had trouble deciding on the varieties, but decided on these two.  I picked Crimson Passion for its large, sweet fruit and Carmine Jewel for its earlier, sweet fruit with a small pit.  Both are classified as sour cherries but are sweet enough to eat out of hand.  The shrubs are big enough I should get a few cherries next year.  Can't wait!

I have also planted 2 haskap (honeyberry) bushes and 1 saskatoon.  They are all seedlings so you can barely see them in this picture.  If you look closely, you'll see the wire cages that I put around them so the kids and dog don't step on them.  Fruit in maybe...  3 years?  We'll see.