When to plant?
Perennial Collections
The planting time is a rough estimate and dependent on the current outdoor temperatures.
You can keep them in the sealed bags for up to 2 weeks in a cool dark area away from direct heat and sunlight.
If it will be longer than 2 weeks before all chance of frost has passed and the evening temp is above 6-8 C. Then we recommend potting them up in starter pots – 4-6” size pots and have them in warm windowsill indoors. They will start to set out new roots and get growing, then you will have a larger plant ready to go in the ground.
Razz-Ma-Tazz Raspberry Collection
- We recommend planting the raspberry canes right away. Before planting rehydrate the canes by trimming 2″ off the tops of the canes and 2″ off the roots of the plant. Then fully submerge the canes and roots in lukewarm water for 24 hrs. Then pot them up in 6” starter pots or larger containers and bring them into a bright and warm area. They will start to set out new roots and get growing. Once all chance of frost has passed and the evening consistently above temp is above 6-8 C then you can plant them outdoors.
Blueberry Bounty Collection
- For the Blueberry you can give it a good soak and keep it in a bright warm area and continue to keep it moist, then you will have a plant ready for the garden when you are.
Farmers Market Collection
- For the Strawberries, Rhubarb, and Asparagus you will want to plant them in starter pots – 4-6” size pots and have them in warm windowsill indoors. They will start to set out new roots and get growing, then you will have larger plants that have broken dormancy and ready to go in the ground once all chance of frost has passed and the evening temp is above 6-8 C.
Savory Edibles
- For the Onions, just store them in a cool well-ventilated area wait until you are ready – then you can plant them, directly in your garden.
Something may have happened in shipping?
All our starter potted plants are shipped as they are breaking dormancy and if you receive your collection and they do not look like as expected. Please take a picture of the plants and the shipping label on the box and send it asap to mail@horticana.ca customer service. We want you to be successful with our plants. After our team reviews the pictures we will gladly assist with cultural guidance and/or send replacements.
Not the right number of plants in a package?
In our packing process, we will often bundle the perennial roots with an elastic band – normally the elastic band is red – but sometimes a cream coloured ones get used – which look like roots… Once you open the package you will want to carefully remove any elastic bands that are holding the roots together, then the roots should easily separate into their separate plants. Then you will plant 1 bare root plant per hole, at the depth noted for the root to be placed. The crown of the plant is where the roots meet the sprout and for example, the Hemerocallis should be planted 2.5cm./ 1” below the soil surface. If there are growing sprouts that are longer than the 1” then it is o.k. for them to be poking out of the soil.
Keep in mind the width apart that the root should be planted, as these grow and mature over the next couple of years they will fill in the width space.
After you check for elastic bands and you are still missing a root – please contact customer service mail@horticana.ca and provide your PO# 89400….., plus the name and address on the shipping box for our team to better assist and send any missing components asap.
Do I have to plant all the plants now or can I wait until fall?
These roots and bulbs are shipped as dormant but living – so you will need to plant them within 2 weeks of receiving them. Either plant them in the ground if the evening temperatures are consistently above 6-8C at night or in starter containers indoors in a bright area.
Will all my plants bloom this year?
All the perennial varieties chosen for our collections are easy to grow and some varieties, like lilies will bloom this year, and other varieties may bloom. As with all perennials – the first year you plant them they are getting established in your garden so they should all sprout out with stems and leaves, but they may not bloom and if they do it may not be at the regular time they will flower in years to come. When you plant them keep the soil moist not soggy all season long – especially through the hot spells of late summer. In the fall the foliage will turn brown and die back down to the ground and in spring – new sprouts will appear and grow.
What is zone hardiness?
Plants grow and thrive in many different climates. If a plant is considered an annual or perennial for your area, that is dependent on the cold climate of winter your garden will experience. So, when adding plants to your garden, it is important to be aware of your zone and the plant hardiness zone. Plant hardiness zones range from 1 to 9. Zone 1 plants are the hardiest and able to withstand winter temperatures of -46 °C (below -50 °F).
Zones
- Zone 0: below -46°C
- Zone 1: -46°C
- Zone 2: -46°C to -40°C
- Zone 3: -40°C to -35°C
- Zone 4: -35°C to -29°C
- Zone 5: -29°C to -23°C
- Zone 6: -23°C to -18°C
- Zone 7: -18°C to -12°C
- Zone 8: -12°C to -7°C
- Zone 9: -7°C to -1°C
For example: if you live in a zone 5 area what that means is varieties that plants hardy in zone 5-9 or lower like 2-9 will be winter hardy for your area. If you are in a zone 3 then plants that are noted a zone 5 or 6 will need dug up in the fall and brought to a protected area over winter.
Keep in mind that in any region there can be microclimates and protection from structures like homes, fences and sheds increase the improve the cold temperature resiliency of plants.
What zone am I? It just a google search away –
http://planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=22&lang=en&prov=BritishColumbia&val=A
What to do in fall?
For our perennial collections, once the foliage has turned brown and died down, trim it to soil level – they will all make new shoots next spring. We recommend moving the containers of perennials into a protected area overwinter – a garage, shed, or greenhouse, so that they are protected from extreme winter temperatures (-15 to -40 deg C) and the cold dry winds that can occur in many regions across Canada.
Dahlias are not winter-hardy in most regions of Canada, so you will need to dig and store them in a frost-free area over winter.
Can we buy from Horticana directly?
All our collections are only available through Costco.ca.
Our spring-planted collections start populating on their site in mid-Feb for pre-ordering and we start shipping the end of April.
Our fall-planted collections start populating on Costco.ca in Mid-July and we start shipping at the end of September. Please note as the collections sell-out they will drop off the Costco.ca site.
https://www.costco.ca/bulbs-plants-seeds.html