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The Phoenix Perennials E-News

June 2025

Open Seven Days a Week, 10am-5pm

From February 28th to November 16th, 2025

Upcoming Garden & Botanical Tours

Join Gary to explore the horticultural and botanical world up close and personal!

New Garden Tour

Great English Gardens

& The Chelsea Flower Show

London to Cornwall and Back Again

May 18th-29th, 2026

SOLD OUT

Join the Wait List

Future Tours

We are working on some exciting new tours.

Gardens of Japan

October/November 2026

Great Irish Gardens and the Chelsea Flower Show

May 2027

Portugal and Madeira

Fall 2027

Be the first to get tour details and the chance to register!

Email Worldwide Quest to join the interest lists.

In this Issue

1. Veggie Sale
2. Monty Don's Dog Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
3. How the Daisy Family Saved Summer
4. David Austin Roses at the Chelsea Flower Show
5. Roses at Phoenix Perennials
6. Fab at Phoenix

Veggies 2 for 1

It's still a great time to plant your veggie garden!

We still have quite the full range of veggies available including grafted tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants and seed-grown tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplants, potatoes, squash, cucamelons, kale, broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and much more.

Take advantage of our sale and grow an edible bounty this season!

The sale applies to annual veggies and potatoes. Herbs and other edibles are not on sale. The sale is for in-person shopping only. Sorry. Not for mail order. Buy 1, get 1 free of equal or lesser value.

Monty Don’s Dog-Friendly Garden Charms Visitors at the 2025

Chelsea Flower Show

At the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show everyone wanted to see Monty Don's dog garden. The beloved horticulturist, broadcaster, and author unveiled his debut show garden—The RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden—a joyful, dog-friendly haven designed in partnership with his golden retriever, Ned. The garden celebrates the enduring bond between humans and their canine companions while blending inspired plant choices, thoughtful design, and doses of whimsy and playful charm. The garden was so artfully designed, that in classic Chelsea fashion, it looked like a real garden lifted and transported whole to central London and not something assembled from scratch by a team of workers just days before the gates opened!

Monty Don (left) sits with collaborator Jamie Butterworth of Form Plants on the bench in the middle of the garden waiting for a television interview. Unfortunately, the day at Chelsea was likely too exciting for Ned who was nowhere to be seen. After co-designing such a popular garden, I'm sure he was getting some well-deserved rest at home with his favourite chew toy.

Here's a picture of Ned borrowed from Monty Don's Instagram page. Follow him at @themontydon.

A Garden Shaped by a Dog's Instincts

In an inspired act of co-design, Monty Don's dog Ned helped shape the garden’s layout. While visiting Jamie Butterworth’s Form Plants Nursery, Ned instinctively carved paths through the planting beds. These dog-drawn tracks were preserved as the garden’s official walkways. “Ned followed his nose and forged the routes that we will now copy at the show,” said Butterworth, underlining the garden’s authenticity.

A Soft, Naturalistic Colour Palette

The garden’s colour scheme is grounded in soft greens and gentle pastels, evoking serenity and a meadow-like ambiance surrounded by specimen trees like dogwoods, hornbeams, and maples. Highlights include:

• Dusky purples and lavenders from Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, Salvia nemorosa, Lupinus 'Masterpiece', Lysimachia 'Beaujolais', and purple opium poppies
• Creams, whites, and blush pinks from Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Astrantia major, and Paeonia lactiflora
• Airy whites and lime greens from Allium nigrum, Alchemilla mollis, and Gillenia trifoliata
• Textures and contrast from ornamental grasses, self-seeding annuals, topiary balls, and accents of silver foliage

This soft, dog-height palette ensures that both people and pets enjoy the visual and sensory experience equally.

Plant Selection: A Blend of Safe and Thoughtful Choices with a Little Education

Many of the plants selected for the garden are non-toxic or low-risk for dogs and chosen for their beauty, texture, and resilience. But in the educational section of the garden there was a focus on presenting plants than can be poisonous to dogs like Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Helleborus, Euphorbia, and Papavers. While its good to be aware of these plants, luckily most dogs are looking for treats and attention and not to eat your garden perennials!

A Dog’s Paradise: Lawn, Paths, and a Playful Water Feature

At the garden’s heart is a velvety lawn, ideal for lounging and rolling. This opens into a soft “tameflower” meadow—a cultivated blend of ornamental grasses, perennials, and spring bulbs that invites both exploration and rest.

The meandering brick pathways, echoing Monty’s Longmeadow garden, are etched with the names of cherished dogs, including Ned and Queen Camilla’s terriers, Beth and Bluebell. The garden encourages unhurried wandering for both humans and hounds.

Perhaps the most whimsical element is the naturalistic water feature. A gentle stream flows into a shallow, stone-edged pond where several well-loved tennis balls float at the edge, inviting a splash or a dip. Designed for canine enrichment, the water feature is shallow and easily accessible, with clean, circulating water and gentle slopes to ensure safety.

A Lasting Home for a Garden with Heart

After the show, the garden will be relocated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where it will provide a tranquil, sensory-rich environment for rescue animals, staff, and volunteers. As Monty Don puts it, the garden is "not just for dogs—it’s for anyone who loves the companionship of a dog and the shared peace a garden brings."

Monty Don’s 2025 Chelsea Flower Show garden is more than a horticultural exhibit—it’s a heartfelt tribute to the joy, trust, and loyalty between dogs and their humans. And it was a hit with the crowds at the show. With lush plantings, a gentle yet engaging colour palette, careful attention to pet safety, and an irresistible splash zone, the garden sets a new benchmark for collaborative garden design—where man and man's best friend can create a perfect garden space together.

In the afternoons, invited guests get to hang out in the gardens. In the foreground we have opium poppies, Lychnis 'Gardener's World', Lysimachia 'Beaujolais', Salvia 'Crystal Ice', Phlomis 'Amazone', Geum 'Totally Tangerine' and Lupinus 'Masterpiece'.

Nepeta 'Walker's Low', Salvia 'Caradonna', Geum 'Totally Tangerine' and purple opium poppies front a textural backdrop of grasses and fennel.

Tall specimen trees and perennial plantings surround a stream and pond just visible amongst the vegetation.

The still surface of the pond becomes a babbling brook as the water flows past well-loved tennis balls left by Ned after a play session. Note the stonework beneath the water. Though it looks like the bottom of a real stream, these rocks were each placed there one by one just days before the show.

Well worn dog paths weave through the garden and past Nepeta, lupins, sages, opium poppies, and Geum 'Totally Tangerine'.

The thistle-like brushes of Cirsium rivulare 'Atropurpureum' contrast with white umbels.

Foxgloves in white and pink.

The silver seed pods of Lunaria annua or silver dollar plant accent the plant pallet with a little whimsy.

Geum 'Totally Tangerine' and Lupinus 'Masterpiece' with a silver cardoon.

Lysimachia 'Beaujolais' edges the brick pathway.

The plum purple tones of the opium poppy.

Phlomis 'Amazone' with Geum 'Totally Tangerine' and Lupinus 'Masterpiece' in the background.

The pipe cleaner-like plumes of Sanguisorba menziesii.

In this view we look from one corner of the garden through the vegetation and past the pond to the garden house, the lawn and the bench.

After a good romp around the garden, a refreshing dip in the pond, some play with as many tennis balls as possible, and quality time with your favourite human, it's time to take your favourite path home for a well-deserved nap!

Interestingly and perhaps because of our impeccable taste, we grow many of the plants or similar cultivars in this dog garden at Phoenix. If you're looking for some of them for your own canine retreat, come on down to the nursery or do some shopping online.

How the Daisy Family Saved Summer

Plant the Asteraceae as the Backbone of your Summer Garden

As spring fades and the first flush of roses and bulbs wanes, the garden needs a second act as the summer sun intensifies. Lucky for us, no plant family delivers like the Asteraceae. Known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family, this globally widespread group of plants steps into the spotlight just when many spring-blooming perennials are flagging. With long-blooming, pollinator-attracting, and drought-tolerant species, the aster family is the summer garden’s backbone. Whether you play in a cold climate garden, a city plot, a large suburban garden, or a shaded woodland edge, there's an aster family plant for you that will help carry your garden through the summer.

A Floral Powerhouse: The Science Behind the Beauty

The Asteraceae is one of the largest plant families on Earth, with over 32,000 species worldwide. Its defining floral structure—a composite flower head—is a brilliant evolutionary adaptation. What looks like a single bloom is actually a cluster of many tiny florets that usually open gradually over a long bloom period. Typically, these are arranged with central disc florets (often fertile and tubular) and surrounding ray florets (often sterile, but showy “petals”). This design attracts pollinators efficiently, ensuring cross-pollination and genetic diversity. Aster family members are found on every continent except Antarctica, thriving in diverse ecosystems from alpine tundras to dry prairies, and shaded woodland edges to tropical savannahs.

Pollinators and the Power of Composite Blooms

The daisy family is a pollinator powerhouse offering abundant, long-lasting, dependable nectar and pollen sources over long blooming seasons making them essential for pollinators including:

• Native bees and honeybees
• Butterflies and moths, including monarchs and swallowtails
• Pollinating wasps, beetles, flies, and hoverflies

You need only sit and watch daisy family members on a hot summer’s day to marvel at the insect activity that the flowers inspire.

Summer Superstars of the Aster Family

Here are the standout perennial members of the Asteraceae that can bring lasting structure, colour, and life to Canadian gardens through the summer.

Daisy Family Favourites for Shade

While most daisy family members seem to prefer full to part sun, there are shade lovers in the daisy clan, too!

• Aster cordifolius ‘Avondale’ – Compact form with light blue blooms for the woodland garden
• Aster divaricatus ‘Eastern Star’ – White flowers with black stems for woodland gardens
• ‘Allen Bush’ (Chrysogonum virginianum) – Yellow-flowered ground cover with a long bloom period
• ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ (Ligularia dentata) – Dark bronze foliage with yellow-orange daisies in summer
• Ligularia przewalskii – Dramatic serrated leaves with yellow spikes

Aster divaricatus ‘Eastern Star’ – White flowers with black stems for woodland gardens

Dry Garden Champions

A number of aster family members will thrive with minimal water once established:

• Achillea (Yarrow)
• Antennaria carpatica and A. dioica 'Rubra' (Pussytoes)
• Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate flower)
• Echinacea (Coneflower)
• Erigeron karvinskianus ‘Profusion’ (Mexican fleabane)
• Tanacetum densum ssp. amani (Partridge feather)

Tanacetum densum ssp. amani (Partridge feather) - With feathery silver foliage and brigh yellow flowers.

Fragrance from Daisies?

While the daisy family isn't famous for fragrance, some do offer memorable scent. Echinacea has a lovely, sweet fragrance which can be fairly strong in the garden when established plants are in full bloom. The chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Choca Mocha’, is famous for its rich chocolate fragrance. Lesser known is the chocolate flower, Berlandiera lyrata, with its enticing dark chocolate aroma. While the chocolate cosmos is only hardy to zone 8 and often grown as an annual, the chocolate flower is hardy to zone 4!

A Summer Garden Sustained by the Daisy Family

Whether you grow in Zone 2 or Zone 9, you’ll find daisy family members to bring colour, structure, and ecological support for pollinators from early summer through fall. With their incredible diversity, adaptability, and pollinator value, the daisy family can truly be said to save summer every year for Canadian gardeners and our beloved pollinators!

Most of these plants are currently available for in-person shopping at the nursery.

All can be ordered online for pick-up or shipping in June.

The David Austin Booth at the Chelsea Flower Show

At the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, David Austin Roses once again stole the spotlight with their enchanting display in the Great Pavilion, earning their 28th Gold Medal. The booth was not only a triumph of horticulture but a celebration of elegance, fragrance, and English heritage—anchored by the majestic debut of The King’s Rose.

A Garden Fit for Royalty

The David Austin booth was designed as a romantic rose walk, drawing visitors into a fragrant, immersive experience. Guests entered beneath a series of graceful arches adorned with abundant climbing roses in full bloom, their blossoms cascading in soft shades of blush, apricot, and cream. These floral arches framed the path and set a dreamlike tone for the journey through the exhibit.

Beyond the arches, formal beds of English shrub roses unfolded symmetrically on either side. Each bed showcased a harmonious blend of colours and textures, with cultivars both old and new contributing to the tapestry of petals. The planting style was quintessentially English—lush yet refined—creating waves of pastel and jewel tones that invited lingering admiration not to mention wonderful fragrance.

Click on the video above to take a tour through the booth culminating in your first look at The King's Rose.

The King’s Rose: A Fragrant Centrepiece

At the heart of the booth, a circular bed stood as the focal point of the entire exhibit. Within it bloomed The King’s Rose—a semi-double English shrub rose with striking fuchsia-pink and white petals. This dramatic colour combination and elegant flower form made it an instant showstopper. But its true beauty lies in its story.

A Rose with Royal Roots

The journey to The King’s Rose began over 12 years ago in the breeding fields of David Austin Roses in Shropshire. It was carefully selected from thousands of seedlings for its distinctive colour, health, and subtle yet classic English rose fragrance—a blend of soft myrrh and sweet floral notes.

The new King's Rose from David Austin has just been introduced this year in the UK. It's a beautiful semi-double, bicolour, pink and white striped rose with nice golden yellow centres named in honour of King Charles. We'll be trying to get this rose on our side of the pond as soon as possible!

The connection between King Charles III and the David Austin family is longstanding and rooted in a shared passion for the preservation and celebration of traditional British horticulture. King Charles has long championed the English garden style and organic growing principles—values that mirror the philosophy behind David Austin’s rose breeding. The King’s own gardens at Highgrove feature David Austin roses prominently, including many of the older English varieties that helped define the modern cottage garden aesthetic.

In honour of this shared vision, The King’s Rose was developed in close consultation with the King’s Foundation and selected personally by His Majesty and Queen Camilla. Its name, launch, and exclusive sale through the Highgrove Gardens Shop all serve to support the foundation’s educational and environmental work. In this way, the rose is not only a horticultural achievement but a philanthropic gesture—planting beauty with a purpose.

A Symphony of Scents

As visitors strolled through the booth, they were enveloped by the signature fragrance that defines David Austin roses. From deep myrrh and old rose to citrus and tea notes, the air was perfumed with a medley of scents that transformed the space into a multi-sensory sanctuary. The fragrance, combined with the soft murmur of admiration from visitors, made the display a truly unforgettable experience.

The David Austin booth at Chelsea was amazing. You could smell the fragrance as you approached. The roses were perfect. They certainly have it down to an art and a science.

Another New Star: Emma Bridgewater

In addition to The King’s Rose, the exhibit introduced Emma Bridgewater, a painterly rose inspired by the renowned ceramicist. Its ever-changing hues of coral, apricot, mauve, and lilac mirrored the brushwork found in her pottery and were celebrated in a special line of hand-painted mugs and vases released for the occasion.

The new Emma Bridgewater is a stunner in shades of glowing pink, light pink, and apricot. We'll be working on getting this one as soon as possible!

With their 2025 display, David Austin Roses not only continued their legacy of horticultural excellence but also delivered an emotional and aesthetic masterpiece. By blending heritage, craftsmanship, and living beauty, the exhibit stood as a testament to the timeless power of roses—and the stories they can tell.

Rose Season at 

Phoenix Perennials

Rose season is about to hit full swing at Phoenix with all of our bushes and tree roses in bud and bloom. Come see and smell and the possibilities for your garden. We've also put together five inspiring displays to give you ideas of what you can do in your garden with roses and perennials.

See you soon at the nursery!

Fab at Phoenix 

Gary's picks of what's exciting right now

at the Phoenix Candy Store

These plants are available now for in-person shopping at the nursery and for ordering online for shipping this spring (unless otherwise noted).

Climbing nasturtium, Tropaeolum speciosum, is a choice climbing vine with dainty stems and delicate, clover-like leaves that erupts into masses of bright red flowers in summer. Available for mail order by special request.

Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson’ is a unique ground cover with flaming red flowers popular with hummingbirds.

Eustoma grandiflorum ‘Arena 1 Purple’, known as lisianthus, has double, purple, rose-like flowers.

Eustoma grandiflorum ‘Arena 3 Apricot’, known as lisianthus, has double, orange-pink, rose-like flowers.

Eustoma grandiflorum ‘Arena 3 Rose’, known as lisianthus, has rose-pink, double, rose-like flowers.

Eustoma grandiflorum ‘Arena 1 Pure White’, known as lisianthus, has icy white, double, rose-like flowers.

Dahlia Mystic Fantasy has peachy-pink single flowers with red centres atop luscious, dark burgundy, filigreed foliage.

Dahlia Mystic Spirit has soft apricot coloured flowers atop dark burgundy filigreed foliage.

Mimulus guttatus is a charming and cheerful BC native known as the yellow monkey flower popular with bumblebees.

Asarum caudatum is a beautiful western North American wild ginger that includes BC within its native range.

Asclepias speciosa is a critical larval host to the western North American population of monarch butterflies.

Vaccinium ovatum ‘Cascade Sunburst’ is a compact huckleberry with pink flowers, variegated foliage, and edible berries.

Sophora prostrata ‘Little Baby’, dwarf kowhai, is a small evergreen shrub with wiry branches and yellow-orange flowers. Only 2 gallon plants are available by special request for mail order.

Poncirus trifoliata ‘Snow Dragon’ is a variegated and contorted form of the trifoliate orange ‘Monstrosa’ or ‘Flying Dragon’. Available by special request for shipping.

Delphinium elatum ‘Princess Caroline’ is a mid-sized larkspur with semi-double flowers in salmon-pink with red streaks.

Delphinium ‘Red Lark’ is a compact larkspur with fully double flowers in bold coral-red atop lacy green foliage.

Erysimum Erysistible ‘Magenta’ is a compact. cold-hardy, zone 5 wallflower with orange, coral-red and magenta flowers.

Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ is the number one most popular hummingbird plant that we grow as voted on by the hummingbirds!

Salvia greggii ‘Amethyst Lips’ has semi-evergreen aromatic foliage and long-blooming purple and white flowers.

Salvia greggii ‘Blue Note’ has cobalt blue flowers that bloom all summer long atop fragrant foliage.

Romneya coulteri or Matilija poppy has incredible, crepe-paper thin, pure white petals with large yellow centres.

Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurellii’ has 6-8 foot long paddle-like green leaves infused with rich burgundy red.

Hosta ‘Funny Mouse’ is a mini cultivar with blue-green foliage with white margins and lavender flowers.

Hosta ‘Sun Mouse’ is a twin to ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ except that it is brilliant yellow.

Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ is the most popular of all mini hostas and totally adorable!

‘Pandora’s Box’ is a miniature hosta with white-centred leaves and a dark green margin.

Hosta ‘First Blush’ is the first burgundy-leaved cultivar and a breakthrough in hosta breeding!

Fragaria ‘Raspyberry’/’Framberry’ tastes and smells like a cross between a strawberry and a raspberry!

Fragaria Summer Breeze ‘Snow’ has beautiful semi-double white flowers and sweet fruit all summer long.

Fragaria x ananassa ‘Flamingo’ is a unique strawberry with white blossoms and sweet white fruit twice a year.

Delosperma Kaleidoscope ‘Orchid Flash’ is an ice plant with mats of purple blooms around creamy-white centres.

Delosperma Kaleidoscope ‘Pink Radiance’ is an ice plant with mats of lavender pink flowers with lavender centres.

Delosperma Ocean Sunset ‘Orange Glow’ is an ice plant with mats of orange blooms with hot pink tips and yellow centres.

Delosperma Kaleidoscope ‘Dancing Embers’ is an ice plant with reddish-orange blooms around white centres.

Delosperma Desert Dancers ‘Red’ is an ice plant with mats of red blooms and succulent multi-coloured foliage.

Delosperma Desert Dancers ‘Purple’ is an ice plant with magenta-purple blooms and succulent multi-coloured foliage.

See you soon at the nursery!

Or have fun shopping online!

Order Your Copy of

The Complete Book of Ground Covers

By Phoenix Perennials owner Gary Lewis

You can order signed copies for pick-up or shipping within Canada from Phoenix Perennials. You can order from your favourite neighbourhood bookseller. Or you can order online around the world from your favourite online sources.

Also available in-person at the nursery.

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Happy Gardening!