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Rose Alert | Bulb Alert
Spring Bulbs for Rose Lovers
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If you are a rose lover, then you love beautiful, colourful, and fragrant flowers. But roses, as wonderful as they are, only bloom for about four months of the year.
There's another group of plants that are also beautiful (and sometimes fragrant) that grow well with roses and add colour when roses are dormant. I'm talking about spring-flowering bulbs.
Fall is the time to plant bulbs with your roses to give you beauty from February to June while you wait for your roses to come into bloom. Read our article below to discover the best spring bulbs to grow with your roses.
Bulbs are arriving at the nursery every week with many more are set to ship in this September and October. Now is the time to place your orders in our Spring Bulb & Bare Root Pre-Order for pick-up at the nursery or Canada-wide shipping. Altogether there are 865 different species and cultivars available in this pre-order! There’s something for everyone.
And, if you're a local, come shop in person from all the possibilities. Not all bulbs have arrived yet, but there's already lots to explore.
And don't miss our "Sidewalk" Sale in which we have just added select roses and succulents with a savings up to 50% off when you buy at least 5 plants. And you can mix and match different plants. We hope you won't be able to resist!
We have recently made the first two launches in the Great Rose Pre-Order with David Austin and Tree Roses as well as 66 new additions to our main mail order catalogue with many rare and choice shrubs and perennials. Combined with the Spring Bulb and Bare Root Pre-Order and the Fall Citrus and Rare Fruit Pre-Order, there is a lot to shop for online. Grab a coffee or a tea and start browsing!
See you soon at the nursery or online.
Happy gardening!
Cheers, Gary and the Phoenicians
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Spring Bulb
& Bare Root
Pre-Order
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865 different cultivars!
240+ new selections!
| 34 Different Kinds! Part of the Spring Bulb & Bare Root Pre-Order | | |
Open Seven Days a Week, 10am-5pm
From February 28th to November 16th, 2025
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Upcoming Garden & Botanical Tours
Join Gary to explore the horticultural and botanical world up close and personal!
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Future Tours
We are now working simultaneously on itineraries for Japan and Ireland. Details coming soon!
Gardens of Japan
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.
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In this Issue
- Bulbs for Rose Lovers
- The Great Rose Pre-Order 2026
- Anemone + new additions
- "Sidewalk" Sale
- 66 Additions to Mail Order
- Fall Citrus Pre-Order
- Spring Bulbs and Bare Root Pre-Order
- Guerilla Gardening Challenge
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Bulbs for Rose Lovers
The Best Spring Bulbs to Plant with Roses
Planting spring bulbs with your roses is a great way to ensure continuous colour and interest in your garden and containers from late winter through late spring when your roses are dormant and still months away from blooming. Bulbs will not only add beauty to your garden leading up to your first early summer rose blooms, but some also provide additional benefits like insect repellence and disease prevention. Bulbs are generally shallow-rooted and won’t interfere or compete with your more deeply-rooted roses. And just as your roses come into bloom, bulb foliage will die back for their summer rest. So they won’t get in the way of your rose displays.
Here’s a guide to the best easy-to-grow spring bulbs to plant with your roses. We’ve listed them in order of their bloom time from late winter/early spring to late spring. We’ve also included some care instructions.
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Snowdrops (Galanthus)
Snowdrops are some of the earliest bulbs to flower, often appearing as early as late winter. Their dainty white flowers with green markings create a charming contrast with the bare branches of dormant roses. Plant in clumps to create a naturalistic effect. Snowdrops prefer slightly moist, well-drained soil and will happily naturalize over time.
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Crocus
Crocuses bring bright splashes of colour including white, yellow, pink, lavender, and purple to the late winter and early spring garden. Their low-growing habit allows them to fill the spaces between rose bushes without competing for attention. Crocuses prefer sunny or lightly shaded areas and can thrive in many soil types, provided the drainage is good. They are also great for naturalizing in grass or along pathways.
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Windflowers (Anemone nemorosa and A. blanda)
These early-blooming ground cover plants are ideal for planting beneath roses. They not only add a carpet of delicate flowers in early spring but also help reduce the spread of diseases like powdery mildew and black spot by preventing their spores – which overwinter on the soil surface – from splashing up onto rose canes and foliage. Anemone nemorosa prefers partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Anemone blanda, the Grecian windflower, likes sunnier, drier conditions. Both naturalize easily, forming dense carpets that suppress weeds and enhance the health of your roses.
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Hyacinths
Hyacinths offer an intoxicating fragrance that will make rose lovers swoon. They also come in a range of striking colours including white, yellow, pink, purple, blue, and peach that brighten up the garden in mid-spring. Plant in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade.
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Botanical Tulips
Botanical tulips are smaller and more delicate than the showier garden tulips. They bloom in early to mid spring and bring a natural, understated charm to the rose bed in pretty much every colour of the rainbow. Some species and cultivars even have blue markings! These tulips are ideal for planting in well-drained soil with full sun. They are easy to grow and long-lived and tend to return year after year.
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Daffodils (Narcissus)
Daffodils provide reliable early to mid-spring blooms in shades of white, yellow, orange, and peach. Many have a lovely fragrance. They pair well with roses and they can help repel pests like rodents and deer. Plant in full sun or partial shade. They prefer well-drained soil and will naturalize over time, returning stronger each year.
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Tulips
Classic hybrid tulips come in a vast array of colours and bloom from mid to late spring. They add bold colour and drama to the rose bed before the roses themselves bloom. Plant in a sunny location with well-drained soil. Grown in full sun and with spring fertilizing they can come back year after year.
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Ornamental Onions (Allium)
Allium, known for their striking spherical and firework-like flower heads, make a wonderful companion to roses. Their strong onion scent helps repel pests like aphids which are notorious for attacking roses. Alliums typically bloom from mid to late spring into early summer, creating an excellent transition to the rose bloom season or a companion flower that will bloom at the same time as the first flush of roses. Plant in well-drained soil in a sunny spot.
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Planting and Care Instructions for Spring Bulbs
Timing: Most spring bulbs should be planted in the fall, from late September to November, depending on your climate. This allows the bulbs to establish roots before the winter chill sets in.
Planting Depth: Follow the recommended depth for each type of bulb. Generally, plant bulbs at a depth of two to three times their height.
Location: Choose a sunny spot or an area with partial shade where the soil drains well. Bulbs do not thrive in waterlogged soil.
Watering: Water the bulbs after planting to help them establish roots. Throughout the growing season, make sure the soil remains moist but not soggy.
Mulching: Mulch the planting area with organic material to help retain moisture, prevent weeds, and protect the bulbs from extreme winter temperatures.
Feeding: Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer when planting and again in early spring as the bulbs start to grow. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, as they can encourage leaf growth at the expense of flowers.
By combining these beautiful and beneficial bulbs with your roses, you'll enjoy vibrant colour, a healthier garden, and a more dynamic spring landscape that leads seamlessly into the rose blooming season.
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The Great Rose
Pre-Order 2026
2nd Launch with Tree Roses
We are very pleased to add tree roses to the Great Rose Pre-Order to join the 82 different roses in the first launch.
Over the next weeks and months we will make successive launches as we get confirmations of our orders from our suppliers.
1st Launch - August 15th
82 David Austin shrub roses + many Weeks and Star roses!
2nd Launch - August 22nd
36 Standard tree and patio tree roses from David Austin and other breeders!
Canadian Exclusive for 5 David Austin Cultivars: Boscobel, Eustacia Vye, Lady of Shalott, Olivia Rose, and Tranquility! Plus other top cultivars.
3rd Launch - Coming Soon
100+ Kordes, Jalbert, and Meilland roses + more Weeks and other roses.
4th Launch - Coming Soon
A few last minute additions
We still hope to have a few surprise additions later in the fall and winter.
Subscribers to the Rose and Fragrance Alerts will be the first to know when launches happen!
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Canadian Exclusive for 2026
We are excited to offer tree roses in some of the most popular of all David Austin cultivars. Quantities are limited. Please order early. We have 'Boscobel', 'Eustacia Vye', 'Lady of Shalott', 'Olivia Rose', and 'Tranquility'.
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Anemone
Windflowers for the Spring Garden
Anemone is a genus of shady rhizomatous plants from North America and Eurasia with members that form beautiful carpets of ephemeral spring flowers on the forest floors of their native regions. They are known as wood anemones or windflowers. The most common species in cultivation is A. nemorosa. The yellow wood anemone, A. ranunculoides, is also a great plant as are the hybrids between these two species, A. x lipsiensis.
Wood anemone have lush, dissected foliage that creates a beautiful textural carpet topped with delicate, nodding to upright flowers with yellow centres in shades of white, yellow, pale pink, lavender and blue. There are also a number of interesting double forms.
| Anemone are easy to grow and enjoy rich, evenly moist soils in the shade garden. They emerge, bloom, and then go dormant all from early spring to summer making them perfect for planting around hosta, hellebores, ferns, and other later emerging shade perennials. Anemone will put on a beautiful show and then go dormant just in time for other plants to come up and do their thing. | You can also plant them under deciduous trees and shrubs where they can bask and bloom in the spring sunlight and then go dormant just as the leaves above them begin to unfurl. Many people see their short season as a drawback but, used in these creative ways, Anemone can be a valuable bulb for layering extra colour into existing areas of the garden. They are also hardy to zone 4 making them a great ground covering spring ephemeral for most Canadian gardeners. |
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12 CULTIVARS JUST ADDED!
We have just finished making divisions of our stock plants and can now offer a wider range of wood anemones for pre-order.
| | Anemone nemorosa is the wild-type white-flowered form of this charming woodland ground cover. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Allenii’ is a pale lavender-blue form of this charming woodland ground cover. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Blue Bonnet’ has rich purple-blue flowers with silvery white undersides. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Bracteata’ is a curious form with semi-double white and green flowers. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Green Fingers’ is a crazy white-flowered cultivar with leafy, green, finger-like growths. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ has glowing pale lavender-blue flowers. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Virescens’ is a strange form where the flowers are replaced by highly dissected, green, leaf-like structures. | | Anemone nemorosa ‘Wyatt’s Pink’ offers bright pink and white flowers. | | Anemone ranunculoides is a species with bright yellow flowers related to the better known A. nemorosa. | | Anemone ranunculoides ‘Semi-Plena’ has semi-double, bright yellow flowers. | | Anemone x lipsiensis is a hybrid of the wood anemone and yellow wood anemone. ‘Vindobonensis’ has reddish new growth. | | Anemone x lipsiensis is a naturally occurring hybrid of the wood anemone and yellow wood anemone. | | |
"Sidewalk" Sale
We've upped the ante with bigger discounts!
And added select Roses and Succulents!
Save up to 50% on select Perennials, Shrubs, Roses, and Succulents
Buy 1 - 30% Off
Buy 2 - 35% Off
Buy 3 - 40% Off
Buy 4 - 45% Off
Buy 5 or more - 50% Off
Mix and match different plants. No need to get more than one of any given plant.
Ongoing through the fall while supplies last.
New plants added through the month!
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Just Added!
Rosa David Austin 'Imogen'
Rosa David Austin 'Thomas a Becket'
Rosa David Austin 'Mill on the Floss'
Rosa 'Eden White'
Rosa 'Kosmos Fairy Tale'
Succulents! Lots and lots of different succulents!
Lobelia 'Black Truffle'
Penstemon 'Dakota Burgundy'
Penstemon pinifolius 'Sunset Glow'
Also Available
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Alcea - Various Colours
Anchusa 'Loddon Royalist'
Aruncus 'Chantilly Lace'
Aruncus 'Fairy Hair'
Calamintha 'Marvelette Blue'
Campanula 'Angel Bells'
Coreopsis tripteris
Eryngium 'Blue Hobbit'
Erysimum 'Constant Cheer'
Geum 'Eos'
Geum 'Tempo Coral'
Helianthus maximiliani
Hosta 'Wild Imagination'
Hosta 'Above the Clouds'
Lantana
Loropetalum - various cultivars
Lupinus - various Westcountry cultivars
Lychnis 'Petit Henri'
Lychnis 'Petite Jenny'
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Nepeta 'Chartreuse on the Loose'
Nepeta 'Neptune'
Nepeta 'Summer Magic'
Origanum 'Gilt Trip'
Penstemon 'Nova Pearl'
Penstemon 'Prairie Jewel'
Phlox 'Jeana'
Polemonium 'Bressingham Purple'
Polemonium 'Golden Feathers'
Polemonium 'Hurricane Ridge'
Scabiosa 'Flutter Deep Blue'
Scabiosa 'Flutter Rose Pink'
Sideritis syriaca
Silphium perfoliatum
Solidago caesia
Solidago gigantea
Verbena hastata
Verbena 'Homestead Purple'
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In person shopping only. Sorry. Not for mail order.
All sale plants are marked with orange or red tags and are placed in our parking lot or on tables/shelves just inside the nursery near our cash area in the case of the succulents.
Need more of a certain plant than what you see? Please ask. We may have more on production. You can mix and match different plants.
Final sale. No returns or exchanges.
Cannot be combined with other sales or offers.
Follow our Summer Planting Advice for best success.
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66 New Additions to the
Main Mail Order Catalogue
Fall is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs - especially these new species and cultivars!
We are pleased to make many cool new additions to the Main Mail Order Catalogue for the fall planting season. You'll find a mix of cutting edge new cultivars with many rare and unusual plants that we have been growing from cuttings taken from our many stock plants and seed sourced from around the world. We hope you enjoy exploring these new possibilities.
| (We have brought these plants together in our "Late Additions" category.) |
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The Fall Citrus & Rare Fruit Pre-Order
245 different edibles to enliven your garden and your culinary life
Here it is, fellow gardeners! Your chance to continue upping the ante for your tastebuds.
We're pleased to offer a full range of two of our most popular non citrus groups: paw paws and jujubes. This includes three new cultivars of jujubes that we've never offered before. We also have a great selection of persimmons as well as so many other fruit. Not to mention lots and lots and lots of citrus. Enjoy!
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Spring Bulb &
Bare Root Pre-Order
Canada's Largest and Most Exciting Selection of Bulbs
Welcome to the 2025 Spring Bulb and Bare Root Pre-Order. As with all things at Phoenix Perennials, we aim for bigger and better every time! In this pre-order you'll find:
865 different species and cultivars!
240+ new selections!
Sign up for the Bulb Alert for articles and info about bulbs and to be the first to know about anything that happens related to these great plants from new offerings to sales.
Click Update Profile at the bottom of this email.
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GUERILLA GARDENING
CHALLENGE!
Buy a 50 bulb bag of King Alfred or Fragrant Mix daffodils and plant them in public view where they’ll beautify your community. You can plant them right in your front yard, along your boulevard or sidewalk, or get daring and plant them somewhere else in town. However, we’re not responsible if you get caught trying to make the world a more beautiful place!
Send us a photo of your daffodils in bloom in the spring showing how you’ve planted them in a public space for all to see and we’ll put a $25 credit on your account to use for any future online purchase! Limit two $25 credits per person. Bulbs must be pre-ordered online to be eligible for the contest.
| | Narcissus King Alfred is THE classic daffodil, what you picture in your head when you think of daffodils. | | | For a beautiful show as well as fragrance in the spring garden choose this Fragrant Daffodil Mix. | | | Have Fun Guerilla Gardening! | | |
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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Help Us Spread the Word
Please tell your friends and family about Phoenix Perennials. Share this email with them, tell them about your mail order plants, or bring them with you to visit the nursery.
Thanks so much!
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Follow us on Social Media for Inspiring Daily Posts!
Social media sites only show our posts to a fraction of our followers. Please help us beat the algorithms and spread the word by clicking "like" or "love" when you see our posts or leaving a comment or question. The more engagement we receive, the more these sites will present our content to our followers and potential new customers.
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請加入我們新的微信和小紅書社交媒體賬戶，獲取有關玫瑰、牡丹、亞洲食用植物等的信息!
For our Chinese customers, please join our new WeChat and Red Book social media channels for information on roses, peonies, succulents, Asian food plants, and much more!
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Update Your E-Newsletter & Alert Subscriptions
You can manage your subscriptions to our E-Newsletter and occasional subject-based Alerts at any time by clicking on the "Update Profile" link at the bottom of every E-News and Alert. The E-Newsletter comes out twice a month. The 21 different Alerts come out occasionally when we have something exciting to tell you:
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New!
Pollinator Alert
The Pollinator Alert will focus on supporting the delightful and important pollinators that live amongst us: hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, beetles, and more. This occasional Alert will showcase top pollinator plants and how to encourage pollinators to visit your garden.
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New!
Super Hardy Alert
The Super Hardy Alert will showcase beautiful and intriguing plants hardy in zones 1-4 and discuss how to grow them. The Alert will be sent out occasionally when we have exciting things to tell you.
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- Bulb Alert
- Christmas Alert
- Clematis and Cool Vines Alert
- Edible Alert
- Fragrance Alert
- Hardy Subtropical Alert
- Hellebore Alert
- Hot Plant Alert
- Houseplant Alert
- Kids Alert
- Made in the Shade Alert
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- Mail Order Alert
- Maple and Cool "Woodies" Alert
- Native Plant Alert
- Pollinator Alert
- Rare Plant Alert
- Rose Alert
- Sales & Special Offers Alert
- Small Space Alert
- Succulent Alert
- Super Hardy Alert
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Getting too many emails from us?
We know. It's a lot. But with 6000 different plants, we have a lot to talk about!
Rather than unsubscribe entirely, why not click the Update Profile link and just subscribe to your top Alerts? Also, the main E-News comes out just twice a month which will keep you up to date without overwhelming your inbox.
Happy Gardening!
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