Happy Spring “Get Growing” fans, and new gardeners alike. With every new year comes new experiences and new seed births.
This year I would like to introduce you to something new, it’s called Xanthoceras Sorbifolia, a botanical masterpiece that stands as a testament to rarity. It makes a statement with the extraordinary beauty of its showy flowers.
Just put it into the soil and it can grow into a beautiful tree. It is also known as the Champion Flower, and the scent is better than a high-end perfume! The flowers are also very beautiful and when in full bloom, the flowers bloom like snow. The fruits are nutritious and delicious and can be eaten directly off the tree. It is adaptable to cold and heat tolerant as well.
Other common names are Chinese Flowering Chestnut, Flowering Yellowhorn Tree, Golden Horn Popcorn Shrub, and the Shiny Leaf Yellow Horn. The Yellow Horn is a rare shrub or small tree native to northern China. It will grow in a variety of soil types but prefers loamy soil in full sun. Why not try this showy and ornamental varietal?
Spring in Southern Ontario has great weather. Time to stretch those hands, take out those seeds and get ready for a great season. In our household we start a lot of our plants indoors before bringing them out to the greenhouse. These are some of the plants that we start: broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, collard greens, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, sweet peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach kale and turnips and turnip greens. If you’re anxious to start gardening, now is the time to start these seeds.
Susan and Brad Emery are members of the Dunnville Horticultural Society. DHS meets every third Thursday, September to June at the Optimist Hall. For more information, contact DHS Secretary Jennifer Miller at 905-741-7727 or jlglaziermiller@gmail.com.