Cariboo Gardening Guide 2003
* Paint The Town Gold *

Help celebrate Quesnel’s 75^th Anniversary and Communities in Bloom by planting something in your garden that follows the gold theme. There is a multitude of annuals, perennials and shrubs that can be used to let the judges of the Communities in Bloom contest know that we support the town in becoming a winner. It can be as easy as a growing a container overflowing with yellow flowers and/or foliage or simply plant the official flower of Quesnel’s Community in Bloom- the Gold Strike Daylily in an existing garden and you will be helping to plant the town gold!

Peter’s Gold Carpet Bidens           Full sun
A dream in golden yellow, with its big brilliant flowers, its early flowering compact and harmonious growth habit. Wonderful filler in baskets. Both heat and frost tolerant.

New! Gold Trailing Lantana           Full sun
A hummingbird’s delight! This new variety blooms profusely with bright yellow flowers but NEVER forms berries, which have to be removed before more blooms are produced. Very drought tolerant once established.

New! Golden Ingot Ivy           Full sun to part shade
This ivy catches your attention with its bright leaves edged with dark green and splashed in the center with vibrant green and gray. Selected as ‘Ivy of the Year 2003 ‘.

New! Gazania linearis ‘Colorado Gold’      Ht. 3-5"      Zone 4      Full sun
This hardy gazania is excellent in containers of borders. Large 3" golden yellow daisy like flowers bloom all summer on drought tolerant plants.

New! Helianthus decapetalus ‘Lodden Gold’      Ht. 3-5’      Zone 3      Full sun to part shade
This sunflower adapts to a wide range of soil types and is best used in the back of a border or for naturalizing in a less formal area. The golden yellow double flowers are good for cutting.

Humulus lupulus ‘Bianca’ - Golden Hops      Ht. 10’      Zone 5      Full sun
Stunning chartreuse three to five lobed leaves bear fragrant green straw colored flowers. Prefers moist well-drained soil. Planting Combo: Gartenmeister Fuschia, ‘Blackie’ potato vine, ‘Margarita’ potato vine, Golden Creeping Jenny and Golden Hops.

New! Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’      Ht. 20"      Full to part sun
This annual herb deserves royal attention with its striking gold and lime green foliage and stems. The purple spikes contrast and rise above the foliage. Not only is it attractive in the garden but also the highly aromatic mint leaves can be used in tea. This plant commemorates the 50-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

Northern Gold Forsythia      Ht. 6’      Zone 3      Full to part sun
A harbinger of spring. This is an extremely hardy shrub with rich golden yellow flowers that appear before the leaves very early in the spring. Unlike most forsythia these hardy buds produce blooms on stems above the snow line as well as below it.

Rosa rugosa ‘Yellow Dagmar Hastrup’      Ht. 2-5’      Zone 4      Full Sun
Also known as Topaz Jewel Shrub Rose, this is one of the few repeating yellows that will grow in colder climates. The semi-double medium yellow blossoms have a pleasing fragrance with healthy dark green foliage. Planting Combo: Nepeta ‘Dropmore Blue’ planted at the base of this rose will make the beautiful yellow flowers stand out even more.

Yellow is very much at home in the garden but some people avoid it, finding it too brash or bold. Here are some tips on how to enjoy this color in your landscape.

- Yellow is a primary color on the color wheel. Combining it with the opposite color on the wheel, Violet, produces a beautiful contrast. E.g. Daffodils and blue Muscari

- Yellow is harmonious with the colors beside it on the color wheel- red and orange.

- Use plants with colorful foliage to add visual interest to your beds and containers. Foliage stimulates even while it soothes.

- In a foliage garden of gold use green as a backdrop or intermingle it through out the planting – it will unify the theme.

- Intermingle different shapes of plants with the gold theme for a maximum impact.eg Weeping (Weeping Siberian Larch), mounding (Goldmound Spirea), vase (Golden Phitzer Juniper), fountain (Milium-Golden grass) or mat-like (Golden Creeping Jenny).

- Colorful bark provides winter interest. The Yellow Twigged Dogwood and Golden Willow will brighten up a dull winter’s day.

- Enjoy the golden dry stalks and plumes of ornamental grass such as Karl Foersters’ Feather Reed Grass through summer and winter.

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