Drum roll please! John Schroeder, co-owner with his wife Kelly of Valleybrook Gardens with nurseries in British Columbia and Ontario, has put together his Top 10 New for 2012 list.  As you might guess, with over 30 years of experience growing perennials, annuals, herbs, clematis and roses, he knows a lot about this subject.  Below […]

Spring comes eventually every year, though many of us might be forgiven for thinking that 2018 was going to be the exception.  Now, here it is mid-May, and plants and gardens everywhere are rushing to make up for lost time by bursting into growth and flower. That must mean it’s time to roll out our […]

It’s that time again where I get to make my choices for the current year’s Top 10 perennial list. While the occasion lacks the glitz and hoopla of the Oscars or Grammy Award Ceremony, (or the audience for that matter), it’s a good opportunity to recognize the horticultural equivalents of talent or popularity. My selections […]

Operating two of the largest perennial nurseries in Canada gives owner John Schroeder a unique perspective on trends in gardening, and perennials in particular. Ten plants are chosen for Top 10 honours each year as his personal recommendations for your garden! As always, the list includes mostly new varieties, ‘hand picked’ for performance, landscape impact […]

A little background for those of you new to Heritage Perennials.  John Schroeder is a nursery grower with 2 nurseries producing the perennials you see in branded blue pots at your local garden centre.  He’s been doing this for over 30 years but this is an onerous task even for him – choosing just 10 […]

1.  Anemone ‘Wild Swan’ –  Zone 5 Special award winner at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show, this vigorous hybrid deserves to become well known.  With A. rupicola as the female parent, it exhibits continuous flowering starting in mid-June, lasting until mid-November frost.  Not many perennials offer that length of show! The large white flowers are […]

Here are our top picks for the best perennials that do well in a sunny garden.  They can withstand longer hours of sunshine and the drying effects that may accompany it better than some other sun-lovers.  Sunny gardens tend to be one of the easiest to fill with perennials although this is not an exact […]

Now, don’t be annoyed if your favourite plant is not listed.  It’s REALLY difficult to choose only 10 especially when you consider the number of outstanding perennials available in past years and today; not to mention the ones that will be introduced in the future.  Still, we think you would be very hard pressed to […]

Though many new perennials are introduced every year, only a few become instant classics that will stand the test of time.  In our thirty plus years of growing plants, we’ve seen our share of new plants come and go.  Since the beginning of this century, the flow of new plants has turned into an avalanche.  […]