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Hellebore Alert | Hot Plant Alert | Mail Order Alert

Big, Tough and Beautiful

The nursery is now open for our 20th anniversary season! Seven Days a Week, 10am-5pm, including all holidays until November 13th, 2023.

Upcoming Garden and Botanical Tours

With the relaxation of Covid travel restrictions, we are looking forward to some amazing tours. Join Gary to explore the horticultural and botanical world up close and personal!

In this Issue

1. Big, Tough and Beautiful: The Ice N' Roses Hellebores
2. The Camellia Caramba Pre-Order
3. Main Mail Order Catalogue Launched!
4. Hellebore Hurrah! Opening Week & the Spring Fling Bulb Sale
5. The Great Rose Pre-Order: Nine More David Austins!
6. Winter Jewels Hellebores and How to Grow Them
7. The Hellebore Hurrah Pre-Order
8. New Tour: Inspiring Gardens of New Zealand
9. We're Hiring!
10. The Clematis Conundrum Pre-Order
11. The Summer Bulb & Bare Root Pre-Order
12. The Hardy Fruit Tree Pre-Order
13. The Rare Flowering Tree Pre-Order
14. The Great Citrus and Rare Fruit Pre-Order
15. The Grafted Veggie Pre-Order
16. Ground Cover Book Updates

Big, Tough and Beautiful

The Ice N' Roses Series

The Ice N’ Roses series is a new group of snow rose hellebore hybrids that offers some of the largest, most robust, and best-performing plants in the genus that are perfect for the garden or containers and offer reliable early season performance and beauty. 

The cross, called Helleborus x glandorfensis, involves two sturdy parents: Helleborus x ericsmithii and the Lenten rose, Helleborus x hybridus. This cross was previously thought to be impossible due to the evolutionarily distant relationship of these two different hybrid groups. But modern plant breeding has accomplished a remarkable feat in bringing us the Ice N’ Roses series.

These large cultivars are super sturdy, long-lived, and disease resistant with huge dark green leaves and large outward-facing flowers in shades of red, pink, white, and bicolours that are held well above the foliage on stems up to 16 inches high! Plants can easily reach two feet wide or more. 

These are hellebores that we recommend to landscapers and designers because they perform, they are reliable, and they have presence. They also do well in large containers and planters. So these are also great cultivars for the home garden.

The Ice N’ Roses cultivars prefer full to part sun where they will bloom for an exceptionally long period of time. Avoid full shade. Plants can even send up new flushes of flowers to replace the older ones as the season progresses. Some varieties of these snow roses, such as Early Red and Early Rose, start to flower as early as November while others will begin to bloom in December and January. All will offer colour for 3-4 months or more. The red varieties will maintain their colour for the longest period while the white varieties will turn to lovely shades of green. 

We carry many different varieties from the Ice N’ Roses collection. They are currently in stock and in full bloom. Come for a visit and get to know this great group of hellebores. Or click the link to order online for pick-up or shipping.

The image above and those that follow are from the display gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle in February 2023. They show how huge and beautiful these hellebores can be.

See you soon at Phoenix!

THE CAMELLIA CARAMBA

PRE-ORDER 

30 exquisite cultivars for pick-up in March 2023

LAST CALL

The Camellia have arrived! Place an online order and we'll pull it for you for pick-up. Or come peruse our selection in person! Many are in bud and bloom.

Welcome to our first ever Camellia pre-order celebrating this wonderful fall-, winter-, and spring-blooming evergreen shrub or tree. Camellias have long inspired gardeners with their exquisite and varied single, semi-double, and double flowers in shades of white, pink, coral, red, and yellow plus bicolours. The sasanqua types begin to bloom in the fall and continue through winter. The japonica types begin to bloom in late winter and early spring. They are an amazing group of woody plants to keep colour going in the garden or on the patio when few other plants are blooming - except perhaps hellebores which make a great underplanting! While most Camellia are hardy to just zones 7 and 8, a few are hardy into zone 6. Have fun exploring!

The Summer Bulb & Bare Root Pre-Order

550+ Different Plants to Knock Your Socks Off including Garden Ornamentals, Edibles, Houseplants, Rarities and more!

Welcome to the Summer Bulb and Bare Root Pre-Order featuring over 500 different bulbs, bare root plants, and some potted plants that will bloom in late spring, summer, and fall. This pre-order includes categories for ornamentals, edibles, plants well-suited as houseplants, super hardy plants for zones 1-4, and (exceedingly) rare South African bulbs which will be added before the end of the month.

We have two new categories: Super Hardy Bulbs for zones 1-4 to help our cold climate gardeners connect with bulbs for their zones and Rare South African Bulbs which will be launched before the end of the month.

New Flat Rate Shipping Costs for Bulbs and Bare Root

We are pleased to announce that we have been able to negotiate better rates with our parcel carriers to bring down our flat rate shipping costs for bulbs and bare root. These new low rates should make it much easier to get a shipment of special species and cultivars from us this spring. When you place your order, our system will still calculate a quoted rate. We will adjust your rate right before we ship based on the table below and refund the difference. These new rates apply to all previous and future orders from the 2023 Summer Bulb and Bare Root Pre-Order

Highlights include:

Nearly 100 different Dahlia

Weird and Wonderful Amorphophallus and Arisaema

Tropical gingers of all shapes and sizes

Amaryllis and relatives including Hippeastrum, Amarine, Sprekelia, Hymenocallis, Lycoris and Nerine

Hardy Marsh Orchids

Hardy Gladiolus

Foxtail Lilies

Bearded Iris and Oriental Poppies

Gorgeous Lilies

Itoh Peonies

Gourmet Rhubarb, Potatoes, and Asparagus

Elegant Trillium

Exotic Calla Lilies

and much more!

Main Mail Order Catalogue Launched!

1100 Amazing Plants for Canadian Gardeners

We are so excited to launch our Main Mail Order Catalogue for the new season. We have so many amazing plants to share with you this year including more than 300 plants that are new to horticulture or new to our mail order catalogue. At 1100 plants, this is our largest selection ever. We hope you enjoy shopping for your new treasures.

We welcome orders for both shipping and pick-up. If you're a pick-up customer, please follow this link to our Plants to the People page and read the "What type of customer are you?" section to understand how your order will be handled and for advice on how to best use the services connected with our mail order site.

Please remember to place separate orders for the Main Catalogue and the Pre-Orders as all must ship at different times. Please don't mix main catalogue items with pre-order items and please don't mix pre-orders together. All the sections in the main catalogue can be ordered together as these plants all come ready in May and June.

There are lots of plants to go around. Please forward this email to all your gardening friends across Canada!

Hellebore Hurrah! Opening Week

and the 

Spring Fling Bulb Sale 

Start on Friday March 3rd!

The hellebores are looking amazing and almost ready to meet you at the start of our 20th anniversary season on Friday March 3rd. We’ll have, once again, one of Canada’s largest selections of hellebores plus lots of early spring blooming plants to get your season started off right. We also have lots of enchanting spring-blooming bulbs potted up and available for opening week. So if you didn’t plant bulbs in the fall or didn’t plant enough, we’ve got you covered. And with a special sale if all their beauty wasn’t encouragement enough!

Don't forget to pre-order your hellebores! We reserve the best plants for pre-orders both for pick-up or shipping.

The Great Rose

Pre-Order 2023

Nine David Austins Newly Added or Back in Stock!

We have just secured more David Austin roses! Three cultivars are new to our pre-order this year and six sold out long ago but are now back in stock!

New Additions!

Charles Darwin

St Swithun

The Alnwick Rose

Back in Stock!

Claire Austin

Desdemona

Eustacia Vye

Lady of Shalott

Silas Marner

Wollerton Old Hall

The Hellebore Hurrah! Pre-Order

45 amazing hellebores for your winter and spring garden

For our coastal BC gardeners: Is there colour in your garden right now? Or are buds forming that will begin blooming in the next month or two? If not, you need hellebores!

For our colder climate gardeners: Do you have any perennials that bloom as soon as the snow melts and others that can produce a profusion of colour from late winter through spring? If not, you need hellebores too!

Welcome to our Hellebore Hurrah! Pre-Order offering 45 of our favourite hellebores including new cultivars from the Helleborus Gold Collection, Wedding Party, and Ice n' Roses series. In addition to these selected cultivars, we will also have more available for in-person shopping at the Hellebore Hurrah! Opening Week starting March 3rd, 2023. Mark your calendars!

New Garden Tour

Inspiring Gardens

of New Zealand

Registration now open!

January 9-21, 2024 - Main Garden Tour

January 21-27 - Botanizing Extension through the Southern Alps

At the very moment you touch down in Auckland, New Zealand you will realise that you have reached an amazing place where stewardship of the land is unparalleled and gardens are held in high regard. 

Join Gary Lewis on a return to New Zealand to discover a well-curated selection of New Zealand’s private and public gardens as well as some of the most spectacular sights and sceneries of the country. A botanical bucket list destination!

We start our trip on the subtropical North Island visiting gardens that are unique and diverse in their plant material including unusual trees, distinctive palms, tree ferns, succulents, and intriguing perennials. The South Island has a climate that is ideal for more temperate ornamental gardens with subtropical elements combining with choice trees and shrubs and a full range of perennials, roses, hydrangeas and more. You’ll also take in pastoral landscapes, rugged coastlines, and dramatic mountain ranges. We’ll be visiting the country’s marvelous Botanical Gardens as well as a selection of renowned gardens of national significance and special access private gardens as we enjoy the wonderful hospitality of our gardener hosts. 

New Zealanders are not afraid of colour and revel in plant diversity and whimsy. You’ll be inspired by the tips, tricks and ideas you discover in New Zealand to take home to your own garden. Your study leader, Gary Lewis, will complement busy and inspiring days of touring with informal talks on the gardens and plants we`ll encounter. An optional extension will explore the wild side of New Zealand taking in native plants and pristine landscapes from seashore to mountaintop. Whether you’re a nature lover, a gardener or an adventure traveller, this is one of those trips of a lifetime.

Phoenix Perennials is Hiring! 

Join our Team in 2023!

Are you or someone you know looking for full time, part time, or seasonal work?

Phoenix Perennials is a dynamic retail grower and mail order nursery offering over 5000 different plants a year including perennials, shrubs, trees, vines, edibles, succulents, houseplants, and much more. We are a destination nursery within Greater Vancouver and western Canada with a busy mail order division that ships plants across the country. We are looking for some hardworking individuals with great, positive attitudes, co-operative natures, and a love of plants to join our team in 2023.

Production Manager – Full Time – We are looking for a talented, organized individual with good plant knowledge and interpersonal skills to lead our production team. You will be in charge of growing a few thousand different plants a year in our production facility, managing a team of production workers, and working cooperatively with the retail and mail order divisions. While we use pesticides and fungicides sparingly, a pesticide applicators license would be an asset.

Production Staff – Full Time and Part Time (with seasonal options) - Do you love growing plants? We are looking for fit, fast and motivated people to work on our production side to help us grow a huge range of perennials and other garden plants. Positions could be seasonal for the February to May production season or ongoing through the year and could also involve cross over to our mail order team helping with packing and shipping. While we use pesticides and fungicides sparingly, a pesticide applicators license would be an asset.

Retail Sales Staff – Full Time or Part Time (with seasonal options) - Do you have good plant knowledge, love to chat about gardening, and are keen to help people create their perfect garden oasis? Are you really organized, enjoy physical work, and would love to keep our retail nursery in order and looking good? We are looking for talented individuals who can help with the organization and maintenance of the retail side of our nursery, keeping plants in their sections and in alphabetical order, designing displays, and helping customers find the plants they're looking for to create their perfect garden oasis. Seasonal positions for just 2-3 months in April, May, and June are also possible.

Retail “Field Manager” – Full Time - With more than 5000 different plants a year, our dynamic retail area requires a lot of care and attention. We are looking for a fit and efficient individual who loves working outdoors come rain or shine and who has a knack for organization. You’ll be responsible for stocking and restocking plants, organizing and shifting pots, plant care and maintenance, weeding, and some customer service. You’ll also have the opportunity to help with displays.

All new potential Phoenix Perennials hires are required to provide proof of at least two Covid-19 vaccinations, preferably three before beginning work.

We are not accepting applications from overseas applicants who are not already Canadian citizens or landed immigrants with the right to work in Canada.

Please send your resume and a cover letter with the following information: 1. which job(s) you are interested in, 2. why you are interested in the job(s), 3. how your previous experience and qualities might be an asset to our company, and 4. your interest in plants and your current level of plant knowledge.

Send to Gary at phoenixperennials@shaw.ca. Interviews will run from through February.

CLEMATIS CONUNDRUM

PRE-ORDER 

140 Choice Clematis, Passionflowers, and other Vines for 2023

Welcome to our Clematis Conundrum Pre-Order offering a curated selection of the best the world of Clematis has to offer including old favourites, unusual species, and cutting edge new cultivars. This pre-order also includes passionflowers, honeysuckles, jasmines, star jasmines and more!

The Clematis Conundrum is the first of two Clematis offerings each year. The second group of Clematis will be part of our Main Catalogue for shipping in June. This selection will include Evison Clematis, including 'Josephine', Kivistik Clematis, and other choice cultivars. This selection will launch in early 2023.

The Hardy Fruit Tree

Pre-Order 2023

86 Cool Fruit Trees including Fruit Salad & Fruit Cocktail Trees, Stone Fruits, Espaliers, and Heirloom, Red Flesh, and Dwarf Apples for Pick-Up in March/April 2023

We are pleased to expand last year's Amazing Apple Pre-Order into a larger Hardy Fruit Tree Pre-Order with the addition of the super popular Fruit Salad and Fruit Cocktail trees back by popular demand plus cherries, Cornelian cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears, Asian pears, plums, and quince plus cool varieties of mini dwarf, columnar, red flesh, and heirloom apples.

The Rare Flowering Tree Pre-Order

42 Gorgeous Trees for Pick-Up or Shipping in March/April 2023

We are very pleased to launch a new pre-order for a select group of rare flowering trees focused on dogwoods and magnolias with a few additional surprises.

The Great Citrus and Rare Fruit Pre-Order 2023

162 Amazing Cultivars for pick-up or shipping in May 2023

We are excited to offer by far our largest selection ever of Citrus - 80 different varieties - one of the largest in Canada. Citrus are a relatively easy-to-grow and rewarding group of plants that can be grown by all Canadians as long as you have a a sunny outdoor spot for summer and a good, bright place indoors for the winter. Beyond classic favourites like Meyer lemons, navel oranges, blood oranges, key limes, and Thai limes, we also have a number of cultivars of mandarins, kumquats, yuzu, and sudachi that are completely hardy in zones 7 and 8. They can be grown outdoors year round in coastal BC in protected microclimates.

These Citrus are joined by 82 other uncommon fruits including avocados, paw paws, persimmons, passionflowers, figs, olives, mulberries, pineapple guavas, and more. 

Hydrangea Hysteria

Pre-Order 

You'll Go Crazy for these 106 Top Cultivars

Hysteria (noun): 1. A wild uncontrollable emotion or excitement exhibited in gardeners when a state of plant lust becomes uncontrollable. 2. a functional disturbance of the nervous system, of psychoneurotic origin, caused by the presentation of too many amazingly beautiful things, for example the Hydrangea Hysteria Pre-Order at Phoenix Perennials.

This year we've really gone crazy with 106 different cultivars. Last year there were only 70! We hope you are excited by these Hydrangea. There are so many great old favourites and so much amazing breeding work pumping out new cultivars all the time. The past 10-15 years have seen an incredible number of distinctive and unusual Hydrangea introductions with innovations like the ability to bloom on new wood, dwarf habits, and new flower forms & colours. In this pre-order we assemble a specially curated selection of the best that the Hydrangea world has to offer including many hot new introductions as well as some tried and true classic performers.

The Grafted Veggie

Pre-Order

Choose from 24 different veggies including Mighty Matos, Mighty Melons, Mighty Veggies and Ketchup 'n Fries!

Welcome to our Grafted Veggie Pre-Order offering hand-grafted edible plants that will produce at least 2-3 times more fruit and offer more disease resistance and cold tolerance than own-root veggies. We are pleased to have a new grower this year that will bring the size and quality of our plants back to what we've had in previous years. Unfortunately it does not look like we will have cucumbers or melons this year but we hope to bring them back in the future.

Ground Cover Book Updates

Books Available Now!

After nine years of research, photography, and writing The Complete Book of Ground Covers has been published by Timber Press and is now available at the nursery and across North America. It will be available around the world starting in December.

Here is Gary with our shipment of books which has just arrived.

Pick-ups of pre-ordered signed copies will be available for pick-up starting this afternoon. Orders for mailing will ship this week. We have lots of extras available as well so you can get one for yourself and everyone you know. After all, Christmas is coming!

It is an encyclopedia of more than 4000 different species and cultivars that is a textbook of ground covers for the temperate gardening world with sections on the practical, aesthetic, and environmental benefits of ground covers.

And it was written right here in BC by Phoenix Perennials owner Gary Lewis!

Order Books Now!

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

Please Review the Book

Whether it's social media or online sales, everything is about clicks and engagement. When it comes to online sales of books, the algorithms of online retailers will prioritize selling titles that receive more reviews - especially positive ones! If you have an account with any online book sellers - especially Amazon - you can go online and leave a review.

Thank you so much for your help!

Please Ask Your Local Library to Offer the Book

Ground covers offer many benefits to make our communities more sustainable and more beautiful. The more people who can access the book, the better.

Please bring The Complete Book of Ground Covers to the attention of your local librarian and ask them to add it to their collection.

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!

Check us out on Social Media!

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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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 or Alert. The E-Newsletter comes out twice a month. The 18 different Alerts come out occasionally when we have something exciting to tell you:

Happy Gardening!