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Edible Alert | Subtropical Alert

First Citrus Release!

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. First Citrus Release
2. Grow Avocado, Guava & Passionfruit
3. Grow Grafted Veggies
4. SALES!
5. Main Mail Order Catalogue
6. We're Hiring!
7. Check out our Pre-Orders!

First Citrus Release

Lots of Citrus Available Now!

Edible season is here and with it Citrus! We've just received our first major shipment of Citrus! Citrus are fun, beautiful, fragrant and tasty. And with more than 80 different cultivars this year, they are great for exploring and collecting.

If you have pre-ordered, we have pulled your plants to assemble orders. If your order is complete, we'll contact you this week to come pick up once we have your order ready. If not yet complete, we'll wait until our second major shipment arrives in mid May and then contact you for pick-up.

In the meantime we have lots of extra citrus to shop for!

Before the weekend we got all of our newly arrived Citrus out and ready for sale. We had tons of interest over the last few days and certain varieties are selling fast! So get down her quickly to shop for your favourites.

Yesterday Lorraine and Marcelo brought out some great overwintered plants in a range of additional varieties!

Here is a list of Citrus in stock now. We have lots of hardy and cold tolerant cultivars denoted in brackets with their lowest temperature tolerance or "cold hardy" where exact hardiness is still to be determined.

Australian Finger Lime - Red Skin Fingerlime

Bergamot

Calamondin/Calamansi

Variegated Calamondin

Buddha's Hand Citron

Grapefruit 

Cocktail Grapefruit

Melogold

Oroblanco

Sanbokan (-4C, 25F)

Citrumelo (-7C, 20F) (Grapefruit x Poncirus)

Kumquats

Meiwa (-7C, 20F)

Centennial (-3, 27F)

Nagami (-4C, 25F)

Nordmann Seedless Nagami (-4C, 25F)

Fukushu (Changshou) (-3C, 27F)

Lemons

Eureka 

Lisbon

Variegated Pink Eureka Lemon

Improved Meyer

Lime 

Bearss Lime (Tahitian/Persian)

Mexican Thornless Key Lime

Kieffer Thai Lime (Kieffer/Makrut)

Yuzu (-12C, 10F)

Sudachi (-12C, 10F)

Borneo Rangpur

Limequat - Eustis

Mandarin 

Nasnaran (-12C, 10 F)

Ambersweet (-4C, 25F)

Kishu

Kuno Wase (-4C, 25F)

Lee x Nova/USDA 88-2/Super Nova

Miho Wase (-7C, 20F)

Page

Pixie

Shasta Gold

Shirokolistvennyi (cold hardy)

Changsha (-12C, 10F)

China Satsuma S-2 (cold hardy)

China Satsuma S-6 (cold hardy)

Okitsu Wase (-7C, 20F or less)

Tango

Yosemite Gold

Sour Orange

Chinotto 

Seville

Citradia (Sour orange x Poncirus, cold hardy, likely -12C, 10F)

Blood Orange

Bream Taroko (Blood)

Taroko #7

Navel Orange

Cara Cara

Washington

Weeping

Troyer (Washington x Poncirus, -15C, 5 F)

Sweet Orange

Midknight Valencia

Shamouti

Trovita

Valencia

Pummelo - Tahitian

Tangelo

Minneola

Pearl

Wekiwa

Tangor

Kiyomi

Temple

Come on down and shop!

To learn more about these varieties and plan your purchases, click on the "More Info & Shop for Citrus" link.

If you need shipping, you can also still place a pre-order for the above list and the many citrus coming in our second shipment. However, a few are surprise last minute additions. If you don't see them on our pre-order, you'll need to request a special order by putting a note on your order at check out or by emailing the mail order team at mailorder@phoenixperennials.com.

Grow Avocado, Guava & Passionfruit

With a little winter protection you can grow your own subtropical fruits!

If Canadians can grow citrus, then why not try avocados, guava and passionfruit?

Avocado

We are excited to offer avocados again for a fourth year and to include various compact and cold tolerant cultivars, some of which are hardy to -7o C (20o F)!

Few people in the Great White North have tried to grow and fruit avocado. Information is scarce so growing your own avocado should be thought of as a fun experiment that will give you a cool and unique plant for your summer patio that becomes a beautiful and easy houseplant or greenhouse plant in winter. But you might even get some fruit for your avocado toast! Our experience and anecdotes shared by some customers suggest that you can have a reasonable expectation of success. 

In general, avocados reach a sustainable fruiting size when they are about 6-8 feet tall with a caliper of 1.5-2 inches. We have heard from a few customers who have greenhouses (so that means good growing conditions) that they are getting flowering and some fruit after growing our plants for about 2-3 years. This spring we are getting good flowering on overwintered plants from last year that are just three feet tall! So growing your own avocado definitely seems possible!

Plant in a large 20-24 inch pot with a volume of about 15-25 gallons. It will take plants a few years to reach fruiting size so fertilize them well. Depending on the cultivars you choose and where you live, you’ll need to provide adequate protection during the winter.

We are offering a selection of popular cultivars, compact forms, and “cold tolerant” avocados, some of which can take temperatures down to -7o C (20o F). They are unlikely to be hardy outdoors anywhere in Canada but these cold tolerant varieties will be easier to care for. They can take some frost in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall and they will require less heat in the winter if you’re growing them in a greenhouse. Additionally, some of our cultivars are compact and easier to keep as smaller trees that might better fit in the house or greenhouse. Additionally, ‘Pinkerton’ is known to begin fruiting on relatively young plants.

Avocados (Persea americana) have perfect flowers with both male and female parts. All plants can produce fruit. However, they are divided into types A and B based on the timing of fertility of each flower. In California, avocados are considered self-fruitful since you can get pollination and fruit on a single tree. However, even in California you will get more fruit if you have both a type A and a type B to pollinate each other. In colder climates, it is recommended to have both types if you would like to get fruit so make sure to choose at least one A type and one B type.

This year we have the following cultivars:

'Bacon' - 'Bacon' has tasty green fruit with medium-thin skin with fruit up to 10-12 oz ripening in December-January. The trees are medium-sized and upright and cold tolerant to -3 to -5 degrees C (23-26 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Fuerte' - 'Fuerte' offers green fruit with a medium thin skin and flesh of excellent quality. The fruit is 10-12 oz with a medium pebbly skin and great flavour ripening from November to June. The trees are large and spreading. Cold tolerant to -2 degrees C (28 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Hass' - 'Hass' is the largest of the commercially grown avocados with a delicious flavour and a high oil content. The large oval fruit can weigh 10-12 oz with a green, pebbly skin that turns black when ripe. The tasty, creamy, golden green flesh surrounds a small to medium seed. Trees are vigorous and will need some space. Keep above 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Jim Bacon' - 'Jim Bacon' is similar to 'Bacon' with tasty green fruit with medium-thin skin with fruit up to 10-12 oz ripening in December-January. The trees are medium-sized and upright and cold tolerant to -3 degrees C (26 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Lamb Hass' - 'Lamb Hass' is a cross between 'Hass' and the dwarf 'Gwen' cultivar offering plants with an upright, compact habit. It produces high yields of good quality Hass-like fruit with black skin ripening over a longer period than 'Hass'. The fruit can be up to 10-16 oz. Keep above -1 degrees C (30 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Pinkerton' - 'Pinkerton' is a heavy producer even on young plants with green fruit to 14-16 oz with a medium pebbly skin and great flavour ripening from November to April. The trees are medium sized and spreading. Cold tolerant to -2 degrees C (28 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Stewart' - 'Stewart' is one of the most cold hardy avocado. It is a Mexican type with pear shaped, 6-10 oz. fruit with smooth, think, dark skin and a nutty flavour. The trees are strong and spreading. Cold tolerant to -7 degrees C (20 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

'Zutano' - 'Zutano' is a good variety that performs well even in cooler climates. Its green fruit has a medium thick skin and weighs 10-12 oz ripening in November-January on upright trees. It is used as a pollenizer for 'Hass' in orchard settings. Cold tolerant to -3 to -4 degrees C (25-26 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

Guava

Guava trees grow quickly and can begin fruiting on young plants. Hardy to -5.5 degrees Celsius or zone 9b, it's a worthwhile container specimen for fans of tropical fruits and bold foliage that won't need tons of heat to protect over the winter though it is best to protect indoors keeping plants above freezing. 

Passionfruit

Passiflora edulis is one of the tastiest species commonly grown in the tropics for fruit production. Grow in full sun. Plants may be hardy in coastal BC in protected microclimates such as up against the sunny wall of a house where the stem is planted/buried six inches deeper than the soil surface. Plants are said to withstand -4 degrees Celsius. Or safer: grow in containers that can be protected in winter in a sun room or as a houseplant.

Grafted Veggies

Secure your favourite cutting edge edibles for a new season of bumper crops!

When grafted veggies were first introduced in Canada in 2014, we were intrigued but sceptical. What was this new-fangled group of edibles? Were they a “franken-food”? Were they a gimmick? Would grafting desirable cultivars onto specially selected root stocks really deliver on the promise of increased yields, vigour, and disease resistance?

As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Or, in this case, the proof is in the harvest. Our customers have been coming back year after year for more Mighty Matos, Mighty Veggies, and Mighty Melons because they perform and produce, often to an outstanding degree.

The Mighty line of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and melons are created using an age-old technique of propagating plants: grafting. More common in the world of woody plants, especially with fruit trees and roses, pioneering efforts over the last couple decades have led to techniques for grafting annual vegetables. The initial research and development was driven by the need to maintain agricultural production on degraded soils or to enhance production in less than optimal regions to maintain food security. Different root stocks were bred to address a wide range of growing challenges for farmers. Onto these vigorous, disease-resistant, and tolerant root stocks were grafted desirable edible cultivars.

The Mighty line of edibles represent the application of this technique to the gardening world with root stocks specially bred to provide more vigour, disease resistance, heat and cold tolerance, and increased yields to the home gardener. The results can be impressive and even astonishing. With proper care, ample water, sun and heat, and good fertilizing, a single Mighty cultivar can produce 2-3 times more fruit per plant than the same cultivar on its own roots. In a home garden experiment, one of our Richmond customers got 100 pounds of ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes from one grafted plant – two years in a row! For gardeners in small spaces or those with limited time, the Mighty veggies are especially valuable to achieve great crops with less space and less effort. For lovers of heirloom varieties, the Mighty veggies also dramatically increase yields.

The grafting technique has been taken a step further with Ketchup ‘n Fries which combines one of the world’s sweetest cherry tomatoes, ‘Sweet Aperitif’, with a vigorous potato rootstock. You’ll get hundreds of delicious, red cherry tomatoes throughout the summer and fall and then a few pounds of potatoes to harvest in the fall after the tomato foliage begins to die down. Note that fertilizing is very important to get a good harvest of potatoes. If growing in a pot, the pot should have a volume of at least 10 gallons, close to the size of a wine half barrel.

Order now to secure your favourite cultivars. Plants will be ready for pick-up in mid May.

The following Mighty Matos are still available for ordering:

Beefsteak

BigBeef

Brandywine

Early Girl

Purple Zebra

San Marzano

Sweet Million

SALES!

25% Off Ceramic & Fibreglass Pots

These are great pots but we need to make space for new stock coming in. We have lots of different styles and colours.

50% Off Select Plants

This section is always changing with new plants being added regularly. Our "blue tag special" plants on shelves in our parking lot are mostly a bit too big for their pots and need repotting or planting and a little fertilizer. Or we propagated too many and need to find homes for them. There are lots of great plants available. ;-)

20% Off Potted Spring Bulbs

We have an amazing selection of tulips, daffodils, camas, crocus, fritillaria, allium and much more all in bud and bloom. Take advantage to layer in the colour and beauty of bulbs into your containers and between your perennials in your borders. Your garden should be filled with colour right now and bulbs will accomplish that!

2 for 1 Gourmet Garlic

Buy 1 get 1 free and mix and match different cultivars of gourmet garlic already potted for you so you can pop them into your garden right now.

Look at all the gorgeous bulbs blooming now! It's the perfect time to come for a visit and take some home.

These sales are for local in-person customers.

Come and get 'em!

Main Mail Order Catalogue

1200 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 1200 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!

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.

Mail Order Staff – Full Time - We're looking for an organized, detail-oriented, hard working candidate to join our mail order team. You'll help with assembling, packing, and doing the paperwork for our shipments to avid gardeners right across the country. You’ll also help to organize, maintain and care for our plants in our mail order greenhouse.

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.

Summer Students/Youth - Full Time - We're looking for some hard-working students or young people who like plants and are looking for a fulfilling job this spring and summer. Candidates must be under the age of 28 and eligible for our Canada Summer Jobs funding.

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

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.

Check out our Pre-Orders!

The Summer Bulb & Bare Root Pre-Order

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

CLOSED - Extra bulbs will be available potted up at the nursery this season.

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

The Great Rose

Pre-Order 2023

152 Amazing Roses for Canadian Gardens

CLOSED - You can now shop in-nursery for our extra plants. We have lots of beautiful ones.

THE CAMELLIA CARAMBA

PRE-ORDER

30 exquisite cultivars for pick-up in March 2023

CLOSED - You can now shop in-nursery for our extra plants. We have lots of beautiful ones.

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.

The Hellebore Hurrah! Pre-Order

45 amazing hellebores for your winter and spring garden

CLOSED - You can now shop in-nursery for our extra plants. Or shop in the Main Mail Order Catalogue for May/June shipping.

The Hellebores are in and available now for in-person shopping. If you'd like us to ship you some, please order asap before we close the pre-order.

CLEMATIS CONUNDRUM Pre-Order

140 Choice Clematis, Passionflowers, and other Vines for 2023

LAST CALL! GET YOUR ORDERS IN!



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 Hardy

Fruit Tree

Pre-Order

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 Great Citrus and Rare Fruit Pre-Order

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

80 different citrus including classic favourites like Meyer lemons, navel oranges, blood oranges, key limes, and Thai limes plus mandarins, kumquats, yuzu, and sudachi that are completely hardy in zones 7 and 8. These are joined by 82 other uncommon fruits including avocados, paw paws, persimmons, passionflowers, figs, olives, mulberries, pineapple guavas, and more. 

The Rare Flowering Tree Pre-Order

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

CLOSED - You can now shop in-nursery for our extra plants. We have lots of beautiful ones.

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 and unusual surprises.

The Grafted Veggie Pre-Order

Choose from 24 different veggies including Mighty Matos, Mighty Melons, Mighty Veggies and Ketchup 'n Fries and get 2-3 times more fruit per plant, sometimes much more!



Help Us Support

Food Banks BC

$1 from each pre-ordered grafted plant will be donated to Food Banks BC to help improve food security in our communities.

The Hydrangea Hysteria

Pre-Order 

You'll go crazy for these 106 Top Cultivars

Choose from distinctive and unusual  introductions with innovations like the ability to bloom on new wood, dwarf habits, stunning foliage, and new flower forms & colours plus classic top-performing favourites for your garden and patio.

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!

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 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!