News from Made in the Shade

2025-11-03	Half Price on Tulips in store only. There are lots and lots of red tulips, as well as most other colours.....
2025-11-01	Winter Hours 11am to 5 pm start today.
2025-10-23	Amaryllis have arrived. Shop early for best selection Top sized bulbs give you several stems Add a gift certificate for a great gift for gardening friends
2025-09-17	As always we take back all of the pots from plants we sell. We also have lots and lots to give away if you need any!
2025-06-12	Fall Bulb Catalogues now on line. Order early for best availability Allium Amaryllis Hyacinths Narcissus Daffodils Short and Sweet Fall Crocus, Crocus, Muscari and more Strange & Wonderful Anemone, Camassia, Fritillaria, Snowdrops Leucojum Tulips
2025-06-04	June is when the Iris and Peonies Shine! These old fashioned favourites are drought tolerant and long lived. Plant Bearded Iris in all day hot sun for best results. Above is Batik back for another season but Every-bodies Crazy about .... A Sharp Dressed Man debuting this year and stunning looking for a black Iris
2025-05-15	Pond Plants are here ready to go out to your pond any time. We just picked up a nice batch of Native Shrubs, along with a few other favourites. Availability is usually updated every few days for best idea of whats in stock.
2025-03-31	Everything is ok, however we had some major tree damage in the weekends ice storm. Greenhouse 2 had a group of large trees fall on it, doing some structural damage as well as tearing the plastic. All the plants inside are just fine thanks to heroic efforts by Lynn and Charles and family. The best way you can help us is to pre-order your plants, unless you want to bring your chainsaw;)
2025-03-05	Open for the season....Seeds are all here, with a wonderful selection from Kingston's own Kitchen Table Seeds. See the catalogue here Just ask if you need trays for your spring seeding efforts as we give them away. We also have potting soil available.
2024-01-02	Wishing all our customers a happy new year...... Let gardening be your escape and joy Remember ....Old Gardeners never die, they just Spade away.
2023-10-20	Every fall make sure to give extra water to your evergreens, especially if recently planted, in a wind swept location or if the fall has been dry (as this year has). This can greatly help winter survival and prevent browning.
2023-07-20	Our Lotus has bloomed!!! On July 19th it opened, and it is spectacular. We will take tentative reservations for next spring...... Lotus like warm not very deep water and at least 6 hours of sun to bloom. Ours has a second flower stalk developing... so maybe another in 2-3 weeks.
2023-04-10	Gift Certificates continue to be a big hit! If you email us with amount and ideally who the gift is for, we will email back an invoice. Once that is paid (yes we love e transfer or use a credit card over the phone) we will email a PDF copy of the certificate.
2022-02-01	This Mambo Amaryllis photo came to us from someone who received the bulb as a gift.... It has 10 blooms. In fall we get some of the biggest Amaryllis bulbs you have ever seen. Once flowers are finished, cut of flower stocks and fertilize. By summer let plant completely dry out. We pull out of the pots and re-pot in fall. Or simply start again with new bulbs.
2021-05-01	......and this is why we caution people about early planting. Many plants are just fine when late snow arrives. Some plants fresh out of the greenhouse can suffer, although perennials will almost always survive. Clematis, Astilbe, Echinacea, Ferns, Hosta, Kirengeshoma and Rodgersia are perennials for which we are very cautious about spring frosts.
2021-01-19	Sign up for our email newsletter to get notified about product availability and seasonal sales. We are not one of those weekly types but send maybe 8-10 per year.
2020-09-24	Sedum are a mainstay of the fall garden....the image is of an older Sedum Autumn Joy. Planted about 8 years ago. Sedum can get floppy if they are in too much shade or sometimes when they get old. Very drought tolerant the foliage sometimes turns yellow if too much water has been given. It is a good plant to split every 5-9 years or so, but wait till spring. We have a large selection of Sedum still available....see our Sedum Catalogue
2020-07-22	This tiny frog can rest easily on the Water Hyacinths in one of our small ponds. Bees also sometimes use water plants to rest on. This pond is over 24 years old and still looking great. One liner replacement and we have replaced the top boards once.
2020-07-14	Summer heat....keep watering regularly. For best results water thoroughly in the early morning. Deep watering less often will encourage roots to go deeper and plants to establish better. Monarda and Summer Phlox often get powdery mildew, and evening watering leaving the foliage moist overnight is a major cause. The best Monarda I have ever grown was around a leak in the sprinkler system. Soaker-hoses also suit Monarda and tall Phlox.
2019-12-28	Thanks to all our customers for a great year. Looking forward to 2020 with increased tree sales, and as usual lots of new varieties of perennials along with old favourites.
2019-09-18	Spring Bulbs are all here, lots of choice this year including (but not limited to) Fritallaria, Allium, Eranthis, Chionodoxa, Camassia, Muscari, Snowdrops and of course Tulips and Daffodils. The first bees we see in spring are on the Crocus and other early bulbs.....and they give us lovely early colour before any other flowers are ready to bloom.
2019-03-28	We are prepping for opening, potting the new stock, wetting our plants. Opening day will be April 20th....the Saturday of Easter weekend. Drop by and see all the new baby plants.
2018-05-22	Pond plants have arrived.... Oxygenators, Water Hyacinth, Water Lettuce, Hardy Water-Lilies and more. Waterlilies can be grown in any container that is at least 15" deep and make a real showstopper on your patio. As a bonus....they don't need to be watered all the time.
2017-10-10	Camassia bulbs give these wonderful blue spiked flowers in Late May / Early June. They are about 60 cm (2 feet) tall and our patches last for about 3 weeks. These bulbs are very long lived with patches planted 20 years ago still flowering well every year. The foliage can easily be hidden by planting with a late flowering perennial such as Black-Eyed Susan or Asters. Deer resistant. Bulbs available now, or in pots come spring.
2017-08-30	New Article about Garden Renovation as well as re-formatting some articles that were PDF's.
2017-06-29	Baptisia australis
Aug 1, 2014	If you thought Hemerocallis (Daylilies) only came in ditch orange, think again. Daylilies come in stunning colours, and flower for most of the summer....still lots in stock.
June 24, 2014	How to plant a Yucca......use cable ties or string to collect up the leaves. This prevents damage to the Yucca flower from handling (and protects the planter from sharp leaf tips).
June 24, 2014	Orchids at Purdon Conservation Area. http://mvc.on.ca/places-to-see/purdon/ Last week we made a pilgrimage to see the wild Orchids. Well worth a visit every couple of years. To get there travel to Perth then turn north off Hwy 7 onto Hwy #511; follow it through Lanark village. Travel about 5 km north, turn left onto Watson's Corners Rd.; follow it for 12 km watch for signs. Turn right onto concession Rd 8 and travel 3 km. There is a good boardwalk which allows you to walk right into the wetlands to see the 1,000's of Cypripedium regina (Showy Orchids) along with other orchids, pitcher plants and much more. Mosquito repellant might be needed, although the breeze kept them off the day we were there. We will be bringing in a very limited number of Showy Orchids in the fall. Please contact us if you are interested in reserving one. sales@mitsperennials.com
June 3,2014	We also do windows!! Thanks to Lynn and Tia who each produced works of art for our windows.
June 3,2014	Lots of wonderful plants still available. Some of the plants just coming in to bloom now include; Prunella, Salvia, Iris, Hemerocallis (Daylilies), Astilbe, Tradescantia, Astrantia, Clematis, Van-Houtti Spireas, all of the Roses including Climbing, Hybrid Tea, Floribunda and Explorers. Tree Peony 'Shima Nishiki' in bloom.
April 2014	All four greenhouses are full of plants now, the bad weather caused a delay to the start of our potting season, but everything is quickly catching up, to be ready for the spring planting season. Look for updates to the catalogue page in the next week. Opening day is April 20th!!
Fall 2013	We are very excited about the new pond at the back of the property. It will be used for trials of pond plants, over-wintering waterlilies, and also just for the pure fun of having a pond! Lots of wildlife have already been attracted, including a visit from a local Heron and a large population of frogs. (Less after the Heron visit.)
Aug 1, 2013	Did you know we sell Ornamental grasses? We have large quantities of high quality ornamental grasses available.
March 20, 2013	The first round of planting was just finished when we got yet more snow...Conditions were perfect so we made a snow-lady, complete with Made in the Shade pink dress. The greenhouses are full, with lots of new items, including a good selection of Itoh Peonies, Tree Peonies, lots of Hosta, Daylilies and so much more. Opening day is April 20th but visitors are welcome Mon to Fri 9-5 if you just need a dose of growing things. Weekend visits should be arranged by email.
Sept 1,2011	What's in Bloom; In the Shade....Actea (Bugbane), Chelone (Turtlehead), Ligularia, Plumbago, Thalictrum. In the Part Shade ... Japanese Anemone, Summer Phlox, Black-Eyed-Susan In the Sun.... Russian Sage, Sedum, Joe-Pye Weed, Helenium, Heliopsis, Buddleia, Roses, Chrysanthemums, Oenthera (Sundrops) and more. Photo Thalictrum splendid
May 28, 2011	The new pond at the front is working very well and is now stocked with Water-Lilies, Pickerel Lilies, Miniature Bullrushes, Marsh Marigolds, Water Hyacinths and Water-Lettuce.
May 28, 2011	Rain Rain Rain.....and a visitor to the nursery. This painted turtle came through right beside the patio behind the house. Perhaps it was trying to get to drier land? Certainly it was at least 500 ft from anything remotely resembling a pond. All the rain we have had this spring has made for lots of lush growth on our plants...and very little watering needed.
May 19, 2011	What's in Bloom. Brunnera are still going strong, as are the primula's. The Aubrieta's and Arabis (Rockcress) are pretty and the Moss Phlox is starting. The Anemone blanda we potted up has been blooming for over a month now, and the Cammasia are about to bloom. The late tulips we planted in the front garden are spectacular and loving the cool weather. There are lots more varieties in bloom to see when you visit.
April 29, 2011	Open for the season. Greenhouses are stuffed, with lots of new varieties to choose from as well as old favorites. In blom now are Hepaticas, Brunnera, English Bluebells and Trilliums as well as many more just about ready to flower. In the gardens the daffodils are just starting their display, and the scilla, chinodoxa crocus and other small lawn bulbs are putting on a wonderful display. The four year old in the picture was enjoying herself in a sea of Scilla in her backyard this week.
May 26, 2010	Japanese Tree Peony in bloom in the garden. Spectacular!!! This is a Paeonia suffruticosa 'Shimadaijin' (Island Minister) blooming in my garden today. It was planted two years ago. The flower is about the size of a cereal bowl. The tree peonies prefer a location with good light but some protection from the hot mid day sun. They will slowly grow to waist high. A beautiful specimen for your partially shaded border. There are still 4 left for sale, hurry though, they won't last long!
May 22, 2010	Victoria Day Weekend! This is traditionally the weekend your frost worries are over and a great time to get out in the garden. Most of our new stock is out of the greenhouses and ready to plant. The irises are blooming like mad, and it's all much more stunning in person. We're open 10 to 6 all weekend.
April 20, 2010	Greenhouse 2 is full of plants for the sun, as well as some spillover shade loving plants. Hosta First Frost on the right is this years Hosta of the Year, and this photo taken on the 18th shows how big and full the plants are already.
January 24, 2010	Getting Ready for Planting. During the winter we prepare for spring planting. On of the chores is getting pro-mix down into greenhouse #3. As you can see, we like to combine work with play, using our wheel-barrow sled. This is also the time of year we make the new catalogue and do our planning for the coming season. Plans are in the works for a booth at the up-coming Garden Show in Kingston, March 5-7.
October 3, 2009	October is great month for Ornamental Grasses. They provide interest through the fall and all winter long with their tall stalks and plumes. Many perennials are still going strong in October with vibrant blooms to brighten your garden. Come in and see the display stock blooming now -- we're open 6 days a week until the end of the month (except Thanksgiving Weekend). The foliage on many plants like this Brunnera lasts well into the fall with sharper contrasts under the greyer fall skies.
May 17, 2009	The new Made in the Shade Perennials Inc. web site went on-line today, so watch this space for news about what's happening at the nursery, which plants are blooming this week, and what's on special.

What's New at Made in the Shade