Looking to add a bit of colour to a rock or small garden? Try the new Golden Treasure Dwarf Birch. The small, fine-veined leaves start bright yellow-green in spring and turn golden in summer!

This dwarf shrub grows in a spherical shape and will be 3 ft. tall at maturity. Golden Treasure can be pruned into any shape or can be sheared, hedged or trained into a dwarf patio tree.

This Birch is extremely cold hardy, being a zone 2. It is low maintenance and should only be pruned in summer after it's leaves have fully formed, as it may "bleed" sap if pruned too early in spring or too late in fall.

Did you know that Crabapple trees come in a weeping variety??? I only found out this year and I am in love this variety - Royal Beauty! These gorgeous flowering Crabs are extremely cold hardy and are a zone 3 - perfect for our cold neck of the woods!

Come mid-spring, the luscious pink flowers will be out, soon to be followed by small, dark-red, ornamental fruit. Once the Crabapples start to fall, you may need to do an occassional clean-up as the fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways. The leaves start as brick-red but change to purple as the season progresses, finishing as burgundy in fall. 

At maturity, Royal Beauty will be 8 ft. tall and 6 ft. wide. It's best planted in full sun with well-drained soil. If you do want to prune, wait until very late winter when the threat of extreme cold has passed.

Lilacs are gorgeous! Sometimes though, there isn't room in your yard or landscape to include one of these large bushes. If this is the case, try the new ​Little Lady lilacs. These were created by combining the large, fragrant flowers of the Miss Kim variety with the compact, dwarf habit of the Syringa Mereyi variety (a dwarf Korean lilac). At maximum height, this bush only reaches to a maximum of 4-5 ft in height.

Little Lady lilacs are best planted in full sun and in well-drained soil. They are also very hardy and are a zone 2 perennial. These lilacs work great as a hedge, screen or accent.

Water deeply and regularly in the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. In subsequent years, only increase the frequency of watering before and during the spring bloom period. It's best to prune these only after flowering.

My absolute favorite flower is the Peony. It also happens to be the one flower my husband does not want me to grow! The reason is the ants that Peonies need to help open the blooms. Every year, my husband turns into Arnold Schwarzenegger and wages war against the ants in our yard.

He's tried everything to get rid of them, from homemade concoctions, chemicals procured from the store, and fire (I don't recommend this route, it left bare patches on our lawn for years!). So needles to say, he doesn't want me to grow anything that will attract his enemies!

But guess what?!?! The Lavender Tree Peony is different. This Peony blooms without any help from ants! Not only that, the Tree Peony also takes care of the one thing I didn't like about Peonies - they don't need any supports! That's right, they grow on wood stems instead. I think I'm in love!

​The Tree Peony blooms in mid-late spring with massive, fragrant blossoms. They will be slow growing in the beginning (possibly the first few years), but once established, a mature Tree Peony can have over 50 flowers, blooming continually for about two weeks.

These Peonies are deer and rabbit resistant, need about 5-6 hours of sunlight a day, and do not like to be over-watered. Also, unlike your typical Peony, you won't need to cut these back in fall. Tree Peonies are grown on "old wood", meaning the blooms will regrow on last years stems.

I don't know about you, but I think I'll be planting a Peony this year :-) 

Looking to add a little colour to a shade garden? Silver Scrolls Heuchera make a wonderful addition, starting off silver and burgundy in spring and deeping to silver and near-black later in the season. Delicate light-pink flowers appear in late spring to early summer adding another layer of interest.

This perennial is extremely versatile, use it in: mass plantings, rock gardens, border edging, ground cover and containers. Silver Scrolls really stands out when next to variegated plants such as Fire & Ice or Ben Vernooij Hostas.

Heuchera grow best in medium wet, well-drained soils and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. Silver Scrolls will grow well in full shade as well as full morning sun, but only in our cooler climate. To keep this Heuchera blooming longer, remove the stems of flowers as they fade. 

If your not yet convinced that this is a great addition to your garden, you should also know that not only is Silver Scrolls deer and rabbit resistant, but it will attract butterflies and hummingbirds!

You think you've seen one Aster, you've seen them all, right? Actually... you would be wrong! Wait until you get a look at the Tiger Paw Asters! 

Each bloom is 3-5 in. each, plus at an average height of 2 ft. tall, these flowers are sure to stand out in your garden this year! The name "Tiger Paw" comes from the look of the bloom,with it's incurving quill petals that resemble the claws on the paw of a tiger. 

These flowers are great in the middle of a border, as well as make an excellent cut flower. Tiger Paw will bloom from mid-summer to late fall, attracting butterflies all the while!

Would look lovely mixed among some Ornamental Grasses, Dahlias or Salvia.

​There really is nothing happier than a Sunflower. The bright yellow blooms against a clear blue sky are just so joyful! Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy these flowers all summer long? Typical Sunflowers bloom just 2-3 weeks. But now, the new Sunfinity Sunflower produces over 100 blooms throughout the summer, ensuring Sunflowers all summer long!

​Sunfinity doesn't have the rigid stalks and upright habit of the typical Sunflower, but instead has a bit of a shrubby appearance, similar to that of a Shasta Daisy. Each bloom is approximately 4-in. in diametre and is quite fertile, attracting and feeding both bees and butterflies!

These work great in a hedge or in a container; plant with some Calibrachoa and some black or bronze sweet potato vine for a striking look!

Galaxy Petunias boldly go where no Petunia has gone before! 

Last year we introduced you to Night Sky, this year, say hello to Pink Sky! 

The white splashes on a background of deep pink creates an incredibly eye-catching contrast. Each bloom is uniquely patterned; no two are alike. 

The reason for this that the density and size of the white speckles vary depending on temperature, light and soil PH. Warmer weather brings out more of the pink background, whereas cooler weather will bring out more of the white splashes. To achieve the perfect balance of pink to white, it's best to have warm days and cool nights.

Pink Sky Petunias forms a mounded yet gently trailing plant that will look amazing in hanging baskets and containers, as well as make a great ground cover. Pair with it's sister, Night Sky for a gorgeous purple/pink combo or perhaps add some texture difference with a white Bacopa and a Sweet Potato Vine.

Remember to deadhead, meaning removing the dying flowers from the Petunia. Make sure to remove the base of the flower to include seed removal. Petunias allowed to go to seed will slow or stop blooming.

You may notice by midsummer, Pink Sky, like all Petunias, will begin to get a bit leggy and the stems will start to produce fewer blooms. Cut each stem back by half to rejuvenate the plant. After a short break, they will return to flowering. ​

You know what I really love? Blackberries. They are awesome for fresh eating, amazing in jams and superb in pies! You know what I really hate? Blackberries. There is nothing worse than going to pick Blackberries and coming out with a scratched and bleeding arm. Those thorns are more than just annoying, they are dangerous! Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit with the word "dangerous", but I'm not kidding about the scratches, cuts and blood (it may be just a little blood though).

Well, if you would put yourself in the same boat as me (or should I say bush??), there is hope on the horizon for us. I would like to tell you about the Black Satin Blackberry, this beauty is thornless. That's right, I said thornless!

There is nothing quite so poetic as watching a butterfly flit from flower to flower on a warm summer's day in the garden. If this is a scene you want to help encourage, the best thing you can do is to plant nectar producing flowers to help attract these graceful fliers to your garden.

One of the most popular choices to help attract butterflies is Tuberosa Asclepias, also known as Butterfly Weed. Not only do they provide a source of nectar for them, but they also act as a host for the eggs of Monarch butterflies.

If you are interested in producing more than just a feeding ground for butterflies, but a sanctuary where they can grow and multiply, there are other steps you can take to help create a butterfly haven.

• Plant your butterfly garden in a sunny location (5-6 hours each day), but sheltered from the winds. Butterflies need the sun to warm themselves, but they won't want to feed in an area where they are constantly fighting the wind to stay on the plants. It is also a good idea to place a few flat stones in your sunny location so the butterflies can take a break while warming up.
• Butterflies need water just like we do. Keep a mud puddle damp in a sunny location, or fill a bucket with sand and enough water to make the sand moist.
• Do not use pesticides in your garden. 
• Butterflies use two different types of plants, those that provide nectar for the adults to eat (nectar plants: Aster, Shasta Daisies, Hollyhock, Echinacea, etc.) and those that provide food for their offspring (host plants: Digitalis, Lonicera, Parsley, etc.).

Check out the North American Butterfly Association for more information on creating a butterfly garden.