Northern Exposure

I have mentioned in previous articles that Behnke Nurseries was a member of the Perennial Plant Association, which is a trade group that promotes the use of perennials in gardens. Members include growers, landscapers, educators, garden center staff, garden writers, and avid gardeners. Each summer they have a meeting with lectures and tours in the United States or Canada, and in 2006, the meeting was held in Montreal, Canada.

One of the great botanical gardens of the world is the Montreal Botanical Garden. While at the meeting, I spent two days there, drooling over the perennials and even the occasional non-perennial. In one of their display greenhouses, they had this display piece of a mannikin or statue clothed in small tropical plants. It’s a symbolic representation of the city of Montreal. The accompanying poem, posted behind the statue, was written by Frere Marie Victorin, who, among other things, founded the Montreal Botanical Garden.

I thought it was spectacular, and I thought it might give you an idea of the sorts of displays that await visitors that venture north of the border this summer. The plants in this display include Fittonia (Silver Nerve Plant), Ficus pumila (Creeping Fig), Echeveria (I think; the succulent), Lysimachia (Gold Moneywort), Solierolia (Baby Tears), and Alternanthera (again, I think; Joseph’s Coat).