This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Climbing perennials, both decorative and edible, are a winning solution for your garden! Not only do they beautify and enhance your outdoor space, but they also allow you to harvest delicious fruit after their growing season. All this with minimal maintenance! However, it is essential to choose the right species for Quebec’s northern climate.
1. Goji berry
The goji berry shrub, native to Asia, can be grown successfully in Quebec. Its presence in your garden will surprise more than one! The Dynamite and Firecracker varieties have proven themselves in our northern climate. These shrubs with small red berries can also be grown in pots in urban spaces.
Interview
Without support, the stems of the shrub fall back to the ground and seek to take root. In the spring, be sure to tie the new stems securely to the trellis! You can also prune dead stems or those too close to the ground.
Harvest
The berries are ready to eat when they take on an orange-red color and soften, usually towards the end of summer, until October. You can dehydrate the berries to use them in your recipes, they delight in smoothies and the muffins.
Zone 3 hardiness with winter precautions | Height up to 2 meters | Sun or partial shade
2. Creeping mulberry
Some cultivars of garden blackberries can be grown upright. Creeping varieties, such as Perron Noir or Columbia Star, will climb nicely in height with the help of a trellising system. The advantage: you can create the shape that suits your needs; a wall covered in juicy blackberries, charming wooden stakes covered in brambles… it’s up to you!
Interview
Each spring, you will need to tie up new stems, prune offshoots, and remove damaged branches.
Harvest
Ideally, we harvest every two or three days. Mature fruit should pull away effortlessly and be a uniform dark color.
Zone 3 hardiness with winter precautions | Height up to 2 meters | Sun or partial shade
3. Rosary potato (our favourite)
A superb plant native to Quebec, the rosary potato climbs spectacularly (it can reach up to five meters!). Its lovely fragrant pink and purple flowers light up the garden or the border of the house. Although it does not produce fruit, it offers delicious beans in the fall, and its tubers are eaten like potatoes.
Interview
The rosary potato is easy to grow, you just have to direct the branches to their support in the spring.
Harvest
The beans are harvested in the fall and can be eaten as is or dehydrated. The tubers will be ready two to three years after planting. You only have to uproot the roots near the surface of the earth to harvest the tubers bound by a root-vine. Prepared like potatoes, they are three times more protein!
Hardiness Zone 3 | Height up to 5 meters | Sun or partial shade
What is trellising?
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.