Karen Graham
Cacti growing in Cavan? Prickly Pear thriving north of Peterborough? Are these garden phenomena the result of accelerated global warming? You might wonder about climate change when strolling through the display gardens at the entrance of Anna’s Perennials, a half-hour drive north of Millbrook south of Bobcaygeon. The massive front gardens mulched with gravel are loaded with a wide variety of cacti, succulents and other hardy perennials sporting exuberantly coloured flowers of all shapes and sizes requiring little care and even less watering. They are the result of years of research, experimentation and hard work performed by nursery creator, Anna Mizyn.
Mizyn moved to Canada from her native Poland in 1989, after completing two years of study at a Horticultural College in Warsaw, worked at the local Farmers’ Co-op and in local orchards, growing and selling some of her own plants. In Poland she also began to grow cactus from seed on her windowsill. Upon arriving in Canada, she exchanged some cucumber plants for her first cactus plant in Canada, Opuntia Humifusa. She was not optimistic about its garden potential, but miraculously, it survived. Encouraged, Mizyn did some research, purchased a few more specimens, and her obsession with this species was launched, because, as she explains, “They are so easy to grow, just little prickly.”
In Toronto, she met and married husband John and they purchased a cottage in the Bobcaygeon area. An avid gardener, by 1996 she began to sell a few extra plants and so began her current business, Anna’s Perennials. In 2000, the couple purchased 97 acre site on which they now reside and operate the nursery business, located at 63 Shoreview Rd. near Pigeon Lake. Since that time, they have expanded their gardens and developed a nursery business focusing on a wide variety of hardy, low-maintenance plants and shrubs. To demonstrate the beauty and flexibility of their plant offerings, they now have several acres of full sun gardens, a two acre woodland garden; several raised beds planted with succulents and other drought-tolerant plants as well as a large sand bed with cacti and yuccas.
It is a very good thing that the couple and son John all love gardening, as the business has grown to a point where it needs all hands on deck during the summer months. This is because in addition to running the nursery business, Anna puts in a 40 hour week as a chef in a Peterborough restaurant!
A recognized expert on plant selection and planting in poor soil conditions, Mizyn is a popular speaker at local horticultural meetings and Garden shows. When asked for plant selection advice, Mizyn insists the key is to plant according to the garden conditions. She recommends the addition of decorative grasses to any garden, as they provide year-round interest, require little care and provide food for birds. She avoids roses because they are so labour-intensive, and would recommend other ornamental shrubs and her latest craze, slow growing evergreens.
Fall is an ideal time to plant or renovate a garden. If you are looking for unusual specimens requiring minimal fuss, it is worth a trip to stroll through the display gardens that are part of this nursery to discover fresh inspiration. You will see plants on display that you would not have believed could survive our climate, and that perhaps deserve a place in your garden.
