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Too often when we decide to add shrubs to our landscape we focus on them as they flower, and forget how they will appear in the remaining months when their foliage is their main show. That is not the case if you plant alpine currant green mound, for its foliage, a bright green colour on stout, stiff stems, is beautiful in itself.

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The alpine currant green mound is a great shrub for your garden.

Spring foliage emerges early and is bright green. As the season goes, it changes to medium or dark green in summer with an attractive gloss on the upper side. By autumn, the leaves have changed colour again, to a dark green and then to yellowish green.

When it flowers, early in the spring, the blossoms are green-yellow and bell-shaped. Female plants produce bright, red fruit in mid-summer but remember, to have fruit, you must have male and female flowers on separate plants. Another variation, "spreg" or Green Jeans, grows a little taller.

This is a plant that prefers full sun to shade and needs moist, well-drained soil. It will tolerate some dryness if the summer is hot and dry, however.

This native to northern Europe and Siberia grows between two to three feet in height and is resistant to leaf diseases. This deciduous flowering shrub must be pruned each spring to remove dead, diseased, damaged or crossed branches and to encourage vigorous, new growth which produces more flowers.

After the shrub has flowered, cut back the shoots and take out some of the old growth, down to the ground.

To plant alpine currant green mound, dig a hole twice the size of the root ball and deep enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container. If the soil is poor, dig a hole even wider and fill it with a mixture that his half original soil and half compost or soil amendment.

Carefully remove the shrub from the container and gently separate its roots. Position in the centre of the hole, best side facing forward. Fill in with original soil or an amended mixture if needed as described above. For larger shrubs, build a water well and finish by mulching and watering well.

If the plant is balled and burlapped, remove fasteners and fold back the top of natural burlap, tucking it down into the hole, after you've positioned the shrub. Make sure that all burlap is buried so that it won't wick water away from the root ball during hot, dry periods.

If synthetic burlap, remove if possible. If not possible, cut away or make slits to allow for roots to develop into the new soil. For larger shrubs, build a water well. Finish by mulching and watering well.

If you live in an area where the occasional deer wanders into your garden, this is a plant that is deer tolerant, meaning that the deer will eat just about anything else before it starts to munch on this.

The mound is also slope tolerant, meaning you can use it to assist with erosion control by stabilizing and holding the soil on slopes intact. You should plan to fertilize it yearly and keep the soil moist without being soggy.

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For your diary:

July 2 - The deadline has been extended! You have until today to nominate yourself or a gardening friend to be included in the Greater Moncton Garden Tour of the YWCA. The tour will be held July 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with all proceeds going to the YWCA. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. For more information or to nominate a garden call 855-4349.