Trellis Magazine - Fall 2016

Fall 2016 • Volume 43• Number 3

The Magazine of the Toronto Botanical Garden

fall Program Guide inside!

S.o.S for ravines Page 12

Instant fall container Page 19

Herbal Harvest Page 8

2017

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with marjorie masoN

Marjorie Mason

Chelsea Flower show NewFouNdlaNd highlaNds oF sCotlaNd Niagara wiNe & roses learN more at our preseNtatioN! toronto Botanical gardens wednesday, october 12, 2016 2:00-3:00pm rsVp to 1-866-967-9910 denuretours.com

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contents

Fall 2016

Volume 43 N u mb er 3

News

4 Hort Happenings Poetry contest winners;

Dog-strangling vine Websitewatch Crazy about ravines!

Green Community Flower markets and eBike tours 5 From the TBG Governor General recognizes a

gardening great

TBGKids Blender bike at Harvest Day

Yours, Mine & Ours: Volunteers Ontario Volunteer Service Award winners 6 News: Expansion Sustainability—no longer

a scary word 7 News: Hort Society Aster Awards; Social Calendar

Features 8

Preserving the herbal bounty Tips and recipes for using herbs 12 Who will care for our ravines? An all-hands-on-deck

approach to restoring ravines

Photos (From Top): Jason Dorey Photography, proflowers/Flickr, Toronto And Region Conservation Authority

In Season

16 Do It! Overwintering dahlias

In Our Gardens Dahlias in the TBG gardens

17 Anna’s Plant Pick Kalettes

Good Reads Raised Bed Revolution; The New Canadian Garden Garden Gear Canadian tulips!

18 Paul’s Plant Picks Perennials for winter 19 Container Crazy Ivy and pumpkins for an instant fall container Good Bugs, Bad Bugs Spiders

Happenings

20 Who’s Talking Sean James TBG Lectures

21 Mark Your Calendar

Membership Matters

22 Good News Hearts and Flowers keeps us blooming!

Your Benefits Expanding our membership Did You Know? Through the Garden Gate at 30 TBG Works Direct a legacy towards TBG’s long-term growth Membership Program Thanks to our donors!

Editor

Lorraine Flanigan

Design

June Anderson

Trellis Committee

Lorraine Hunter (chair) Lorraine Flanigan (editor) Colleen Cirillo Carol Gardner Sue Hills Harry Jongerden Christine Lawrance Marion Magee Jenny Rhodenizer Paul Zammit Claudia Zuccato Ria

Volunteer Editorial Assistant M. Magee

Horticultural Factcheckers Catherine Peer, Toni Vella

Volunteer Proofreaders J. Campbell, M. Magee, M. Morrison, T. Shields and L. Uyeno

Advertising 416-397-4145

Trellis is published as a members’ newsletter by the Toronto Botanical Garden at Edwards Gardens 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1P2, 416-397-1341 Trellis welcomes queries for story ideas, which should be submitted to the editor for consideration by the Trellis Committee at least four months in advance of publication dates.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

Charitable registration number 119227486RR0001

Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the TBG. Submissions may be edited for style and clarity.

Cover photo: Julcyverve/Flickr

Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40013928 ISSN 0380-1470

Printed by Mi5 Print + Digital

Cert no. SW-COC-002063

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news TBGNews Announcements

Developments

hort happenings

Special Events

—Compiled by Mark Stewart, Weston Family Library

Poetry Contest Winners!

1st Place: Nature’s Fortune, An Ode to the Toronto Botanical Garden by Arlene Russell On a bright, crisp and sunny day I went to visit my wedding day!

So many years ago, my marriage was captured there!

The sun’s rays sparkled like rare crystals.

Walking through the beauty of creation where my love was sealed.

The breeze gently flowed through me with scents of a special garden, a very special place.

Birds are heard throughout the paths singing their sweet song while honey bees work very hard collecting their sweet nectar.

One will see squirrels racing from tree to tree in comical patterns.

Beautiful blooms bright and luscious Scented lilies in all colors, roses, herbs, perennials and flowers across all species.

Trees and shrubs are neatly trimmed.

How lovely to see my reflection in the stream And hear the sound of running water while dreaming of my love forever captured here.

And wish everyone can be as fortunate to experience these beautiful gardens.

C o n g r at u l at i o n s t o a l l o f t h e w i n n e r s !

websitewatch: Crazy about ravines!

Students and staff at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Forestry are crazy about ravines. Earlier this year they launched the Toronto Ravines Revitalization Study to assess and restore the ecological integrity of these biodiversity hot spots.

This project, which details current and proposed research and stewardship opportunities, is greatly aided by the accounts of historical naturalists such as Lady Simcoe. Check out this informative and inspirational website at torontoravines.org.

Green Community

Dog-strangling vine (Cynanchum rossicum) Reinforcements on the way! A group of researchers from Carleton University, the University of Toronto and other institutions have been testing a new “biological weapon” in the fight against invasive dogstrangling vine (DSV). This plant is well known to Toronto gardeners as a messy menace, choking out native plants in our ravines and cropping up everywhere around the city. As a close relative to our native milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), DSV can lure monarch butterflies to lay their eggs on the plant. When the eggs hatch, however, the larvae have nothing they can eat, and so die. DSV has no native predators.

Within its native range, however, it’s eaten by the caterpillar of the moth, Hypena opulenta. Researchers have been testing these caterpillars for the past few years and have found that they are very picky eaters: they won’t nibble any of our native plants. So far, moths have been released in the Ottawa area and have successfully over-wintered there.

Researchers are optimistic that they’ll be able to release Hypena opulenta moths in the Toronto area soon so they can begin devouring our dastardly DSV.

Flower markets and ebike tours—oh my!

In partnership with CF Shops at Don Mills and Flowers Canada, the TBG is participating in the newest flower market in town. The North Toronto Flower Market is an outdoor market filled with florals, plants and sweet treats, curated with Parisian flair! Located at CF Shops at Don Mills, the market will be open Saturday, September 24, and Sunday, September 25, and Friday, October 14, through Sunday, October 16, from noon to 6 p.m. torontobotanicalgarden.ca

The TBG is on the eBike route! Ride an eBike from downtown up the Don Valley Ravine to the Toronto Botanical Garden, Aga Khan Museum and CF Shops at Don Mills, where you will be treated to tastings, art and a different view of nature in Toronto. Sign up for a Toronto by Nature eBike Tour at torontobicycletours.com/ scheduled-tours/toronto-by-nature.

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PHOTOs (this Page): Colleen Cirillo, Gail Hampshire/Flickr (opposite): Toronto Botanical Garden, TBG, TBG

TBG’s resident poetry group, the Authors of Soul Garden Chapter, announces the winners of the Garden Poetry Contest held in April 2016.

3rd Place: Secret Garden by Gail M. Murray 2nd Place: Garden of Ice by Nancy Allan

From the TBG HARRY JONGERDEN Executive Director

Try out the Blender Bike at Harvest Day, September 24

Governor General recognizes a gardening great

I

t’s not every day that a deserving person is celebrated for their talents, influence, generosity and all-round decency. It’s easy to overlook and to be overlooked. But when good people get their just deserts, it kind of restores your faith in humanity and in “the system”. When that person is a friend, colleague, mentor and benefactor, the feeling of justice being done is even sweeter.

Mark Cullen was awarded the Order of Canada on June 30, 2016. Congratulations Mark! The man has been a part of our lives at the Toronto Botanical Garden and across Canada for many, many years (he might not like me saying “many, many”). As a grower, retailer, educator and communicator, he has made the growing of plants and gardens a less mysterious and a more fun proposition. Listen to Mark and you may have a little less sweat and stress while growing your garden. Then again, you might blame him for getting you hooked and excited about it in the first place.

Mark stepped in for us when a British lecturer backed out at the last minute and we didn’t have a speaker at our Annual General Meeting last year. I was tickled when Mark took us through his slide show of recent trips to botanic gardens down under and in the United States. Our good friend had a new passion, and it was for the wonders and the important work done by botanic gardens for their communities and the world. With Mark on our side, the prospects for success here at the TBG become even more likely.

Congratulations again, Mark. You have been inspiring us for years. Your new Highway of Heroes tree-planting project is yet another example of your belief in the power of nature to heal and restore. The TBG shares you with many community commitments and projects such as this. But we’re very proud to see a member of our TBG family so rightfully recognized.

Help celebrate another successful growing season with the TBGKids Harvest Day festival. We will be harvesting vegetables in the Teaching Garden for the North York Harvest Food Bank, making nature crafts, planting bulbs and enjoying many other family-friendly garden activities.

And, using pedal power only, blend up a delicious and nutritious snack at the blender bike station. It’s a fun way to learn about healthy eating and exercise. Harvest Day is a free event open to the public on Saturday, September 24, noon to 4 p.m. No registration required.

goTo

torontobotanicalgarden.ca/learn/kids for more information.

Yours, Mine & Ours Volunteers Ontario Volunteer Service Award Winners!

We have great pleasure and pride in announcing that Maneck Sattha and Joanna Joyet have been chosen to receive Kathleen Wynne Volunteer Service Awards 2016. Congratulations to these two worthy recipients, great examples of the best in volunteering.

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news:expansion TBGNews Sustainability­–No longer a scary word HARRY JONGERDEN • Executive Director

Oh-oh, some of you might be thinking, not that word! Let me try to reframe the problem and our botanic garden response.

Do you recall that 1980s Canadian documentary If You Love This Planet?

Let’s tinker with the words slightly and pose the rhetorical phrase this way. If you love this plant, or planet (same thing in my books), our botanic garden needs to set an example by these means:

s of our Trellis press deadline, we haven’t heard who our consultants will be for the “Master Plan and Management Plan Study” from the City. Having participated in the vetting, I can tell you that you will be pleased! There is a lot of talent out there vying to design Toronto’s new botanic garden.

Certain bedrock principles will guide us and our successful consultant team.

The basic premise is that we’re creating a new botanic garden, a public garden where we display nature not only for the aesthetic delight it gives us, but in order to teach and to conserve. Increasingly, this conservation component of our mandate has become the main focus for many of the world’s botanic gardens. It’s the reason we display plants and the reason we teach. With nature under threat, what can we do about it?

A lot, as it turns out. Botanic gardens have a unique opportunity to influence people’s behaviours. Big city botanic gardens in North America can receive a million visitors a year. What an opportunity to tell people that the beauty they’re enjoying exists within a context of habitat degradation and the loss of healthy ecosystems. And also, that they have a role to play in all this, both as individuals and as a society.

Don’t worry, we won’t be driving people away with a pessimistic message. Since when did you visit a botanic garden and come away feeling anxious? You love the beauty of plants, gardens and landscapes, and you get inspiration from them and the challenge of preserving them. There is tremendous pleasure in that. The perceptive visitor will find that botanic gardens increasingly try to frame the totality of their operations and programs within a mission-based whole. The word we use to bring it all together is—wait for it—sustainability.

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This is just on the “what-should-webuild-and-display” side of things.

The other aspect to achieving and promoting sustainability lies in our garden’s programs and operations.

Can we produce events that don’t create large amounts of garbage? Can we convince our rental clients to buy into this? Can we encourage visitors to use public transit or ride their bikes? What should our education programs look like?

And a lot more! The master planning consultants will need to understand all of this and help us create a garden that sets and achieves high standards, that inspires and teaches visitors to emulate our best practices and that has a real impact on people’s lives and lifestyles.

Sustainability isn’t going anywhere. It just gets more and more important, not just for ourselves, but especially for our grandchildren. This why is we need to grow beyond our four acres.

photo: Harry jongerden

A

The Visitor Centre at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden is an award-winning demonstration of sustainability. Designed as a “living building”, it both collects and treats its own water, and creates its own energy by means of solar cells, solar panels and geothermal tubes.

• Renovate the barn and other facilities according to LEED Existing Building principles.

• Install leading-edge technologies for energy and water conservation.

• Build as “green” a parking garage as can be achieved.

• Install permeable-surface pathways and hardscape to reduce runoff • Eliminate exotic, invasive species from the garden.

• Install attractive recycling and waste containers to reduce waste.

• Develop a program of interpretation that explains what we’re doing, and why, for visitors.

news:hort society the event social Calendar Contributing Members Reception

Meet lecturer Bill McNamara. Cocktail reception and launch of the 2016 Hearts & Flowers Campaign. Thursday, September 15: reception 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.; lecture 7:30 p.m. FREE for contributing members.

Photos: (clockwise from Top): Jason Dorey Photography, Andre Tardif, J.D., J.D., A.T., A.T.

Aster Awards

Help us celebrate this year’s Aster Award recipients. Thursday, November 17, Floral Hall, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets $150 each or $1,500 for a table of eight. Tickets available online at torontobotanical garden.ca/asterawards or 416-397-1483.

J

Aster Awards

oin us on Thursday, November 17, 2016, as the Toronto Botanical Garden honours three extraordinary individuals who embody the TBG’s mission to transform our city by connecting people to plants and the natural world. The 4th Annual Aster Awards recognizes the work of these “green stars”: Canadian singersongwriter and environmental activist Sarah Harmer; David Harvey, founder and Executive Director of Park People; and Rising Star recipient Eric Davies, PhD candidate, Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto. These are people whose achievements inspire us to cherish and conserve nature. Join us for a memorable evening and help celebrate their remarkable achievements.

Highlights from the Aster Awards 2015 Melissa Dyer, Roberta Bondar, Nicholas Smith, Barb Bigos

Holiday Market & Open House

Members event, Thursday, December 1, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Visit the TBG’s annual Holiday Market and Open House, presented in partnership with the Garden Club of Toronto. Stories and songs, shopping and festivities!

Members FREE, bring a guest $10, non-members $15, students $10.

The evening includes temptations from our top caterers.

MIchael Boyle, Elizabeth St Louis, John and Victoria Van Schepen Award winners receive a handsome plaque.

Allan Kling, Arlene Throness and Harry Jongerden

torontobotanicalgarden.ca

The Floral Hall is bedecked for the festivities.

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Hang bunches of oregano to dry.

Preserving the Herbal Bounty

September 19, 7 to 9 pm During this practical, hands-on session, participants will have fun learning about various methods of preserving herbs for food and medicine. Guided by herbalist Danette Steele participants will practise making herbal preparations as well as sampling herbal tonics, elixirs, syrups and vinegars. Take home great recipes and herbal treats and remedies.

To register, call 416-397-1341 or visit torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ category/learn/adult.

Photos: (This Page From Top): MacInate/Flickr, stacey spencer, flickr (Opposite): Karlo Skarmattsson/flickr, Christopher Paquette/flickr, EllnB/flickr

Infuse apple cider vinegar with dill.

P r e s e r v i n g

t h e

herbal

bounty

Danette Steele offers tips, techniques and recipes for harvesting and preserving herbs.

P

reserving the herbal bounty in our gardens is a wonderful way to extend the harvest and bring the plant energy of summertime into our homes throughout the winter months. Through the years I have found that these basic guidelines result in herbs with zing that store well and can be enjoyed for many months.

Harvesting tips

One of the oldest ways to preserve herbs is simply to dry them for food and medicine. For the harvest, be sure to start with beautiful herbs and gather them on a dry day after the dew has evaporated. Herbs are especially fragrant when they are gathered during the robust stage of their growth cycle—at the beginning of or just prior to flowering is ideal. Use sharp scissors to snip the aerial parts and choose plants that are healthy. As you gather, try to keep the plants out of the sun so they do not wilt.

Baskets and paper bags work well. If there is any dirt on the herbs you can brush it off and/or gently sponge with a damp cloth and then pat dry.

Drying techniques

Drying should be done out of direct sunlight, preferably in a space with

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good air circulation and low humidity.

Small plant pieces and flowers can be spread out on a flat surface such as a shallow basket or window screen.

Herbs on long stems can be hung singly or gathered into small bunches and hung up to dry. Drying time can take a few days or longer depending on the plant and the conditions.

Once the plants are crisp to the touch, store them in containers: glass, clean yogurt tubs, paper bags and tins can all be used. Label everything with the name of the plant and the date and keep them in a cupboard. Herbs that are dried in this way remain vital for a year or more when processed with care and stored away from heat, light and humidity.

Most herbs can be dried this way, although some lose their vitality more quickly than others. Herbs from the mint family dry and store especially well; these include sage, oregano, rosemary, lavender and thyme.

Dried herbs can be used for both cooking and baking. Note that when recipes call for fresh herbs, only half the amount is needed when using dried ones. Dried herbs can also be made into delicious and nutritious teas.

For every one teaspoon to one tablespoon of dried herbs add one cup of boiled water, cover and steep. (Use one tablespoon for lighter herbs such as chamomile flowers, but less for dense herbs such as fennel seeds which may require a scant teaspoon.)

Steeping time varies from five to 10 minutes for a pleasant drink, to up to 30 minutes or longer for a medicinal brew. Teas have a short shelf life as they are water-based and will keep in the fridge only for up to two days. They may be reheated or enjoyed chilled as is or over ice with a twist of citrus!

Handle With Care

When making homemade preserves with fresh herbs, it is important to use methods that minimize the risk of spoilage or health risks due to bacterial infections. To avoid problems and ensure safety, follow these simple best practices.

• choose fresh, unblemished, healthy herbs • jars and containers must be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized • use new lids (or lids lined with waxed paper) that fit tightly • always use clean and sterilized utensils when processing herbs • follow recipes carefully and note that preserves made without vinegar, salt or alcohol are more susceptible to the growth of harmful bacteria • refrigerate containers after opening • if contents look or smell suspicious, discard or throw them into the compost

Freeze for soups and stews

Another popular method used to preserve the summer freshness of herbs is by freezing them. You can chop up your herbs and pop them in a freezer bag. This method works well for soups and stews—the herbs don’t always look great after freezing, but they will impart a lovely flavour to your meal. Another method is to process them in a blender along with a bit of water, and then freeze in ice cube trays.

When frozen solid, pop them out of the trays and into freezer bags, ready to use. And, finally, you can add olive oil to chopped herbs and blend them together as for pesto, and then freeze in ice cube trays for future use. Or, spread the pesto onto waxed paper, freeze, and then break the sheets of frozen pesto into pieces and store in plastic bags.

Frozen herbs will last between four and six months.

Infusions, tinctures, cordials and more!

There are many other methods of preserving herbs for culinary and medicinal uses. The menstruum or liquid used will vary depending on personal taste and how the preparation will be used. Some choices include: herbal vinegar, infused honey, oxymel (a combination of vinegar and honey), syrup using honey or sugar, alcoholbased tinctures, herbal wine or cordial, herbal salts for cooking, herbal sugars for baking and, of course, herbs can be included in fermented preparations such as kimchi.

Have fun gathering and putting away your herbal harvest!

Danette Steele is a registered herbal practitioner who teaches about herbs for health and wellness. She is a TBG member and a frequent facilitator of fun, informative and practical classes at the TBG. torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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Infused Herbal Vinegar Ingredients

•

Chopped fresh herb of your choice (enough to fill a 500-ml Mason jar)

•

2 cups white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar Method Loosely fill a clean and dry 500-ml Mason jar with chopped herbs. (For this recipe, I like to use fresh tarragon and white wine vinegar.) Fill the jar with vinegar, right up to the top. Vinegar is great for extracting minerals and it also enhances absorption.

Stir with a chopstick or knife to thoroughly mix the herbs and vinegar. Cover the jar with a tightly fitting lid lined with waxed paper. (The vinegar will corrode a metal lid over time, so the waxed paper acts as a barrier.)

Set aside in a cupboard or on a countertop for two to four weeks, shaking the jar every once in a while.

Strain through cheesecloth or a paper filter and then pour into a sterile glass bottle. Add a sprig of the fresh herb for decoration and identification. Label the bottle with the name of the herb, type of vinegar and date. Store unopened in a cupboard. The infused vinegar will keep for up to a year unopened. When opened, use within a month or store in the fridge for longer shelf life.

Sprinkle herbal vinegars over steamed veggies or in salad dressings. Dill is the perfect herb when using apple cider vinegar. Have fun mixing and matching to find your own signature herbal infused vinegar.

Photo: Alexander Rotker/Pexels

Refreshing Herbal Tea

THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS AND DONORS

Earth Inc., Mercedes Benz Toronto Corporate Stores, Holbrook and Associates, Oriole Landscaping, Astrid Willemsen, KPMB Architects

HOLIDAY MARKET & OPEN HOUSE Thursday, December 1, 2016 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

FREE and open to the public

PRINT SPONSOR

DÉCOR SPONSORS

Fresh Home and Garden, Valleyview Gardens FOUNDING PATRON

Kathy Dembroski GARDEN PARTY DONORS

Judy Gage, Janet Greyson, Janet Kennish, Elaine M. Le Feuvre, Cynthia Webb CATERING SPONSORS

10tation Event Catering, a la Carte Kitchen Inc., BARQUE Smokehouse, Daniel et Daniel Event Catering, Eatertainment Events and Catering, en Ville Event Design and Catering, Yorkshire Pudding Inc. WINE SPONSOR

Grab a mug of complimentary cider while you stroll through the halls decked with holiday cheer and stocked with unique holidayshopping items. You’ll find handcrafted and nature-inspired gifts, seasonal greens, forced bulbs, unique terrariums and home-baked treats. Members are encouraged to stay for the members’ reception and showcase which includes light refreshments, storytelling and song. Be sure to bring a friend to enjoy in the merriment.

DÉCOR AND EVENT EXPERIENCE SPONSORS

Chairman Mills, Quest Audio Visual, Hagensborg Chocolates, Premier Event Tent Rentals, Dolce Media Group, Reznick Event Carpets

Cocktail Reception: 6:30 p.m.

Awards Ceremony: 7:30 to 9 p.m.

TICKETS: $150

(Reserved Table of 8: $1,500) Charitable receipt issued for the maximum allowable amount and additional benefits for table holders.

TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN Floral Hall 777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto, ON M3C 1P2

The 2016 Aster Awards highlight three of Canada’s “green” stars:

Sarah Harmer

Singer/songwriter and environmental activist

David Harvey

Parks advocate, policy change-agent

In addition to the wide array of artisans and farmers’ market vendors, the Garden Shop will be open for extended hours, and the Weston Family Library will host a gently-used gardening book sale.

6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Members’ Reception and Seasonal Showcase TBG members: FREE (Bring a Friend for $10)

Peller Estates

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Eric Davies

Non-members: $15 Students: $10

Urban ecosystem researcher

Presented in partnership with

And all our generous Silent Auction and Draw Prize contributors.

2016 Rising Star Award Recipient

FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION

torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ asterawards or call 416-397-1483

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! #TBGAster ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT SUPPORT TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN. TBG IS A REGISTERED CHARITY BN 1192 27486 RR0001.

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Amid signs of trouble and neglect, Colleen Cirillo stresses the need for an all-hands-on-deck approach to ravine restoration.

Toronto’s ravines are the deep, steep-sided valleys formed by watercourses. These landforms, and the creeks and rivers that made them, have played a big role in Toronto’s culture and economy: as trading routes and settlement sites for native peoples; mill sites for European settlers; sources of food and building material; and playgrounds for generations of children. Currently they are valued by walkers and cyclists as safe transportation corridors and by many more as an escape from the stress and congestion of city life.

The city’s ravines are just as essential for other species, especially now that so much tableland is covered by roads, buildings and inhospitable landscapes.

“Ravines are home to an array of bird species, providing ideal breeding habitat for both resident and migratory

birds,” says Michael Mesure of Fatal Light Awareness Program Canada. “They also serve as flyways, providing cover and an abundance of food for stopover during migration.” Deer, fox and coyote also use ravines, where habitat is plentiful and threats minimal.

Perhaps less appreciated but most important are the plants found in Toronto’s ravines. Eric Davies, a doctoral candidate with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Forestry, is one of a group of students and professors studying plant diversity in the ravines. The team is comparing data from flora inventories and naturalist writings dating as far back as the mid-nineteenth century with more contemporary data and observations to determine trends. This work has demonstrated a reduction in native

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Photos: From top: Diana Troya, Toronto And Region Conservation Authority, Jason Ramsay-Brown, TBG

Who Will Care For Our Ravines If We Don’t?

It starts in your own backyard The actions we take on our private property impact our neighbours, human and nonhuman, near and far, including ravines. Here’s what you can do to help preserve life in our ravines.

Choose plants carefully In this time of rapid global environmental change, gardeners have an elevated role: we can be restoration ecologists. This begins with choosing non-invasive plants, such as those listed in the Grow Me Instead guide, a publication of the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. You can also remove invasive plants that spread to ravines and other natural areas by seed (e.g., common and Japanese barberry) or by roots and spreading stems (e.g., goutweed, periwinkle and English ivy).

If you have a Norway maple, sweep up the seeds and dispose of them in the garbage, not the garden trash.

Otherwise they will travel with rainwater down storm drains and into ravines where

they can take root and thrive.

Norway maples are doing too well in Toronto’s ravines, out-competing native plants, contributing to slope erosion and depriving native insects of viable food.

Once you have removed invasive plants, replace them with native plants that support native insects and birds. An excellent guide is a book by Douglas Tallamy titled Bringing Nature Home, available in the Weston Family Library and through the Toronto Public Library. Native plant booklets are also available from Credit Valley Conservation. goTo ontarioinvasiveplants.ca to download your copy of Grow Me Instead.

Reduce rainwater runoff to a trickle During intense rainfalls, runoff quickly travels across impermeable surfaces such as roofs, driveways and roads, down storm drains and into ravines, resulting in a rapid rise in water levels.

This flooding is destructive

plant diversity and an increase in non-native plants, especially Norway maple. Research conducted in the Rouge watershed by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) shows a similar trend with a decline in sensitive native plants, including New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus), wood betony (Stachys officinalis) and Seneca snakeroot (Polygala senega).

Shifting plant diversity isn’t the only change taking place in Toronto’s ravines. In fact, environmental conditions are changing rapidly, often for the worse, and mostly without documentation. Signs of trouble and neglect—eroded slopes, invasive species, encroachment, garbage and damaged trails—are omnipresent.

Last year the City of Toronto, with encouragement from ravine advocates such as Evergreen’s CEO Geoff Cape initiated the development of a ravine strategy. This process will involve multiple municipal departments as well as TRCA and a Ravine Strategy Advisory Group.

to nearby infrastructure, properties and habitat.

To help reduce runoff and protect your home from flooding, install green roofs, cisterns and/or rain gardens.

You can also slow storm water by establishing a layered tree canopy and applying mulch to garden beds. In an upcoming TBG Lecture, Sean James will cover these and other methods in his talk entitled “What to do with a Downpour: Ornamental Ways to Handle Rainwater” (see page 20 for details).

Rain barrels are another effective way to capture rainwater, but they must be emptied between rainfalls.

This past summer, Project Neutral and RiverSides Foundation launched RainGrid in Toronto’s Riverdale neighbourhood.

As the world’s first residential automated storm water management system, this innovative program employs a network of smart-technologyconnected rain barrels that capture, measure and release at optimum times and frequency.

It is an exciting and important initiative that the Toronto Botanical Garden wholeheartedly supports. “The development of a city-wide ravine strategy perfectly aligns with TBG’s offer to become stewards of the Wilket Creek,” says Harry Jongerden, TBG’s Executive Director.

There is good news for ravines at the provincial level as well. In February 2015, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) initiated a review of the Greenbelt Plan as part of a larger co-ordinated land use planning review. In May 2016 MMAH announced a proposal to incorporate 21 ravines and urban river valleys across the GTA into the Greenbelt. “Adding urban river valleys to the Greenbelt is an important step to securing clean water supplies, reducing flooding and helping the region adapt to climate change,” says Burkhard Mausberg, CEO of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. “This move would connect urban areas with rural communities by acknowledging their shared water resources.”

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goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ symposium for symposium details and to register.

taries of larger waterways. All are the spines of their associated watersheds— the surrounding land that catches rain and snow and drains into them.

One of the best ways to explore your local ravine is to grab a friend and take a hike. Intimidated by all there is to learn?

Join one of the many groups offering guided hikes. The Toronto Field Naturalists website lists year-round events, all led by knowledgeable and passionate naturalists. Curious about the industrial significance of the ravines? Start your investigation with a tour of Evergreen Brick Works, located in the Don River Valley, north of the Bloor Viaduct.

Not yet ready to lace up those boots?

The Toronto Public Library offers books

This renewed government action on ravines means that regular folks can sit back and relax, right? Wrong. With pressures and threats intensifying, it’s going to take a well co-ordinated allhands-on-deck effort to restore and maintain our degraded ravines. Here is a list of actions you can take to help.

1

Find and explore your local ravine

From Etobicoke Creek in the west to Rouge River in the east, Toronto is dissected by ravines. Many of these waterways, including Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks and the Don and Rouge Rivers, begin north of the city in the Oak Ridges Moraine. Some are tribu-

- TREE & SHRUB PRUNING -INSECT & DISEASE CONTROL - PLANTING & TRANSPLANTING - TREE & STUMP REMOVAL - DEEP ROOT FERTILIZING

Derek W Welsh President

I.S.A. Certified Arborist #ON-0129A

goTo the watershed map on TRCA’s website (trca.ca/ conservation/watershedmanagement/) to find the nearest ravine in your watershed area.

2

Become a steward

Another way to help is to participate in a stewardship project. TRCA provides opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels to contribute to ravine restoration. On the banks of rivers across the Greater Toronto Area, people gather to plant trees and wildflowers, collect garbage, remove invasive plants, survey flora and fauna and more, all while learning about ravine ecology and connecting with neighbours. “People enjoy our stewardship events because they feel like they have an immediate positive impact on the environment and their community,” says Maggie Ballantyne, Supervisor of Education, Training and Outreach at TRCA.

goTo trcastewardshipevents.ca for a list of stewardship events.

3

Advocate for ravines

Voice your support for ravine protection and restoration by participating in public consultation processes at the municipal and provincial levels. As the City of Toronto and partners work on the ravine strategy, opportunities will arise for public involvement. Visit the city’s website to stay up to date on strategy development and learn how to participate. Questions and comments can be sent to ravinestrategy@toronto. ca. MMAH invites Ontario residents to comment on proposed changes to provincial land use planning legislation, including the incorporation of ravines into the Greenbelt Plan.

goTo mah.gov.on.ca/Page10882. aspx#HowParticipate for information. Written submissions are due by September 30, 2016.

AUTHENTIC

TREE CARE INC.

Colleen Cirillo is Director of Education at the Toronto Botanical Garden. torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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Photo: Toronto And Region Conservation Authority

Urban Ravine Restoration: Plants, Plans and Progress, Friday, October 28, 2016 This symposium is your opportunity to learn more about the ravinefocussed initiatives and research underway in Toronto. Diverse stakeholders will explore the key threats facing Toronto’s ravines and how best to address those threats.

Inspired and inspirational responses will be presented.

by ravine explorers of the past, including well-known naturalist Charles Sauriol. Learn about the nature and culture of Toronto’s ravines from those who know it best.

classifieds Make use of vertical space in your garden with a 6-foot obelisk. Made in Toronto exclusively for the Toronto Botanical Garden, these obelisks are superb structures for showcasing and supporting vines and vegetables. Black, powder-coated steel ensures that these towers remain rust-resistant and durable for many years to come. Available throughout the year at the Garden Shop, $89

I LOVE GARDENS & TREES Since 1973

Certified Arborist, Horticulturist & Designer Arborist Reports. Landscape Assessments

Call or text Wesley:

(416)287-TREE(8733)

www.ilovegardens.ca Email: wesley@ilovegardens.ca Consulting, Design, Restoration, Planting Landscape Creations, Pruning Specialist

GARDEN TOURS that exceed your expectations with Margaret Dailey-Plouffe. 2016 Tours: SEPTEMBER: Frank Lloyd Wright/ Fallingwater & Buffalo; Kingston Penn Tour & Cruise; NOVEMBER: Buffalo shopping day; DECEMBER: Christmas in Niagara; OR in New York City! 2017 Tours: Victoria/Vancouver Island (April); OTTAWA TULIP FESTIVAL (and the 150th!) in May; WAFA in Barbados in June! Call 1-877-672-3030. hnatravels.com

“I know where all the great neighbourhoods are.”

(O) 416.461.9900 (C) 416.540.2456 (F) 416.461.9270 www.ksummers.ca ROYAL LEPAGE URBAN REALTY* 840 PAPE AVENUE TORONTO, ON M4K 3T6

Urban Realty

in season Overwinter Dahlias

An autumn visit to Victoria’s Butchart Gardens convinced Master Gardener Georgie Kennedy that dahlias are the hot A-List celebrities of the plant world.

As the cold weather approaches, now is the time to decide to overwinter the dahlias in your fall garden, whether they were grown from tubers or came full-grown in containers.

Some gardeners may ask why bother to save the same tubers from year to year considering their modest cost and infinite variety, and decide to treat dahlias as annuals, searching out different and exciting ones every spring.

But would you really send ‘Café au Lait’ to the compost heap? Didn’t it just win you a first prize at a local fair or horticultural society meeting?

One gardener who lives in Markham has hundreds of dahlias in his front yard. He simply saves them and adds more to his collection every year. So, I’m suggesting that you make new (dahlia) friends—and keep the old ones, too.

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4 good reasons to overwinter dahlias

• It will save a few dollars.

• You’ll spend more time in the garden and less time shopping.

• You’re guaranteed to keep the darling dahlias you raised to maturity.

• You’re a proud plant nerd who loves a challenge.

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have been blackened by frost, cut the plants down to 15 centimetres and leave them in the ground for a few days to allow the crowns to develop.

2. Then dig up the tubers, but carefully! They’ll be a lot bigger after a summer’s growth.

3. Wash off the soil from the tubers and leave them in the sun to dry for a day or two but do not allow them to freeze if temperatures suddenly dip.

4. Using clean clippers, divide the cluster of tubers so that each division has a crown or “eye” (small protuberance). Remove and discard any that are infested, diseased or withered. Dip the freshly cut tubers in horticultural sulphur.

5. Mark the variety on each tuber using a waterproof fine point Sharpie pen and wrap in newspaper.

6. Pack them in a box or paper bag using vermiculite, dry cedar shavings or sawdust.

7. Store in a cool dark spot where temperatures remain above freezing but don’t go above 15°C. In the spring, once all danger of frost has passed, plant the tubers in rich soil about 15 centimetres deep or pot them up in containers (taller varieties may need staking).

Water well. Do a happy dance when you see them sprouting!

—with thanks for guidance from Dugald Cameron and Maneck Sattha.

‘Longwood Dainty’: orange peony-flowering ‘Maggie C’: yellow and orange laciniated ‘Ryecroft Delight’: orange and yellow ball ‘Tahoma Lael’: yellow miniature ball

In our

Gardens Look for these dahlias in the TBG Gardens Thanks to a generous donation from the Greater Toronto Bulb Society, you can see these beautiful dahlia cultivars in our gardens. Members of the group personally grew these choice selections that were planted throughout the TBG gardens this past June.

—List provided by the Greater Toronto Bulb Society.

Purples ‘Downham Royal’: purple miniature ball ‘Ferncliff Illusion’: white and lavender ball informal decorative ‘Glenplace’: purple pompon ‘Irish Miss’: purple and white pompon ‘Jessie G’: purple ball ‘Mii Tai’: white and purple single ‘Parkland Rave’: lavender incurved cactus ‘Veca Lucia’: lavender and white informal decorative

white ‘Alpen Cherub’: white collarette ‘Josie Gott’: white ball ‘Ryecroft Jan’: white miniature decorative Pink ‘Diamond Rebel’: pink semi-cactus Orange/Yellow ‘Big Guy Slice’: yellow laciniated ‘Camano Sitka’: bronze and yellow incurved cactus ‘Ivory Palaces’: yellow informal decorative ‘Little Scottie’: yellow pompon

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Orange/Red ‘Fidalgo Julie’: orange and red stellar ‘K-Andy’: dark red and white collarette ‘Marie Schnugg’: red orchidflowering ‘Show ’n’ Tell’: red and yellow laciniated

Photos (clockwise from Top): Paul Zammit, P. Z., P. Z., Kreative Hexenkueche/Pixa Bay, K. H., K. H.

Do It!

How to do it 1. Once the leaves

Good Reads

Anna’s Plant Pick Give a cheer for Kalettes!

Photos: Scott Knutson, Vanhof and Blokker

No, Kalettes is not the name of a cheerleader group. It is a new vegetable. Do you like kale or Brussels sprouts? Kalettes are a natural hybrid between the two. Kalettes were hybridized in England by traditionally crossing these two members of the cabbage family. This is the first new vegetable that has been developed in 20 years.

The metre-high plants look like Brussels sprouts except the rosettes of kale-like green leaves are purple-veined and frilly. The buds, which develop in the axils of the stem leaves, are like tiny ornamental kale and measure about five centimetres across. The miniature Kalettes grow up the stem and a crown of leaves tops the stem.

Kalettes are rich in vitamins C and K and taste sweet and nutty, milder than Brussels sprouts and more tender than kale. They are a long-season crop so are ready to eat in the late summer and fall. Different varieties produce early, mid-season and late crops, maturing from 110 to 138 days from germination.

Kalettes grow best in fertile neutral soils, and they must not dry out. Fertilize regularly, but use less than you would with Brussels sprouts. Break off the lower leaves as they begin to yellow. Then, remove the “top knot” (and eat it) late in the season so the rest of the crop will develop evenly.

Kalettes can be eaten raw, but are a little chewy, so blanch them first. Then use in salads, roasts, stir-fries or as a side dish. Look for them about now in produce departments.

Surprise your friends by serving this new vegetable.

Next spring, look for seeds in mail-order catalogues.

Four varieties were available at the TBG 2016 plant sale— and there’ll be more next year—but you can see them growing right now in the TBG Demonstration Garden.

—Anna Leggatt is a retired Master Gardener.

Garden Gear

Plant now to celebrate Canada’s 150th Celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial with the TBG’s own Canadian Tulip assortment. 18 bulbs / $11.99. TBG members save 20 per cent when purchasing three or more packages (mix and match). Shop early for the best selection of these and other choice spring-flowering bulbs.

—Reviewed by Mark Stewart, Weston Family Library

Raised Bed Revolution: Build It, Fill It, Plant It

By Tara Nolan Cool Springs Press, 2016, $36 hardcover.

Whether you’re a raised-bed veteran or a complete beginner, this book has loads of inspiration and bright ideas to get you thinking “outside the box”.

An excellent primer on the subject, the book covers a lot of ground. It explains the many benefits of gardening in raised beds such as an extended growing season, ease of access and freedom from poor soil conditions. The book will especially appeal to urban gardeners who are working with limited space, paved areas, balconies or rooftops. Nolan takes the reader through several raised-bed construction projects using a variety of materials such as wood, stone, brick and even fabric. The plans range from large to small, simple to elaborate. This book is full of great ideas to upcycle all sorts of objects and materials into beautiful raised beds. It makes the topic accessible, and the projects doable for anyone. Definitely worth checking out.

The New Canadian Garden

By Mark Cullen with Marette Sharp Dundurn Press, 2016, $19.99 paper.

When I first picked up Mark Cullen’s new book, I was expecting another general gardening guide. What I found was a refreshing up-to-date look at gardening in Canada. With all the insight of his long gardening career, Cullen’s book is a reflection on how gardening has drastically changed in this country over the past generation. It deals directly with the contemporary issues gardeners are working with as we try to carve our personal green spaces into our condensed modern communities. Some of the issues dealt with include: the trend of building homes on tiny lots; the increase in high-rise living where balconies provide the only space to garden; the new generation of gardeners who are less interested in ornamentals and more interested in food gardens, ecological plantings and supporting pollinators; the increased interest in community gardens; and the importance of teaching gardening to today’s youth. The book is not just theoretical: each chapter is full of practical how-to advice to help gardeners thrive in our contemporary environment. For me, the book was a lovely surprise and also a reassuring update on my Canadian gardening perspective.

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in season plant it!

Paul’s Plant Picks Perennials for Winter Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)

Winter—the fourth gardening season. This is when we often rely on conifers and deciduous trees and shrubs with interesting bark to add form, shape and beauty to outdoor spaces. Not to be forgotten, though, are the numerous hardy perennials that we often cut back in the fall. When they’re left standing, they enhance the structure, form, colour and even the sounds of the winter garden.

In addition, overwintering birds pick away at any remaining foliage, stems or seed heads for winter nourishment.

This genus is a key food source for both the larvae and adults of the monarch butterfly as well as other pollinators. At the TBG, we avoid deadheading the fading flower clusters of the milkweeds, including the pink- or white-blooming Ascelpias incarnata. Summer, as the clusters fade, long narrow upright pods form and split to release dark seeds attached to silken threads. Many are carried away by autumn breezes, but those that persist through winter afford food for small birds.

False indigo (Baptisia australis)

Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra)

The bluish-green foliage of this long-lived native perennial is topped with purple lupine-like flowers in spring.

As the blooms fade, the seed pods begin to swell, forming oval-shaped balloons. As these ripen, the pods darken from deep brown to black.

They persist through the fall and winter and can often be heard rattling in the breeze— one of the many marvels of Mother Nature.

Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)

The tubular flowers of this North American native perennial appear in late summer to fall, often offering overnight resting places for bumblebees. As the blooms fade, though, the seed pods ripen and break open, persisting through winter. In the spring, instead of removing all of last year’s growth, leave some of the hollow stems standing as nesting sites for solitary bees.

Often thought of as a shade-tolerant plant, with enough moisture and organic matter, this hardy grass will grow in sun, forming impressive clumps up to 1.5 metres wide. In the fall, the foliage turns yellow before fading to tan for the winter.

Depending on the amount of snowfall, the clumps of wispy tan foliage provide movement and motion in the winter garden.

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Blazing star (Liatris spicata)

This relatively carefree native perennial is often grown for its long-lasting cut flowers that attract birds, butterflies and bees. Plant some extras, though, and at the end of summer, the dense flower stalks yield spikes of brown, tan and grey that add a vertical element to the winter garden.

PHOTOS: (clockwise from top) janet Davis, J. D., Mike StelnhoFF/Flickr, Andy Reago & Chrissy MC/Flickr, MB Kestell/Flickr opposite (left to Right): Paul Zammit, P. Z., ken Sproule, K. S., K. S.

Back off with those pruners, says Paul Zammit, and leave these plants standing tall, proud and beautiful.

container

crazy

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs Spiders

Just add ivy and pumpkins for an instant fall container

“When is a bug not a bug?” asks Jean Godawa.

When it’s a spider!

Jumping Spider

Transform a wire frame or basket into a living fall arrangement in 6 simple, quick steps, says Paul Zammit.

Crab Spider

1 Line the base and up one-third of the sides of a wire frame with a generous layer of pre-moistened sheet moss.

2 Then, place a plastic hanging pot of ivy into the moss-lined wire frame. (After using the handles to help guide the ivy into the frame, remove them from the hanging basket.)

3 Continue to add moss up the sides to disguise any visible signs of the plastic pot.

4 Carefully pull the trailing stems of the ivy through the gaps in the wire frame.

5 Water the pot of ivy as required.

6 Add seasonal ornaments and décor such as pumpkins, gourds and outdoor mini-lights to complete your display. A favourite of mine is the warty and lumpy ‘Knucklehead’ pumpkin.

Wolf Spider

Some of the most helpful bugs in the garden aren’t bugs at all. We tend to group spiders in with other multi-legged garden dwellers but they are in a completely different taxonomic group than insects. Their impact on plant pests, however, is just as valuable as that of many other beneficial bugs.

As passive predators, web-weaving spiders (Araneidae) trap both flying and crawling insects depending on where they spin their webs.

They wrap their prey in silk after immobilizing it with a venomous bite. Spiders consume their meal by sucking out the nutrients from the insect prey and leaving behind the hollow exoskeleton.

Other spider species obtain their food without expending any silk.

Crab spiders (Thomisidea) are ambush predators. They remain still and wait for an insect to come within range, and then they attack it with great speed. Wolf spiders (Lycosidae) and jumping spiders (Salticidae) are more active predators. They hunt their insect prey with their exceptional vision and agile movement.

Most of the spiders in our region live for only one season. They lay eggs and wrap them in protective silk. If the eggs hatch before winter, the spiderlings remain together in their cocoon-like sac until spring when temperatures are favourable and food sources become abundant.

Other spiders carry their egg sacs around with them until the eggs hatch and the spiderlings disperse.

When preparing your garden for the winter, resist the temptation to cut back tall ornamental grasses and dry plant stems—wait until the spring instead. These are overwintering habitats for the eggs and spiderlings of many web-spinning spider species. A layer of thick mulch or a fallen log provides winter protection for ground-dwelling spiders and their eggs.

The behaviour of spiders may sound dangerous, and it is to an unsuspecting insect, but there is no need to fear these helpful creatures. Spiders rarely bite humans but if they do, their venom is typically incapable of causing harm.

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happenings Who’s Talking

TBG Lectures are generously supported by The J.P. Bickell Foundation and Tim & Francis Price.

tbg lectures

Sean

James

Gardening has been Sean James’s hobby and profession for more than 30 years.

He is a graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a public speaker, frequent guest on radio and television gardening shows, writer, teacher and environmentalist.

Sean credits his upbringing by Crawford Lake for his strong conservation ethic and the ecological focus of his landscaping company, Fern Ridge Landscaping & Eco-consulting.

What to do with a Downpour: Ornamental Ways to Handle Rainwater Monday, November 21, 2016, 7:30 p.m.

Pre-lecture light dinner available from 5:30 p.m. Floral Hall doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Public $15, students with valid ID $12 TBG members FREE (bring a friend for $10)

This TBG Lecture is generously supported by the Royal Bank of Canada.

Ornamental Ways to Handle RainWater Sean James Our cities are largely covered by impermeable surfaces which contribute to water pollution, flooding and bank erosion in urban ravines. In his lecture, Sean James will demonstrate how gardeners can help turn the tide with beautiful water-protecting landscapes. He will explain how careful plant and design choices and simple technologies can keep rain in a garden as opposed to rushing away down nearby storm sewers.

3 Big Questions

Do gardeners have a responsibility to help manage storm water?

Yes, but it is also in a homeowner’s best interest to manage storm water.

Flooding has become the major cause of home insurance claims, so managing storm water on private property is a real priority. Installing rain gardens and other rain-holding features reduces the speed of runoff to storm sewers and urban waterbodies. These features represent a creative, beautiful and sustainable response to our changing climate.

Collecting Rose Species in Asia Thursday, September 15, 7:30 p.m.

Bill McNamara For the past 27 years, Bill McNamara has been collecting and documenting naturally occurring plant species in the wilds of Asia.

His particular focus is a search for wild rose species in order to better understand their influence on modern roses and their cultural needs for ex situ conservation. He is Executive Director of Quarryhill Botanical Garden, which has the largest collection of wild rose species in the world.

What is the most impressive water-efficient feature, tool or plant in your garden?

My best tools for saving water are the plants themselves. Choosing the right plants for the soil and exposure, then watering them properly for the first year to get them established, makes gardening much less water-intensive in the long run. After that, I love my rain barrels and evaporation pond which collect water from my downspouts.

What message do you hope to convey in your upcoming talk?

The message I want people to take away is that you do not have to sacrifice beauty for sustainability. All types of ecofriendly gardens, including pollinatorfriendly, xeriscape and native ones, can be gorgeous. It comes down to exploring new ideas, having an open mind and remembering the basics such as careful plant choices and arrangements.

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Rebuilding Nature’s Relationships at Home Tuesday, October 25, 7:30 p.m.

Douglas Tallamy Specialized relationships between animals and plants are the norm in nature rather than the exception.

These relationships provide our birds with insects and berries, disperse our bloodroot seeds, pollinate our goldenrod, and so on. Plants that evolved in concert with local animals provide for their needs better than plants that evolved elsewhere. Tallamy will explain why this is so and how we can create beautiful gardens that support native biodiversity.

Mark your Calendar Weston Family Library Events

ART GALLERY September 1 to December 23 Tash Damjanovic, Art of Seeing.

This photography exhibit is a visual meditation on flowers of a few plant species found at the TBG. Each wall represents images inspired by flowers of a single species, contemplated over many hours, in a single season, and taken within a very small space.

Garden Shop volunteers Audrey, Frederika and Lynda at last year’s Holiday Open House.

Special Events

✄

PHOTO (bottom): Toronto And Region Conservation Authority

Organic Farmers’ Market Enjoy fresh produce, preserves, baked goods and ready-to-eat treats all year. Visit the Organic Farmers’ Market open Thursdays from 2 to 7 p.m. Outdoors until October 6, indoors from October 13.

Harvest Day celebration Saturday, September 24, noon to 4 p.m. Celebrate another successful growing season in the TBG’s Teaching Garden. Sip cider, plant bulbs, make crafts and harvest veggies destined for the North York Harvest Food Bank.

Stroller accessible. No registration required. FREE. Urban Ravine Restoration: Plants, Plans and Progress Friday, October 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Discover the exciting ravinefocussed research and initiatives taking place in Toronto and other urban areas. Members and students $65; Public $75.

Visit torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ learn/adult/symposium for details and to register.

Aster Awards Thursday, November 17 The Aster Awards recognize the work of “green stars”—people whose achievements inspire us to cherish and conserve nature.

Cocktail reception: 6:30 p.m.

Awards ceremony: 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $150 each or $1,500 for a table of 8. Available online at torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ asterawards or call 416-397-1483.

Holiday Market & Open House Thursday, December 1, 2016, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Visit the TBG’s annual Holiday Market and Open House, presented in partnership with the Garden Club of Toronto and Milne House Garden Club. The building will be decked with holiday cheer and well stocked with unique items to fulfil your holiday shopping needs. Open to the public.

FREE.

Book Club Last Wednesday of every month, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Open to TBG and Book-Lovers members only. Discuss books with a gardening theme. To register and for more information, contact Jan Neuman at janneuman@rogers.com or 416-656-8246. FREE. Library Story Time Mondays from September 19 to December 12, 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Drop in to the Weston Family Library for nature stories and songs.

Ages 1 to 3. FREE. Documentary Screening Series Saturday, August 27 Plant this Movie: The International Urban Farming Documentary Saturday, September 24 Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective Saturday, October 29 Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret Saturday, November 26 Seeds of Time Screenings at 4 p.m. Public $12; Members $10

If you care about Toronto’s ravines, sign up for The Urban Ravine Restoration Symposium, October 28.

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membership matters good news

your benefits

Claudia Zuccato Ria Director of Development

Expanding our Membership The membership program has two new categories: Long Distance and Corporate memberships. Starting September 1, individuals living a minimum of 100 kilometres from Toronto may enjoy membership benefits for $30 a year.

Corporations, TBG’s valued partners in many programs and activities, will be able to express their support and receive benefits by becoming a Corporate member.

Hearts and Flowers keeps us blooming!

In the fall, life at the TBG takes on a different tone: gardening activities lessen while our education, library and volunteer programs gear up with a brand new calendar of offerings. The Development Department also prepares for the upcoming fall and holiday season.

This is the time when, in conjunction with the September TBG Lecture, we connect with our loyal supporters and members to launch the annual Hearts and Flowers campaign. Since 2012, when it first began under this moniker, Hearts and Flowers has become a staple of the end-of-year development activities.

In our last fiscal quarter, the campaign helps focus our generous donors’ holiday giving on supporting the operating funds that keep the TBG engine humming along. Like most annual giving campaigns, Hearts and Flowers is the most subdued of the calls to action we issue to the TBG donor family. And yet, it is one of the TBG giving vehicles that has the most decisive impact on our financial health. Funds collected through Hearts and Flowers feed the very roots of this organization—the hard-to-fundraise-for but unavoidable operating expenses which enable all of TBG’s departments to function and offer the programs, events and, of course, the gardens you enjoy and love.

The 2016 Hearts and Flowers campaign will start in earnest with the formal launch held in conjunction with the annual reception for Contributing Members (formerly Friends) reception on September 15 and will conclude on December 31. We hope that you will choose to feed these roots and help the TBG keep blooming.

goTo

torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ join/membership for details.

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Did you know

2017 will be a very special year for Through the Garden Gate—it’s our 30th annual tour of private gardens.

This momentous occasion calls for some extravagance, so expect to be amazed. This special TTGG will feature 30 gardens in two contiguous neighbourhoods: North Rosedale and Moore Park. Mark your calendar for June 10 and 11, 2017, and watch for details!

TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM

The Toronto Botanical Garden is deeply grateful to its loyal donors who provide continued and generous support through the membership program at all contribution levels. Your gifts enable the TBG to educate and inform the community on horticulture, gardening and environmental issues through lectures, courses and events. We thank the following individuals who contributed through the membership program between January 19 and June 23, 2016.

Benefactors Jennifer Ferguson Myint & Jay Gillespie Sondra Gotlieb Marjorie E. Lenz Sustaining Members Carol Gardner Brenda Kisic Nancy C. Sprott

Contributing Members Alexander Armstrong Janeen E. Bowes V. Callinan Bev Cape John Cartmell Pat Concessi Suzanne E. Drinkwater Barbara Foster

Ethel Freeman Nancy E. Graham Susan Kerney Martin Wade Landscape Architects Limited Mary Kot Susan Leask Joan Lenczner Gloria Lockyer

Oliver Long Jane McCulloch Maria Maingot-Douketis Bonita Parshuram Gisele Quesnel-Oke Helen Silverstein Carrie Simon Lyn Vrensen Marion Warburton

tbg works

Direct a legacy towards TBG’s long-term growth As we advance our expansion plans, charitable giving and planned gifts can be real gamechangers. The TBG is preparing to launch a legacy-building program that allows you to make a significant donation to the TBG as part of your financial and estate planning. The program will honour individuals who have already directed their long-term gifts to the TBG and will invite more of you to take decisive action towards building the long-term growth of the TBG. Watch for further information on how you can participate in the TBG Planned Giving program.

SIGN UP FOR GARDEN ENEWS! Receive the latest horticultural news and information on events, workshops, lectures and other horticultural happenings.

Free registration at torontobotanicalgarden.ca

About The Toronto Botanical Garden

Let’s Talk The friendly staff in the Development and Membership Department are happy to answer your questions and hear your suggestions. To talk about membership, donations, including Friends donations and receipts, contact Sharon Rashid, Development Officer. For special events, see Christine Lawrance, Special Events Coordinator.

For any other inquiry, contact Claudia Zuccato Ria, Director of Development.

See Staff Directory for contact details.

The Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is a volunteer-based, charitable organization whose purpose is to inspire passion, respect and understanding of gardening, horticulture, the natural landscape and a healthy environment. The TBG raises more than 95 per cent of its operating funds through membership, facility rentals, retail enterprises, program fees and donations. The organization relies on the generosity and financial commitment of individuals foundations and corporations to help maintain the gardens and support the many horticultural and environmental services we provide to our community.

Charitable registration number 119227486RR001.

GENERAL HOURS AND ADMISSION

Gardens: Free admission, dawn to dusk Administrative Offices: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Weston Family Library: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Open on TBG Lecture nights Garden Shop: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily CafÉ: 9 a.m. to dusk through October 31.

Master Gardeners: Visit torontomastergardeners.ca for information and to Ask A Master Gardener; Advice Clinics at the TBG Farmers’ Market, Thursdays 2 to 4:30 p.m. (Winter) and 2 to 7 p.m. (Spring through Fall) Info Line 416-397-1357 Membership: $45 single, $65 family. Call 416-397-1483 or sign up online at torontobotanicalgarden.ca/join

PATRONS

Honorary Patron: Adrienne Clarkson

Brian Bixley, Mark Cullen, Camilla Dalglish, Sondra Gotlieb, Marjorie Harris, Lorraine Johnson, Michele Landsberg, Susan Macaulay, Helen Skinner

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Vaughn Miller. Tim Bermingham, Margaret Betts, Mark Bonham, Sara D’Elia, Paula Dill, Paul Dowsett, Denis Flanagan, Colomba B. Fuller, Kaitlyn Furse, Ryan Glenn, Rebecca Golding, Joyce Johnson, Allan Kling, Cathy Kozma, Michael McClelland, Penny Richards, Alexandra Risen, Gino Scapillati, Judy Shirriff, Irene Stokes, Cynthia Webb, Barbara Yager

STAFF DIRECTORY Executive Director Harry Jongerden director@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1346 BUSINESS AND FINANCE Director of Business and Finance Margaret Chasins business@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1484 Accounting, Nadesu Manikkavasagam accounting@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1352 Database & Technology Administrator Paul Galvez database@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1371 Marketing & Communications Department Marketing & Communications Director Jenny Rhodenizer communication@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1351 Trellis Editor editor@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Development Department Director of Development Claudia Zuccato Ria development@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1372 Membership & Development, Sharon Rashid annualgiving@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1483 Special Events Coordinator Christine Lawrance spevents@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1321 Rentals & Events Department Rentals Supervisor, Patricia Chevers rentals@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1324 Rental Sales Coordinator, Katie Pfisterer rentalsales@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1349 Rentals Accounting, Jody Hitchcock rentalaccounting@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1359 Rentals Assistant, Worda Jahazi

goTo

torontobotanicalgarden.ca to learn about the TBG!

777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, Canada 416-397-1341; fax: 416-397-1354 • info@torontobotanicalgarden.ca torontobotanicalgarden.ca • @TBG_Canada

By TTC: From Eglinton subway station take the 51, 54 or 54A bus to Lawrence Avenue East and Leslie Street. The TBG is on the southwest corner.

Find us on... torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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Education Department Director of Education, Colleen Cirillo education@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1355 Children’s Education Supervisor, Community Programs, Broti Kar tbgkids@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-5209 Children’s Education Supervisor, School Programs, Rebecca Niblett childrensed@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1288 Adult Education Coordinator, Maggie Janik adulted@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1362 Tour Guide Coordinator, Sue Hills tourguides@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145 Weston Family Library Knowledge Resources Manager, Mark Stewart librarian@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1375 Horticulture Department Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture Paul Zammit horticulture@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1358 Head Gardener, Sandra Pella gardener@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1316 Taxonomic Assistant, Toni Vella taxonomy@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Garden Shop Brenda Neczhar, Martha McKee, Joanna Joyet shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1357 Head, Volunteer Services Sue Hills tourguides@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145 Maintenance Maintenance Manager, André Hinds Maintenance Officers: Alvin Allen, Renata Farkas, Jonas Kweku-Teye maintenance@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1344

Fall 2016

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