MESSAGE TO MEMBERS...
by Gordon D. Wick, Executive Director
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS
You've done it again - An outstanding turnout of volunteers made the weekend a real pleasure and what a success! Our 1983 Cornucopia under the chairmanship of Camilla Dalglish was fruly outstanding. We promoted with extensive extra publicity through publicity notices mailed to groups, paid newspaper ads in local papers as well as the Star Neighbours section and the Globe and Mail special edition on craft shows. We were very lucky to receive recognition by the media and free publicity included my guest interview on Art Drysdale s Sat. morning garden show on CFRB - 1010 am, as well as coverage by City TV Channel 57 Cable 7 encompassing an interview of Camilla Dalglish during Cornucopia, shown on the Saturday evening news. We are very grateful for this outstanding help in boosting the attendance. Our 1983 admission ticket sales exceeded 3,000 approximately doubling last year s attendance figures.
I do want to thank Floralight Gardens for donating 3 table-top light units as the major door prizes for each of the three daily draws and also a grand prize of a 3-tier Light Garden. The draw for the grand prize will be held at the Edwards Memorial Lecture on the 10th of November..
Second and third place door prizes for each day were donated by Milne House Garden Club, Garden Club of Toronto and the Civic Garden Centre s Trellis Shop.
Recognition of donations must include a very big thank you to Loblaws who once again donated the magnificent potted mums which allowed us to stage the wall of living colour in our lobby in addition to gracing our stage display in the Garden Hall which was set up as our coffee shop. Sales of these mum plants add considerably to our fund raising efforts.
Our sale of bulbs and plants went very well indeed with virtually all the spring flowering bulbs sold out. We have only a limited supply of paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis left for our pre-Christmas sales.
Christmas Greens and Sparkles proved very popular and I think deserves greater emphasis next year when we have set the dates slightly closer to the Christmas season. (Nov.2nd to the 4th).
Comments from the public and from our craft vendors reasure us we have a very high quality show and that is the way we want to keep it.
All other things aside, the whole operation of Cornucopia couldn t even be conceived without you - our active, dedicated volunteer members. Thank you all.
Ess
Specializes in dried and silk flower arrangements.
Arrangements for sale in The Trellis Shop or
Come to the Centre Mon. or Tues.
9.30 to 2 p.m.
Bring your favourite container or try one of ours, and give us your colour scheme and size requirements.
GARDENS AND VILLAS OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
An exhibit of the splendour of the renaissance garden design interpreted by students on their Grand Tour of Italy.
November 21st - December 5th,1983
Department of Landscape Architecture University of Toronto - Exhibition Hall 230 College Street, Toronto.
Where Great Gardens
At your closest Sheridan Garden Centre you will find the finest selection of nursery stock in Canada, including more than 750 varieties of plants and trees grown on Sheridan's own farms.
MISSISSAUGA NORTH-CENTRAL 606 Southdown Rd., 2827 Yonge St., Mississauga L5J 2Y4 Toronto MAN 2)4
Begin. And Sheridan's nursery stock is guaranteed for one full year.
At Sheridan Garden Centres you will also find qualified nursery- men who will be pleased to help you in any way they can.
AGINCOURT ETOBICOKE 3444 Sheppard Ave. E., 700 Evans Ave., Toronto MAT 3K4 Etobicoke M9C 1A1 Tel. 822-0251 Tel. 481-6429 Tel. 293-2493 Tel. 621-9100
UNIONVILLE OSHAWA KITCHENER 4077 Hwy. 7, Unionville 847 King St. W, Oshawa 100 Elmsdale Road, Kitchener L3R 1L5 Tel. 728-9429 Tel. 743-4146 Tel. 477-2253
LANDSCAPE DEPARTMENTS: Metropolitan Toronto 621-9111, East Toronto/Markham 477-1499, Kitchener/Waterloo 743-4146.
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
President Mr. Colin Ferrington
Ist Vice - President Mrs. Camilla Dalglish
2nd Vice - President Mr. Donald McLaren
Secretary Mr. Gordon D. Wick
Treasurer Mr. Donald G. McLaren
Board of Directors:
For 1983: Mr. Colin Ferrington, Dr. Albert M. Fisher, Mrs. Janeth Cooper, Mrs. Shirley Irvine, Mrs. Helen Skinner, Mr. Douglas Thomas, Mrs. Dodie Wesley
For 1983 & 1984: Mrs. Camilla Dalglish, Mrs. Rae Fowler, Mrs. Mae MacMillan, Ms. Nancy Mallett, Mr. Donald McLaren, Mr. Grant Ross, Mr. Fidenzio Salvatori, Mr. Howard Stensson
For 1983, 1984 & 1985: Dr. Brian Bixley, Mr. Charles Coffey, Mr. Peter Hand, Mrs. Hazel Lyonde, Mr. Monte Watler, Mr. Robert G. Bundy
General Information
Volume 10, No. 7 ISSN 0380-1470
Executive Director: Gordon D. Wick
Advertising: G. D. Wick (416) 445-1552
Printed by Munns Press Ltd., Whitby, Ontario
Trellis is published nine times per year as a member s newsletter, by the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Ave. East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2 Telephone (416) 445-1552
The Centre is located within Edwards Gardens, at Leslie and Lawrence Avenue East, at the geographical centre of Metropolitan Toronto. It is a non-profit, volunteer based, gardening and floral arts information organization with open membership. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre.
Civic Garden Centre - Winter Hours
Shops and Library: Mon. to Fri. 9.30 - 4 pm, Sat.,Sun.12 -4
Administration - Mon - Fri. 9.30 to 4.30
COMING EVENTS AT THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
Art at the CentreIn the Link Gallery:
Nov. 1 - 14 - Jackie HedmanDrawings, watercolours and paintings in oil
Nov. 16 - 29 - Pamela MeacherTitle - The Flower Collection Picotage and watercolour
COURSES STARTING EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR
The following are courses scheduled to start early in 1984. Please mark these dates on your calendar now.
The full schedule of activities in the new year will appear in the December Trellis.
Jan. 4 - Beginners Japanese Flower Arranging - 3 week course from 10 - 3 p.m.
Jan. 6 - Rug Hooking - 8 week course 10-2 p.m.
Jan. 16 - Chinese Brush Painting 10 week course - Beginners in the mornings from 10 - 12 and Intermediates afternoons from 1.30-3.30 p.m.
Jan.
19 - Perennials for Ontario - an 8 week course starting at 8.00 p.m.
£For all your gardening needs ...all year round.
THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
Nov. 10 R.E. EDWARDS MEMORIAL LECTURE at 8 p.m. Guest speaker
will be ANTHONY HUXLEY - TOPIC - TURKISH DELIGHT
Flowers from the Russian border to the shores of the Mediterranean No charge - Open to all
Junior Garden Club (Green Thumbs) 9.30 a.m. to noon
How to make Miniature Flower Arrangements
Gesneriad Soc. meeting 1 - 4 p.m. - Greta Durand will give a lecture on Designing Arrangements for Christmas using Gesneriads.
Christmas Corsage making - one evening 7.30 p.m.
Toronto Bonsai So. meeting 8 p.m. - a lecture on Care and Styling of Indoor Bonsai
York Rose Society meeting 2 p.m.
Ikebana International SHOW 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Open to public
Hobby Greenhouse General meeting 8 p.m.
Junior Garden Club (Green Thumbs) 9.30 a.m. to noon
How to make Christmas Wreaths
S. Ontario Orchid Society meeting 1 - 5 p.m. Dr. James Asher, Jr. will be speaking on Exploring for Paphiapedilums in Sumatra
Mens Garden Club meeting 8 p.m. This meeting will be on Soils
Toronto Gesneriad Soc. meeting 1 to 4 p.m. a social evening
Toronto Bonsai So. meeting 8 p.m. - A talk on Indoor Bonsai by Gisela Reichert
TRIP TO PHILADELPHIA WONDERLAND
The dates have been set for the Civic Garden Centre Tour to Philadelphia IN MAY
OF BULBS
and the Brandywine from MAY 3 - 6, Send $1.00 for our new 1984.
Watch for details in the next issue of Trellis but in the meantime if you have any questions or suggestions please call catalogues, refundable on first order.
The multitude of rare and interesting bulbs listed, over the Civic Garden Centre at 445-1552 700 varieties, many difficult with your name, address and phone to obtain elsewhere, will number and Nancy Mallett will call you. prove to be a revelation. By far the most complete bulb catalogue in Canada.
C. A. CRUICKSHANK LTD.
#0.% J Zea, Since 1925 7
Canada s Leading Bulb Specialists LANDSCAPE DESIGN GROUP 1015 Mount Pleasant Road designing& building thecity landscape RON FUCHS 654-9716 Toronto M4P 2M1 488-8292
SPECIAL EVENT NOTICE
As part of the Civic Garden Centre members program series we are pleased to announce the 1st Annual
R. E. Edwards Memorial Iecture
at THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1983 at 8.00 p.m.
our guest speaker will be the internationally known author, speaker and plant collector ANTHONY HUXLEY
Turkish Delight - Flowers from the Russian border to the shores of the Mediterranean
OPEN TO ALL NO ADMISSION CHARGE
The lecture will be preceeded at 7:15 p.m. by an informal reception at which coffee, Turkish coffee and sweet meats will be served
ANTHONY HUXLEY, eldest son of the late Sir Julian Huxley will be our honored guest lecturer in November.
He is a British writer and photographer on both gardening and botanical subjects: he has written or edited 31 books to date and also contributes to various magazines. He worked for many years on the weekly Amateur Gardening magazine and finally became its editor, but has been a freelancer for the last 12 years. He is a member of the 15-man Council of the Royal Horticultural Society and holds the Society s top award, the Victoria Medal of Honour.
He has travelled to many parts of the world to study and photograph wild plants and his talk is the outcome of some of this travel.
Mr. Huxley is interested in the landscape from both an academic and a practical point of view. When at home, he gardens avidly both indoors and out. On his travels he has led numerous plant-hunting expeditions to many parts of the world.
Limited numbers of the two book titles currently available in Canada are now in our shop - House Plants - Cacti and Succulents at $8.95 and Flowers of the Mediterranean at $11.95.
We feel most fortunate to have Anthony Huxley as our guest speaker at the 1983 R. E. Edwards Memorial Lecture.
The Trellis Shop
A visit to our shop will reveal many new fresh items for the gardeners, flower arrangers, book lovers and gift buyers alike.
For the Gardener
The onset of cold weather finds us preparing our outdoor gardens for winter and current stock is aimed to help with late fall chores such as: Burlap sheeting to staple on posts for screening of newly planted trees and shrubs to prevent winter burning.
We have tree guards to protect the bark of tender young trees from scorching as well as discouraging the nibbling by mice, moles and rabbits.
Before the snow flies it is wise to protect the upright evergreens by wrapping them with plastic mesh so the heavy snow doesn t break off slender side branches which tend to be weakly attached to the main stem.
If you haven t been using your excess garden and kitchen produce to yield your own compost you have been ignoring an important potential source of much needed humus. We are selling the Soilsaver Composter which is suitable for even a small city lot.
As we start into the winter indoor gardening season we are adding to our stock of basic soil mix components as well as adding a small range of plastic pots and peat pots, in addition to a number of other items for starting seeds indoors.
You might have noticed that we have gotten back into sales of light garden units - both mail order and from the shop. We are also carrying a stock of other high quality fiberglass replacement trays for light gardening. If someone at your house has been using the
metal trays (which corrode) or the lightweight plastic box plant trays (which crack when they become brittle) a replacement set of trays would make an excellent Christmas gift idea.
Speaking of gift ideas, the high quality Canadian made Supergrip trowels and hand tool sets make long lasting gifts which are sure to please.
For those who are lucky enough to spend holiday time away from home each year, you might think of a Plant umbrella type indoor greenhouse to help maintain plant collections with a minimum of maintenance watering. Due to buying out stock from one of the former distributors, we have a small number available at a very special value price of only $7.49 (orig. MSL of $19.99).
SOILSINER COMPOSTER
Convert your garden and kitchen waste into FREE, nutritious compost in weeks.
Unique thermal construction and complete ventilation system ensure complete rapid decomposition. Two easy access doors to remove compost. Designed to be seen forconvenientbackdoorcomposting. Available at The Civic Garden Centre,
Flower Arrangers
We are looking forward to receiving stock of the inexpensive custom designed containers we spoke of in the Oct. newsletter and have noticed exceptionally good sales of the basic pottery containers we have added to the regular stock of floral supplies.
The dried material lines have been selling very quickly and I expect a replacement order will further expand our range of unique materials that add that special flair to our dried designs.
With the busy holiday entertainment season approaching it would be wise to check your supplies of oasis, florist wires, etc. to be sure you have materials on hand to make the most effective use of fresh flowers over the festive season.
Those who are decorating for the holidays will find the squares of chicken wire and florist s foil helpful when covering blocks of regular oasis foam to keep fresh evergreens in good condition.
When preparing nuts, cones, etc. for wreaths or tablecentres you will find them easy to use if you utilize the wire pics we carry. In addition to the very small packages we have traditionally sold, we are now selling bulk bundles at much more reasonable prices.
Books
If you visited the shop during Autumn Cornucopia you might have noticed a clearance table of selected lines of books. We are reducing our selection of bird books, clearing out cook books and crafts not directly related to floral and dried arrangements.
This inventory reduction will enable us to start stocking more gardening books. We need to carry both a wider range and more copies of popular books to reduce the incidence of requests for special orders.
THE PLANTHOUSE
An Indoor Umbrella Terrarium
Available in 30 size $7.49 while stock lasts.
e Safeguard houseplants without watering while on vacation
® Propagate seedlings and cuttings
® Isolate sick plants
The Planthouse opens and closes like an umbrella.
The TRELLIS Shop The Civic Garden Centre
Pine Ridge Nurseries
Home of all your gardening needs SPECIALIZING in:
® Ceraniums over 200 varieties (zonal, novelties, regals, ivies, scented, fancy leaved, miniatures.)
® Herbs
® Perennials
® Annuals
® Tropicals
® Trees and Shrubs
® Roses
® Evergreens
We care about your gardening problems. Come and see us at our unique Garden Centre and Greenhouses.
Now isthetime
by Ernest Pope
NOVEMBER 1983
THINGS TO DO IN NOVEMBER:
1. Rake up the leaves on the lawn and garden. It is much easier to do it now when they are dry than in the spring when new shoots can be damaged.
2. This is the month to build up the compost pile, using alternate layers of vegetative matter and soil, plus a high nitrogen fertilizer. Water it thoroughly upon completion, as material that is too dry will not break down. This applies especially to tree leaves and grass clippings. Never use the latter if you have recently applied a weed killer to the lawn.
3. Order mushroom compost now for raising up bed levels, digging it into the ground, top dressing the lawn, and hilling up roses. It hasn t much nutritive value left in it but it does add humus and opens up heavy soils.
4. As soon as the ground has frozen to a depth of one inch, biennials and tender perennials should be covered with two inches of clean straw - available by the bale at most nurseries. This applies to chrysanthemums and newly planted perennials and biennials.
5. Time to set up the cold frame for winter use. Chrysanthemums will winter best of all in the cold frame. Dig up the clumps after cutting back the foliage to 2 inches and set them in the covered frame. While this requires more work than leaving them in the ground, it means that the clumps can be split up in the spring retaining only the younger divisions. This will give you better plants, with more and bigger flowers, than those left undivided in the ground that may not survive the winter in the open.
6. Dig up the beds used for annuals and vegetables. It improves drainage during the winter and the frost breaks the soil down to a fine friable tilth. In the early spring the soil drys out more quickly and is ready for using a week earlier than undug areas. Plantings such as sweet peas, pansy plants, lettuce, radish and spinach can be made earlier because undug soil packs down during the winter. Additionally frost action will - destroy the eggs of undesirable wintering insects.
Tulips can be planted outdoors until mid November. Success has been obtained by later plantings but if the winter is early it will sometimes create shorter stems than those planted sooner. In addition it is much easier and more comfortable to plant them than when the ground is partly frozen and very wet to say nothing of cold hands.
Fall versus Spring Planting
A good general rule is to plant in the fall (mid October) those shrubs, trees and perennials and biennials that flower in the spring (prior to June 15th). This would include flowering crabs, lilacs, forsythia, flowering almond, magnolia, doronicum, bleeding heart, peonies, most rockery plants, lily of the valley and mertensia. This should provide reasonable blooming the first spring.
There are, of course, a few exceptions such as iris (Aug. 15th - Sept. 10th), lilies (November) oriental poppies (Aug. 20th - Sept. 15th) and Madonna lilies (August).
Spring planting would include, mock orange, rose of sharon, clematis, hydrangeas, campanula, delphinium, phlox, chrysanthemums that flower in mid or late summer mostly on the current season s growth.
Fiji Coleus - This new type of coleus, in the writer s opinion, is the most attractive to date. It not only retains the broad leaves and vibrant clear colours of the rainbow type, but in addition, has most attractive fringed edges. It can be purchased in nine separate colour combinations, edged with green. It is very attractive massed in beds, or in mixed plantings, especially with dusty miller.
Like all coleus, it requires semi shade for best results (depth of colour). Unfortunately coleus is very subject to attacks by slugs and should be treated accordingly.
HOUSEPLANTS
Most houseplants take their annual rest during the short fall and early winter days. They should not be fertilized between October 1st and January 15th. This includes foliage plants and summer flowering ones. However those that bloom during the winter such as fibrous begonias, rieger begonias, cyclamen, gloxinias, impatience, coleus, etc. should be fertilized regularly, as this is equivalent to their summer time, especially if they are grown under fluorescent lights.
A number of our winter blooming plants are native to countries in the Southern hemisphere when summer takes place in our wintertime and they have never been able to adjust to the new seasonal cycle.
Cherry Tree Gardens
Consultation - Design
Small Garden Specialist 922-5179
IKEBANA INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL EXHIBITION on NOVEMBER 26th, 1983 from 10 am. -4 p.m.
at The Civic Garden Centre
This is the umbrella organization of all the Japanese Flower Arranging Schools.
Masters, teachers and students from these various schools will be displaying their arrangements.
Frances Lorenz will have her Ikebana containers for sale and Harry Nellis will have tea ceremony items on display.
NOW OPEN YEAR ROUND
DON VALLEY GARDEN CENTRE
2714 St. Clair Ave. East Toronto, Ont. M4B 1M6
Complete Garden Supply Centre located centrally in East York just east of O'Connor Drive.
* Roses Ontario grown stock
* Nursery stock and e Fruit Trees excellent selection
eo Number 1 Nursery Sod
¢ Bedding and Perennial Plants
e Tropical Plants
® Soils ® Peat Moss
e Seeds * Patio Slabs
e Fertilizers
Call
DON
751-2144 751-2240
4 Net wil A LITTLE WILDERNESS
Ca) The first full length book since 1913 on Toronto s ji natural history.
The author is a naturalist and photographer who lives in Don Mills. His photographs cover our thousands of acres of parklands and ravines with their astonishing variety of flora and fauna. Sesqui Award Winner for Toronto s 150th Birthday Celebrations. Published by Oxford University Press, the book re. comprises 128 pages, contains 96 full-colour plates nietbyReb Baten
$24.95 plus $1.50 shipping & handling chgs.
No. DF - 72 THE DISTLEFINK
Copied by everyone - duplicated by none!! The FIRST niger seed feeder. Exclusive tear drop shaped openings save seed. Aluminum cap, base and and hanger. 2% diam. x 18
$10.95 plus $2.00 ship. & handling
No. 112SC ROUND SEED SILO & SEED CATCHER
Save expensive seed!! Same feeder as No.112 packed with an 8% diam. seed catcher (SC - 72) and necessary hardware. May be post mounted outside a favorite window or in a treeless yard.
$21.95 plus $2.00 ship. & handling
® Economical Dual Spectrum lighting
® Handy vertical slide adjustments
® Quality decorative casters $389.00
: Easy to assemble plus $5.00
Each fixture individually wired, separately switched and CSA approved
® Neatly packaged for safe transport
® Sturdy modular chromium steel frame
® Floralight s exclusive super tough
PRACTICAL garden trays
LIGHT
GARDENS
® No tools required
® All covered by Floralight s exclusive product/service warranty
® 65 High x 50 Wide x 20 Deep shipping chgs.
Please make 777 Lawrence Avenue East cheques puvableto
For ideas . . . inspiration information . . . join
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
How to keep houseplants happy? Gardens glowing? Shrubs scintilating? Lawns luxurious? Join us and find out all this and more.
At the Civic Garden Centre you ll be among friends, people who share the same interests you do in gardening and horticultural things.
As a Civic Garden Centre member, you enjoy free borrowing privileges from our Horticultural Library s over 5,000 gardening books. On regular priced merchandise over $2.00 you save 10% in the Garden Gift and Book Shop.. You enroll in special horticultural and flower arranging classes. Trellis newsletter will be mailed to your home ten times per year.
Because the Basic Membership fee alone cannot meet our operating costs, we have established other membership categories which include tax deductible donations.
We issue receipts for tax deductions for all but the basic $10.00 annual members fee (Charitable Registration No.0228114-56-13)
CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
Membership Secretary, THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE, 777 Lawrence Avenue East (at Leslie), Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2
I wish to become a member of the Civic Garden Centre in the category marked. Enclosed is my cheque for $________ made out to the Civic Garden Centre.
Please send my Trellis Newsletter to the following:
Name Address
City