TRELLIS
Civic Garden Centre Staff
Executive Director: Mrs. Sally Sullivan
Accounts: Mrs. Janie Brentnall
Editor-Trellis: Mrs. Iris Hosse Phillips
Horticulturists: Mrs. Anne Marie Van Nest
Mrs. Helen Craig
Librarian: Mrs. Pamela MacKenzie
Library Secretary: Mrs. Edythe Clapp
Maintenance Supervisor:
Mr. Walter Marassutti
Programme and Special Events Co-ordinator: Mrs. Dorothy Whiteman
Rental Agent: Mrs. Pamela Westwood
Assistant Rental Agent: Miss Mavis Griffin
Secretary: Mrs. Shirley Lyons
Trellis Shop Manager: Mrs. Jackie Brisby
Trellis Shop Assistant Manager: Mrs. Barbara Stevenson
Volunteer Co-ordinator and Publicity: Mrs. Carolyn Dalgarno
-M. Perennial
A S SR N Flowers
Since 1975, we have been committed to producing a collection of perennial flowers second to none. Visit our nursery ororderbymail. Our descriptive illustrated catalogue
Crawfords Country Gardens
R.R.#3, Milton, Ont. LT 2X7 (416) 878-0223
VISA e Mastercard
Civic Garden Centre
GENERAL INFORMATION
Vol. 17, No. 10
EDITOR: Iris Hossé Phillips
ADVERTISING INFO: (416) 445-1552
Registered charity number 0228114-56
TRELLIS is published ten times a year as a members newsletter by the CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, North York, Ont. M3C 1P2. Tel. No.: (416) 445-1552. Manuscripts submitted on a voluntary basis are gratefully received. No remuneration is possible.
Lead time for inclusion of articles and advertising material is six weeks: manuscripts and material must be received by the 15th of the month to insure publication, For example, material received by October 15 will be included in the December issue of Trellis.Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre.
The Centre is located in Edwards Gardens, at Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue East. It is a non-profit, volunteer-based gardening, floral arts, and horticultural information organization with open membership.
Printed by York Printing House Ltd.
SUMMER OPERATING HOURS
The Civic Garden Centre is open from April 1st to October 31st.
Weekdays: 9:30a.m.-5:00 p.m. Weedends: Noon - 5:00 p.m.
WINTER OPERATING HOURS
The Civic Garden Centre is open from November 1st to March 31st.
Weekdays: 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Weekends & Holidays: Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Mistletoe .
Magic
CORRECTION NOTICE '
Mistletoe Magic is open on Thursday, November 1, 10 am to 9 p Friday and Saturday 10amto 5pm @@
We regret that the times for Thursday s Mistletoe Magic were excluded from the cover of the October issue of Trellis.
Join us at Mistletoe Magic!
Contents
Purple Loosestrife: To grow or not toigrawi: s tnanh i, 2
inihe bibranyisn s dinssa s 4
Edwards Foundation Lecture . 5
Fromine:Beokshop: i .1t w i ¢ 6
Coming:Evantaitus. i o i g 7%
Catch the Gardening Spirit . .. ... .. 8
Notes from the 1990 Great Gardens
Tourof Quebee it Ll iy, 11
Artin thedinlc s Sisuionas 14
Sale of Christmas Plants .. ... ... 15 VolunteerCorner. . .. ........... 16
MEMBERS PROGRAMME
Wednesday, November 21 7:30 p.m.
Marjorie Harris
Marjorie Harris, a well-known Toronto journalist, author and broadcaster, will introduce her newest book, The Canadian Gardener.
Although Marjorie has written eight other books, The Canadian Gardener is her first book about gardening. Together.with awardwinning commercial photographer, Tim Saunders, Marjorie has produced a book that embraces all aspects of gardening; from buying a spade, to making the garden ecologically sound; to choosing plants. The book has been described both as a must for anyone gardening in Canada and as a hands-on guide for garden lovers. Solutions to many gardening problems, hundreds of practical tips, plant listings, a discussion of hardiness zones, light, temperature and microclimates are included in the book.
Signed copies of the book will be available following the programme.
Refreshments Served
Non-members $4.00
Purple Loosestrife: To grow or not to grow?
by Anne Marie Van Nest
The Purple Loosestrife, has of late, been the brunt of much publicity. In an effort to dispel some of the wild accusations and vigilantetype suggestions, a selection of opinions is presented. A broader prospective will allow fellow gardeners the opportunity to assess the facts fairly.
American perennial experts, Ruth Rogers Clausen and Nicolas Ekstrom write: Lythrums have become widely naturalized in wet areas, and their invasiveness has given them a bad reputation. However, the modern cultivars are less aggressive than the species and are valuable garden plants. They bloom over an extended period, at a time when there is often a shortage of colour in the garden.
A Canadian view from Patrick Lima from his home in the Bruce Penninsula: Loosestrife, not the invasive Lythrum salicaria but lythrum cultivars plant breeders in Morden, Manitoba, have given us Morden Gleam , Morden Rose and Morden Pink ought to be high on the list of easy care, self supporting and enduring perennials for midsummer colour.
Marjorie Harris, journalist and gardener writes: This flashy plant is viewed as dangerous in really boggy country where it will naturalize all too readily. There are, however, lots of less invasive cultivars that do a splendid job in ordinary borders as well as wet areas.
Wildflower advocates Lady Bird Johnson and Carlton B. Lees discuss Lythrum salicaria in their book: Possibly the most destructive of the herbaceous wildflower invaders is spiked or purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). It arrived from the Old World probably before 1831, the date reported in the first herbarium sheet. It may have arrived in (soil) ballast. .. Itis difficult, however, not to admit that this plant
is beautiful; many sgquare miles of marsh and damp roadside turn brilliant magenta pink in late summer throughout the greater Northeast and parts of the Midwest. It has spread from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to the Dakotas and appears sporadically in Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oregon, and California The tragedy is that this plant so completely takes over wetlands that it has eliminated many of the sedges, grasses, and other plants upon which marsh birds and animals depend for food ... On a small scale this situation could be considered just another example of succession of landscape from one phase to another, but so intensive and rapid is the invasion of this plant that in one area of New York State, where only a few of these plants were observed in 1951, more than a thousant acres had become infested by 1979. So serious is this invasion that a Purple Loosestrife Task Force has been organized in Wisconsin, and other conservation organizations in other states are trying to find methods to selectively eradicate this plant in places where it is unwanted.
A British view of Loosestrife from Beth Chatto: These plants are remakably adaptable they will grow in saturated soil by the water s edge, even underwater, or in an ordinary border. They make tall, leafy plants topped with long, flaming tapers which glow for weeks in late summer. They are great seeders, and the young plants quickly make tough deep roots, so beware cut off the flower heads in time.
Purple Loosestrife has had many herbal uses through the decades. From Reader s Digest, Magic and Medicine of Plants: Mankind has taken notice of loosestrife since antiquity. The Greeks thought that garlands of the herb hung around the necks of oxen would encourage a team to plow a
field in harmony. More practically, they used the plant in a hair dye and also burned it to drive away insect pests.
Canadian perennial grower, Keith Squires comments on loosestrife. Lythrum salicaria hybrids from Morden, Manitoba are some of the best Canadian perennials introduced in the last 25 years. There are no sterile varieties. They will self sow in damp, wet areas. Responsible gardeners aware of this can easily control or stop this. Wild plants are used to competition and are under no threat from Lythrum overpowering them.
An Urban Planner, member of the Centre s Board of Directors, and member of the Canadian Wildflower Society, Bill Granger is against the planting of Lythrum. It has been found in many North York park areas and is spreading to areas other than wet stream banks. One of its new territories are the Ontario Hydro right of ways. The plant is being eradicated from the North York parks by hand digging. Windfields had a particularly bad infestation of loosestrife. Lythrum is similar to garlic mustard and norway maple that have taken over the ravines in Toronto thereby crowding out many of the native species.
The president of the Perennial Plant Association, Dr. Stephen Still has the following comments about Purple Loosestrife in Ohio. Four years ago, the state of Ohio banned the production and sale of Lythrum salicaria. Purple Loosestrife had become a problem of the wetland areas in northwest Ohio. The Ohio Nurserymen' s Association opposed the bill banning this plant mainly because of the future implications of outright plant banning. Once a precedent is set what would be banned next by state legislators unfamiliar with the plants? A few studies were then done which resulted in only the species being banned (it can still be grown under a permit for research purposes). The cultivars are exempt from this ban. Nurserymen are responding to the spread of the species by propagating the cultivars by asexual methods (cutting) only. To this date no research has been done to test the degree of sterility of the cultivars.
The lack of definite evidence to prove or disprove the sterility of cultivars has become a critical missing link to solve the controversy surrounding this plant. Until study results are presented, gardeners can enjoy the Lythrum flowers and then trim back the stalks before the seeds are released.
Anne Marie Van Nest is the Centre s Horticulturist.
ART IN THE LINK
November 6th - 26th
John Gibson Visions
November 27th - December 10th
Nancy Bongard
The garden remembered
For the travellerwith an enquiring
Discovera different
CHINA
March 31 - April 18, 1991 featuring
THE WATER SPLASHING FESTIVAL
A joyful 3 day event held in a remote corner of Yunnan, rarely shared with Westerners
A photographers delight An artists dream A botanical wonder for further information please contact Moira Mudie 222-1527
In the Library
by Pamela MacKenzie Librarian
A PATCHWORK GARDEN:
THE CITY GARDENER S HANDBOOK:
Unexpected pleasures from a country from balcony to backyard, by Linda Yang. garden, by Sydney Eddison. New York, Random House, 1990. New York, Harper & Rowe, 1990.
Linda Yang has been writing a weekly city
This is not so much a how-to book as the gardener s column for the New York Times very readable story of the growth of the for over ten years. The book is a distillation writer s garden over the span of nearly thirty of her knowledge of gardening on balconies years. We learn of her likes and dislikes, and rooftops, in tiny city backyards, on successes and failures, and much about the doorsteps and windowsills. lllustrated with interesting gardening friendships she has colour photographs, garden plans and line made over the years. drawings, this attractive book is essential for anyone trying to garden in a small space. b
s+ PERENNIAL The - PLANT
@ow ry Sqwreé C:Y)arde" SPECIALISTS
Steeles Ave. W. (2 miles west of Highway 10) R.R. 10 Brampton L6V 3N2
Knowledgeable staff 7 days a week (9-5pm) mid-April - mid-Oct. Over 3000 different hardy plants, alpines, dwarf conifers and shrubs, Hardt)' ferns, vines, groundcovers and native wildflowers
Gift Certificates $10. up (10-15-20 etc.{-by mail any time All Year
Send $2.00 for NEW (No.10) PLANT LIST by mail to above address
I iOI' tl 1S lOVC Of gar dCI 1S.
When you're at work on the garden you love, remember Sheridan A Nurseries. At Sheridan, we have expert staffto help you, and the ' finest selection ofnursery stock in Canada, including over 750 types ofplants and trees grown on our own farms. And all ofour nursery stock is guaranteed for two full years.
Need any advice to help make your garden even lovelier? Gardens
By Sheridan landscape designers offer everything from peerless consultation and planning to complete construction and mainte-
nance services. All forthe love ofgardens, at Sheridan Nurseries.
L4 [F)
The Edwards Foundation Lecture
November 14, 7:30 p.m.
The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is the subject of the Edwards Foundation Lecture at the Civic Garden Centre on Wednesday, November 14th at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Donald Vaughan, a Vancouver landscape architect, sculptor and artist who, designed the garden with Joe Wai, will be the guest speaker for the evening.
The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, situated in the heart of Vancouver's Chinatown, is the first authentic Chinese garden to be built outside China. This garden of the Ming Dynasty is unique to the modern world and was created by 52 artisians from Suzhou. The tradition of the Chinese classical garden has a heritage of 2500 years. A typical Chinese garden links rocks, plants, water and man and stresses the unity of all things. Enclosed by walls, the Chinese classical garden appeals to a sense of timelessness and tranquility. Step into another world by joining us for this very special evening.
The Edwards Foundation has provided funds for the Edwards Memorial Lecture programme for the past eight years. This generous gift enables us to bring outstanding Canadian and international speakers to the Civic Garden Centre.
Refreshments will be served following the programme.
From the Bookshop
by Barbara Stevenson
THE CANADIAN GARDENER: A GUIDE TO GARDENING IN CANADA, by Marjorie Harris, Toronto, Random House, 1990.
This book is a winner. It's a joy to read being both humour filled and informative: the pictures are superb. The Canadian Gardener is a practical book and contains much gardening wisdom. It appeals to the experienced gardener and the novice alike. The plants have been conscienciously labelled and many of unusual plants are listed in the selected plant listings. For those just getting started in gardening all the basics are given: how to amend soil, how and when to mulch, how to compost, and information on garden design.
Environment-friendly advice is included in the section called The Ecological Garden. Garlic will keep aphids, blackspot, away from your roses; chamomile attracts all sorts of beneficial bugs. Remember most bugs are our friends: don t treat them like the enemy. On slugs: "I find it satisfying therapy to be out on Slug Patrol in the early morning. Picking them up by hand and stomping on the loathsome beasts is a great way to rev-up for a day in the competitive world. Except on the west coast where their size, about that of small mice, is truly offputing. These I'd suggest picking up by gloved hand, and dispatching them into a large can of salt shrivels them right up into nothing.
For those who want to stretch their minds a list of Latin terms is given. If you despair because you can t remember all those names take courage. Russel Page, one of
the great garden designers of this century admitted that he had a tough time remembering the botanical name of any given plant unless he 'd written it down dozens of times. There is hope for the rest of us. | can well relate to this, | remember doing the same myself. Marjorie goes on to say Even if it takes a couple of years to feel at ease saying a lot of this stuff out loud, you won't regret it. You will enjoy the benefit of your labours when you visit botanical gardens, when you re shopping for new plants, and when you're reading British gardening books.
This book will help you determine your micro climate. Toronto now has many more growing days per year then it did when | was growing up. This is because the city has become built up, and all the homes give off more heat. We now have a warmer winter with less snow cover, and a longer growing season.
This is a comfortable book. It's reassuring and fun to read. Members who enjoyed Midge Ellis Keebles book Tottering In My Garden will find a new friend in Marjorie Harris.
| thoroughly enjoyed this book, and predict it is one of those rare books we will all want to own.
MISTLETOE MAGIC -TORONTQ'S FINESTCHRISTMASSALE
ATTHE CIVICGARDEN CENTRE
ADMISSION $3.00
INTERIOR PLANTSCAPING COURSE
Registration deadline: November 2
Members $40.00 Non-members $50.00
Men s Garden Club - Meeting
WREATHS FOR ALL SEASONS WORKSHOP
Registration Deadline: October 12
Members $40.00 Non-members $50.00 1 day
TINY TREASURES: BASICS OF ROCK GARDENING COURSE
Registration Deadline: November 5
Members $27.00 Non-members $37.00 2 weeks
Southern Ontario Unit - Herb Society of America meeting and sale
THE URBAN FOREST: TREES FOR CITY PROPERTIES COURSE
Registration Deadline: November 6
Members $27.00 Non-members $37.00
Canadian Wildflower Society Annual Meeting
Toronto Gesneriad Society meeting
Ontario Rock Garden Society meeting
Southern Ontario Orchid Society meeting
PERENNIAL PROBLEMS
Registration Deadline: November 9
Members $35.00 Non-members $45.00
Toronto Bonsai Society meeting
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS WORKSHOP
Registration Deadline: November 9
Members $25.00 Non-members $35.00
Garden Therapy
ADVANCED IKENOBO IKEBANA COURSE
Registration Deadline: November 12
Members $40.00 Non-members $50.00
Ikebana International Chapter 208 meeting
EDWARDS FOUNDATION LECTURE - Don Vaughan
The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Geranium and Pelargonium Society meeting
Rhododendron Society of Canada meeting
CONTINUING TO GROW ORCHIDS AT HOME COURSE
Registration Deadline: November 15
Members $20.00 Non-members $30.00 1 day
Southern Ontario Orchid Society - Newcomers Meeting
Mycological Society of Toronto meeting
Toronto Cactus and Succulent Club meeting
CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE MEMBERS PROGRAMME - Marjorie Harris
The Canadian Gardener CHOICE PLANTS FOR SMALLER GARDENS COURSE
Registration Deadline: November 19
Members $35.00 Non-members $45.00
Ikebana International Chapter 208 Show
lkebana International Chapter 208 Show
York Rose and Garden Society meeting
CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE CHRISTMAS PLANT SALE
Members Pre-order pick-up
CIVIC
10:00 am - 3:00
12:30 pm 10:00 am - 2:00 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 pm 2:00 pm 2:00 pm 1:30 - 3:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 - 10:00 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 - 9:30 pm 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 2:00 pm 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Southern Ontario Orchid Society meeting THURSDAY 10:00 am - 9:00 pm FRIDAY 10:00 am - 5:00 pm SATURDAY 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm 8:00 pm 10:00 am - 12 Noon 7:30 - 9:30 pm 10:00 am - 1:00 pm 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
CATCH THE GAI
Catch The Gardening Spirit 1991 takes a comprehensive look at The City Garden. We offer five exciting presentations which address specific problems commonly experienced with city gardening. Shade, constructed things, colour and texture, design, and how to combine vegetables with other plant material will be carefully examined.
10:00 - 10:45
11:00 - 11:45
GARDENING IN THE SHADE
Allen Paterson is Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario. After training at the University Botanical Garden, Cambridge and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, he became curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden. He is well-known for his writings and lectures on gardens and gardening andfor his work with the Garden History Society. He is the author of Plantsfor Shade and many other books.
Reference will be made to the urban oasis, secluded corners, ravine settings, stylish patio gardening, the woodland wild garden and the sylvan retreat. The availability of light will be discussed, the use of variegated foliage and the selective high pruning of trees with the goal of bringing light to the shade garden. Deciduous and evergreen foliage combinations will be studied with the objective of creating full and lush foliage combinations. A study of plants for shade gardens includes broad leaf evergreens, wild and woodland plants and perennial bloom in the shade. Damp and dry shade will also be part of the consideration of the shade garden.
DESIGN-MADE-EASY
Susan Macaulay, a keen gardener, landscape architect, garden designer, lecturer at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and the new President and Chairman of the Board of the Civic Garden Centre.
John Brookes Grid System is a simple technique created by renowned garden designer, John Brookes which enables one to create a ground plan for viewing the garden from a design perspective. Devising a grid system will make any pattern you choose suit the proportions of your house and its garden space. This step by step process will enable you to evolve a plan, relate the shape, realize the design and make way for planting.
11:45 - 12:30
12:30 - 1:15
Lunch break
Note: The morning speakers will be available during the lunch period for questions
CONSTRUCTED THINGS
Thomas Sparling, B.L.A., O.A.L.A., C.S.L.A., graduatedfrom the University of Guelph with a Bachelor ofLandscape Architecture. As a landscape architect, hisprojects have included work on thepublication The Urban Landscape for the Conservation Council of Ontario. He is a professor at the Department ofArchitectural Science and Landscape Architecture at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and doesprivate consulting work specializing in residential renovation, restoration and landscape design.
From Stonehenge to Unistone, man has always had a need to build things in the landscape. The materials and how they are constructed, fences, pergolas, terraces are all things that are appropriate to the modern garden. Investigate what you might effectively use in your own garden.
IDENING SPIRI'T
19,
1:30 - 2:15
2:30 - 3:15 1991
COLOUR AND TEXTURE IN THE GARDEN
Marion Jarvie is a Toronto landscaper and horticulturist as well as the creator ofan exhibition class garden in Thornhill. She is currently on the teaching staffofGeorge Brown College and a course instructor at the Civic Garden Centre.
Create a garden with year-round colour using small flowering trees, dwarf woody plants, conifers and shrubs. The city landscape becomes a harmonious contrast of colour and texture in confined planting areas and under varying shades of light. Innovative concepts and imaginative groupings such as alpine lawn and city-lovers wildflower garden will bring diversity and delight to the urban back yard.
THE EDIBLE LANDSCAPE
Brian Holley has been associated with the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamiltonfor thepast 13 years. For 8years, he has been head of the Teaching Garden and has taught all ages, especially children, about the edible landscape. He is a writerfor the Hamilton Spectator and appears weekly on Global T.V. s The Hobby Gardener. Brian also has a weekly radio show on K103 in Hamilton.
While showing how to achieve maximum production in the space available, Brian will demonstrate how to combine edible flowers with vegetables and herbs. He will show how to achieve maximum production in the space available. He will demonstrate how to prevent insect problems by using companion plantings such as trees, vines, shrubs and flowers that are compatable with such vegetables as red-leafed lettuce, radicchio, squash, corn and herbs. Many of his suggestions are also suitable for container gardening.
Note: The afternoon speakers will be available at the conclusion of the programme for questions.
Notes from the 1990 Great Gardens Tour of Quebec
by Bayla Gross
Five sunny days in July, sixteen outstanding gardens, and 47 intrepid and compatible gardeners added up to an exhilarating experience. Travelling by plane, ferry and chartered bus, we explored the gardens of Quebec eastwards along the St. Lawrence River to La Malbaie (Murray Bay) and the Gaspe, west to the Montreal area, and southeast to the Eastern Townships. We were surprised at the wide variety of plants grown in areas where the climate is generally harsher than Toronto s.
THURSDAY: After our arrival by air in Quebec City, our chartered bus transported us along the mountainous north shore of the St. Lawrence. We checked into the stately Manoir Richelieu, built in the turreted tradition of the grand railway hotels and set amid broad sweeping lawns. We could readily imagine the elegance of pre-jet-set days when this was a favourite watering place of high society. Dinner was a superb five course meal at a local auberge, where the talented chef s offerings of local quail, lobster, and salmon approached the heights of Canadian gastronomy.
FRIDAY: We visited three splendid gardens which are featured /n a Canadian Garden. Mmes Simard and Turcotte welcomed us in their gardens which are enhanced by superb vistas over the St. Lawrence. The Simard garden met the challenge of a steep hillside by using ascending stone retaining walls. Their formal structure is softened with lush plantings of perennials. In contrast, the Turcotte property slopes gradually to the river. The picturesque 150-year-old house and tower are surrounded by beds of pastel perennials and annuals. In the rose garden the double rose Persian Yellow bloomed in glorious profusion. Although no aggressive programme of spraying existed, not a spot of insect damage or blight was evident on any trees or flowers. A majestic stand of tall poplars separates the cultivated garden from tapestry of wild flowers and lupins that covers the meadows.
Then to the garden that was the original inspiration for the trip, Les Quatre Vents, belonging to Frank Cabot who described it so invitingly as a speaker at the last Great Gardening Conference. This historic estate was the seigniory of Mount Murray which was granted to Malcolm Fraser, a member of the Highland regiment that fought at the Plains of Abraham. The Cabot family is the second owner in two and a half centuries.
The Cabots have cherished their inheritance and developed 22 unigue gardens, encompassing approximately twenty acres. The garden s grandeur is expanded by endless panoramic views of river and mountains. In fact, it is this special setting that allows the cultivation of many plants that are not usually found in so northerly a garden. The maritime climate with its fogs, abundant rainfall, and deep winter snow cover nourishes such rarities as the heavenly blue Tibetan poppy, Meconopsis betonicifolia. We experienced great excitement when we first came upon it in the woodland garden.
Among the many delights of Les Quatre Vents was the white garden where we photographed the delicate flowers of Astrantia major Sunningdale Variegated', the handsome heart-shaped, white-edged foliage of Brunnera variegata macrophylla and admired the delightful ground cover Lamium White Nancy with its patterned green and white leaves. White forms of primula, peony, poppies, geranium, iris, delphinium, columbine, mallow, pinks and phlox also bloom in this garden according to their seasons. The trees and shrubs of the white garden adhere to this monochromatic scheme: the white flowered varieties of hawthorn, lilac, viburnum, and philadelphus.
Very distinct among our myriad impressions were the terrifying moments on the Himalayan rope bridges which swayed simultaneously in several directions. Feeling
somewhat like Gulliver in Brobdingnag, we gazed down into the deep ravine covered with exotic giant-leaved plants of Asiatic origin: immense bergenias, rodgersias, Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum Atrosanguineium ) and ostrich fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica), the edible Japanese Butter-Bur (Petasites japonicus V. gignteus, with its three foot leaves) and the Brazilian Gunnera manicata whose leaves reach a daunting six feet in diameter.
The Primula Woodland is in continual bloom from May to August. Our special discovery was the unusual poker-shaped Primula vialii, an exotic combination of purple and red. Several of us noted white Primula sikkimensis on our 'must buy lists.
In the Shade Border a brilliant combination of red and white predominated: white-fruited Banebury (Actaea pachypoda) and white Lilies contrast with the deep red plumes of Astilbe Fanal at one end of the bed, while red-berried Banebury and red lilies stand out among pink and white Astilbe at the other.
Although the roses were not yet in bloom, the Rose Garden was awash with colour, having been densely planted with pinks. When the pinks are past their bloom, they are sheared, just as the roses come into their own an ingenous method of ~extending colour over a longer season.
Decorative structures inspired by the
The blue Chinese Moon Bridge, whose reflection forms a moon circle when the stream is full, was copied from one in Kweilin. The traditional shape was brilliantly altered to a more sinuous form to fit the undulating topography of its site. Mr. Cabot aptly describes it as a Dragon Moon Bridge .
The hospitable Cabots kindly made their terrace available to us for a catered lunch. From the terrace we viewed the reflecting pool and the lengthy green swath of the Tapis Vert, the garden s main axis. Between the stones of the terrace grew clumps of tiny Fairy Thimbles (Campanula cochlearifolia) in white, mauve, and blue, and Ramonda myconi or R. pyrenica. Lunch provided welcome moments to savour our impressions of the numerous diverse, yet skillfully integrated, elements that comprise
this world-class garden: water garden and woodland, lake and ravine, rare and native plant material, breathtaking vistas, charming statuary, and exotic structures.
SATURDAY: We toured the Metis Gardens at the entrance to the Gaspe Peninsula. Consisting of forty-five acres planted with an estimated 1500 species of native and exotic flora, this garden was begun in the 1920s by Lady Reford.
A passionate horticulturist, she exchanged native plants with European and Asian gardeners. Her passion for plants was expedited by her husband s fleet of ships which carried the plants to her Quebec garden. Many of the original plants still flourish such as the lovely Primula Sieboldii from Japan. Surrounded by the waters of the St. Lawrence and the Metis rivers, protected from wind by great plantings of spruce, and blessed with an abundant snowfall, the gardens have an astonishing microclimate which has allowed the successful cultivation of plants native to warmer zones. Another phenomenon we noticed here as in the Cabot garden was the simultaneous blooming of many flowers that bloom sequentially in Toronto. The resulting profusion produces a wonderful tapestry of colour and variety. Perhaps nature, sensing a very short season between the late spring thaw and the early autumn frosts, condenses and overlaps the progression of bloom. i S
Many of us were surprised at the variety of plants that flourished in the dappled shade of the woodland garden. The garden s emblem is the Tibetan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia) which thrives here in abundance, embellishing the woodland with ethereal drifts of blue. We were captivated by a planting of white martigon lilies, maidenhair fern, green hostas, the variegated Hosta undulata, and Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). Another pleasing vignette was composed of tall Astilbe Rosy Veil with the white Primrose Sikkim, bordered by low growing early Meadowrue (Thalictrum dioicum).
SUNDAY: Morning found us at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, whose director Pierre Bourque spoke at the Great Gardening Conference. We were unprepared for the
beauty and scope of the gardens, which cover 182 acres divided into some 30 outdoor gardens. Highlights of the visit included the Japanese pavilion where thirty exquisite bonsai, as old as 300 years, were exhibited outdoors in a tranquil raked gravel garden. A gift of the Japanese government, these specimens are the most recent addition to the garden s world famous bonsai collection. Adjacent, was the extensive Japanese garden, around a lake reflecting the expressive rocks, the shaped evergreens and the profusion of flowers such as Iris kaempferi. We crossed curved bridges over pools where gold, silver and red fish darted about, shining in the sunlight. The rose enthusiasts among us revelled in the collection of 8000 rose bushes, impressive despite our guides lament over last winter s losses.
That afternoon we were guests of the garden Club of Hudson whose outstanding hospitality was a highlight of the trip. After a picnic lunch in the garden of Mrs. Hyde's home, occupied by her family since the end of the eighteenth century, we visited four other lovely gardens. Joan Courtois garden, though only four years old, appears to be a mature garden. (Mrs. Courtois is the mother of Nicole Eaton and one of the people to whom In a Canadian Garden is dedicated). A deep perennial border that includes shrubs and a weeping willow makes a skillful transition from lawn to adjacent forest. Many varieties of hosta and a large planting of alchemilla mollis edge the front of the bed. Feathery white and pink astilbes, and orange wallflowers and lilies in the midground lead back to towering Angelica archangelica and to the weeping willow and the tall forest.
In the old-fashioned garden of Margaret Clarke photographed /In a Canadian Garden, clematis were a major feature. A bright pink Clematis montana rambled exhuberantly over a tree near the front porch. Other clematis adorned the row of Wedgewood blue trellis that anchored the perennial bed in the centre of the garden. A circular patio around an immense cedar tree had been constructed by Mrs. Clarke of concrete paving stones into which she pressed chestnut, ash, rhubarb and other leaves to create a lasting imprint.
While sipping lemonade in Betty Piper s garden high above the lake, we contemplated her carefully modulated colour theme. Blue, pink, lavender, and mauve flowers were interspersed with plants of grey foliage this subtle palette lent the garden a dream-like quality.
A magical moment occurred during an unplanned visit to the delightful St. James Anglican church, which is reminiscent of the parish churches in rural England (in fact the ambience of Hudson is very much that of an English village). Muriel Stafford, a member of our group and an accomplished organist, treated us to an impromptu concert: Anne Bawden sang the hymns.
The final stop of this exciting afternoon was the pristine garden of Canadian fashion designer Leo Chevalier and his wife. It is a formal garden of gravelled paths between beds precisely outlined with a narrow concrete edging: each bed is centered around a small tree. White lattice fence surrounds the garden, which ends in an elegant elliptical swimming pool and overlooks Lake of Two Mountains. A number of the beds are devoted entirely to white flowers in artistic combinations of annuals and perennials: petunias, lobelia, nicotine, zinnias, violas, dwarf dahlias, lupins, achillea, mallow, ageratum, alyssum, cleome, echinacea, salvia farinacea alba, edelweiss, scabiosa, campanula glomerata, shastas and lilies. In this enchanting garden, members of the Hudson Garden Club gathered to fete us with a lavish reception.
MONDAY: Our final day began with a bang! Chef overslept. Unceremoniously awakened, he commenced preparations at a furious rate and as eggs, bacon, croissants, baked beans, sausages and more emerged from the kitchen, various members of the group volunteered as waiters, donning aprons and dishing out food amidst much teasing and hilarity all round a tribute to the esprit de corps that had developed in the group.
The Lac Brome Garden Club in the Eastern Township kindly scheduled one of their annual open garden days to coincide with our visit. Knowlton is a Victorian village composed of stately 19th century homes which faithfully preserve the charm and
atmosphere of the Loyalist period.
The stunning impact of the day s first garden left us elated. The glorious colour harmonies of Evelyn Lambart s garden (see In a Canadian Garden) attest to her training as an artist. Composed of several tiers of vertically fissured rock outcroppings separated by grass terraces and blessed with an expansive view of Mt. Sutton the whole was united by a recurring colour palette. Orange California poppies, pink opium poppies and digitalis, yellow lilies and coreopsis, blue delphinium Cashmirica and Iris kaempferi and chartreuse Alchemilla Mollis blended brilliantly in a symphony of colour that drifted down from one level to the next. Five more outstandina gardens unfolded, each filled with its own wonder. At the garden of Jean and John Fisher on the shore of Lac Brome, lush and immaculate perennial beds encircled the swimming pool and joined at a wide arbour covered with abundant blooms of the climbing pink rose New Dawn intertwined with white and mauve Clematis Huldine . Pamela Dalglish, a Civic Garden Centre member, kindly opened her garden for us. The large peony bushes had been planted by her grandfather and attest to the longevity of this hardy perennial. Her love of flowers is evident in the hundreds of feet of beautifully planted and cared for perennial beds which all began with a desire for a few cut flowers for the house . Donald Miller, an out-of-town member of the Civic Garden Centre opened his outstanding garden which showed the hand of an accomplished plantsman and indefatigable hybridizer. Rare trees were grown from seed and thousands of lilies had been hybridized. We all shared his pain at the sight of a large bed of prized lilies hit by botrytis, an apologetic sign sadly acknowledging the problem. This was a sobering reminder that even the most expert gardener is subject to the vagaries of nature.
After a short flight home from Montreal, we returned to our respective gardens inspired by new ideas, clutching long lists of must buy plants, and more than slightly intimidated by the level of artistic and horticultural expertise we had witnessed.
Photographs of the Quebec garden tour will be available for viewing in the library during November. (Reference only)
Bayla Gross is a member at the Centre s Board of Directors and Co-ordinator of the Great Gardens Tour Programme. She was the leader of the Quebec Tour
IKEBANA INTERNATIONAL presents:
9TH ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW
MOTION/ EMOTIONS
November 24th and 25th 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Demonstrations Hourly 11 - 4
Civic Garden Centre
777 Lawrence Avenue East North York, Ontario, M3C 1P2
Refreshments
|Ikebana Containers etc.
Admission $5.00
TOPIARIES ARALIAS
BRAIDED FICUS CACTUS
BOUGAINVILLEA ORCHIDS
BAMBOO HANGING BASKETS
e VISAM/C ACCEPTED
OPEN TUES. THRU SUN. (416) 686-2151
380 KINGSTON RD. EAST, R.R.1 AJAX, ONTARIO L1S 4S7
BONSAI
Civic Garden Centre s Fund Raising
Sale of Christmas Plants
Members Pre-Order Day
Friday, November 30th, 1990 - 2 pm to 8 pm
Public Sale
Saturday and Sunday, December 1st / 2nd, 1990 - Noon to 4 pm
Take advantage of your Civic Garden Centre Membership by returning this pre-order form before November 26th to receive a 10% discount on your Christmas plants.
4" Poinsettia- $349 Red [ wnhite [ Pink [
6" Poinsettia- $699 Red L] wnhite [] Pink [J
8" Poinsettia- $1699 Red [ white [] Pink [ Red/White [ PinkWhite [
10" Poinsettia - $3299 Red [J wnite [ Pink [J Tricolour [
3' Poinsettia Tree- $39.99 Red [J wnite [J Pink [
6" Cyclamen - $1099 Assorted Colours [
6" Azalea- $16.99 Assorted Colours []
8 Christmas Planter - $12.99 Assorted [J
¢ All varieties are subject to availability. ® 10% members discount will apply to pre-orders returned prior to November 26, 1990. e Please pay for your plants on Member s Pre-Order Day November 30, 1990. e A selection of new poinsettia types will also be available. ® All plants will be wrapped for winter protection. ® Questions? Call 445-1552.
Name:
Address: City:
Postal Code: Phone:
Membership Number: ExpriDate: il
VOLUNTEER CORNER
by Carolyn Dalgarno Volunteer Co-ordinator
If you haven't yet volunteered for Mistletoe Magic on Nov. 1, 2 and 3rd, please call right away. We need everyone to help us with this event even if it is last minute!
Volunteers are needed for the Sale of Christmas Plants:
Thursaay, November 29 9:30 a.m. - Set-up
Friday, November 30 2 - 8 p.m. - Members pre-order pick up
Saturday & Sunday, December 1 & 2 noon -4 p.m. - Public Sale
Once a month (usually the last Thursday of every month), volunteers are required to help mail Trellis. This task takes about four hours. Please call if you can help.
Executive Committee
President: Mrs. Susan Macaulay
1st Vice-President: Mr. Klaus Bindhart
Treasurer: Mr. Kenneth H.C. Laundy
Member: Mrs. Cicely Bell
Member: Mrs. Heather MacKinnon
Board of Directors
1990: Mrs. Cicely Bell, Mr. Stuart Gilchrist, Mr. Alan Grieve, Mr. Kenneth H.C. Laundy, Mrs. Heather MacKinnon, Mrs. Doreen Martindale, Ms. Laura Rapp.
1990 - 1991: Dr. Brian Bixley, Mrs. Georgina Cannon, Mrs. Martha Finkelstein, Mr. William Granger, Mrs. Bayla Gross, Mrs. Judy Lundy, Mr. Robert Saunders, Mrs. Robin Wilson.
1990, 1991 and 1992: Mr. Klaus Bindhardt, Mrs. Mary Anne Brinckman, Mrs. Luba Hussel, Mrs. Susan Macaulay, Mr. Victor Portelli, Representative of Metropolitan Toronto Parks and Property.
Home for the Holidays
Weall & Cullen is your complete Trim-A-Tree Centre with endless ideas to make the night before Christmas the start of a happy holiday.
Home of the Cullen Country Supreme, Life-like Christmas Tree by Barcana.
Over 20 000 decorations at each location.
8 convenient locations to serve you. Visit our new Etobicoke location!
Bulk Ennombre third troisieme class classe
S12139 TORONTO
May we invite you fo join us?
The Civic Garden Centre warmly welcomes new members. Join us, and you will make friends who share the same interest in gardening, the floral arts and horticulture that you do. In addition to the many exciting classes, garden shows, speakers, clubs-within-the-Centre, etc., that will be available to you, our membership fee entitles you to the following:
e Annual subscription to members newsletter
© Free borrowing privileges from one of e Discounts on courses, lectures Canada s largest horticultural libraries and workshops
« Discount on Soil Testing Service
* 10% discount on purchases over $10.00 = 9 at the Trellis Shop. (Discount not availaple ® Frée Admission to the on sale items and some books.) Members Programmes
e Special local and international e Access and discounts at special Garden Tours members day plant sales
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Mail to:
The Civic Garden Centre 777 Lawrence Avenue East North York, Ontario, M3C 1P2
New Member O Renewing Member O
Single Membership 92500 = Family Membership SO0 = Gift Membership Donation, Tax deductible Sae FOTAL = (PLEASE PRINT)
Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms
ADDRESS: APT.
POSTAL CODE
TELEPHONE(Home) (Business)
METHOD OF PAYMENT
] CHEQUE (Payable to the CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE) ] VISA [0 MASTERCARD
CARD NUMBER ; EXPIRY DATE
Signature