Trellis Shop Assistant Manager: Mrs. Barbara Stevenson
Volunteer Co-ordinator and Publicity: Mrs. Carolyn Dalgarno
Perennial Flowers
Since 1975, we have been committed to producing a collection of perennial flowers second to none. Visit our nursery ororderby mail. Our descriptive illustrated catalogue
Crawfords Country Gardens
R.R.#3, Milton, Ont. L9T 2X7 (416) 878-0223 VISA e Mastercard
Civic Garden Centre
GENERAL INFORMATION
Vol. 18, No. 1
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.
Editorial
The gremlins of the printing press struck again in the October issue of Trellis. Eleanor Irwin s informative and witty article My War against the Aphids contains the same paragraph twice. The missing paragraph reads: After faithfully performing this ritual for a number of weeks, | realized that while there wasa rise in the mortality rate of aphids, the birth rate must be increasing even more rapidly. The plant was still infested. As my family pointed out, this infestation did not seem to have any deleterious effect on the flowers. The plant continued to bloom through the dark days of winter and its leaves remained shiny green, perhaps encouraged by the frequent baths in which they were immersed. We still have no valid explanation of the mechanics of the duplication and subsequent omission. | think there must be a clue in the word after which begins the missing paragraph and the duplicate paragraph.
continue my interest in herbs and have discovered a bimonthly publication called The Herb Companion. The August/September issue contains an excellent article Creating a Herbal Rock Garden by Holly Shimizu who spent eight years as Curator of the National Herb Garden, Washington, D.C. and is currently associated with the U.S. Botanic Garden.
The Centre continues to be a very active place. Courses, lectures, all-day seminars, and the monthly members programme provide the members with an informative and diverse array of horticultural information. Plans for out-of-town garden tours for 1991 are well underway.
Happy Holiday Season
Iris Phillips
= AN Sy MEMBERS PROGRAMME
Thursday, January 17, 1991
7:30 p.m.
Gardens of the Rich and Famous
Speaker: Frank Kershaw
Toronto s Frank Kershaw, a graduate of Guelph University (Horticulture) and the University of Toronto (Master of Science), has worked with Planning and Research for the Department of Parks and Property for the past 18 years. Frank has lectured extensively throughout North America, Europe and the Caribbean and will give us an inside glimpse of some of the estates and residential gardens of famous U.S. mining barons and industrial magnates. The properties include the areas of the low country of the Carolinas, the pacific north west, the desert of the south west, and the areas close to Arizona and New Mexico.
Frank will explore the history, design, and the commitment to horticultural excellence of these gardens. Some of the gardens are open to the public while others are research laboratories which explore the problems of plant disease and pollution. Several research gardens study endangered and rare plant species.
This evening is guaranteed to reduce the January blahs and provide a memorable winter escape. Refreshments will be served following the programme.
Non-members $4.00
Contents
Editorial stemiiise Sas St St 1
New Year's Gardening
ReseltitionsH ot e R 3
Planning a Christmas Gathering .. .. 4
IniheliBranyie sl s 5
VolunteeriCorner i b sl 5
Gardening with Children .. . ... .... 6
SpringCowses i o iy 8
Catch the Gardening Spirit. . .. 12
Guerilla Warfare in the Garden.. . . 14
Thompson and Morgan
ScediOfcatnt =N aha s 16
CoOMINGEVENIS: & e 14
New Year's Gardening
A Look at the Leek, ANty POty RN T N 19
MasterGardeners: m o s 20
CHRISTMAS CLOSING
Centre
From December 21, 1990
4:00 p.m. closing to
January 2, 1991
9:00 a.m. opening
Shops
From December 21, 1990
4:00 p.m. closing to
January 9, 1991 for Inventory
When do you plan a garden
?
Too often gardens are impetuous acts; a rush to clean up after a renovation, an impulse on the first warm day of Spring. The garden goes ahead with what is at hand and with whomever is available. It is not an area that everyone has expertise in and the rush often leads to disappointment.
Chandler & Co. builds gardens for people. We believe it is important to sit down with clients and discuss their needs and desires in order to give them the best garden possible.
The winter months afford the opportunity for the consideration and reflection that a good garden plan needs. Planning now makes you well prepared for an early Spring completion and a satisfying result.
We would like to introduce you to Chandler & Co. We extend an invitation to you to have an initial consultation free of charge.
Call us at 477-1980
Chanaier & Company
Landscapc Designers and Contractors
COME JOIN US FOR A BLOOMIN' GOOD TIME
Presenting another "blooming" Spring in Europe - thisyear we have two Garden Tours
to choosefrom: ipace.
Sicily & Rome - April 2 - 16, 1991 orBritain - May 9 -24, 1991
You will bepersonally escortedfrom Toronto, to explore some ofEurope s most beautiful andfamous gardens. Experience the history, art andexquisite scenery at a leisurely
Presentedby: TRAVEL24INC. and TRAFALGAR TOURS in conjunction with CULLENCOUNTRYBARNS
For further details, please call TRAVEL 24 INC. (416) 222-2440
New Year s Gardening Resolutions for 1991
by Anne Marie Van Nest
My 1991 gardening resolutions are:
® espalier a tree
® be a potshard buster
® take a course
® visit a gardening show
® try some new AAS winners
® order a new gardening magazine
® build a water garden
® install an irrigation system
® visit a new garden
* try computerized gardening
* view the gardening videos
Each year at this time | make some resolutions and try to start the new year off right. | can imagine that just about everyone promises to lose weight, get more exercise or spend more time with the family. | can remember my resolution from 1990: | only kept it for six weeks. This time, | think I'll be a little more realistic and proposea list of gardening resolutions instead. | can work at these throughout the year and don t have to make any sacrificial lifestyle changes (like skipping dessert).
Since | now have a small personal computer at home, | feel terribly guilty about using it mainly for games and entertainment. A $4.99 jigsaw puzzle would keep me just as entertained. To justify my computer and the modem, | am going to investigate some of the gardening software available for it. A good starting place for information is the article in TLC. . . for plants (Autumn 1990) by Randall Prue. He gives a review of five software programs and uses the Good Earth Forum on CompuServe. CompuServe is an electronic bulletin board service that can be accessed by gardeners, landscapers, farmers, or anyone with a modem and computer. It is as simple as calling the CompuServe number (via the computer) of
the nearest city. This is a whole new world that | would like to explore.
Cocooning and VCR s seem to be the pastime of the 90s. Instead of renting a movie video, | am going to spend some snowy nights viewing the gardening ones from the local video rental store. Gardening videos are an area of education that has been underutilized. | hope that a few Canadian produced tapes soon find their way to the shelves.
My small, fenced garden has one underused area for growing plants. I've filled all of the horizontal spaces and it is now time to use the vertical surfaces. Espaliered trees have always facinated me. A young Ginkgo growing this way in the garden of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington was equisite. A Ginkgo might bea little large for my small fence so might follow the tradition of the kitchen gardens and plant a fruit tree (dwarf version). The hard task will be to decide which arrangement to use.
My garden has had a half barrel sitting on the patio each year. Usually it has been filled with a patio-type tomato surrounded with geraniums or other annuals. This year | think that a water garden would be an interesting addition. | have always admired the lotus plant and hope that there is a dwarf variety available in Ontario. Some fish would be nice as well. hope that there are not any racoons in this area of Willowdale.
Old habits are hard to change! Although gardening is far from an exact science, there are a few practices that have been used through the decades. I've viewed these as being carved in stone and unchangeable. But, new research has appeared and views are changed. Potshards have now been banished along with pruning paint. My resolution is to break the old habit of placing clay pieces in the bottom of my
pots (with drainage holes). The current view is that the pieces in the bottom of the pot add weight and take up valuable rooting space. If roots are going to be damaged from overwatering they will be damaged sooner in a pot with shards than in a pot with a larger soil area for roots.
One of my favourite pastimes is reading. In the past this involved mainly paperback novels. The pile of to be read paperbacks has stayed quite stationary lately as I've found that the day is getting shorter. Instead, | have switched to gardening magazines. My resolution is to subscribe to two more. | already receive Canadian Gardening, Harrowsmith, Organic Gardening, Landscape Trades, TLC for Plants, Fine Gardening, Horticulture Review and Greenspace. |I've heard that there is a good gardening magazine from the west coast and Houseplant Forum looks interesting. The Civic Garden Centre library has an impressive selection of magazines.
Some of the newest AAS winners will find their way to my garden. like to try something new and different each year. One of the first winners that | will try will be the pansy Maxim Marina . | assume that the marina in its name refers to the ocean blue markings. The pansy is a combination of light and darker blue edged with white. It will also withstand the heat and sun if it is watered adequately.
might try one of the three new vinca s that have been given awards from the All America Selections, too. Pretty in Rose, Pretty in Pink and Parasol are all drought and heat resistant (an excellent survival characteristic in my garden).
Planning a Christmas Gathering?
Make the occasion a memorable one with colourful, live plants as adornments. Arrange your Christmas plants through the Trellis Shop at the Civic Garden Centre. Traditional Christmas plants such as poinsettias, cyclamen, azaleas and chrysanthemums in many sizes and colours can be ordered for your special event. Arriving fresh from the greenhouse, your Christmas plants will beautify any area. Anne Marie or Helen will be pleased to discuss all the details weekdays in the Trellis Shop.
3
Anne Marie Van Nest is the Centre s Horticulturist.
VOLUNTEER CORNER
by Carolyn Dalgarno Volunteer Co-ordinator
Volunteer Party
It's hard to believe that 1990 is drawing to a close. The year was full of activity for the volunteers of the Civic Garden Centre. We thank you for your support and hope your enthusiasm continues in 1991. You are very special people. Join us on December 5 from 4 - 7 p.m. in the administration foyer for the volunteer recognition party. Your invitations should be in the mail shortly but, in case the postal gremlins interfere, please reserve this date. If you are unable to attend, please accept our best wishes for the holiday season.
In the Library
by Pamela MacKenzie Librarian
Two Victorian Flower Books
For some years now Victoriana has been fashionable. With the increased interest in period flower crafts, two little books, recently acquired for the library s historical collection are delightful original sources. Leaf and flower pictures, and how to grow them; rev. ed. New York, Anson D.F. Randolph, 1859, with attractive and delicate colour plates, is addressed to adults and children. The Phantom Bouquet: a popular treatis on the art of skeletonizing leaves and seed-vessels and adapting them to embellish the home of taste by Edward Parrish, Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1864, describes this elegant art ; appropriately the illustrations are in black and white.
GreEN Briar Lzar. the under surtace, showing the venation ¢i an endogenous lear
Gardening with Children
If you are thinking about getting your children interested in natural science, then showing them how to grow plants from seeds is a simple and economical project.
The first step is to obtain one or several mail seed order catalogues. If you would like to receive a list of free seed catalogues, drop a note to the Canadian Garden Council at 6 Nesbitt Drive, Toronto, Ontario M4W 2G3. Once you have the catalogue(s), you'll have all the detailed information you need to get started. Order your seeds and supplies early, so that you will be able to take advantage of early-order discounts.
If you are a gardener who saved seed from the plants of last year, in most cases such seed will not produce the same colour or form of flower or vegetable as the original or seed-producing plant. Most of the varieties grown today are hybrids, and do not come true from seed that is produced without special hybridization techniques. If you've never started your garden plants from seed before, the important items to remember are: 1) the seed must be started in a sterile medium (not just fresh potting sail, for example, it must be sterilized and the package will indicate this); 2) the seeding medium needs to be kept evenly moist; 3) the seedlings require bright natural light, or about 14 hours a day under a two-tube fluorescent fixture (keep the tips of the seedlings ten cm (3-4 in.) below the tubes as they grow); and do not start the seeds too early!
Different plants require varying amounts of time to develop before they are suitable to plant out in the garden. Most first-time seed starters sow their seeds too early, and often have to re-seed because the seedlings become too leggy before they can safely be put outside to harden them to out-of-doors conditions. Many parents do not regard the need for a second seeding of fastgerminating seeds as a waste, as the children get to observe the germination and growth processes twice before plantingout time.
The Canadian Garden Council advises that plants such as seed geraniums, petunias and fibrous begonias should be started during January in climate areas such as southern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
For the vast majority of plants e.g. marigolds, snapdragons and tomatoes start your seeds six to eight weeks in advance of the date on which you may safely plant your young plants out in the garden.
Each seed catalogue takes a different approach to presenting cultural information, and at least two provide excellent detail on the suggested approximate starting dates for seeds. Some of the companies, on the other hand, give this information on their seed packets. Other hints are provided in these and other catalogues on the Canadian Garden Council s list; for example, the varieties which prefer to germinate in total darkness, or require varying special but simple techniques to speed germination.
The seed catalogues are also one of the best sources for seed-starting equipment. Depending on how sophisticated you wish to be (and, of course, how much money you can afford to spend) you may wish to order self-watering seed propagation kits complete with two-tube fluorescent light units. Or, at the lower end of the scale, order just the seeds and perhaps the sterile starter mix. Even the mix need not be purchased if you are prepared to use some sand or sandy potting soil you already have on hand.
The most important factor about the seed starting medium is that it is sterilized. Many bagged potting soils are not sterile. Sand or sandy soil from the garden must be sterilized. Place the damp sand in a conventional oven and heat it to 85° C (180° F) for 30 minutes. However, this process will give off a very strong and unpleasant smell! Another method of sterilizing soil uses a microwave oven. One kilo (2.2 Ib.) of damp medium, loosely
covered, should be microwaved for three to five minutes on high. Be sure to clean the oven, particularly the door seal, after this operation.
The newly sterilized sand or soil should stand uncovered until it is cool. The unused balance should be stored in a sealed plastic bag.
If you wish to save money, the Canadian Garden Council suggests you cannot get a better substitute for peat pots than egg shell halves. Crack extra-large or large eggs carefully into two half shells, then place the half shells in cardboard egg containers, fill the egg shells with the sterilized starting medium, moisten and plant your seeds. Plant no more than three or four seeds per shell, and once they germinate, cut off do not pull outi all but the strongest grower in each shell.
Various types of peat pots, expandable peat pellets, peat starter strips and starter cubes are all offered in most catlogues, and sold in garden centres. These are all excellent for starting seeds, but other than simplicity, offer little if any other advantage over the egg shell-B=r g
If you sow your seeds in rows in a tray they will need to be transplanted singly when they develop that second set of leaves. Move the strongest seedlings to individual small pots, and apply the half-strength fertilizer.
On days when there is no wind, and outdoor temperatures reach at least 10° C (53° F), your seedlings should be placed outside, not in the sun, for ten minutes at the start. Gradually increase the time daily. This hardening-off process will assure success with the plants when they are moved to the garden.
Courtesy of the Canadian Garden Council/Conseil du jardinage canadien (Abridged).
THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE IN EDWARDS GARDENS
777 Lawrence Ave. E., North York M3C 1P2 Tel: (416) 445-1552
FALL 1990 WORKSHOPS and COURSES ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Please use the form provided and mail proper remittance. Classes are limited, bookings are made as received with fee. Fees are not refundable after registration deadline.
FACTS ABOUT COURSE REGISTRATION
PROCEDURE: To assess beforechand whether a given lecture or course will be economically feasible we must have advance registration for most events involving an admission charge. Participants will be registered on a first come, first served basis, only on receipt of the requisite fee. Registration can be accomplished by delivery of fees by mail or in person prior to the registration deadline. Visa or MasterCard will be accepted by mail or by phone.
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS:
Anyone may withdraw registration and receive a full refund up to the registration deadline. Thereafter, a requested refund will be made only if there is a waiting list and the registration can be transferred to another person. There can be no refund after a course has begun. Should a course be cancelled, registrants will be notified by telephone and refunds issued. It is therefore vital that you supply a phone number where you can be reached, directly or by message, between 9am and Spm during the week. Following registration deadline we will not accept responsibility for inconvenience caused for those who """""+ he contacted
WATERCOLOUR STUDIO 4157
Registration deadline: January 4, 1991
Fee: $55.00 members, $65.00 non-members
6 week course on Tuesdays, Jan.8,15,22,29, Feb.5,12
Instructor: Barbara Pinkham Time: 9:30am-1pm
An opportunity for painters with experience to work on individual painting projects, using their own subject matter, in the company of other artists. Practise botanical painting, still life, or landscape with an instructor for guidance and critique.
THE ART OF SILK FLOWERS 4136
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee: $55:00 members, $65:00 non-members
6 week course on Mondays, Jan.14,21,28, Feb.4,11,18
Instructor: Jean Hewitt Time: 10am-1pm
Japanese silk flower making. Some of the flowers that you will make are Roses, Iris, Daisies, Poppies, Trilliums, Hibiscus, Poinsettias, Holly, Eucalyptus and "filler" flowers. Please bring to your first class, scissors, cutters, ruler, face cloth, notebook and pencil. Kits will be available between $3.00 and $6.00.
DRAWING TECHNIQUES 4145
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee: $70.00 members, $80.00 non-members
8 week course on Mondays, Jan.14,21,28,Feb.4,11,18,Mar.11,18
Instructor: Barbara Pinkham Time: 1:30-4:30pm
Improve your drawing skills. Using botanical and natural materials, study various drawing techniques with emphasis on structure, volume and value. Produce finished drawings from pencil and pen and ink. Please bring sketch book and pencil. A materials list will be provided at the first class.
BASIC SOGETSU 1 4129
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee:$50.00 members, $60.00 non-members
6 week course on Mondays, Jan.14,21,28, Feb. 4,11,18
Instructor: Greg Williams Time: 10:00am-noon
A modern Japanese school of Ikebana flower arranging which is well known for its dramatic, free style design.
INTERMEDIATE SOGETSU 2 4131
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee: $50.00 members, $60.00 non-members
6 week course on Mondays, Jan.14,21,28, Feb.4,11,18
Instructor: Greg Williams Time: Ipm-3pm
A continuation from the Intermediate Sogetsu 1 course.
INTRODUCTORY WATERCOLOUR 2 4121
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee: $75.00 members, $85.00 non-members
8 week course on Tuesdays, Jan.15,22,29, Feb. 5,12,19, Mar. 5,12
Instructor: Lynda Bryden Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
This class is for students who have taken this course before or have some watercolour experience.
PLEASE SEE YOUR FEBRUARY TRELLIS FOR FURTHER COURSES
INTRODUCTORY WATERCOLOUR 1 4121
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee: $75.00 members, $85.00 non-members
8 week course on Tuesdays, Jan.15,22,29, Feb. 5,12,19, Mar. 5,12
Instructor: Lynda Bryden Time: 1:00-3:00pm
Learn the skills of wash, dry brush, wet on wet glazing and textures as well as the fundamental elements of composition, design and colour theory. Work at your own level using still life and flowers as subject matter. Supply list will be provided at the first class. Please bring a sketch book and pencil.
CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING 4126
Registration deadline: January 11, 1991
Fee: $75.00 members, $85.00 non members
8 week course on Mondays, Jan.14,21,28, Feb.4,11,18,25, Mar. 4
Instructor: Moira Mudie Time: 1:30-4pm
Materials are available at the first class for a nominal fee. Please bring a container for brushes and a large newsprint pad. For further information please call Moira Mudie 222-1527.
PERENNIALS FOR ONTARIO GARDENS 4118
Registration deadline: January 15, 1991
Fee: $65:00 members, $75:00 non-members
8 week course on Thursdays, Jan.17,24,31, Feb.7,14,21, Mar.7,14
Instructor: Keith Squires Time: 8-10pm
Each student will need a copy of "Canadian Garden Perennials" or "The Harrowsmith Perennnial Garden". These can be purchased at the Shop.
INTERIOR PLANTSCAPING 4134
Registration deadline: January 25, 1991
Fee: $40.00 members, $50.00 non-members
4 week course on Mondays, Jan.28, Feb.4,11,18
Instructor: Helen Craig Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Plantscaping - strategies for imaginative, successful indoor gardening. Bring the outdoors in by learning how to have forsythia, tulips and narcissus blooming in February. Learn how to decorate with plants, how to wuse the 'unusual' as containers, hear what is 'new' in houseplants, where to find them and much, much more..
GARDENING WITH WILDFLOWERS 4113
Registration deadline: January 28, 1991
Fee: $55.00 members, $65:00 non-members
Instructor: Frank Kershaw Time: 7:30-9:30pm
6 week course on Wednesdays, Jan.30, Feb.6,13,20,Mar.6,13
Sources of plants, planting, plant selection and mulching, design and layout for woodland, meadow, bog and farm gardens. Also how to attract birds and butterflies to your garden are topics included in this increasingly popular course.
PLEASE SEE YOUR FEBRUARY TRELLIS FOR FURTHER COURSES
BASKETRY WORKSHOP 4141
Registration: February 4, 1991
Fee: $20.00 members, $30.00 non-members
Instructor: Judy Ellen
Time: 10am-3pm
1 day workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 6
Make the popular ribbed basket (sometimes called melon or egg basket) using dyed and natural flat reed and sea grass cordage. Materials will be supplied for approx. $10.00. Please bring pencil and paper, towel, a 5 gallon bucket, garden clippers and scissors.
THE LANDSCAPE IN WATERCOLOUR 4143
Registration deadline: February 4, 1991
Fee: $75.00 members, $85.00 non-members
8 week course on Thursdays, Feb.7,14,21, Mar. 7,14,21,28, Apr.4
Instructor: Americo del Col Time: 7-10pm
This is an introduction to landscape painting for those with little or no experience. Through demonstration, you will learn basic techniques, use of colour, ideas on composition and choice of materials. The emphasis will be on "doing", putting into practice what you see during demonstrations, with a helpful nudge when needed. A list of supplies will be available at registration.
PLEASE SEE YOUR FEBRUARY TRELLIS FOR FURTHER COURSES
FOI' the lOVC Of gardCIlS.
When you're at work on the garden you love, remember Sheridan 4 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.
CATCH THE GAR
February
Catch The Gardening Spirit 1991 on Sunday, February 17th 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 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-knownfor 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.
11:00 - 11:45 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 ofthe 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 Lunch break
Note: The morning speakers will be available during the lunch period for questions
12:30 - 1:15 CONSTRUCTED
THINGS
Thomas Sparling, B.L.A., O.A.L.A., C.S.L.A., graduatedfrom the University ofGuelph 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.
DENING SPIRIT 17, 1991
1:30 - 2:15
2:30 - 3:15
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 staffof George 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.
Limited Enrollment. Registration deadline February 12, 1991
Civic Garden Centre membership number ............
* Please bill me an additional $8.00 for lunch
Name PLEASE REGISTER ME FOR CATCH THE GARDENING SPIRIT 1991
I enclose my cheque in the amount of $45.00 member .. ... $55.00 non-member . ...
* Our lunch box contains, cheddar on whole wheat and swiss on a kaiser sandwiches with watercress, romaine lettuce, mayonnaise and mustard. This will be served with a mixed green salad, followed by your choice of pastry dessert and fresh fruit. Juice and coffee will be served throughout the day.
Address Code
1 prefer to use my Visa MasterCard
Card number Expiry Date
Signature
Guerilla Warefare in the Garden
by Janet Davis
As my garden and | age, | find the type of backyard jungle | desire is one populated by plants that have a luxuriance and abandon in their appearance, but that nevertheless respect the notion of boundary. Like all urban jungles, the garden can be a terrifying place.
I 'm too old for a jungle filled with stealthy underground terrorists like gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides). Its arbitrary colonial tendencies (under the phlox, through the irises) sentenced it to exile from the city to a friend s pondside garden in Caledon, where it can seize new territory with abandon. Little did | know, while admiring its exceptionally long-lasting floral panicles last summer, that the two initial plants | had purchased were really just imperial headquaters for a plant bent on taking over the border.
My back is certainly too far gone for the trench warfare waged by hundreds of offspring of free-seeding heliopsis (Heliopsis Scabra), each with a tenacious little root system that is a painful reminder of all the dead-heading | didn t do last summer. Heliopsis is a wonderfully robust plant with golden yellow daisy-like flowers that go nonstop from June to frost. But like so many perennials that seem too good to be true it is. It's now replaced by a combination of thread-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) and later blooming, tall Rudbeckia nitida.
Whoever coined the phrase shrinking violet must have done so with eyes clouded by a herbicidal mist, for surely that s the only way to get a violet to shrink. My violets have been more or less rounded up from the garden proper to a sideyard woodland walk a kind of violet refugee camp. But even here, they threaten the trilliums and epimedium in a survival-of-thefittest horticultural drama.
Ostrich ferns. In damp shade, they're the most elegant of ground covers. With companion plantings of hostas and daylilies, it s hard to beat the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), but like its feathered namesake with head buried underground, this fern has a subterranean life of its own. As Frederick McGourty observed in The Perennial Gardener, The idea of the balance of nature originated with human beings, not with the ferns. A better choice for refined plantings in my garden has been the Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides).
OSTRICH FERN a. Fertile Frond: b. Sterile Frond.
The award for Most Insidious Guerilla Warrior goes hands-down to goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria). Years ago, | begged a neighbor for some of that pretty green and white leafy plant to cover the inhospitable root area of a large ash. Brushing aside her warnings, | accepted her gift of three plants. As they went through their second season under the ash, they gave the word invasive new meaning. | suspect that the common name derives, not from the herbal brew made from the roots and leaves to quell arthritic pain, but from the sore toes that come from digging to eradicate this little monster. Rising from the ash (or roots thereof) is now a pretty stand of tawny daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva).
In my backyard jungle, there are several other inhabitants that bear watching probabationary guerillas. They remain because their sprawl is so charming that without them, certain pleasing tableaux would be lost. Water forget-me-nots (Myosotis scorpioides) have the uncanny ability to seed in a handful of earth in the flagstone around the lily pond. Their cascading foliage and tiny blue flowers soften the water s edge. Lady s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) plays a similar role, frothing out over rocks around the pond. Controlling the burgeoning population of these two is not an onerous task.
Likewise, the roving nature of peach-leaf bellflower (Campanula persicifolia) could be termed a friendly invasion. No other perennial in my garden gives that English cottage look, popping up hither and thither with its spikes of lavender bells.
| have sweet woodruff (Asperula odorata) on report, tracking its progress weekly. Undoubtedly if the people who name plants had called it sneaky woodruff, gardeners would have turned up their noses. But there it is, sneaking about through the wild ginger and Japanese snakeroot, its tiny whorls like stars in an earthbound constellation.
My hot border has four or five stands of yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata). These would soon expand into my neighbor s lawn, but for a brutal reduction each spring with my handy border spade. If
| found another yellow-spired plant that would bloom with scarlet lychnis and orange Asiatic lilies, I'd trade the yellow loosestrife in a minute. But for now, it's indispensable.
Even though | know, in my heart, that the best plan is to fill the garden with refined stalwarts like peonies, Siberian irises, and astilbes, | still yield to the odd temptation. I've had a little plastic pot of feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) sitting on my porch now for a few weeks, while | work up the courage to plant it in my border. It has the explosive potential of a vial of tritium, horticulturally speaking, yet I'm tempted. After all, my jungle could use some more white daisies. I'll report back in a few years.
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Thompson & Morgan Seed Order - 1991
Civic Garden Centre members who would like to order Thompson & Morgan seeds directly from the New Jersey office can again pool orders this spring.
Catalogues are available for consultation in the Library and Trellis Shop. Two collective orders will be sent on the dates below. A handling charge of $1.50 (Canadian) will be added to each member s order.
Thompson & Morgan offers a wide range of seeds for Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, and Annuals. Many are rare and exotic.
The two order deadlines are February 1st and Feb. 22, 1991. Please leave your order with Anne Marie or Helen, Horticulturists of the Centre.
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A Look at the Leek, Allium porrum
by Mary Perimutter
One of the most satisfying gourmet meals in fall and early winter is a steaming bowl of creamy leek and potato soup. To achieve this delight from your own garden, you should plant the leek seed indoors, under lights or in a bright window.
Leek seed should be fresh because most seed of the Allium family does not retain viability over an extended period. If you have seed left over from last year, you may test the germination by placing 10 seeds in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag. Check at the end of a week to see if any have germinated. Germination takes from 7-12 days at 25°C.
Plant the leek seed in a small flat or two seeds to each cell of a 6 or 8 celled plastic pack. | prefer the latter method because it is easier to transplant. Mix one part steamed compost with one part vermiculite or perlite to fill the flat or cells. Leeks are quite hardy by mid-March and may be transferred to the cold frame. This will provide space to start broccoli or cauliflower indoors.
Nancy Bubel, in Seed Starter s Handbook, writes that leeks enjoy and thrive when transplanted up to five times before being planted in the garden. A gardener s time becomes a control factor in the number of transplantings. Prepare the garden site by digging a narrow trench 30cm deep. Make 2 cm deep drills 15cm apart along the trench. Plant one seedling in each hole. As the stem grows and thickens, fill in the trench with soil or finished compost. There is one drawback to this type of blanching, soil gets into the furls of the leaves making washing difficult. am searching for plastic tubing 4-5cm in diameter to slip over each leek plant this year before filling in the trench.
In France, leeks or poireaux are known as the asparagus of the poor . When they are young they can be cooked in the same blanching way as asparagus. Delicious!
Leeks are biennial and produce a thick stem the first year. If you leave one or two leeks in the ground over winter a tall stem with a flower will come up the following summer. The stem may grow quite high. The flower is a round globe covered by florets. If you wish to save the seed, hand pollinate the flowers as soon as you see the pollen form, and place a paper bag over the flower. Leave the flower until October, carefully cut the flower, bag, and all, turn over and shake the seeds into the bag. Store the seeds in a jar in a cool dry place. If you store seed in a fridge, add a little silica gel to the jar.
There are several varieties of leek classified according to the shaft length, leaf color, speed of growth and winter hardiness. Summer leeks have a long shaft, light greyish-green leaves and a loose structure. Late varieties have a shorter shaft, dark bluish-green leaves and good winter hardiness. My favourite leek is Alaska Winter Giant.
Master Gardeners Questions and Answers:
1. Q. My Dieffenbachia stem is soft and mushy. What's wrong?
A. This condition is caused by a disease known as stem rot. If the tip is healthy, you can start a new plant. You can use a rooting hormone powder, perlite or vermiculite. You can use a rooting hormone powder, and keep the cutting in a plastic bag to help the rooting process. Pot it up in a growing compost once roots have formed. Don't over-water it, you can let the Dieffenbachia dry out between waterings. It prefers to be in diffuse, not strong, lighting. Give fertiliser once a month. Destroy the diseased stem and soil of the old plant, and be careful to clean out the pot very thoroughly.
2. Q. How do I plant an Amaryllis bulb?
A. Plant the bulb in a pot that is two inches larger in diameter than the bulb. Use a soilless mix or potting soil mixed with perlite and peat moss. Make sure drainage is adequate. Leave one-third of the bulb above the soil. Water it sparingly until growth begins, then bring the pot into full light and water to keep it moist. Turn the pot round each day so the plant grows evenly.
3. Q. / want to use spruce boughs to decorate the church at Christmas. How do | keep the needles from dropping off?
A. You should cut the boughs a couple of weeks ahead of the time you need them. Put them in a green garbage bag with a little water, and spray/mist them. Seal the bag and keep in a cool place. When you take them out and arrange them, spray them again. This way they should last the three weeks. Try to avoid placing them in direct draughts from fans or hot air registers.
| inch betiveen f- bulb and P&E
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For 1990: Mrs. Cicely Bell, Mr. Stuart Gilchrist, Mr. Alan Grieve, Mr. Kenneth H.G. Laundy, Mrs. Heather MacKinnon, Mrs. Doreen Martindale, Ms. Laura Rapp.
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May we invite you to 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:
* Annual subscription to members newsletter ~ ® Free borrowing privileges from one of e Discounts on courses, lectures Canada s largest horticultural libraries and workshops = : ; :
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