THE NEWSLETTER OF THE C INMETROTORONTO
THROUGHTHE GARDEN-GATE
The Gardens of Hogg s Hollow
By DAY June 22 and 23 noon - 4:00 p.m.
By NIGHT June 20 8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
[ mml
Specializing In The Unusual. AQUATIC PLANTS RARE PERENNIALS DWARF CONIFERS SPECIES ORCHIDS
Canada s Largest Bonsai Nursery OPEN 7 DAYS
MON. - FRI. - 9-8
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380 KINGSTON RD. E., R.R. 1, AJAX, ONT. Come to PICOV S and depart Jfrom the ordinary.
Imported classical fountains, statuaryandothergarden accessories inclay, concrete, lead, marble & wood OpenSaturdays.SundaysandHolidays. 11 am.-5 p.m. or weekdays with a phone call. 1094 Derry Road West W, ofGuelphLine. N. ofQEW. &Huy # 5 S. 0f401 exit 401 at Guelph Line DerryRd. WestendsatPickletreeFarm(416) 3361398
Civic Garden Centre
GENERAL lNFOR_l}/lATlON
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.
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
| am delighted to regain a tiny space in which to communicate with the readers. The last issues of Trellis have been crowded with announcements of events at the centre, garden tours, numerous plant sales, lectures, courses, and summer camp.
During the winter months, | enjoyed reading new gardening books with lush photographs; however, | also reread two garden classics. Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden by Eleanor Perényi is a delightful collection of essays on horticulture. Perfect for bedside reading on a variety of topics which are alphabetically arranged, Annuals to Women s Place . There are no photographs. The other classic is The Education of a Gardener by Russell Page, the legendary British garden consultant who died in 1985. This eloguent book is full of personal reminiscences, acid wit, practical advice, and history. ( Groundcover, Mahonia aquifolium. We have an indigestion of myrtle (Vinca Minor). In historical terms, | was surprised that Sir Edward Lutyens was practising at the same time as le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright.
A major event to look forward to this fall is the Fourth Great Gardening Conference, October 18, 19, and 20.
Happy Gardening
Iris Phillips
THE EDWARDS FOUNDATION GARDEN EVENINGS
Dr. Brian Bixley
Walking in the Mountains: The Flowers of California
Tuesday, May 7 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Bixley, past President of the Civic Garden Centre will speak on the incredibly beautiful flowers, both large and small, that grow in profusion in the Sierra mountains around Lake Taho, 6,000 - 10,000 feet above sea level. The lecture will be accompanied by a slide presentation.
Dr. Bixley will be available at the conclusion of the evening to sign his recent book, The Canadian Gardener s Journal.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce The Edwards Charitable Foundation s financial support of the very popular Members Evening Program. In recognition of the Foundation s generosity, the name was changed to The Edwards Foundation Garden Evenings .
Isn t Latin a Dead Language?
Have you ever tried to find a special plant in a garden centre only to be offered a completely different plant? The Master Gardeners Hot Line had a query What was the correct name of Mother-ofThousands? The caller had seen the plant and was having no success in obtaining it. The Master Gardener produced the following st
Strawberry begonia or Strawberry geranium Saxifraga sarmentosa
Stonecrop various Sedum species
Kalanchoe (or Brachyphyllum)
daigremontiana
Piggy back plant Tolmeia menziesii
Houseleeks or Hens and chickens
Sempervivum species
Mother-of-thyme Thymus serpyllum (All these produce large numbers of new plants asexually hence Mother-ofThousands' )
Sometimes one plant may have many names in different areas. This is more likely to occur for important herbal medicine plants. Geoffrey Gregson has found about 700 names for one common plant. Have you ever heard of Bird s eye, Herb constancy, Kiss-me-at-the-garden-gate, Lovein-idleness, Monkey face, Pink eyed John, Pussy face or Tittle my fancy? How about Johnny-jump-up? or wild violet. If everyone used Viola tricolor it would be much simpler.
Many people have difficulty with the scientific names of plants. These are frequently called Latin as the names follow latin rules. However, many languages contribute to plants generic or specific names. The latter is the second name, always in the lower case. It is specific for one plant, though there will be minor differences in sub species or variety. The generic name is shared by a group of closely related plants and is always capitalised. Both names should be italized. This is known as the binomial (two name) system. Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) recorded many of the names we use today; however, the present system evolved since 1700, mainly through the work of Carl Linnaeus (1707-78). Today it follows the
basic rules of Latin grammar as set out in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. The generic name is a noun; the specific is an adjective and is usually descriptive. The endings must agree. They may be masculine ending in -us as in Dianthus alpinus, feminine -a as in Rosa rugosa, or neuter, -um as in Helianthemum nummularium (rock rose). This means the same word has different endings, as in alpinus, alpina or alpinum. This seems simple but is complicated because many names are Greek: -on is usually neuter. -as, -e, - s, -ex, -is, -0 and -ys are feminine. eg Iris cristata.
Looking carefully at a name may tell you something about a plant. Rhizo- means root; phyllon and follium, leaf; anthos, flower; carpus, fruit. Numbers are as follows: uni- and mono-, bi and dli, tri, quadri and tetra, penta, hexa, etc. Penstemon means five stamens, octopetala means eight petals. Colour is indicated eg in the yellows -luteus, mellus, sulphureus, flavus and aureus.
You may learn something about the shape, eg rotundus (round), serratus (saw edged). Perhaps the texture is indicated /anatus (woolly), farinosus (floury), or the size nanus or pumilis (dwarf). The habitat can also be learned. Palustris means boggy, maritimus by the sea, pratensis and campestris are fields, arena is sandy, torrens a torrent, montanum on a mountain and alpinum high up on a mountain. Gypsophila means gypsum loving so most of these plants prefer limy soil.
The names may reflect old herbal remedies. Alyssum a means not , lyssa madness: this was used to cure the insane. Polygala means much milk, the common name is the same milkwort.
The country or region of origin may be part of the name canadensis, virginiana, columbiana, nepalensis, japonica.
The person who first described or named the plant may have used his or her name, or that of a friend or patron. Charles
Christopher Parry was a nineteenth century medical doctor who discovered many plants, including Primula parryi which grows in Colorado. Gods, goddesses and other mythical beings also get into the picture. /ris was goodess of the rainbow.
Like common names, scientific names sometimes do not make sense. Daphne was the Greek name for the laurel, which was transferred. Sometimes scientific names are changed as more is discovered about plant relationships. In spite of this, | hope more people will try to look more closely at the scientific names; they are international. Isn't it satisfactory to pick up a beautifully illustrated Japanese plant book and find you can read the names?
Recommended further reading:
Sterne, William T., Botanical Latin, David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1973.
References:
Greigson, Geoffrey, The Englishman s Flora, J.M. Dent & Sons, London, 1987 Ingwerson, Will, Aipine & Rock Plants, J.M. Dent & Sons, London, 1983
Anna Leggatt is a Toronto Master Gardener
The Fourth Great Gardening Conference
On October 18, 19 and 20, the Civic Garden Centre will once again play host to some of the outstanding gardeners and garden writers of Canada, the United States and Europe. This is a week-end that all gardeners will want to reserve on their calendars. Watch next month' s Trellis for further information.
GARDENS designed for Contemplation
Places that help to clear ones mind from the turbulence of the day; Places in which to reflect and focus peacefully in timeless surroundings
TALES of the EARTH Landscape Architecture 416-469-9646
Perennial Flowers
Since 1975, we have \ been committed to producing a collection of perennial flowers second to none. Visit our nursery or order by mail. Our descriptive illustrated catalogue is $2.00.
Crawfords Country Gardens
R.R.#3, Milton, Ont. L9T 2X7 (416) 878-0223
VISA e Mastercard
Tour Wonderful Private Gardens
The Civic Garden Centre is privileged to offer members and their friends the opportunity to visit many outstanding Canadian gardens.
TOUR #1 - TUESDAY, JUNE 25 - NIAGARA PENNINSULA
The tour will leave by chartered bus from the Civic Garden Centre at 8:45 a.m. sharp and will return at approximately 6 p.m. Tour includes transportation, lunch and refreshments en route.
* $59 - Members $65
Non-members
Our tour includes charming gardens in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the site of Upper Canada s first capital and one of Ontario s historic towns. The gracious houses, many dating from the early 19th century, shelter old-fashioned gardens of lush perennials, roses, clipped yews and box surrounded by picket fences. The tour will also visit a beautiful garden in nearby Font Hill. One zone warmer than Toronto (Zone 7A or USDA Zone 6), the Niagara Penninsula features dogwoods, japanese cherries and fringe trees.
The Garden of Alan and Jeanette Earp
Divided into four garden rooms, each planted to create its own character, the garden features a 48 foot perennial border which includes bog plants and climbing roses. Florida dogwoods, Kalmias and Daphnes provide additional interest.
The Garden of Isobel Davis
Hidden behind two early 19th century cottages, the garden is an island of serenity and includes a woodland garden, miniature conifers and box. Rare chamaecyparis lawsoniana, cryptomeria, sargent s crab, yellow wood, and culleryna pyrus delight the visitor.
The Garden of Karin Phillips
A spacious property surrounds a stately old home with wide lawns, an orchard, and perennial garden.
The Garden of John Brook
A tiny white cottage is set off by this charming town garden which features clipped boxwood and a stream.
The Garden of Donald Combe
A clever use of perspective enlarges this peek into garden which stretches back from the cottage built in the heart of town in 1834. Formally laid out along gravel paths, this garden is a green and white oasis.
The Garden of Campbell Scott
Contrasting starkly with the historic architecture of the town is this contemporary house and garden. Designed by its owner, a prominent Canadian artist, the garden features a sunken pool and a pavilion surrounded by a tall board fence.
The Garden of Janet and Jim Bell
This outstanding property in Font Hill offers varied delights. Developed by owners, who are keen members of the Rhododendron Society, the formal hedged garden features rhododendrons and roses which are accented by fountains and garden sculptures. Vegetable enthusists will enjoy the informal vegetable garden in the back of the property.
Lunch at the Oban Inn. The Inn was built as the home of an early lake captain in 1824. After lunch, stroll the adjacent gardens of Oban owner, Gary Burrows whose special interest is water gardens and ponds.
TOUR #2 - TUESDAY, JULY 16 - NORTH-WEST OF TORONTO
- Between Thornhill and Mulmur Township
The tour will leave by bus from the Civic Garden Centre at 8:45 a.m. sharp and will return at 6 p.m. The tour includes transportation, lunch and refreshments en route.
* $59 - Members
$65 Non-members
Colder zones challenge the skill of the gardener. Off to the north and west of Toronto, we visit both the sophisticated suburban garden and the more romantic country property.
The Garden of Chuck and Susie Loewen
This idyllic pre-confederation mill property set in a gentle valley cut by meandering streams, has been enhanced by its present owners over the last 25 years. Myriad shrubs, trees, and wild flowers have been spread over the property in natural plantings. Indigenous granite boulders, left behind by the glaciers, add structure and interest to the colourful perennial beds. Stone from the river has been gathered to construct garden walls and graceful curved bridges. Water falling over the mill dam adds music and poetry to this enchanting estate.
The Gardens of Maureen and Brian Bixley
These gardens are a combination of romantic and formal elements. Large billowing shrub beds capture the Victorian flavour of the house while other garden rooms are arranget using hedges and emphasizing controlled lines. The garden offers a diversity of habitat and plants. There is extensive use of hybrid and species clematis, substantial perennial beds, a rock garden with unusual plants, and a unique stone cattle trough planted with alpines. Brian Bixley is the author of the newly released, Canadian Gardeners Journal and past President of the Civic Garden Centre.
The Garden of Alex and Marion Jarvie
This spacious suburban garden is an intensively planted horticultural collection of over 1,000 different and often rare cultivars, primarily with an emphasis on texture and tone and a preference towards dwarf conifers and woody plants. Each carefully designed area encompassing woodland, rock garden in skree and perennial bed has its distinctive character and growing conditions suited to the nature of the plants within it. Marion Jarvie is a noted garden lecturer at George Brown College and the Civic Garden Centre.
Other outstanding gardens will be visited on the tour.
Lunch at the historic Globe Inn located in the town of Rosemont. Built in 1860 and operated for a century as a small hotel, the Inn was the main stage coach stop between Toronto and Collingwood. It was renovated as a restaurant by the family of Stratford actor, William Needles, who carefully preserved its early Canadian ambience. Purchased more recently by young, innovative chefs, it has become a popular dining spot for residents of the area.
* prices include GST
As spaces are limited, priority will be given to members and their guests until May 25th after which applications receivedfrom thepublic will beprocessed. Tours willproceedrain orshine. Flat shoes are advised.
Registrationform is on page 6.
TOUR 1 AND TOUR 2
Members - $59 Non-Members - $65
Tour #1 No. of Members ____ Non-Members
Tour #2 - No. of Members ____ Non-Members
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PERENNIAL PLANT SPECIALISTS Our NEW LOCATION is 2601 Derry Road West, R.R. 3, Campbellville, Ontario LOP 1B0 (just west of the Guelph Line) Growersofover 3000different hardy plants, alpines, dwarfconifers and shrubs, hardy ferns, vines, groundcovers and native wildflowers. Send $2.00forPlantList#10 WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT US, and heres One Dollar of "BloommMoney foryou!! JAMES
The Civic Garden Centre s May Plant Sales.
A special thank you to all our members who support the Civic Garden Centre during our May plant sales last year. Satisfied, happy customers are our most important priority. Please encourage other members and friends to attend our 1991 fund raising sales. They are missing an opportunity to purchase quality plants in a convivial atmosphere with dedicated, knowledgeable volunteers to assist with plant selection, location and care.
Where else will you find such pleasant service, with a smile. including help transporting your plants to the car?
Mark these dates on your calendar;
Perennial Sale
Hanging Basket Sale
Annual Sale
Friday, May 3 - Member s Day - 2 to 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday, May 4 & 5 - Public Sale - 12 to 5 pm Bring your membership card to receive your 10% discount. ** Art Drysdale, well known garden communicator, will be available on Sunday, May 5th from 12 until 2 pm to discuss perennials. **
Saturday and Sunday, May 11 & 12 - 12 to 5 pm
Bring your membership card to receive your 10% discount.
Wednesday, May 15 - Member s Pre-order Pickup
1:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Place your order by May 6th to receive your 10% discount on this day.
Encourage your friends and neighbours to shop for exceptional plants at competative prices during these days.
Public Days
Thursday, May 16 10 am - 8 pm
Fridayy, May 17 10 am - 8§ pm
Saturday, May 18 noon - 5 pm
Sunday, May 19 noon - 5 pm
Monday, May 20 noon - 5 pm
The Civic Garden Centre
How to take a soil sample.
Take a soil sample before watering or . . . fertilizing. Remove any existing mulch. Dig a SOll AnalySlS Servnce hole 15 cm deep or 5-10 cm deep in the lawn. Collect soil from the side of the hole of the Civic Garden Centre, and $7.00 for container. Repeat three to five times in non-members (GST not included). The test different locations and mix the samples measures aC|d|.ty (pH) and conductivity (salt) together. Bring in about one cup of Soil to levels inthe soil. Results can be mailed for the Trellis Shop in the Civic Garden Centre. an additional $1.00 in advance. Your results will usually be ready within a week at the Trellis Shop.
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
The Gardens of Hogg s Hollow
June 22 & 23rd
Admission $14
In June, Through the Garden Gate visits Hogg's Hollow, a unique oasis in the heart of Metropolitan Toronto. Located in York Mills valley, the area, with its own microclimate incorporates the best of both city and country gardening. Hogg's Hollow developed from a small, rural community dependant on the milling industry to a successful residential suburb incorporated into the City of North York. The winding roads and the strategically placed millstone, near the entrance to the valley, remind us of the area's rural past.
There are many owner-designed gardens on this year's tour as well as outstanding examples of gardens designed by landscape architects. You will see a natural hillside garden, an English cottage garden, perennial gardens, a riverside garden, a woodland walk, vegetable gardens, a garden featuring ornamental grasses, shade gardens and gardens with water features, stone work and decks. The Civic Garden Centre s Master Gardeners will be present to help you identify plant material and answer your gardening questions.
Our complimentary shuttle buses will circulate the route from noon to 4 p.m. The buses will also service the York Mills (south entrance) subway. You will be able to visit 18 gardens, 16 in the valley and 2 optional gardens nearby which will not be serviced by the shuttle bus. When you receive your ticket, a map of the tour is provided with the shuttle bus stops marked so that you can easily pick up this service at any point.
Through the Garden Gate is a popular event and one we know you won't want to miss. To make this weekend more enjoyable for everyone, we are again limiting ticket sales. Order your tickets now to avoid disappointment. Please tear off the form below and return it with your payment. To receive your tickets by mail include $1.00 as a service charge for handling and postage. Alternately, you can pick up your tickets at the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Avenue East between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Please remember your ticket is valid only on the specified day Saturday or Sunday. Tickets are not interchangeable and there are no refunds. The tour will be held rain or shine. This is a fundraising event for the Civic Garden Centre.
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THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE BY NIGHT
Thursday, June 20 8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Hors d oeuvres
$27.00
Enjoy the magic of night gardens on Thursday, June 20, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. when Through the Garden Gate opens six exclusive gardens for an intimate, night tour in Hogg's Hollow, York Mills valley.
The gardens have been chosen to show the effective use of ou.dour lighting. A steep, hillside property with cascading water and terraces is enhanced by lighting at night. An extensive perennial garden with natural stonework, small pool, and fountain maximizes its beauty by carefully placed lighting. Near the river, lighting highlights a small, private space with cantilevered pool and, in another garden, a dry stream is filled with tall, ornamental grasses and country plantings.
Ticket sales for the evening are limited to 200. Hors d'oeuvres will be served in two gardens. When you receive your ticket, the map indicates the garden locations. You may visit the gardens in any order you choose. To receive your tickets by mail, please include $1.00 as a service charge for handling and mailing.
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This is afundraising eventfor the Civic Garden Centre
From The Bookshop
by Stan Etchells
THE HARROWSMITH ANNUAL GARDEN, by
Jennifer Bennett and Turid Forsyth, Camden House,
176 pp, $19.95.
This totally-Ontario product is an oversize paperback copiously illustrated in colour. Except in one chapter, the illustrations are all colour photographs, so that we know that what the authoresses are describing can be made actually to exist.
The book will lie open at any page, employs a very readable fount on matte white paper and includes a useful glossary and a detailed index, the latter with crossreferences to Latin and popular names for annuals.
The writers operate from the thesis that annuals offer more speed and versatility than perennials, and that they have every floral attribute good for cutting, scented, ground cover, visual satisfaction, height all in a single growing season. Bennett and Forsyth take a loose definition of annuals. They include tender perennials such as impatiens and geranium, and categorize plants as hardy and half-hardy.
The book is organized into eleven chapters. Beginning logically enough with creation, they show that whether the annual garden is simple or complex, large or small, what it will look like depends on site, climate and the garden creator s design sense and horticultural skill. This is an entirely useful chapter, dealing with containers, bedmaking, and wild gardens.
Spring sowing and transplanting have their own chapter. We are advised to grow our own supply of plants, because this lowers the price and expands the gardener s design repertoire. We are shown how to do this, as well as how to give plants a head start indoors.
Two chapters are devoted to low-growing and taller plants. The writers show how lowgrowing flowers are indispensable in any well-designed garden, whereas taller plants form eyecatching focal points and backdrops.
Annual vines (another chapter) flourish provided they are sheltered from wind, traffic and prolonged hot sun. (So, presumably, will the gardener.) This chapter casts a wide net, including sweet peas, morning glory and nasturtium.
Decorative leaves and grasses are designated as supporting players. Some, even, are edible. They can be in centre stage, or act as mere understudies to the flowers (and in the house). Flowers that flourish in bright light have their own chapter, as do plants that do well in shady places (and the house).
A chapter is devoted to permanent annuals those that will dry well enough, without complicated procedures, to be colourful indoors all winter. (Colourful is spelled colourful , too!) Conditioning cut flowers is also touched on in the preceding chapter. Perfumed flowers (another separate chapter) double as indoor bouguets (in more senses than one) and therapeutic plants. A full chapter about flowers for cutting shows how they can be grown in regular beds or even in the vegetable garden.
There s an address list of seed houses in Canada, the USA and England. The whole is rounded off by the useful glossary and detailed index.
Some books in particular fields well deserve to be categorized as standard works. If you are into annuals, this volume is yours! And it pairs up very well with HARROWSMITH PERENNIALS, in the same format!
BUY A BOOK
As part of the drive to reduce the Civic Garden Centre s deficit, the library is now offering a book donation program. Here are some of the most recent additions to the library, which will be on display in the library during May. We are looking for donors for these titles and welcome your support. If you would like to donate a book, you can do this in person, or by calling 445-1552 and asking for the library. The staff will be happy to help you. We accept VISA and Mastercard; you will receive a tax receipt.
Wyman, Donald. Trees for American Gardens; 3rd ed. 1990. $65.00
Clouson, Brian, ed. Landscape Design with Plants; 2nd ed. $98.40
Von Baeyer, Edwinna, Garden of Dreams: Kingsmere and MacKenzie King. 1990. $35.00
Loewer, Peter and Halpin, Anne Moyer. Secrets of the Great Gardeners: How to make your garden as beautiful as theirs, 1991. $25.00
Please, Peter. Able to Garden. A practical guide for disabled and elderly gardeners. 1990. $30.00
Corkhill, Thomas. A Glossary of Wood: 10,000 terms relating to timber and its use, explained and clarified. 1979. $25.00.
Barnett, Fione, Wedding Flowers: more than sixty beautiful arrangements for a very special day, 1991. $30.00
Grenfell, Diana. Hosta: The flowering foliage plant. 1990. $40.00
Better Homes and Gardens. Step-by-Step Landscaping. 1991. $27.00
Allison, Linda, The Wild Inside: Sierra Club s guide to the great indoors. 1991. (for children) $9.50
Lehrman, Frederic. Loving the Earth: a sacred landscape book for children. 1990. $18.00
Pringle, Lawrence. Killer Bees; rev. ed. 1990. $16.00
Clarke, Ethne & Bencini, Faffaello, The Gardens of Tuscany, 1990. $32.00
Taylor, Jane. The Romantic English Garden, 1990. $22.00
Pavord, Anna. Foliage: the National Trust guide to planning and planting, 1990. $25.00
Smark, Elizabeth. Elizabeth s Garden: Elizabeth Smart on the art of gardening. 1989. $15.00
Pamela McKenzie, Librarian.
When do youplan a garden ?
Too often gardens are impetuous acts; a rush to clean up aftera renovation, an impulse on the first warm day ofSpring. 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 believeit is important to sit down with clients and discuss their needs and desiresin 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 Charfdler & Co. We extend an invitation to you to have an initial consultation free of charge.
Call us at 477-1980
Chandler & Company
Landscape Designers and Contractors
A Walk in the Park
Visit Edwards Gardens and enjoy a free guided tour through the park. Tours are available from May through September every Tuesday and Thursday. Meet in the main lobby at 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. and a guide will lead you on an enjoyable one hour tour. Come and enjoy nature in the heart of the city. We advise you to wear comfortable shoes. Group tours can be reserved in advance Monday to Friday by calling Helen Craig at the Civic Garden Centre 445-1552.
IN PRAISE OF PERENNIALS
SUNDAY, JUNE 16
1-5PM
A perennial is aflower that livesfrom one season to the next, repeating each year theprocess ofleafing out, flowering, and seeding. Patrick Lima
Perennials are often thought of as the foundation or backbone of the garden. They provide continuity of bloom, colour, and textured foliage throughout the growing season. Perennials can be used for borders, with mixed annuals and bulbs, or used in other areas of the garden to create interest. Once established, perennials are an economic feature of the garden because they reduce the need to purchase a great number of expensive annuals each year.
1:00 - 1:45 PERENNIALS
OF QUALITY
Dr. Leslie Laking has been with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, for 35 years and was the directorfor 28 years. Born near Hamilton, Dr. Laking was educated at the University ofGuelph andstudied as an exchange student at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. He was awarded the Order ofCanada and has received an honorary doctoratefrom the University ofGuelph and MacMaster University.
Using slides, Dr. Laking will discuss the kinds of perennials that do a full-time job in the garden plants that have interesting features at all times of the growing season, even in winter. He will show how these plants can stand out as individuals or, at other times, effectively act as a foil for others. He reminds us that it's not always the bloom that counts!
1:45 - 2:00 Coffee
2:00 - 2:45 PUTTING
TOGETHER A FLOWER BORDER
Marion Moore was taught to garden by her grandmother in England and drew herfirst garden plan at age 8. She received her diploma in Landscape Technology from Ryerson and a degree in Art Historyfrom Queen s University. Marion is interested in ornamentalplants and specializes in designingperennial gardens. With thought towards average size garden, budget and maintenance requirements, Marion will outline the steps involved in developing a simple plan for a perennial border. Using slides, she will demonstrate: how to analyze one s favourite perennials and incorporate them into the border; how to choose the right background; how to integrate annuals, bulbs and shrubs into the overall plan; and how and when to divide these plants.
2:45 Coffee
3:00 - 3:45 A VERY PERSONAL GARDEN IN THE MAKING
Mary Perlmutter, columnist, public speaker, President ofthe Canadian Organic Growers, Master Gardener and author of How Does Your Garden Grow. . . Organically? has been a member of The Toronto Recycling Action Committee for 12 years and is a recipient ofthe City Service Award. She is dedicated to compostingfor its great benefits to the garden and reduction ofcity waste.
Mary Perimutter will speak about the organic approach she used to develop her own country garden. It was started three years ago with squash seeds and composted manure and now, her garden features shrub roses, lupins, wild digitalis, rue and gas plants. Her approach is unique, her companion plants unusual, and her presentation entices us to try it ourselves.
3:45 - 4:45 MARKETPLACE
Unusual and special plants for sale.
Please register me for In Praise of Perennials.
Enroliment is limited, registration deadline is June 10, 1991.
Civic Garden Centre membership number | enclose my cheqgue in the amount of:
$32.50 * member
* GST included.
$43.00 * non-member
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Congratulations to the newest Master Gardeners!
Expiry date
The Master Gardener program at the Mary Ann Nelis Civic Garden Centre is pleased to Mary Anne Peek announce its newest graduates. Rosemarie Popham Fourteen dedicated Master Gardeners- Mary-Agatha Savage in-Training received their certificates Bob Schuelke on Tuesday, April 23, 1991: Liz Spiers
Judith Adam
Ann Johnson
Anna Leggatt
Roland Wagg
Alice Wikaruk
The graduates will be continuing their Patricia Lorenz volunteer work on the hotline and at Eldred Mullen horticultural events throughout Grace Muncaster Metropolitan Toronto.
AT THE CENTRE e AT THECENTRE e ATTHE CENTRE
FOR THE BIRDS: PLANTING FOR WILDLIFE
ON THE WING 1 evening
Members: $21.40 Non-members: $32.10 G.ST. included
Christine Mohacsy Garden Sculpture May 3 9-5 pm, May 4 12-5 pm
C.G.C. PERENNIAL SALE PRE-ORDER PICK UP
C.G.C. PERENNIAL SALE
C.G.C. PERENNIAL SALE
Ontario Rock Garden Society Meeting
S.0.0.S. Newcomers Meeting
Rhododendron Society Plant Sale
THE EDWARDS FOUNDATION GARDEN EVENINGS
Dr. Brian Bixley s topic is Walking in the Mountains: The Flowers of California .
CALLIGRAPHY COURSE
Registration deadline: May 3
Members: $48.15 Non-members: $58.85 G.S.T. included
Men s Garden Club
lkebana International Chapter 208 Meeting
SMALL SPACES - BIG IDEAS
Registration deadline: May 6
Members: $28.89 Non-members: $39.59 G.ST. included
Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Sale
Southern Ontario Orchid Society Show
C.G.C. HANGING BASKET SALE
Southern Ontario Orchid Society Show
C.G.C. HANGING BASKET SALE
Toronto Bonsai Society Meeting
WATERCOLOUR STUDIO
Registration deadline: April 29
Mgmbers: $58.85 Non-members: $69.55 G.S.T. included
North Toronto Horticultural Society Meeting
Panel Discussion * Preparing for Shows
BONSAI, WHAT'S NEXT 4 weeks
Registration deadline: May 13
Members: $53.50 Non-members: $64.20
C.G.C. ANNUALS PLANT SALE PRE-ORDER PICK UP
C.G.C. ANNUALS PLANT SALE
C.G.C. ANNUALS PLANT SALE
C.G.C. ANNUALS PLANT SALE
Toronto Gesneriad Society Show
C.G.C. ANNUALS PLANT SALE
Toronto Gesneriad Society Show
York Rose & Garden Society Meeting
C.G.C. ANNUALS PLANT SALE
Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club Meeting
Canadian Rose Society Executive Meeting
Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Meeting
Toronto African Violet Society Show
Toronto African Violet Society Show
CHOICE PLANTS FOR SMALLER GARDENS 4 weeks
Members: $37.45 Non-members: $48.15 G.ST. included A REVIEW OF THE CLASSICS
1 day workshop
7:30 - 9:30 pm 9:00 - 5:00 pm 1:00 - 8:00 pm 12:00 - 5:00 pm 12:00 - 5:00 pm 1:30 pm 7.00 pm 6:00 pm 1:15-3:15 pm
8:00 pm 7:30 pm 7:30 - 9:30 pm
7:00 - 8:30 pm 12 noon - 6:00 pm 12 noon - 6:00 pm 9:00 - 5:00 pm 9:00 - 5:00 pm 7:00 pm 9:30 - 1:00 pm 8:00 pm 7:00 - 10:00 pm 1:00 - 8:00 pm 1:00 - 8:00 pm 10:00 - 5:00 pm 12:00 - 5:00 pm 1:00 - 5:00 pm 12:00 - 5:00 pm 1.00 - 5:00 pm 2:00 - 4:00 pm 12:00 - 5:00 pm 7:30 - 10:00 pm 8:00 pm 7:30 pm 11:.00 am - 5:00 pm 11:00 - 5:00 pm 7:30 - 9:30 pm 10:00 - 3:00 pm
Registration deadline: May 29
Members: $26.75 Non-members: $37.45
1991 Green Thumb Children s Camp
Registrations are now being accepted for the fourth annual Summer Camp run by the Civic Garden Centre. Children from 8 through 11 years are invited to learn about plants and gardening, the environment, nature crafts, and wildlife. The camp, a unique educational and recreational experience, is restricted in enroliment numbers. The children will be instructed by the Centre s Horticulturists and special volunteer guests from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm each day.
Registration Form
Please register my child for the 1991 Green Thumb Camp.
My child will attend: Week 1 [] July 15 to July 19 (9:30 am - 12:00 pm)
Week 2 [J July 29 to August 2 (9:30 am - 12:00 pm)
Week 3 [J August 12 to August 16 (9:30 am - 12:00 pm)
Weekly Fees: $74.90 per child of Civic Garden Centre members. $85.60 per child of non-memers.
Name of Parent:
Address. City:
Postal Code: Telephone (day):
Camper's Name:
Camper s Name:
Birthdate:
Birthdate:
Civic Garden Centre Membership Number: Expiry Date:
Refunds will be issued up to five business days before the first day of Green Thumb Camp. Green Thumb Camp fees include GST.
[J Enclosed is my cheque, payable to the Civic Garden Centre.
Please charge my Mastercard [] Visa [
Card Number: Date of Issue:
Signature: Expiry Date:
VOLUNTEER CORNER
by Carolyn Dalgarno Volunteer Co-ordinator
Volunteers are urgently required to staff the Perennial sale, the Hanging Basket sale and the Sale of Annual Plants. Call 445-1552 and ask to speak to either Carolyn Dalgarno or Marilyn King. Your support is an essential part of these fundraising sales.
Perennial Sale
Thursday, May 2, 9:30 am. -1 p.m.or 1 -4 p.m.
To unload and display plants
Friday, May 3, 2 - 6 p.m. or 6 - 8 p.m.
Members sale
Saturday & Sunday, May 4 & 5, 12 - 5 p.m.
Public Sale
Hanging Basket Sale
Friday, May 10, 9:30 am. - 1 p.m.
To unload and display hanging baskets 1 -5 p.m. - To sell and provide service to customers for this sale
Saturday & Sunday, May 11 & 12, 12 -5 p.m.
To sell to the public
Sale of Annuals
Monday, May 13 & Tuesday, May 14, 9:30 a.m. and following
To unload and display plants. Come for a shift either morning or afternoon. If you are able to stay for the whole day, lunch will be provided. Wednesday, May 15, 1 - 5 p.m. or 5 - 8 p.m. Lunch and snack dinner provided Members pre-order pick up. Sales and service are required for this sale.
Thursday, May 16, 1 - 5 p.m. or 5 -8 p.m.
Public sale of annual plants
Friday, May 17, 10 am. -1 p.m. or 1 p.m. -5 p.m.
Public sale of annual plants
Saturday & Sunday, May 18 & 19, 12 -5 p.m.
Public sale of annual plants
Volunteers are also needed for:
* Week-end help in the Trellis Shop. Training provided.
* Distribution of Trellis Magazine - one day a month, working with a team.
* Projection for the Centre s special evening programs.
ART IN THE LINK
May 21 to June 3
Andrea Marcus Various
Master Gardeners: Questions and Answers
Q. How do | get my Lantana blooming before | put it outside in the spring?
A. Feed it with different strength fertilizers. Start with one that has a high first number (e.g., 28-14-14 or 25-10-10) to get active growth going. Then switch to a fertilizer with a high last number (e.g., 7-6-19 or 20-5-30). This will encourage flowering. Keep the plant in a good light, and move it to a sunny location outside. Be careful to harden it off gradually before you put it out, so there is no check to the flowering. Keep the plant in the pot to prevent root disturbance when you put it outside.
.| planted some Sweet Pea seeds indoors, early, as | was told it would take them 34 weeks to germinate. But it's only two weeks and they are 4 inches high! How can | hold them back? They are in a south-west window.
Keep them as cool as possible, at 40°F to 45°F (5°C to 6°C). Make sure they get adequate light, so they grow compactly, not long and spindly. Open the window if you want to, but keep the sweet peas back from it at first, moving them to it gradually as they become used to the cool air. You may want to transplant the seedlings into taller pots to allow deep rooting. Used milk cartons make good pots for this depth, and it is easy to transplant them outside, from the cartons, without disturbing the roots too much.
Q. Can | propagate a Weeping Mulberry? It bears fruit well. You can propagate a White Mulberry (Morus Alba) using softwood cuttings in summer, or from seeds in autumn, but it will not be a Weeping Mulberry. The weeping form is produced by grafting on to a Morus Alba Tartica , but this is a complicated process to carry out, and requires skill, time and patience to get the desired results.
Peh will put down 3 long t&por oot
Plastic bag fox humiditg
Lower leaves trimmed c -
Sebt wood cut diaganally Rooliag hormone
Mix of peat +38nd
Keep WArm at noot area
Edward Gardens - Pioneer Beginnings
by Barbara MacGowan Chairperson, Tour Guides
The land on which Edwards Gardens is located was settled by Alexander Milne around 1817. Alexander was a Scot born in Forfarshire in 1777. He married Jean Gibson the relative of another North York pioneer and emigrated in 1801 to Long Island, New York. Alexander made his way to York (Toronto) by way of Niagara on the Lake travelling through the wilderness in the winter of 1817 carrying with him a large dye pot in which his wife and child sat to shelter from the cold. Alexander had been employed as a weaver in Scotland and set about establishing his weaving business in a log house he built on the 500 acres of land he purchased on Lawrence Ave. E. near Leslie St.
Ten years later in 1827 at the age of 50 Milne built a mill on a small tributary of the West Don River. The first mill was three stories high. The two lower floors were used for carding (combing out the fluff) and fulling (shrinking the wool). The third floor housed a saw and grist mill.
Pioneer neighbours sheered their sheep, brought fleeces to the Milne Mill to be carded and fulled, perhaps even dyed and dressed. Payment was made in wheat, oats, barley, corn or wool sometimes even cash. The business thrived and a second saw mill and a store were added.
A new mill was built in 1832 on the middle branch of the Don when the water supply in Milne s Creek began to diminish. For five years a thriving mill was in existence in what is now Edwards Gardens driven by an 18 foot paddle wheel. One can picture the activity of the workers and customers as they came and went engaged in the commerce of pioneer life. A visit to Black Creek Pioneer Village gives an insight into the lives of the pioneers of this period. There too one can view an actual mill and envision Alexander Milne greeting his customers as they brought their logs for dressing their grain for grinding and their fleece for carding and fulling.
Some of this information is given by the Tour Guides during their Walk in the Park in Edwards Gardens. If you are interested in learning more about the Gardens, its history, the trees and flowers consider becoming a Tour Guide yourself. For further information contact Helen Craig at 445-1552.
Barbara MacGowan Chairperson, Tour Guides
The Grasslands at the Skydome
by Peter Iveson
And there it was, the Grass Garden at the Skydome.
Weeds? Yes, weeds waving in the breeze. Quaking Grass, Tufted Hair Grass, Bottle Brush Grass, Blue Oat Grass, Manna Grass; just to name a few.
Sedges anyone?
Carex buckananii (Leatherleaf Sedge);Carex morrowii Variegata (Variegated Japanese Sedge); Carex glaucea (blue Sedge).
Green grow the rushes, Ho?
Luzula nivea (Snowy Wood Rush); Luzula sylvatica Marginate (Golden Marginated Woodrush)
Fountain Grass (Penniseteum alopecuroides) brings to mind the waving grasses depicted in black marble.
It was pleasant to do some real horticulture for a change when the City of Toronto Department of Parks and Urban Forestry
took over the maintenance and the development of grounds at the Skydome this past summer. A nice change from the regular routine.
Fred Oermichin of Pepiniere Oka Fleurs made his first visit to the Skydome in the fall of 1989 and established the original plants in the shallow, terrible soil of the site. Undaunted by the belching chimneys of the Skydome' s air conditioning system, Fred laid out the new plantings with a visioning eye. We planted them, watered them each with a pail, then carefully weeded this suntrap for days.
Flowering plants bloomed:
Coreopsis verticillata Moonbeam , a profuse dwarf bloomer great for a rock garden; Lavetera thuringiaca; Achillea millefolium; Liatris spicata; Anemone hupehensis; Black Eye Susans (Rudbeckias) tall and short, Staghorn Sumacs, a designer s daydream will someday become a nightmare.
Blue Russian Sage made a new friend with me. Yes, the grasslands at the Skydome, that's what we call them now.
thite Rose;
CRAFTS & NURSERY
Canada's Largest Craft and Garden
FAAN &
Trellis Sho Flower Arrangers
SPRING SALE
Wednesday, May 8th
Damaged and discontinued flower arranging accessories plus Silk Flowers
Executive Committee
President: Mrs. Susan Macaulay
Treasurer: Mr. Kenneth H.C. Laundy
Member: Mrs. Cicely Bell
Member: Mrs. Heather MacKinnon
Board of Directors
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.
For 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.
For 1990, 1991 and 1992: Mrs. Mary Anne Brinkman, Mrs. Luba Hussel, Mrs. Wendy Lawson, Mr. Peter Lewis, Mrs. Susan Macaulay, Mr. Victor Portelli, Representative of Metropolitan Toronto Parks and Property.
For the love ofgardens
When you're at work on the garden you love, remember Sheridan Nurseries. At Sheridan, we have expert staff to 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 for the love ofgardens, at Sheridan Nurseries.
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GARDENS BY SHERIDAN: Metropolitan Toronto, Markham, Mississaugaand Oakville Tel. 822-7575
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 finest horticultural libraries and workshops S it Sk Tl 'c
* 10% discount on purchases over $10.00 RO SO Rty e at the Trellis Shop. (Discount not available ~ ® Free 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
Renewing Member
Single Membership $500: s Family Membership <2150, IRb Gift Membership st Donation, Tax deductible AR ROITALE: s
(PLEASE PRINT)
Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms
ADDRESS: APT.
POSTAL CODE
TELEPHONE (Home) (Business)
METHOD OF PAYMENT
[J CHEQUE (Payable to the CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE)
[J VISA [0 MASTERCARD
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