The Civic Garden Centre (CGC), founded in 1958, is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to act as a central resource for gardening, horticulture and allied environmental issues by encouraging interest, promoting involvement, and gathering, disseminating and interpreting information in order to enhance the quality of life for members of the community.
What We Offer
Located at Edwards Gardens, The Civic Garden Centre offers many programs and services, including year-round activities for families and children. Our horticultural library has over
3¢ Directory & Hours of
Administrative
Offices
Operation
Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Library & Trellis Shop
April 1 to December 23
Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays noon to 5 p.m.
January 2 to March 31
Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays noon to 4 p.m.
Telephone: 416-397-1340; Fax: 416-397-1354
E-mail: civicgardencentre@infogarden.ca
Master Gardeners Info Line: 416-397-1345
Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sunday & Holidays noon to 3 p.m. or Infogarden.ca/mastergardenerboard.htm
Community Services: 416-397-1351 communication@infogarden.ca
8,000 books, 70 periodicals, and a large collection of clippings, pamphlets, nursery and seed catalogues, as well as a great selection of children s gardening books. Horticultural Information Services offers free gardening information year round, and the Trellis Shop has many unique gifts, books and gardening supplies for sale. The Teaching Garden has been created as a working garden to foster interest and educate people in the love and values of gardening and the natural world. As a community service, Art in the Link offers galleryspace to local artists. As well, the CGC has a wide variety of banquet halls, meeting rooms and show space, with access to Edwards Gardens, one ofToronto s favourite garden spots.
3% Patrons
Brian Bixley, Awdrey Clarke, Mark Cullen, Camilla Dalglish, Sondra Gotlieb, Marjorie Harris, Lorraine Johnson, Michele Landsberg, Susan Macauley, Helen Skinner
3X Board of Directors
PRESIDENT:Janet Greyson
Kim Dalglish Abell, Alice Adelkind, Arthur Beauregard, MarisaBergagnini, Dugald Cameron, LindsayDale-Harris, Kathy Dembroski, Leslie Denier, Tony DiGiovanni, Heather Dickson, Suzanne Drinkwater, Ralph Fernando, MaryFisher,Judy Floyd, Carol Gardner, Lorraine Hunter, Cecil Lamrock, Sonia Leslie, Patrick Li, RuthMacKneson, Grace Patterson,Jean Read,Jennifer Reynolds, Dawn Scott, BunnySlater, Tim Tanz
3 Staff Members
Executive Director Douglas Markoff Manager, Community Services Jenny Rhodenizer Manager, Horticultural Services Cathie Cox
Volunteer Co-ordinator Christine Martin
Accounting Joe Sabatino
Administration Shirley Lyons
Capital Campaign Director
Course Co-ordinator
Janice Turner King
Rosetta Leung
Development Co-ordinator Niti Bhotoia
Horticultural Assistant
Librarian
Maintenance Supervisor
Rental Co-ordinator
Nicole North
Mara Arndt
Walter Morassutti
Randie Smith
Teaching Garden Co-ordinator Diana Teal
Volume 30 3¢ Number 1
EDITOR
Lorraine Flanigan
DESIGN
June Anderson
VOLUNTEER
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
M. Arndt, T. Coombes, M. Magee
VOLUNTEER PROOFREADERS
M. Bruce, M. Burston J. McCluskey
L.&S. Skinner, A. Smith
ADVERTISING
416-397-1351
Printed by HarmonyPrinting on recycled paper
Trellis is published six times a year as a members newsletter by The Civic Garden Centre at Edwards Gardens. 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, 416-397-1340.
Manuscripts submitted on a voluntary basis are gratefully received. No remuneration is possible.
Articles, manuscripts and advertising material must be received by the first of the month to ensure publication eight weeks later. For example, material for the March/April issue must be received by January 3.
Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre. Submissions may be edited for style and clarity.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.
Charitable business number: 119227486RR0001
Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40013928 ISSN 0380-1470
from the Board
- - by Janet Greyson ® PRESIDENT
Making city magic
aking City Magic: Restoring New York's MParks and Gardens. This is the title of the first in our series of lectures in 2003, presented by guest speaker Lynden Miller on January 29. Be sure to mark this event on your calendar because Lynden Miller is a most dynam-
As Lynden Miller s lecture will point out, for change to occur, it takes individuals who care and are prepared to act. At The Civic Garden Centre we have made that commitment to change, and to grow, through our revitalization project. By renovating the CGC building and ic lecturer who speaks with pas- reorganizing its space, we will sion about the parks in New York ...fOI' change be able to enrich and offer City that she has helped to revi- to occur, it takes | more programs. The new gartalize. Her lecture will show us individuals who dens that are planned for the how important parks can be to care and are areas around the building will the health ofa city. prepared to act. enhance the beauty of our com-
Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe must have known that parks are important in a city s life because the early plans for the town of York show parks to the east of Berkeley Street and the west of Garrison Creek with the land on the bank of the lake preserved as a walk for the town s citizens. In 1818 the Crown granted this roughly 12-hectare (30-acre) area to five leading citizens subject to the conditions that the trust hold the land for the use and benefit of the Inhabitants and for a Public Walk or Mall in front of the town and that no buildings were to be erected on the land. In 1853 the province of Ontario conveyed the land to the city of Toronto under the same conditions but the continuing commercial development of the city prompted another provincial statute in 1857 which allowed the city to lease or sell the Walks and Parks Trust property as long as the monies received were used for the purchase or ornamenting and care of other park land. The funds held in the trust were used to help purchase the lands for Dufferin Grove Park and Riverdale Park and to add to or enhance Allan Gardens and High Park. The last mention of the Trust account appears in the city s accounts in 1916 but today an active citizens group has been researching its status and will make recommendations about its fate.
munity and will also allow us to expand the scope of our courses.
The Civic Garden Centre believes that its efforts to provide information on gardening and related horticultural information are important ways of making city magic. @
Farewell to ANGELA CARRUTHERS
Angela Carruthers, the CGC s rental co-ordinator while Randie Smith has had her hands full with twin girls, Maegan and Madisyn, leaves the Centre for a position with Congress Canada, a conference and event company. I've made new friends, and have learned enough about horticulture to occasionally come up with a crazy Latin name for a plant it may not be the right one, but it s a start, says Angela who stopped for a moment during Mistletoe Magic to reflect on her job at the CGC. She leaves knowing that the Centre is about to embark on a dynamic new era and we wish her all the best as she starts an exciting new career!
SOUTH BUILDING, METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE
from the Corner Office
by Douglas Markoff ® Executive DIRECTOR
The cost of theft and vandalism
n a recent walk up the pathway leading Oto the Teaching Garden, I stopped in my tracks to gawk at two holes where two six-foot cedars once stood. Planted five years ago when the Teaching Garden was first built and forming part of the natural hedge around the entire garden, the two cedars were spaded out by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. I was able to trace the clear path of the vandalized cedars from west of the garden towards the
Each ofthese acts ofsenseless vandalism and
The audacity of people unfortunately is not restricted to the Teaching Garden. Plants have been stolen from Edwards Gardens including annuals and many herbaceous perennials. Conifers and broadleaf evergreens have been taken, most recently a Cryptomeria purchased by a volunteer and member of the Rhododendron Society. Branches of female holly laden with seasonal red berries have been broken off and removed. Edwards Gardens staff have found fall entrance to Edwards Gardens Wtl ; f _c;a;?peglr mums and tropicals ripped from from the Bridle Path. planters and strewn about.
costto the CGC.
This is not the first time plants have been stolen from the Teaching Garden; indeed, plants are regularly taken and not just cuttings, but the entire plant! Just before being hired as executive director, I was appalled to hear that two large spiral Alberta spruce trees had been stolen from the front entrance of the Teaching Garden.
The Teaching Garden has also lost herbs, rockery and plant signage throughout the garden including large letters from the children s Alphabet Garden. Fruit and vegetables grown by children participating in our programs have been taken, forcing staff to install signage stating that the plants are grown by children as donations to a food bank and warning that plant thieves will be composted.
Vandalism has also been an aggravatingproblem. This summer a new kid-sized wooden table was used for a bonfire. Large wooden spools (the kind used by utility companies) that were donated so that the Teaching Garden could use them as activity stations have been found rolled down the ravine. The cold frames have been broken as well as the stone arms and head of the Inukshuk. Each of these acts of senseless vandalism and theft carries with it a repair cost to the CGC.
The Civic Garden Centre has also been the victim of theft and vandalism. Products in the Trellis Shop evolve legs and walk away. This past year, two works of art hanging in the Link Art program were removed from the wall. Banners have been stolen, including those belonging to horticultural societies.
This stream of incidents prompted me to ask the Toronto police to make a site visit and suggest a course of action. The police indicated that the building design is such that there are many nooks and crannies and out-of-the-way hallways that lead to exits. The police suggested we train staff and volunteers on what to look out for and to be as vigilant and aware as possible. But given limited resources of staff and volunteers, we should install security cameras and further signage throughout the building. Forced by bad apples to take action, the police suggestions are being implemented. The Civic Garden Centre simply cannot afford to leave itself open to wanton theft and vandalism without taking preventive measures. Remember, this is your Civic Garden Centre and the actions we take are done to protect our staff, volunteers, members and reputation. @
Uolunteer News
e =9\
by Christine Martin ¢ VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATOR
Reflecting on our accomplishments
I RESOLVE TO ... Do you find yourself making new resolutions each year? Do you resolve to exercise more, read good books, be a better gardener?
our volunteer team will continue to grow. I hope that each volunteer will experience growth through their work here, learning and developing new skills. Over the next year, I
Garden Centre.
nership, each member of the team appreciating the contributions of the others. My dream is that the volunteer development program would grow to fully support and encourage all volunteers. What will you resolve for 2003? What are your hopes? On your list of healthy lifestyle choices, perhaps you ll include volunteering at The Civic Garden Centre. What better place could you find to grow? @
CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE DOES CANADA BLOOMS
Although I usually don t make On your list Of look forward to seeing our volunresolutions, it seems natural to me healthy lifestyle teer team expanding to fill the to reflect on the past year and to ChOiCGS, perhaps growing needs ofThe Civic Garden look forward to a new one. When _}/Oll ll include Centre. In the months to come, I I get together with old friends Volunteering at would hope that the volunteers and each New Year s Eve, we talk The Civic staff will work in even closer partabout whether the year has been what we had hoped for as well as what we expect in the next. So, reflecting on the past year at The Civic Garden Centre, I would sum up my thoughts in one word overwhelming. I knew when [ started that the work would be exciting and challenging which has definitely been the case but, more than that, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity, skills and cheerfulness of our volunteers. The quality and quantity of the tasks accomplished by our volunteer team has been amazing.
Most recently, the work of dozens of volunteers helped to make Mistletoe Magic a great success. Thanks to all who helped to decorate, set up, sell tickets and memberships, provide vendor breaks and more. We couldn t have done it without you.
Like Mistletoe Magic, all of the CGC programs and events are organized and staffed largely by volunteers. In the past year, hundreds of children learned about gardening and nature, thanks to our volunteers. Many of you enjoyed the services of our Library and the Trellis Shop, thanks to our volunteers. Hundreds of members of the public were treated to tours of Edwards Gardens, the Toronto Music Garden and Allan Gardens, thanks to our volunteers. As I reflect on these accomplishments, you can see why I might feel overwhelmed.
And what about the year to come? [ hope that
CALLING ALLVOLUNTEERS: YOUR CGC NEEDSYOU!
Please volunteer for YOUR Civic Garden Centre at Canada Blooms 2003
We are once again involved in Canada Blooms in a BIG way and we re looking forward to having even more fun this year. We need volunteers for the following positions: customer service, selling books and garden giftware, decorating our two booths in BloomsAvenue and outside the lecture area, both assembly and dismantling (calling all our extra-strong helpers), inventory control, book signings and horticulturists in fact we have a job for everyone! Help make us look good at this year s
Canada Blooms March 12-16. To volunteer, contact Christine Martin at 416-397-4145 or volunteers@infogarden.ca
Puppets and garden creatures
THE TEACHING GARDEN has conjured up a few fun workshops to keep children s thumbs green and dirty throughout the cold winter months.
WACKY PUPPETS IN JANUARY
Young puppeteers aged six to ten can learn how to grow a wacky cast of characters from natural and recycled materials at our Puppet Growing Workshop on Saturday, January 25. From grassheads to sweet potato people, children will create some one-of-a-kind puppets ready to grace the finest of stages.
ULTIMATE GARDENING WORKSHOP FOR KIDS
Budding gardeners aged seven to ten can join us for the Teaching Garden s Ultimate Gardening Workshop for Kids. Children will learn the basics of gardening and will leave with all of the materials and imaginings needed to start up their very own ultimate garden. Features of the day will be crafting enchanted garden critters out of stones, meeting our Red Wriggler worms, seed starting, bulb forcing and creating compost containers, watering cans and garden signs from recycled materials.
KIDS GETTHE JUMP ON SPRING
Back by popular demand is the Teaching Garden s Secret Garden at the CGC s Getting the Jump on Spring event, Sunday, February 16. Our children s area will be filled with seeds to plant, scarecrows to dress, stories to hear and worms to meet. Our bug expert extraordinaire, Jean Godawa, will be present, accompanied by several of her real live bug friends. Children can transform themselves into flowers, ladybugs and butterflies with a little dab of face paint and play all day with beads, paint, flowers and seeds in our craft room. Follow the dinosaur footprints and join in our celebration of spring in the Secret Garden!
BECOME ATEACHING GARDENVOLUNTEER
If these events sound good to you, but you are a little too old to participate, consider becoming a Teaching Garden volunteer! We are always looking for dedicated and enthusiastic people who have some extra time on the weekends and experience working with children. Please contact me at 416-397-1355 or at teachinggarden@infogarden.ca. @
TheTeachingGarden needs donations of two-litrepop bottles and four-litre plasticwaterjugs for our school and recreational programs. Please drop them off in theTeaching Garden office on the CGC s lower level andwewill happily reusethemforyou.
Thank You to Golf Day Sponsors
A special thanks to the sponsors who helped make the CGC Golf Day and Garden Tour on September 10, 2002, a memorable occasion.
Abbott of England, Angus Yachts ofToronto, Ball Superior, Canadian Tire, George and Kathy Dembroski, Flemingdon Park Golf Club, Gardenimport, Gardening Life, Home Depot, Huntsville Downs Golf Clu inSite interactive, King & Associates, Landscape Ontario, Nancy and Tom Laurie, Markson Borooah Hodgson Architects, McBlooms, Parador Interactive, Paul G. Gardner & Associates, Pheasant Run, Rosenswig Carere McRae Chartered Accountants, Scotia McLeod, Smith Nixon & Co LLP, Southbrook Winery, TD Securities, The City of Toronto, The May Group, Toronto Nuclear Medical Services, Via Verde
A NEWYEAR S TOAST TO GARDENERS
Ann Adamsproposes a toast to the mentalagility ofgardeners.
It s no secret that gardening is good
for you. The aerobic and body- / building benefits of this primal con- / _,;45 nection with nature hoicking weeds, lugging bags of compost and tussling / ,\\ with a dog-strangling vine are well recognized. But I believe the therapeutic value of gardening goes far beyond mere physical fitness and aesthetic pleasure. Gardening may be hard on backs and knees, but it is great exercise for the brain serious gardening practically guarantees good mental health.
As any psychiatrist or emotional therapist will confirm, high on the list of essentials for good mental health are the ability to organize and prioritize, an optimistic outlook and a good memory. Gardeners have these qualities in spades.
Even though my gardening style can best be described as laissez-faire, | know that planning my gardening calendar is not an option. Vacation plans for the fall must be scheduled around pruning and moving, planting bulbs, raking and mulching. Winter brings well-thumbed catalogues, seed and plant orders and reminders to adjust the grow lights. During seed-starting season, [ find that the fridge door and a handful of highlighter pens are invaluable for organizing charts bearing the times for germinating and pricking out seeds. And, forget about spring cleaning it s on hold until after a trip to the nursery for first dibs at the new spring stock.
Gardeners are optimists no doubt about it. How else to explain the boundless confidence we have that next year s plant selections will look every bit as good as photographs promise, blithely ignoring last year s dismal losses to bugs or bad luck. Aided and abetted by glossy gardening magazines and books, optimism triumphs over experience, and we delight in poring over the glorious plants and flowers in seed catalogues, planning for the next season. I cling to my garden hopes and dreams even while my prized mangosized PeeGee hydrangea, H. paniculata Grandiflora , is weighed down under a metre of snow and freezing rain is in the forecast!
And as far as memory is concerned, what better mental exercise is there than the naming of plants? Because the common names of plants and shrubs are \ frequently inaccurate and can differ by region, they re not much help when checking a horticultural index. Carl Linnaeus came to the rescue in 1751, clearing up the confusion by developing his binomial system of identifying plants by genus and species. However, this means that serious gardeners have to learn a minimum of two names for each plant (and quite often three if you add the cultivar name!) and be prepared to learna little Latin. How many other avocations tackle that challenge butterfly collecting, perhaps? For example, take the Rose of Sharon. The Latin name reveals that it does not belong to the genusRosa at all but to the Hibiscus genus. Its Latin name is Hibiscus syriacus. And, just to add to the confusion, two popular cultivars ofHibiscus syriacus Blue Bird and Lady Stanley have roots in China but do not go by the name of the Chinese hibiscus which isH. rosa-sinensis.
The naming of plants is an unheralded cerebral fitness program a guarantee that gardeners synapses will stay sparklingly alert and their brain matter a little less grey! My eightyyear-old mother still maintains her own large garden in the south of England, and I am convinced that it is her horticultural training which keeps her alert and fully up to date with whatever political intrigue and gossip is currently preoccupying the British media.
So, with my gardener s glass always half-full, here s a toast to a Happy New Year of optimistic dreaming about the next season, and for total recall of the correct botanical term for that droopy whatchamacallit that stubbornly refuses to bloom in the garden.
Cheers! @
SR SR SE SR B SR SR B WM M R K
Ann Adams is an optimistic Toronto gardener whofinds sturdy plant name tags an invaluable aide-mémoire now, ifshe could only remember where she put the bypass pruners. . .
1 LOVE TREES & SHRUBS
Homemade Tissue Culture
While awaythe wintermonths by makingnewplants Carol Gardner getsyou started.
ike many gardeners, I get a thing about a certain plant and just can t get enough of it. It started with roses, but as any rosarian can tell you.(but probably won' t), roses can be cussed little sods! They're still ever present in my garden, but over the last
few years I've tended more
towards plants with interesting leaves. I was on a Heuchera kick for a long time, then it was Euphorbia, but nothing, nothing has stolen my heart like my latest passion Pulmonaria. What a
And you thought Dolly the sheep was the most magnificent clone!
A
SIMPLE HOMEMADE
CULTURE RECIPE
1/8 cup sugar
1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup stock solution (Miracid diluted in a ratio of 1/4 tsp/1gallon water)
1/2 inositol tablet (125 mg)
1/4 vitamin tablet with thiamine
2 thsp. agarflakes
Source:AgilentLabs
sue culture ensures that the clones will be disease and virus free.
Tissue culture involves using a small plant piece stem, root, leaf, or even a single cell and growing it in a sterile micro-organism-free environment with appropriate nutrients until it is rooted. Then, it s slowly moved to soil and hardened off. The period of development in culture can take from four weeks to one year, depending on the plant and the circumstances. The big plus is that growing by tisdelightful plant! In spring, it s festooned with a seemingly unending feast of flowers. The leaves are splashed with wonderful patterns and colours, and the cultivars have terrific names like Dark Vader , Sissinghurst White and my current favourite, Spilled Milk .
Where were these wonderful plants coming from, [ wondered, and why were they so uniformly magnificent? The answer came at a CGC lecture that I attended featuring Dan Heims of Oregon s Terra Nova Nurseries, a major breeder of the aforementioned Pulmonaria. Let me tell you, I was pretty excited. My son watched my preparations and said: Geez, mom, it s not like he s a rock star or anything! I replied, studiously ignoring the snotty tone in his voice: Honey, Elvis is dead, but Dan Heims is alive and in the building!
Not only did Heims show mouth-watering pictures of his latest introductions, but he was a fount of information about tissue culture, a propagation method used by more and more breeders because it enables them to actually clone a plant, quickly producing thousands of tiny, perfect replicas of a successful variety.
If you re looking for a gardening project this winter, you could try growing by tissue culture yourself; just don' t try to sell the resulting plant - you might find yourself in major legal trouble! All you need is a clean box (a sterilized fish tank would be ideal), some small jars, tweezers and paring knives, a pressure cooker and a plate. Here are the steps:
e Choose a dust- and draft-free environment for your sterilized container
o Sterilize all instruments, including your hands
e Dissect, isolate and sterilize your tissue (stem, root, leaf)
e Prepare your culture medium
e Sterilize medium in pressure cooker, and add medium and tissue to jars
Knowing what culture to use for what plant tissue can be tricky. There are a number of companies that will send you a prepared medium,
Courtesy Terra Nova Nurseries
including Phytocultures Ltd. of Prince Edward Island. However, in the beginning, using a simple homemade solution on houseplant tissue should do the trick.
For those of you who are not scientifically inclined, you can while away the winter as I plan to do: making many trips to the Terra Nova Web site so that you can complete your wish list by the time the CGC plant sale comes along in May. That, a cuddly dog and perhaps a few bottles of wine should get you through the winter nicely. @
Carol Gardner is a garden writer, a volunteer and a member ofthe CGC s Board ofDirectors as wellas a member ofthe Trellis Committee.
Books on tissue culture from the Library
Michael A. Dirr and Charles W. Heuser, Jr., The ReferenceManual of WoodyPlantPropagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture
HudsonT. Hartmann and Dale E. Kester, Plant Propagation: Principles andPractices
_Amsterdam & Keukenhof Garden Tour
Cote dAzur Garden, Culture & Museum Tour
Paris & The Chelsea Flower Show
Spring In London and the Chelsea Flower Show
Castles & Gardens
The Loire Valley, France
Gardens of Ireland Cork and Dublin
Gardens of Lishon Portugal Tour
&xotic Gardens ofSouth,/Africa Tour
Growing the Seeds for Next Season s Garden
In thisfourth in a series ofarticles on balconygardening, Cathie Coxoffers advice on growingfrom seed.
hat s a balcony gardener to do during the long winter months? Like most gardeners, start growing the seeds for next season s garden. January and February are the best months of the year for sowing perennials and geraniums, Pelargoniums, from seed. If you discover that you like starting plants from
mixture only after the other components have been sterilized. I usually bake the mix in the oven on a metal tray at 190°C (375°F) for one and a half hours it can be a bit smelly, so you might prefer the odourless microwave method. To sterilize your soilless mix in the microwave, moisten the growing medium. Make four seed, follow up by growing annuals, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in March and April. Here are some important rules to follow.
GETTING READY
efore sowing seeds, sterilize all containers and ensure that they have a drainage hole. To sterilize, submerge the containers in a solution of nine parts water and one part bleach. Let them soak for at least half an hour, then rinse in clear water. This helps to prevent damping off, a disease that kills seedlings very quickly. For the same reason, it is a good idea to sterilize any watering cans and plant trays thatyou're using.
Your growing medium should also be sterile. Most commercial soilless mixes have already been sterilized. They are a good thing for several reasons: they incorporate a lot of air which plant roots love; they are light in weight; they hold water but also drain well; and the mix is easy to clean up ifyou spill it.
You can also prepare homemade soilless mix by combining compost, coarse or horticultural sand (wash first to remove salt), peat moss, and vermiculite and/or perlite. It is very important to use your own compost and not the stuff from the city as the latter is high in salts. City compost is fine for the robust plants that grow in the garden but not for delicate seedlings.
Before using your homemade mix, sterilize it in an oven or microwave. When using the oven method, add the vermiculite and perlite to the
kilograms (about nine pounds) of the mixture at a time; divide it and put it into plastic bags. Place the bags (unsealed) into the microwave one at a time, setting the microwave on high for seven and a half minutes.
Other requirements for seed sowing include a water-soluble fertilizer which should be applied only in a weak solution after seedlings have produced two or three true leaves. (The first leaf or leaves produced by a seed is the seed leaf or cotyledon that holds its own supply of nutrients. This is followed by the plant s true leaves.)
Light is also important. A south- or west-facing window is good, and fluorescent lights are even better. Place the lights 10 to 15 centimetres (four to six inches) away from the surface.
SOWING SEEDS
Carefully follow the sowing directions on the seed packet. A few seeds require darkness to germinate. Some seeds require soaking for 24 hours in clean hand-hot water. Ifyou're in doubt about how to prepare your seeds, The Civic Garden Centre is a great resource for the howtos ask a Master Gardener or a horticulturist, or use our Library foryour own research.
Moisten the mix until it s damp; then loosely fill the containers to the top with the mix, tapping the pot gently to settle the mix. Sparsely sow the seed. The smaller the seed, the less covering mix it needs. Usually, tiny seeds can be pressed lightly onto the surface of the mix,
whereas large seeds require a cover of three to six millimeters (one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch) it s better to cover with less mix than with more, pressing down lightly after sowing.
Once seeds are sown, gently water using a light misting spray so as not to disturb the seed. Alternatively, place containers into a tray lined with water so that the moisture is absorbed into the mix from the bottom, just enough to moisten it. Always label and date your pots. Seedlings, like children, do not always look like the finished product.
Cover the seed tray with a clear plastic dome. This helps seeds to remain moist until germination occurs. Check the pots regularly for signs of drying out, adding water when necessary. When most of the seeds have germinated, remove the dome. Place the seed tray under lights.
For those seeds that require cold conditions to germinate, place the pots in a fridge for a period of time as indicated on the seed packet. Or, if you have a north-facing, protected spot next to the building, place the pots outside on the balcony before putting them under the lights, covering them to protect them from hungry birds.
After germination, the seedlings should be monitored and placed into larger pots if necessary. While there is no hard and fast rule for judging when a plant needs to be transplanted, if you are watering the plant every day or the plant s leaves are growing into its neighbours leaves and occluding them from the light, it s time! Transplant by gently loosening the mix under the roots of the seedlings so as not to damage the tender roots remember to hold the plants by their leaves rather than by the stem. Leaves are easily replaced by the plant but stem damage invariably leads to plant death.
After transplanting, water the plant and then wait until the mix shows some signs of drying out before watering again. Feed every week with a quarter-strength fertilizer. @
A fount of information on growing plants, Cathie Cox is Manager ofHorticulturalServices at The Civic Garden Centre.
Thanks for contributing to the success ofthe CGC
The Civic Garden Centre extends our appreciation and thanks to all those individuals and organizations who have contributed to our success in 2002. Your generosity in providing in-kind products and services makes a huge difference to our ability to deliver a high level ofprogramming and services to the community.
Mara Arndt
Joan Hodges
Cathy Avery, Hofland
Richters Herbs
John Beaulieu
BLP Bronze International
Marguerite Brooks
Ken Brown
Elizabeth Bryce
Canadian Tire
CGC Board ofDirectors
CGCVolunteers
Tish Coombes
David Cornwell
Barbara Ann Hynes
Indigo Books
Robert Ip
Peter Keeping
Jack Kent
Frank Kershaw
Elizabeth & Stanley King
Sonia Leslie
Hannah Levitt
Jim Lounsbery
Emily Luks
Micki Cramer, Florence Ma
Micki's Linen Rentals and John Macdonald
Special Event Draping
Pleasance Crawford
Bente Crowe
Trevor Cullis
George Denier
Marion Magee
Gail & Douglas Markoff
Sue Martin
Barbara Mayer
Luba Mifflin
Charlie Dobbin Milne House Garden Club
Susan Dolbey Gwyneth Norton-Wilkes
David Dick
Mary Lou Eaton
Edwards Gardens staff
Steve Elliott
Firefly Books
Martin Galloway
Ken Parker
Catherine Peer
Val Right
Mrs.M.Roberts
Walter Ross
Stanley Roszak
The Garden Club Maneck Sattha of Toronto
Denis Flanagan
Lorraine Flanigan
Catherine Fogarty
Gardenimport
Keith Goranson, National Money Mart
David Gribble
Tony Grinevicius
Prue Hall
Pauline Hinch
g
Helen Skinner
Robert Stephenson
Ruthanne Stiles
Tim Tanz, Boutique
Serenite ofYorkville
Robin Tench
UrsulaThomson
Toronto Master
Gardeners
Tundra Books
Weall & Cullen
Whittamore's Farm + ElyWittlin
Paul Zammit
Getting the Jump on Spring
Get the scoop on the nextgardeningseason at this seventh annualhorticultural event.
by Cecil Lamrock
It s never too early to get preing season. As garden lovers, we look forward to spring garden shows to finding out what s new, what s in and what we can do differently to get the most from our home gardens. For the seventh year, The Civic Garden Centre s Getting the Jump on Spring brings together garden experts, horticultural societies and vendors under one roof. Like the almost 2,000 visitors at last year s event, plan to spend Sunday, February 16 at The Civic Garden Centre to gather all of the information you will need to prepare for the coming gardening season be one of the first 250 visitors and receive a free giftbag as you enter the building!
e TP " favourite gardening passions. EVER Visit one of Toronto s finest pared for the spring garden-
Horticultural and plant societies offer lots of gardening tips.
horticultural libraries where you can browse the shelves as well as the Internet for a wealth of gardening information. While you re in the Library, take the opportunity to sign up your friends for CGC membership; formsand a helping hand will be available at the library desk.
While attending Getting the Jump on Spring, browse through our Trellis Shop. Cathie Cox and Nicole North have been working hard to bring you a well-stocked selection of plants and gifts.
In over 7,000 square feet of space, this annual horticultural event showcases many commercial vendors selling everything from live plants to gifts and supplies for gardeners. Exhibitors include Mason Hogue Gardens and Brickmans Botanical Country Garden. Vineland Nurseries will be offering unusual evergreens and bamboos and Florabunda Seeds will sell heirloom seeds. Earthly Paradise specializes in seeds, soils and other organic amendments while Windsor Garden Accents will be showcasing artistic garden accessories in stone and steel. Country Meadows will also be attending with their heirloom seeds and soaps. Take advantage of the many garden talks and demonstrations that will be presented every hour throughout the day. Listen, learn and ask questions of the knowledgeable garden experts who will be talking about their
For young gardeners in training, be sure to visit The Secret Garden. Just follow the dinosaur footprints to this hidden location where plenty of activities await the young and the curious.
There is a lot to take in at this show, so rest for a while or enjoy your lunch at our Garden Café in the Floral Hall. And plan to stop by the gardeners help desk staffed by the Toronto Master Gardeners for answers to your gardening questions. Environmental, parks and other groups will be positioned throughout the building to show you how to be an environmentally friendly gardener.
Finally, don t forget to place your draw tickets in the drum for a chance to win prizes throughout the day.
Come early, join the fun and engage in one of our favourite hobbies gardening! @
A member ofthe CGCBoard ofDirectors, Cecil Lamrock is chair of the Getting the Jump on Spring Committee. BEmmbmRns : - Plan to attend Getting the Jump on Spring SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16,2003 * 10A.M.TO 5 PM. * FREEADMISSIONAND PARKING
North Toronto Horticultural Society
by Madge Bruce
If you are fascinated by flowers and green and share handy tips and techniques. November brings the Awards Night Gala which is held at The Civic Garden Centre.
growing plants but you do not like going it alone as a gardener, then perhaps you should consider joining your neighbourhood horticultural society. Although gardening makes you feel like a partner with nature and gives expression to your creative and artistic instincts, there are also times hopefully not too many when you feel committed to endless hard work. Don t despair, help is at hand!
Among the societies attending this year s Getting the Jump on Spring is the North Toronto Horticultural Society. Founded in 1926, the North Toronto Horticultural Society brings fellow gardeners together at monthly meetings to foster the knowledge and joy of gardening. Its geographical area encompasses Toronto and suburbs. The society promotes all kinds of indoor and outdoor gardening including houseplants and floral design.
You may have seen notices about the North Toronto Horticultural Society s annual flower show that is held each August in the Don Mills Centre. The society has two sales of memberdonated plants: one in May and the other in conjunction with the August flower show. Every July a member hosts a garden party or members take a special tour related to gardening. Excellent guest speakers, slide shows and hands-on demonstrations are presented to teach new gardening skills
Members are provided with a regular newsletter, annual guide, goodies and socializing at meetings, raffles, flower and design shows, members garden tours and, of course, the opportunity to commiserate with other gardeners!
Interested individuals are cordially invited to attend a meeting to see what goes on. Bring your money because you're sure to want to join! @
X Madge Bruce is a volunteer in the CGCLibrary and often writesfor Trellis. NorthTorontoHorticulturalSociety
MEETINGS
WHEN Second Tuesday of the month except for August and December, 7:30 p.m. WHERE The Civic Garden Centre
Single $20 peryear; family $30 CONTACT Membership Director, Don Cockburn 416-221-0442 WEB SITE Events calendar listed on www.icangarden.com
7TH ANNUAL HORTICULTURAL OPEN HOUSE
Lectures, GardenTalks, Demonstrations, Seminars, Advice and commercial vendors with live plants and garden-related items that will help you with ...
GETTING THEJUMP ON SPRING!
Sunday, February 16, 2003 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Horticultural and Specialty Societies, Garden Café, Door Prizes For young gardeners, there will be fun and engaging garden activities in The Secret Garden just follow the footprints. FREE admission and parking The first 250 visitors receive a free loot bag! For more information: 416-397-1340 or www.infogarden.ca
THE SEED EXCHANGE
Plant the seedsfor nextseason sgarden order now from the CGCseed exchange!
THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS seed donors, we have an excellent list of plants for you to sow in your garden this year. Many thanks to the following gardeners who collected seed; codes to their names appear at the far right of each description: AND Katy Anderson, BIRT Dorothy Birtalan, BURS Merle Burston, COOM Tish Coombes, DOLB Susan Dolbey, GARN Ruth Garnett, HEIN
Elizabeth Heinz, JENK Vivien Jenkinson, LEGG
Anna Leggatt, OYST John Oyston, PILO
Jacqueline Pilote, ROGE Norman Rogers. Please keep this list for reference as your order will arrive with only the number marked
1. Abutilon hybridum(Flowering maple) PER gold/red 90cm; tender GARN
2. Adenophera confusa(Common ladybells) PER blue 45¢cm; early GARN
3. Agastachespp. PER purple Mid-summer on 60cm; long-lasting tubularflwrs in whorls AND 4. Alcea rosea (Fig-leaf hollyhock) BI pinkJuly-Sept.2m JENK
5. Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) Bl red July-Sept. 1.5-2.4m ROGE
6. Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) Bl white July-Sept. 1.5m JENK
7. Allium cernuum (Nodding onion) BU mid-pink Summer 30cm; vigorous, narrow strappy Ivs, pendant umbels COOM
9. Allium sativum (Garlic) BU whiteJune 30-90cm; linear grey-green lvs, white bulblets ROGE
10. Allium schoenoprasum(Chives) BU purple Summer 30cm,; edible, repels aphids when near roses AND 11. Allium schubertiiBU amethyst Early summer 60cm; metallicfirecracker, dramaticseed heads BURS
12. Alliumspp. BU blue ROGE
13. Alliumspp. BU purple 50cm; globesoflong-lastingfwrs AND 14. Alyssoides utriculata (Bladderpod) PER yellow Spring 40cm; wonderful dried seed pods AND 15. Amsonia tabernaemontana(Willow blue star) PER blue Spring-mid-summer75cm; pale blue starryfiwrs DOLB
16. Androsace lactiflora(Rockjasmine) AN white 25¢m; pretty, delicate DOLB
on the packet and remember, the deadline is January 15, 2003.
Seeds are listed alphabetically by botanical name, followed by common name in brackets then plant type in caps as follows: AN=annual; Bl=biennial; HERB=herb; PER=perennial; BU=bulb; SH=shrub; TR=tree; VI=vine. The brief plant description lists flower colour and bloom time, then metric height and a short description supplied by the donors.
We cannot guarantee that the seeds are true to name. Some plants may hybridize and may not be as expected.
17. Anemonesylyestris(Snowdrop anemone) PER white May-June 40cm; sun to semi-shade PILO
18. Anethumgraveolens(Dill) AN HERB yellow Mid-late summer 60cm; lightyellow ROGE
21. Aquilegia atrata (Columbine) PER black-violet May-June 80cm DOLB
22. Aquilegia chrysantha (Columbine) PER yellow 60cm; long spurs, pretty, still flowering in Aug. BURS
23. Aquilegia vulgaris(Granny s bonnet) PER white May-June 45-60cm; takes part shade BIRT
24. Aquilegia vulgarisvar. FlorePleno(Granny s bonnet) PER black 70cm; almost black double flwrs LEGG
25. Arabisblepharophylla(Rockcress) PERpurple May 10cm DOLB
20. Araliaspp. PER cream/green 150cm; architectural till frost, dark stems, large clustersof black berries LEGG
27. Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed) PER cream July-Sept. 100cm GARN
28. Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed) PER pinkJuly-Sept 1m LEGG
29. Asterlateriflorus x Lady in Black (Michaelmas daisy) PER pink/white Sept-Oct. 60-90cm; burgundy foliage, multitude of tiny flwrs, late LEGG
30. Atriplexhortensis(Orache) AN red-brown Summer 1m shrub; bringsfinchestofeed, purple lvs AND
31. Berberis koreanax RedTears (Barberry) SH yellow to 2m; red berries, long lasting, winter interest LEGG
32. Borago officinalis(Borage) AN blue 60-90cm; star-shaped bright blue edibleflwrs, long blooming AND 33. Brugmansia suaveolens(Angel s trumpet) AN mix 100cm; white, purple, double GARN
34. Brugmansia suaveolens(Angel s trumpet) AN pale lilac June-Aug. 120cm; moistsoil BIRT
35. Calendulaspp. (Pot marigold) AN yellow 40cm; deep yellow flwrs, edible petals, looks great in salads AND 36. Callicarpa bodinieri(Beautyberry) SH white Mid-summer 30cm LEGG
37. Campanula latifolia(Giantbellflower) PER blueJuly 1.2m DOLB
38. Campanula latifolia Alba (Giantbellflower) PERwhite July75¢m; up-facing bells, touch ofdark blue in centre LEGG
39. Campanula persicifolia Alba (Peach-leaved bellflower) PER white Summerto fall 45-60cm QYST
40. Catananche caerulea (Cupid s dart) PER lilac-blue 50cm; long blooming, grass-like leaf, aster-like flwr COOM
41. Centranthusruber (Jupiter s beard/ Redvalerian) PER red June-Aug.75cm; densecymesoffunnel-shapedflwrs,fragrant BURS
42. Ceratostigmaplumbaginoides(Leadwort) PER bright blue Sept.-Aug.to 45cm; spreading, red stems; exc.fall colour COOM
43. Clematisheracleifolia China Purple PER dark blue Summer 30cm BURS
50. Cleome(Spiderflower) AN mix Summer 1.5-2m; rose and violet clouds ofcolour BURS
51. Consolida ajacis(Larkspur) AN blue Early summer 1.2m; gorgeous blue DOLB
52. Coriandrum sativum (Cilantro/Coriander) AN HERB white Mid-summer-fall 50cm; 5-petalled flwrs in umbels AND 53. Cornus kousa Satomi (Kousa dogwood)TR red (if cool) 20 m GARN
54. Crambemaritima(Sea kale) PER white Earlysummer 30-75cm; blue glaucous Ivs, full sun, gravelly soil PILO
55. Daphne mezereum (Februarydaphne) SH white 80cm; scented flwrs at end of March, red berries LEGG
56. Delphinium tatsienense(Tatsienlu delphinium) PER blue
Early summer 50cm; short-lived, easy from seed PILO
57. Dianthusamurensis(Pinks) PER mauve-pink Latesummer 40cm bright green mat; singleflwrs darker centre COOM
58. Dianthus arenarius(Pinks) PER white Summer to 30cm green matform; single flwrs, fragrant COOM
59. Dianthusspp. PER deep rose; not hardy JENK
60. Dianthusspp. PER pink 60cm; multi-branched, sturdy, prolific summer bloom AND
61. Dicentra torulosaANVI yellow 5m; dainty GARN
62. Dictamnusalbus(Gasplant/Dittany) PER white June-July 60-90cm; aromatic Ivs & stem PILO
63. Digitalisgrandiflora DropmoreYellow (Yellowfoxglove) PER yellow July-Sept. 60cm; very hardy, part shade, moist soil AND 64. Digitalis lutea (Foxglove) PER yellow Summer 80cm; small paleyellow bells DOLB
65. Digitalisobscura(Foxglove) PER creamyyellow 1m; racemes ofyellow-orange/yellowflwrwith red vein & spotting AND 0606. Digitalispurpurea(Common foxglove) PER pink 1.4m; strong stems, deep pinkfiwrs, long blooming AND
67. Digitalispurpureaf. albiflora (Common foxglove) BI white 1-2m; often self-seeds, good cut flwr COOM
68. Dracocephalum argunense(Dragon s head) PER blue-purple Mid-summer45cm; well-drained soil, particularly in winter COOM
69. Echinaceapurpurea(Purpleconeflower) PER mauve-pinkto 1.5m; showy, good cutting, erect stems, butterflies & birds COOM
70. Echinaceapurpurea (Purple coneflower) PER pink
July-Sept. Im DOLB
71. Echinaceapurpurea White Swan (Coneflower) PERwhite July-Sept. 1m; large white fiwrs, decorative seed heads BURS
72. Echinops ritro(Globe thistle) PER blue Late summer 1m; spiky blue balls above largejagged Ivs DOLB
78. Eupatorium maculatum Gateway (Joe Pye weed) PER rosy-purple Late summer 150-180cm; moisture loving COOM
79. Gaillardia xgrandiflora (Blanketflower) PER yellow/red Summer 90cm; yellow rayflorets, red at bases AND 80. Gaillardia xgrandiflora Goblin (Blanketflower) PER red/yellow 30cm; long-blooming,yellow-tipped florets, red at bases AND
81. Galega orientalis(Goat srue) PER blue May-June 1Im DOLB
82. Geum x Mrs.J. Bradshaw (Avens) PER red June-Aug. 60cm;
orange-red semi-double flwrs, wiry stems BURS
83. Helenium Butterpat (Sneezeweed) PER yellowJuly-Aug. 90cm; upright, many daisy-like flwrs, good cutting COOM
106. Lunariaspp. (Silver dollar/Honesty) Bl mauve 1m; probably annua, could be rediviva DOLB
107. Lychnis chalcedonica (Maltese Cross) PER scarlet JuneJuly 1.2m; star-shaped fiwrs rebloom if deadheaded AND 108. Lychnis coronaria (Rose campion) PER magenta Sum
80cm; long succession ofdeep magenta blm; self-seeds AND 109. Lychniscoronaria (Rose campion) PER rose/purple Summer 80cm; woolly, silver rosettes, self-seeds BIRT, COOM
110. Lychnisviscaria (German catchfly) PER purple June-July 60cm; magenta DOLB
111. Malva moschata (Musk mallow) PER white Summer 60cm; long-blooming, prolificflwrs, clump-forming AND 112. Mimulus ringens(Allegheny monkeyflower) PER violet/pink Summer to 90cm; tubular, long blooming, great bog plant COOM
143. Rumexsanguineus(Bloody dock/Sorrel) PER to 90cm; red stems, green lvs with red veins COOM
144. Rutagraveolens(Rue) PER HERB yellow 1m; airy blue-green foliage, summer flwrs, easy AND
145. Rutagraveolens(Rue) PER HERByellow Summer40cm DOLB
146. Salvia argentea (Silver sage) Bl PER white Summer 60cm; huge grey Ivs, white hairs GARN
147. Salvia coccinea Coral Nymph (Sage) AN pink Summer-fall 40cm; long bloom, slender, open terminal spikes AND 148. Salvia coccinea Lady in Red (Sage) AN red Summer-fall
60cm; long bloom, slender, open terminal spikes AND, BURS
149. Salvia transylvanica(Bluespire) PER blueSummer90cm LEGG
150. Sambucus nigra (Black elder) SH white Summer 6m; blackfruit, attracts birds, deliciousjelly JENK
151. Sedumspp. (Stonecrop) PER yellow July-Aug. 70cm DOLB
152. Silene keiskei(Campion) PER pink 30cm; sow 1cm deep in planting site, do not move often AND
NAME (PLEASE PRINT) donors getting first choice.You may order up to 15 packets of seed. Please write the numbers clearly on the form below, going ADDRESS across the page in ascending numerical order. Send the form with a SASE and a qTy
TELEPHONE
POSTAL CODE
$5 cheque (payable to The Civic Garden Centre) for handling if you wish to have
the seeds shipped. If you plan to pick up your seeds at the CGC, please enclose the form, a self-addressed envelope and a chequefor$5forhandling.
JANUARY 15 Areyou a seed donor? QO Yes No {1 SASE enclosed {1 $5 handling enclosed
Addressed envelopeforpick-upenclosed (1 I'd like to help package the seeds
by Anna Leggatt
Ipomopsis rubra Standing cypress/Texas plume
A HARD-TO-FIND plant that s available in this year s Seed Exchange, Ipomopsis rubra is perfect for attracting late hummingbirds, making it yet another plant that is a must in my garden. As [ write this on October 19, my Ipomopsis rubra still has red starry flowers at the ends of long spikes. These will survive light frosts and a few flowers may even bloom in late November. It s ironic, but I would not have tried growing this plant if [ had known the common name because Texas plume makes it sound like a tender plant. Although it is native from South Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas, [pomopsis rubra is perfectly hardy here.
Ipomopsis rubra is a hardy biennial that self-seeds in my garden into a sandy, gravelly bed, in the cracks of my wooden deck and into my other flower beds. The seedlings appear in the spring and quickly develop into a 12.5-centimetre (5-inch) ferny hemisphere of leaves. The individual mid-green leaves are divided into grassy segments about 10 millimetres (.4 inches) long, from four-centimetre (1.6inch) main petioles. The plants over-winter well, as long as there is good air circulation. Overcrowded plants or ones in wet, heavy soil may rot in rainy weather in March and April.
Rapid growth starts in late May. Leafy flower spikes may reach as high as two metres (6.6 feet), but are only 10 centimetres (4 inches) wide. They will only grow to half this height if plants are too close together or have been transplanted. The scarlet flowers appear in tight clusters on the top quarter of the stem. Five tiny pointed petals flare out from a narrow tube, forming a perfect star about 2.5 centimetres
(one inch) wide. The petals have yellowish dots on the upper surface. The upper leaves are completely hidden in the first flush of bloom. Other flowers continue to appear from each cluster as the first seed pods develop. Removing the seed pods or cutting off the top of them will ensure more bloom, but remember to leave some pods to self-seed!
It is difficult to find seeds for Ipomopsis rubra. Thompson & Morgan does not list it in its 2003 catalogue and the RHS Plant Finder only lists one source in England. However, you ll find the seed listed in The Civic Garden Centre s Seed Exchange on page 20. And, although the Bernard E. Harkness Seedlist Handbook refers to yellow forms, I did not find any yellow forms in any seed list. Once you have the seed, try sprinkling a little outside on the frosty or snow-covered soil. Plants sown directly outdoors will make stronger plants if the seeds germinate. The danger is that they may rot or be eaten by the birds during the winter, so self-seeding in the fall is more reliable. Start others in a sterile pot filled with well-wetted Pro-Mix, mixed with an equal quantity of perlite or Turface. The pot could go outside in a plastic bag, placed in a shady place, or you could start them indoors under fluorescent lights. Transplant carefully in early May as these plants hate root disturbance.
lllustration: Vivien Jenkinson
Try some Ipomopsis rubra. It will brighten up your garden in the late summer and fall and provide food for the hummingbirds. You might even get a terrific photograph! @
Anna Leggatt is a Master Gardener, garden writerandactive CGCvolunteer.
Ipomopsis rubra
Mg W
Ultimate Gardening Workshops
ROOFTOP GARDENS
Saturday, February 8, 2003; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
$15 members; $20 non-members
Reach for the Roof boxed lunch: $17
At this workshop, suitable for both experienced and beginning gardeners, four well-known landscape designers will make presentations on the how to of designing your own rooftop garden or space. Preparation of the roof and soil, irrigation, choice of plants, soil, planters and any equipment will be discussed as well as environmental and weight-bearing concerns.
TERRY MCGLADE will outline the basic facts of roof preparation, irrigation, planters and supplies and discuss suitable plants for the roof.
MONICA KUHN will speak about the environmental issues of green roof construction: its history, how it differs from a rooftop garden and how to design a green roof.
NEIL TURNBULL will talk about designing a rooftop garden, including the horticultural therapy aspects of design.
NOEL HARDING s presentation, Pushing the Envelope, will be devoted to innovative designs for rooftop gardens.
CONDO AND BALCONY GARDENS
Saturday, April 5, 2003; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $15 members; $20 non-members
A Contained Luncheon: $17
This workshop, suitable for both experienced and beginning gardeners, will focus on gardening in containers on balconies and in other areas where space is limited. Four well-known garden designers will be speaking on different aspects of this popular trend.
SONIA DAY: Fabulous Flowers and Foliage on aTight Budget
PAUL ZAMMIT: Bringing the Inside Out: Make your Balcony an Outdoor Room
JENNIFER REYNOLDS: The Edible Container Garden
DENIS FLANAGAN: The Balcony Garden You Can EnjoyYear Round: Designing your Balcony with Hardy Plants including Perennials, Vines, Trees and Shrubs
Pre-registration required for either workshop: contact Cathie Cox at 416-397-1358 or by e-mail at horticulture@infogarden.ca
AvtintheLink o
Upper Link
A Day in the Life: Images ofSoutheastAsia
ALYSSA CONWAY
December 17 to January 13
During seven months of travel through Southeast Asia, | was able to visit some remote places. These works combine my two passions travel and photography.
Opening night: December 18,7 to 10 p.m.
BloomingArt
NIOUFAR SAEEDI
January 28 to February 10
Born inTehran, Nioufar Saeedi trained in ceramics but soon ventured into more sculptural forms as well as painting and mixed media. This is the first public showing of her works in Canada.
Opening nights: January 29 & 30, 7 to 9 p.m.
Upper and Middle Link
AL JONES
February 11 to February 24
Lower Link
LINDA HARRIS
February 11 to February 24
Upper and Middle Link
Kaleidoscope in Watercolour
BAYVIEW WATERCOLOUR SOCIETY
February 25 to March 10
A collection of vibrant and imaginative watercolours. Opening night: February 27, 7 to 9 p.m.
For information on Art in the Link, call Cathie Coxat416-397-1358.
CALLING VOLUNTEERS!
GETTINGTHEJUMP ON SPRING, Sunday, February 16, seeks volunteers to help with this sneak-peek horticultural event hosted byThe Civic Garden Centre. The Teaching Garden will also be digging in with new spring programs. We are always seeking program leaders and maintenance volunteers to join the team. To find out more, contact Christine Martin at 416-397-4145 orvolunteers@infogarden.ca.
B Expert advice from the Master Gardeners |
Q 1 planted an amaryllis bulb, Hippeastrum hybrida, in December and it bloomed in February. Just when [ was trying to decide what to do with it, another stalk started to grow. Should I cut it off or leave it to grow? Do I keep the bulb in a dark, cool place, free of dirt? When can [ use it again?
A Two sets of flowers is a bonus! The key to reflowering is giving the bulb a dormant period. Remove the flowers when they fade, and remove the flower stalks where they emerge from the bulb when the flower display is all done. Continue watering to keep the foliage alive during the spring and summer you can even keep the plant outside when the weather warms up. Gradually stop watering in the fall to induce dormancy.The leaves will turn yellow and wilt. When they are totally dry, cut them off. Store the bulb (in its pot, in the same soil) in a cool dry place for about eight to 12 weeks. Check the pot every now and then. When new growth starts, replace the top layer of old soil with fresh, and add some 10-10-10 fertilizer. Put the pot in a bright location, and start watering again. The amaryllis likes to be pot-bound so there is no need to give it a bigger pot until the bulb is pressing against the walls ofthe pot.
Replace top one inch of soil when growth restarts don t repot.
Q 1 have two phalaenopsis orchids, Phalaenopsis, that have been blooming continuously for nine to 12 months. The flower stalks have turned brown and dried up. On one plant I cut the stalks back to five centimetres (two inches) above the soil. Should I trim them even farther? On the other, cutting off just the dried tip seemed to prevent the rest of the stalk from withering. Is this a normal part ofthe cycle and ifso how do [ care for them to get new flower stalks to grow? How long for rest period, etc. Leaves and roots seem healthy.
A 1 would cut the withered stalk right down. The other stem should be cut just below the node that produced
the dead flower, encouraging more flowers to bloom further down that -~ stem. Remove the entire stem only after it has turned brown and withered. Sounds like everything is going perfectly with your phalaenopsis. The only thing you need now is patience. | have heard of people waiting a year and a half for the next blooms. I guess when something blooms for almost a year it deserves a long rest! Good luck.
Phalaenopsis will reflower from the stem node below the fading flower stalk.
Q 1 have some apple, Malus, seeds which have sprouted in a damp paper towel. What should I do with them?
APot them up individually in 11-centimetre (4-inch) pots using a good soilless mix with perlite for drainage. Keep the medium moist; it should never be allowed to dry out. Use half-strength fertilizer to start with, once true leaves have appeared. Harden off the plants before transplanting in the garden in April or May. [The seedlings may not be mature enough to transplant in the first year, so may have to remain in the pot until the following spring. Ed.] Apples need some freezing in winter to develop well. They are prone to powdery mildew so make sure there is good air circulation. As with most saplings, be careful not to disturb its roots by cultivating too closely around it. In most cases, apples do not set fruit on their own pollen but need another cultivar for cross-pollination.
Sprouted apple pips can be planted and grown in a pot
Do you have a question about gardening? Contact the Toronto Master Gardeners InfoLine at 416-397-1345 or log on to the Q&A Forum at infogarden.ca/mastergardenerboard.htm and Aska Master Gardener!
lllustrations:
Vivien Jenkinson
We thank all ofour FR'ENDS foryourannualgifts toThe Civic Garden Centre. Yourcontinuing contributionsgoalongway toensuring thesuccess ofourhorticultural programs.
As apersonal thank you weare having cocktail reception orall FRIENDSoftheCentre onJanuary29,2003.
sp caalguest: ill e,Lynden'Miller.
Garden Tours 2003 W
designed and escorted by Marjorie Mason Hogue 4 [ CELTIC TOUR-22 June ~July 5 |
¢\ ' We will tour the Emerald Isle visiting Bunratty 0 Castle, Village of Adare, the Burren, Celtic Park " sardens, Waterford Crystal, Wicklow Mountains '} Helen Dillon s Garden in Dublin, National Garden Exhibition center. WALES Snowdonia, \/ National Botanical Gardens, Powis Castle-LAKE '
+]" DISTRICT Beatrix Potter's Hilltop Farm. SCOTTISH BORDERS and Glasgow Botanical ) Gardens $4500.00 per person, double occupancy includes return flights on Air Canada.
SCOTLAND - August4 - 15 ]
Highlands, Orkneys and Edinburgh Tattoo2" annual all things Scottish tour includes castles and gardens, golf, music and 'dancing, history, folklore, food and single ,{malt whisky!
PHILADELPHIA - September 14-17 I Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine Valley - Marjorie and Jeffwill co-host this . annual Fall Garden Getaway Tour. Contact Lorna for detailed itineraries 905-683-8411
Inspiringgardens, scrumptious food, and the companyofkindred spirits isn tthat an appropriate rewardfor gettingthrough another long Canadian winter?Join us for a three-day celebration ofspring in one of our country s most romantic cities Montreal. We'll travel by train, stayin a splendid hotel in the city s Old Port, and soak up inspiration at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, the Biodome and a selection ofsome ofthe city s best private gardens.
Naturally, woman (or man) does not live byinspiration alone, sowe'll make time for dining (at some ofthe city s best bistros), shopping (in the Paris-inspired St. Denis area) and touring areas both historic and fasinating. We may even run into a ghost or two!
We'll depart bytrain on the morning of May 13th and return on May 15th at 9:00 pm having enjoyed dinner andwine on thefirst-class return trip. Costforthe trip is $625.00 perperson, double occupancy. For further information, see the CGC web site at www.infogarden.caor contact Lorna Bates, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (www.gardenersworldtours.com) at905-683-8411.
This is a Civic Garden Centre Fundraising Initiative.
Behind the Scenes at the CGC
Library upgrade majorfocus ofcapital campaign
by Lorraine Hunter
o0 you have a favourite flower? Could you Duse some information on designing with colour in the garden? If you want to know something about pruning, gardening with perennials, plant propagation, or anything else that pertains to gardening, as a member of The Civic Garden Centre, you
probably already know
What
in the library, contains both first editions and reprints or facsimiles. First editions in particular require special care in terms of storage, shelving, environmental conditions and security.
The Library should be completely wired allowing users to connect to our resources with personal computing
the Library needs... devices, either in the abouttheLibrary. are more collections, more Library or offsite. And,
with its botanical and horticultural peers at other locations as well as appropriate public and academic library systems.
All of these needs will be assessed as the capital campaign progresses. @
Lorraine Hunter is a member ofthe CGC s Board ofDirectors and chairofthe Trellis Committee.
One of the busiest gdvanced technologyand ultimately, says Mara, it departments at the CGC, additional space. should be networked the Library is naturally one of the major focuses of the Centre s upcoming capital campaign revitalization program. Future plans include relocating it from the lower level of the CGC building to a larger, more central location on the upper level. The Library should be very visible within the CGC, have a separate, secure entrance and, ideally, be located adjacent to a display garden, says Librarian Mara Arndt.
In fact, the Library revamp has already begun with the recent online cataloguing utilizing significant volunteer assistance of more than 8,000 volumes and 7,500 periodical articles. This work as well as computer upgrading of the Library was done with the financial aid of a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
What the Library needs, in its role as a support centre for all groups and individuals who use it, says Mara, are more collections, more advanced technology and additional space.
Our content should be both broader and deeper, she says, with the addition of more general and academic reference materials for both beginner and experienced gardeners. And more content should be available in some of the new media including CD-ROMs and DVDs.
Ideally, more emphasis will eventually be placed on the library s special historical collection, including the addition of archival material. This collection, one of several special collections
A Boost for Our Capital Campaign
THROUGH THE GENEROSITY of Camilla Dalglish, director of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, The Civic Garden Centre has received a grant of $500,000 for the relocation and expansion of the Library as part of the Centre s overall plans for revitalization.
The library, disseminating horticultural information across Canada and abroad, is a treasure, wrote Camilla in a letter to Janet Greyson, president of the CGC s Board of Directors. It gives me great pleasure to supportthe CivicGarden Centre s renewal project.
Check Out Our GardeningVideos and Computer Software
GARDENING VIDEOS znd computer software on CD-ROMs are available for loan to members! Thanks to a grant from The Royal Bank Financial Group as well as donations from Civic Garden Centre members, we have a growing multi-media collection.
The collection includes four University of Guelph videos (which may be viewed by individuals or groups): three from the Perennial Gallery series and one from the Gardening the Natural Way series. We also have two of The Learning Channel s GardeningNaturally videos featuring Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman. Our donated titles include: The Music Garden, featuring its designer Julie Moir Messervy; Britain the Garden Kingdom; and Jeff Ball 's How to Grow&Nurture Seedlings.
In addition, we have seven computer software CD-ROMs: Sierra Home s Complete 3D LandDesigner including a separate copy of the Garden Encyclopedia; DiComp s Garden Composer; Sunset s Garden Problem Solver; a tour of Suzhou Gardens in China; Botanica s Roses; and Trees in Canada by John Laird Farrar. Finally, we have a donation of an audio book: Rachel Carson sSilentSpring.
Book REVIEW
Real Gardening
By Stephen Lacey
Toronto, Penguin Books, 2002; xx, 236 pages; $45
AIMED AT GARDENING ENTHU- w@
SIASTS eager to create a har- : monious and satisfying horticultural oasis, the writer shares personal experiences and ideas gleaned at home and abroad. He shows us, step by step, how to get started and describes how to choose plants and find ways to combine them effectively.
In recent years, the trend has shifted from formal, high-maintenance borders to less challenging endeavours geared to the amount of time and attention one has to give. Lacey points out how the simplest planting schemes can be surprisingly memorable: for example, a bank of yellow daffodils or a wall covered with white rambler roses. Since overplanting is a common tendency, he recommends punctuating the garden with simple open passages. Lists of plants suitable for various purposes are included in his book.
Stephen Lacey is a well-known gardening author, broadcaster and columnist who is keenly aware of new trends around the world. This is an extremely practical and inspirational book, enhanced by gorgeous colour photographs, which should not be missed by any gardening enthusiast.
Reviewed byMadge
Bruce
GARDENING
AFTER ATTENDING the CGC s workshop, if you're looking for more information on rooftop gardening, type those two keywords into Google s (www.google.ca) search box and click on the circle beside the words, pages from Canada. Here are
some Web pages that | found interesting. A comprehensive Web site, the LifeCycles Rooftop Garden Project (www.lifecyclesproject.ca/ pro jects/rooftop/index.htm) not only explains how a city benefits from rooftop gardens but also has links to how-to articles. Other useful sites are www.green roofs.com and www.greenroofs.ca/grhcc/index.html which links to sites that describe green roofs around the world. Take a tour of our own Green Roof Infrastructure Demonstration Project located at Toronto City Hall at www.greenroofs.ca/grhcc.demopics.htm.
S§SILVERSEA
S|LVER CLOUD
10 day Spanish Delights
April 30, 2003
Tenerife to Barcelona
Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Casablanca, Cadiz, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca
From $7539 Cdn pp
Vista Suite
THE SILVERSEA EXPERIENCE:
* Ocean-view suite accommodations
80% with private teak veranda
* Roundtrip airfare from Toronto
* Award winning six-star service
* Open-seating dining dine when, where and with whom you choose * 24-hour room service
* Complimentary wine, spirits and champagne throughout the ship
* All gratuities and port charges
* The Silversea Experience® a complimentary shoreside event.
For inquiries please call the Silversea Cruise Specialists. Uniglobe Collacutt
South America Naturally
South American Sampler - 14 days
Startinbreathtaking
From $4869&E.j Rio de Janeiro, where modernofficetowersstandnextto relics ofthePortuguesecolonial -past. From Rioyournextstop is the s +ofIguassuFalls, a peciacularwaterfall : thatliesontheborderbetween BrazilandArgennna Next,explore theParis ofSouthAmerica® BuenosAires-thecosmgpolitan capitalofArgentinaandthenfly overtheAndestoyourfinaldestination, Santiago, Chile. AddPeru - 4 days itthelegendaryMachuPicchu, 1 TheLostCityoftheIncas and | Cuzco,thegrandioseAndean city, oncethecapital ofthe IncaEmpire.
Galapagos Islands Cruise - 8 days emw% FromQuito,cruisethe GalapagosIslandson theMYSantaCruz.Visitthe islandsofBaltra, SantaCruz, Isabela,Fernandina,andHood. Viewmanyuniquemarineandbird species,including flightless cormorants,pelicans, penguins,yellow & landiguanasand,possibly,gxant tortoises. e i
*Applicabletoairinclusivebookingsmade
Edwards Lecture
SPEAKER: PANAYOTI KELAIDIS
WHERE: Floral Hall
WHEN: Wednesday, February 12, 7:30 p.m.
Toric: Gardening with Gravel
NOT EVERY GARDENER is blessed with a garden of deep black loam. Panayoti Kelaidis has created a number of gardens: Mediterraneanstyle plazas filled with lush exotics from both the American west and Southern Hemisphere; an immense scree he designed with his wife, Gwen,
filled with bulbs and unusual shrubs; and alpine gravel beds. Gardening with gravel may sound austere, but it can provide conditions where plants with gorgeous foliage and a long season ofbloom will prosper.
Curator of Plant Collections at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Panayoti Kelaidis oversees Plant Select, a unique program that aides in plant introduction. Panayoti also created Denver s award-winning Rock Alpine Garden. Free to members; non-members $5
1 Special Lectures
SPEAKER: LYNDEN MILLER
WHERE: Floral Hall
WHEN: Wednesday, January 29, 7:30 p.m.
Toric: Making City Magic: Restoring New York s Parks and Gardens
WELL-DESIGNED and maintained garden spaces have a tremendous effect on public life. They bring people together and bring pleasure; they soften cities and towns; and they change the way people treat each other, leading to a respect for each other and the plantings that improve their neighbourhoods and reduce crime. It s not always possible to create these garden spaces with public funds. Lynden Miller will speak about her experiences with successful public/private partnerships.
A public garden designer in New York City, Lynden Miller is the Director of the Conservatory Garden in Central Park, which she rescued and restored beginning in 1982. Her work also includes gardens for the Central Park Zoo, Bryant Park, the New York Botanical Garden, Wagner Park in Battery Park City and Columbia University.
Admission $5. Co-sponsored by Bousfield, Dale-Harris, Cutler & Smith
SPEAKER: WAYNE WINTERROWD
WHERE: Floral Hall
WHEN: Thursday, February 27, 7:30 p.m.
Toric: Annuals for Connoisseurs
LOVERS OF ANNUALS thrive on innovation. If the word new dominates your vocabulary, don t miss this lecture with Wayne Winterrowd who will preview what s hot this year. He ll look at the latest trends in colour and varieties including the use of tropicals as annuals.
Wayne Winterrowd is a partner in North Hill, an extensive Vermont garden and a garden design firm founded in 1977. Wayne travels extensively throughout the United States and Canada as a design consultant, lecturing on horticultural subjects and garden design. He is a frequent contributor to Horticulture and author/co-author (with Joe Eck) of several books including Annuals for Connoisseurs, A Year atNorth Hill, and Living Seasonally. Wayne has just completed a definitive encyclopaedia of annual and tender plants and is currently working with Canadian illustrator, Pamela Stagg, on an anthology of roses.
Admission $5.
=5> gll What s on atThe Civic Garden Centre|
JANUARY
4
Toronto Judging Centre of the American Orchid Society
Boardroom and Administration Foyer
Judging 1 p.m. Open to the public.
Information: www.soos.ca
5
Southern Ontario Orchid Society
Meeting, Floral Hall, 12:30 p.m.
Information: www.soo0s.ca
12
Ontario Rock Garden Society
Speaker: Larry Davidson
Topic: Treasures of Lost Horizons Floral Hall, noon to 5 p.m.
Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Meeting, Studio 1, 7 p.m.; Information: 416-286-5798
SCHEDULES CAN CHANGE AFTER PRESS | TIME BE SURETO CHECK AHEAD. &2
('ANADA(BLOOMS: VOLUNTEERAT CANADA
BLOOMS!
MARCH 12-16, 2003
Gardening enthusiasts are needed at Canada Blooms A Symphony ofGardens.
Volunteer for three hours and spend the rest ofthe day in the gardens, shopping in the marketplace or learning something new in a lecture or demonstration.
Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit event that promotes horticulture and showcases outstanding floral and landscape designs, products and services.
Volunteers are free to pick the day and time that suits their schedule.
For more information call Amy Cole at 416-447-8655 or visit www.canadablooms.org.
CLASSIFIED ADS
Floralight 3-tier unit. 24" wide. Originally $500.00, Sell $250.00 call: 416-751-3542
Exclusive small group tours (maximum 6 persons) visiting gardens and places of interest in Britain at a leisurely pace. Departures May and July 2003, featuring 14 days touring with optional visits
Expert led exploration of specialty gardens, mountains, forests; discover wild orchids, ferns, ancient plants January 24 February 7 $3655.00, April 4 18 $3399.00 inc. 8 nights beach resort. Contact Kate 416-656-2061, daleyvaldes@yahoo.com or to Chelsea Flower Show or Hampton Court Flower Elisabeth 416-769-2601 or Miriam 905-859-0286. Show. Information from: Judy Prentice www.realcubalonline.com 905-947-4595 e-mail: judyp@acncanada.net
WINTER 2003
Gardening Courses and Weekend Workshops
Great Gardeping 2003 Lecture Series includes Lynden B. Miller on January 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Botanical
~ HELPING PEOPLE GROW
WHERE TO FIND US
The Civic Garden Centre
777 Lawrence Avenue East (at Leslie) Toronto ON M3C 1P2
General: 416-397-1340
Fax: 416-397-1354
civicgardencentre@infogarden.ca www.infogarden.ca
* Plenty offree parking
» Wheelchair accessible building
* By TTC from Eglinton station take Lawrence East 54, 54A or Leslie 51
Eglinton E,
FOR BEGINNERS
Introduction to Gardening: Month by Month
Each month our staff horticulturists will tell you what needs to be done in your garden. Gardening basics for the beginner, from soils and tools to plants and maintenance. They will demonstrate the techniques, provide tips, answer your questions and turn you into a seasoned gardener. Ifyou complete five ofour beginner classes offered between January and November, you will receive free admission to the December festive planters workshop (materials fee applies).
] Beginner Gardeners
Watch for this symbol!
Other Symbols
A
Make It and Take It
Most supplies are provided and you will be able to take your creation home at the end ofthe class.
New Course
This is a new course offered by The Civic Garden Centre.
/ For Families
These programs are designed for families to learn together about the wonders ofnature.
Gardening
How Not to Kill Your Houseplants
[HSEO1] Nicole North
Help yourself and your plants to a course that explains the critical basics of indoor gardening: where not to buy your plants, how not to have a potting mixture that dries out like a brick and wets down like a swamp, and many more essentials. You are invited to bring along (in sealed plastic bags, please!) samples ofyour blighted and ailing plants for diagnosis and discussion.
Thursday, January 23
7 to 9 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30 ===
From Here to Florida
[FLDO02] Frank Kershaw
Discover the beautiful gardens that surround both the coastal and inland routes from here to Florida. Travel through the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and more. Explore the incredible variety and diversity ofplant collections, not to mention a plentitude of design ideas. On your next drive south stop by some of these gardens to vary yourjourney and be inspired too.
Monday, January 27
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
Plantscaping Your Garden
[PLS03] Marion Jarvie
Get ready for the gardening season by taking a critical look at your garden and planning for success. Organize your garden into planting zones, depending on light, drainage, etc. Learn what to plant in these areas for maximum effect in terms of colour, shape and texture. By the end of the course you will be ready to visit your favourite nurseries, shopping list in hand. Thursdays, January 30, February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $100 / Public $130
Botany Il
[BOTO04] Nicole North
An expansion on the basics! The interesting world ofplants including the roles of plant hormones in development and growth, reproduction, metabolism including photosynthesis and respiration, water transport, plant movement an inorganic nutrition and translocation. Take your understanding of plants to the next step! Mondays, February 3, 10, 17, 24
7 to 9 p.m.
Members $60 / Public $90
Restructure and Rejuvenate
Your Garden
[RIVO0S] Marion Jarvie
No garden is a lost cause. Join us for some productive reworking. All aspects ofthe older garden will be looked at for creative reorganizing. Learn evaluation techniques analysis of colour, size, shape, health, hardiness as well as how to recreate garden structure and correct major faults.
Tuesday, February 4
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $22 / Public $32
Gardening with Perennials
[PERO6] Paul Zammit
Perennials add colour and texture to any garden, best ofall they keep growing back year after year. The focus is on how to make advantageous use ofperennials.
Learn to design with perennials to create a beautiful garden from early spring to late fall. Topics include soil preparation, plant selections, presentation and maintenance. Wednesday, February 5
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
The Architectural Landscape
[ARCO07] Marion Jarvie
There is more to an outstanding garden than plants and their placement. Pots and planters, trellises and arbours, baths and statuary have been part of landscape design for centuries. Explore the range of architectural ornaments for your garden. Find out the advantages and disadvantages of stone, lead and cement and learn which materials will best withstand the rigours of Canada s weather.
Tuesday, February 18
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $22 / Public $32
Fabulous Foliage
[FOLO8] Frank Kershaw
Coloured veins, big leaves, saw-toothed edges, variegations galore. Ignite interest with an exciting list of plants with bold foliage. Create drama in the dirt using big, bold foliage plants as accents, backdrops and planter specimens.
Wednesday, February 19 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
Groundcovers and Grasses
[GRDO09] Marion Jarvie
Sun, shade, damp and dry spots there are groundcovers for every use and many good uses for groundcovers. Grasses planted amongst groundcovers create a stunning scene, achieved with little expense or effort. Review the tried and true varieties and be introduced to new and interesting plants.
Tuesday, February 25 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $22 / Public $32
Starting from Seed
[SEE10] Cathie Cox
Starting your own plants from seed saves money and is rewarding. Learn the most effective techniques for germinating seed for annuals, perennials and trees, just in time to get your vegetables and flowers under way for the coming season. Also learn to increase your plant stock from stem and leaf cuttings.
Wednesday, February 26 S 7 to 9 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
All about Climbers
[CLB11] Anna Leggatt
Understanding the whys and hows climbing plants grow will help you to plant them to your best advantage. Discover clematis, vines and other exciting ways to lift your garden from the ground up. Whether you want to screen a compost pile or to add vertical interest, find out which plants will do the job.
Tuesday, March 25
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
Springtime Showpiece
[SPR12] Cathie Cox & Nicole North
Create a stunning springtime showpiece for your home. Choose from a selection of spring flowers, mosses, stones, twigs, ferns and ivies. Bring your own planter; only pay for the materials you use. Our staff horticulturists will help you with selection, design and planting and will teach you about care and maintenance.
Wednesday, March 26
7 to 9 p.m.
e S
Members $20 / Public $30 =
Plant Combinations for Eye-Popping Appeal
[EYE13] Frank Kershaw
Create drama through the seasons with plant combinations. Get some insight and inspiration on how to design with plants. Learn beautiful ways to mix and match colours, shapes and textures. There are trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals for every design purpose, whether subtle or bold, simple or intricate, elegant or whimsical.
Monday, March 31
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
Anna s Top 100 Plant Picks
[PCK14] Anna Leggatt
Gardeners always appreciate proven plant performers. Anna will share her love of horticulture and top one hundred garden treasures. Learn about site preferences, growing habits and special varieties of Anna s favourite annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs and vines.
Wednesday, April 2 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $20 / Public $30
LOOK IT UP
A great resource for horticultural information can be found at The Civic Garden Centre Library. Drop into the Centre or browse the library online at www.infogarden.ca
Courses may be cancelled five working days before the start date if registration does not meet the minimum requirements. Register early to ensure your class takes place.
Botanical Arts
Watercolour Painting
Beginner Advanced
[WCP15] Ita Pechenick . Discover the versatility ofwatercolour painting, from basic to more advanced techniques. Learn about materials, colour theory and composition. Through demonstration and practice, develop a range of skills using washes, wet and dry paper techniques, negative painting and glazing. Bring paints and any brushes you have. Mondays, February 3, 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10 1 to 4 p.m.
Members $160 / Public $190
Spa Day
[SPA16] Jocelyn Allen
Create your own spa with natural ingredients good for you and the environment. All supplies are provided. Indulge in bath cookies, teas and truffles. Follow easy recipes to make bath bombs, foot fizzies, shampoos, scrubs and more. Unplug the phone and dip into your concoctions.
Saturday, February 1
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Members $45 / Public $55 @il-=a=
Personalize with Paper
[PAR17] Jocelyn Allen
Explore a myriad ofpaper art and embellishing techniques to create unique cards, invitations and party favour boxes. Personalize your event with these easy ideas that are sure to impress all your guests.
Saturday, February 1
1 to 3:30 p.m.
Members $30 / Public $40 @i}~
V|Suds fro Scratch: Soapmaking 101
[SOM18] Linda Lee Purvis
Make your own suds from scratch. Learn the basics of cold-process soapmaking from natural ingredients and listen to a discussion of many beneficial components including herbs, essential oils, exfoliants and much more. We ll also look at many different mould options, discuss rebatching, trouble-shooting and shortcuts. Plus make a batch ofmelt & pour soap to take home.
Thursday, February 6 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Members $45 / Public $55 «@i-=es
Introductory Food Art
[FDA19] William McKnight
An opportunity to make food ornaments that will impress your friends and family at any gathering. Admire a special display ofcarved fruits and vegetables, then roll up your sleeves and make your own. It is easier than you think. All materials are supplied. You can eat your creation, or bring it home and invite some dinner guests.
Saturday, February 22 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m
Members $35 / Public $45 @ili-=e= The Civic Garden Centre
Bouquet Basics
[BQT20] Shirley Binns
For centuries the red rose has been recognized as the symbol oflove. Discover the language offlowers and combine it with the art of flower arranging to create a meaningful bouquet for a memorable day. All mechanics and flowers are provided; bring a pair of scissors or pruners.
Saturday, February 22 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Members $50 / Public $60 «ii-=es
Lotions & Potions:
Garden Healing Power
[MDC21] Jocelyn Allen
Open the door to the healing world of herbs. Jocelyn will demystify the whole process ofmaking your own medicines. Explore the many healing benefits of herbs and make potions in the form of tinctures, teas, salves, oils, baths and more. All materials are included.
Tuesday, February 25 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Members $35 / Public $45 «@ill-=en
Flower Power:
Basic Flower Arranging
[FLO22] Shirley Binns
Infuse your home with colour. Through demonstration and hands-on practice, learn the elements ofdesign, how to condition plant material and the various uses of floral mechanics. In each class, except the first, participants are asked to supply their own plant material for their arrangements. Bring pruners and a floral knife.
Thursdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Members $100 / Public $130 «il-~=e=
Romancing the Rose: Master Class in Painting Roses
[PAM23] Pamela Stagg
A unique opportunity to work with one of the country s best botanical painters who is currently illustrating a book on roses. One morning ofthe master class will be spent discussing the theory of drawing and painting roses, then participants will work on a detailed painting of a rose, with continuous individual feedback. The master class is intended for experienced botanical painters; participants are welcome to use the rose and watercolour materials of their choice.
April 1,2, 3 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Members $100 / Public $130
Willow Windowbox
[BOX 24] Linda Lee Purvis
Make a rustic windowbox from fresh willow branches. No experience necessary! All materials are supplied. Linda Lee will teach you both how to bend and weave willow and how to identify and gather it.
Monday, April 7 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Members $50 / Publi @l
PLEASE CONFIRM
Information was accurate at the time of printing. However, The Civic Garden Centre reserves the right to make changes without further notice. Please confirm dates and times with the Course Office, 416-397-1362.
Nature Day Camp for Children and Families
Puppet Growing
[KIDSO01] Learn how to grow your very own puppets! From grassheads to sweet potato people, you are certain to create a wacky cast ofcharacters for your next puppet show!
Ages: 6 to 10 years
Date: Saturday, January 25
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.
$30 Members / $35 Public
Ultimate Gardening W for Kids
[KIDS02] Get up close and personal with worms, craft a compost container and watering can out ofrecycled materials, plant seeds and bulbs and create stone garden critters for your very own ultimate garden. Budding green thumbs learn the basics of gardening. Run in conjunction with the Rooftop Gardens Workshop for Adults. (See page 9)
Ages: 7 to 10 years
Date: Saturday, February 8
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
$40 Members / $45 Public
Getting the Jump W on Spring for Kids
Follow the dinosaur footprints and discover the Secret Garden!
Join us for a fun-filled day, including: face painting, seed circle and worm den, live bug stop and crafts, scarecrow dressup, veggie printing, scent pouches, puppet making and showing, storytelling at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Run in conjunction with Getting the Jump on Spring for Adults. (See page 16.)
Ages: 4 to 10 years
Date: Saturday, February 16
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Donations are Welcome. No pre-registration required.
Vernal Equinox / Celebration
[KIDS04] Join us with your family in the Teaching Garden to celebrate the first day of Spring! Make a sundial necklace, craft up a blooming garden, learn about seeds and look for signs of spring in the garden.
Ages: 3 to 10 years
Date: Saturday, March 22
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Suggested donation of $10 per child
Get Growing! W
[KIDS05] Have fun planting seeds in your very own greenhouse, making seed balls and creating your own watering can! Children must be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
Ages: 3 to 5 years
Date: Saturday, April 12
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 noon
$20 Members / $25 Public
The Ultimate Gardening Workshops
ROOFTOP GARDEN WORKSHOP
[ULT25] Four well-known landscape designers teach you the tricks ofthe trade in creating and designing your own rooftop garden. This all-day workshop is for both experienced and beginning gardeners. Topics will include: roof and soil preparation, irrigation, plant selection, soil considerations, the use ofplanters, required equipment, and important environmental and weight-bearing concerns.
Date: Saturday, February 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fee: Members $15 / Public $20
Optional: Reach for the RoofLunch $17 (tax included, must be preordered)
Creating Your Oasis in the Sky
Speaker: Terry McGlade
Terry will cover the basics in selecting suitable plants, preparing your roof, proper irrigation, the use of planters and the supplies you will need for a successful rooftop garden.
The Environmental Benefits of a Green Roof
Speaker: Monica Kuhn
Learn how to design yourown green roofand the tremendous environmental benefits it can
Designing Your Oasis in the Sky
Speaker: Neil Turnbull
Neil will give you tips and advise on the most effective design elements to include in your rooftop garden. He will also discuss how you can enjoy the therapeutic benefits ofyour garden by incorporating specific elements of design.
Blowing the Roof Off:
Bold and Innovative Designs
Speaker: Noel Harding
Now that you have mastered the basics, provide your community. Monica will explain the history ofthe greenroof, the environmental issues associatedwithit, and how agreenroof
Noel will take you to the next level in designing or enhancing your rooftop garden, pushing the envelope with differs from arooftop garden. innovative design techniques.
CONDO AND BALCONY GARDEN WORKSHOP
[BAL26] This all-day workshop will focus on gardening in small spaces with a limited budget. Participants will learn how to make the most oftheir outdoor space with the use of container gardening and a lot ofcreativity. This workshop is suitable for both the beginner and the experienced gardener. Four well-known garden designers will be speaking on a variety of popular trends for the apartment and condo dweller.
Date: Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fee: $15 Members / $20 Public
Optional: A Contained Lunch $17 (tax included, must be preordered)
Fabulous Flowers and Foliage
TheEdibleContainerGarden on a Trim Budget
Jennifer Reynolds, Gardening Life columnist Sonia Day, Toronto Star columnist and landscape designer
Bringing the Inside Out: Make Your Balcony an Outdoor Room
Paul Zammit, Plant World Perennial Manager
The Balcony Garden You Can Enjoy Year Round
Denis Flanagan, HGTV on-air personality
Great Gardening Lecture Series
Making City Magic:
Restoring New York s Parks and Gardens
Co-sponsored by Bousfield, Dale-Harris, Cutler & Smith
Well-designed and maintained garden spaces have a tremendous effect on public life. They bring people together and bring pleasure. They soften cities and towns. They change the way people treat each other. People respect each other and the plantings that improve their neighbourhoods and reduce crime. Well-maintained parks also contribute to economic growth in surrounding neighbourhoods, providing tax benefits for city governments. In an ideal world all ofthis takes place with public funds, but many times this is not possible. Lynden will speak about her own experience with very successful public-private partnerships.
Lynden B. Miller
Speaker: Lynden Miller, public garden designer in New York City and Director ofThe Conservatory Garden in Central Park, which she rescued and restored beginning in 1982.
January 29, 7:30 p.m.
Admission $5
Gardening with Gravel
Sponsored by The Edwards Foundation
Not every gardener is blessed with deep, black loam, and even those who yearn to grow silvery leaved Mediterranean plants and the rich palette ofsteppe plants are from the North American west or similar climates abroad. Gardening with gravel may sound austere, but it can provide conditions where plants with gorgeous foliage and a long season ofbloom will prosper, even for those unlucky enough to have deep, black loam.
Speaker: Panayoti Kelaidis, Curator of Plant Collections at the Denver Botanic Gardens. February 12, 7:30 p.m. Admission $5 (free to CGC members)
Annuals for Connoisseurs
Annual lovers thrive on innovation. If the word new dominates your vocabulary each spring, don t miss this lecture with Wayne Winterrowd. Wayne will give you a preview on what s hot this year and the latest trends in colour and varieties including using tropicals for annuals. Speaker: Wayne Winterrowd, author and partner in North Hill, a garden design firm founded in 1977.
February 27, 7:30 p.m. Admission $5
Book signing to follow lecture
Stake Two Asters and Call Me in the Morning
Sponsored by The Edwards Foundation
Increasingly, stressed out North Americans are discovering the garden s healing power. Karen York discusses how gardens enhance our well-being and the elements that contribute to a healing space.
Speaker: Karen York, horticulturalist, botanical editor and author of The Holistic Garden: Creating Spacesfor Health and Healing.
March 5, 7:30 p.m. Admission $5 (free to CGC members)
Book signing to follow lecture
Wet and Wild: Wetlands, Ponds and Bog Gardens
Sponsored by The Edwards Foundation
When you bring water into the landscape, you add more than an aesthetic flourish, you are building an ecological wonder. David will let you in on the secrets to building and maintaining your watery urban oasis. He will help you select the right moisture-loving plants to thrive in this environment. He will tell you which plants like to keep their feet wet and ankles dry.
Speaker: David Tomlinson, landscape architect, and lecturer.
April 9, 7:30 p.m. Admission $5 (free to CGC members)
Colourful Companions
Edwards Memorial Lecture
Annual General Meeting with Lecture
Do not miss this opportunity to view one ofthe most comprehensive slide presentations of variegated plants in the world including surprises from New Zealand, Japan and Europe. Dan ; - will cover how variegated plants are discovered, chimera vs. virus and classification of variegation. Use ofthe colour in design is shown, by featuring colour echoes, repetition, contrast and harmony.
. Speaker: Dan Heims, President ofTerra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
# April 23, 7:30 p.m. Free admission & AGM to follow lecture
Meetings, Events, Parties, Shows
Dan Heims for your next event.
Garden and Walking Tours
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
highlighting the Gardens of the Kingsway Area
This year, Through the Garden Gate, the CGC s annual garden tour, will lead you through 20 beautiful private gardens in the Kingsway area on June 14 and June 15, 2003, from noon to 5:00 p.m.
The tour showcases both small unique gardens and largescale showstoppers. The gardens are carefully selected for their diversity in style and elements of interest.
Unique to this tour, each garden has a Toronto Master Gardener who is there to answer questions and identify plant material, share advice, and showcase areas of interest. We also provide a printed guide and map for the gardens and a complimentary shuttle service to help the participants make their way around to every garden.
Tickets: $25 members / $30 public, on sale in May 2003, in The Civic Garden Centre s Trellis Shop, 777 Lawrence Ave. East, Toronto or by calling 416-397-1340.
INDOOR TOURS OF ALLAN GARDENS FOR ESL STUDENTS
One hour indoor guided tours ofthe five greenhouses ofAllan Gardens will be offered during the months ofJanuary, February and March. Tours are conducted by a volunteer from The Civic Garden Centre at Edwards Gardens. Teachers who book a tour will receive a pre-tour package containing a word list and a brochure with information about Allan Gardens.
Allan Gardens Conservatory is almost 100 years old and has over 16,000 square feet ofgreenhouse area. It contains tropical plants from all over the world from palm trees to cacti. During the winter months, the Conservatory is filled with spring bulbs and tropical plants.
Directions: Located on the south side ofCarlton Street between Jarvis Street and Sherbourne Street, Allan Gardens is easily accessible by TTC via the Yonge subway to College Street and an eastbound Carlton streetcar to Sherbourne.
Tour Dates: January, February, March 2003
Cost: $2.00 per person
To book a tour or for more information, please call Randie, at The Civic Garden Centre, 416-397-1349 or e-mail rentals@infogarden.ca
Our Instructors
Jocelyn Allen teaches classes on the culinary and medicinal uses of herbs. She owns Beautiful Things & Bright Ideas which specializes in paper arts workshops and supplies. She has appeared on TV and in magazines and offers regular workshops at Richters Herbs, Durham College, Goodwood Community Centre, Giardino Farm and Loblaws cooking and crafting school.
Shirley Binns is an accredited rose judge and decorative judge. She has competed internationally, has had an arrangement published in the Canadian Flower Arranger, and has given demonstrations at various horticultural events, including Canada Blooms.
Cathie Cox is a Master Gardener of Ontario. She began in the business by producing annuals and perennials by seed, cuttings and bareroot. She has managed various garden centres and is currently the Manager of Horticultural Services at The Civic Garden Centre.
Marion Jarvie started her own landscape consulting business more than 15 years ago. She has been lecturing in the field for many years throughout North America.
Frank Kershaw s work with the City of Toronto includes responsibility for policy and development for parklands, gardens and conservatories.
Anna Leggatt is a nature interpreter at the Kortright Centre for Conservation. A former teacher, she has a diploma in horticulture and is very active in several horticultural societies.
William McKnight has had a lifelong fascination with food. Studying as a souschefand later becoming a personal chef,
he now owns Billy s Cookshop which caters for private and business functions. He continues to seek new and innovative ways to prepare and present food.
Nicole North is passionate about unusual plants. Before coming to the CGC as the Horticultural Assistant, Nicole worked as a horticulturist in various garden centres, specializing in trees and shrubs.
Ita Pechenick has more than 25 years experience in design and fine arts. Her painting feature florals, landscapes, still life and figures. Ita is a director and past president ofthe Toronto Watercolour Society. She illustrates children s books and designs and dresses sets for theatre productions. Ita has taught painting and drawing for over 10 years.
Linda Lee Purvis is a floral designer, teacher and artist. Her company, Magnolia s, has provided dried flowers, herbs, supplies and instruction for over 15 years.
Pamela Stagg is a Canadian botanical artist who has achieved international recognition for her work. She holds the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medal for Painting.
Paul Zammit is a horticulturist and perennial plant expert at Plant World in Toronto. In addition to his job and gardening at home, Paul is an avid photographer and is a deeply involved member ofthe Perennial Plant Association.
VOLUNTEERS GROW HERE
We re always looking for more people to join our team.
Call Christine Martin to find out more; 416-397-4145 or volunteers@infogarden.ca
THE C1vic GARDEN CENTRE
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Advance registration is required for all courses. Registration for Winter 2003 courses starts Monday, January 6. Participants may register in person, by mail, phone, fax or on our web site. Full payment must accompany each registration. To register by mail, please fill out the form in this guide and send it to Course Registrations, The Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1P2. To register by telephone call 416-397-1340, or fax to 416-397-1354. To register online, visit www.infogarden.ca. Registrations are accepted strictly on a first-come basis.
MEMBERSHIP
Registration fees are always lower for members than for the public. Civic Garden Centre memberships may be purchased at the same time as course registration, in which case the members discount can be applied immediately.
VOLUNTEERS
Registration fees are further reduced by $5 to those registrants who are both members and volunteers of The Civic Garden Centre. For details about becoming a volunteer, call the Volunteer Office at 416-397-4145.
CONFIRMATION
No confirmation ofregistration will be sent out. Please make a note ofthe courses for which you have registered. To confirm registration, please call the Course Office at 416-397-1362.
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
All cancellations by registrants are subject to a 20 per cent administration fee. The Civic Garden Centre reserves the right to cancel any course if the minimum number of registrants is not reached one week prior to the start ofthe class, in which case course fees will be refunded in full. Registrants will be notified of such cancellations by telephone between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Please supply telephone numbers where you can be reached directly or by recorded message. We will not accept responsibility for inconvenience caused to those we cannot contact.
LIABILITY
The Civic Garden Centre assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to property, or for personal injury or mishap, during courses; all activities are at the risk of the participant.
FORM - must be accompanied with payment -
Name (please print)
Address
City Postal Code
Daytime Phone E-mail
Are you a CGC member? CINo O es Member No.
Clrama volunteer at The Civic Garden Centre
[J1wanttoadda yearly membership fee O Single - $30 O Family/Dual- $40
I would like to register for the following courses
Total Enclosed $
] Cheque (payable to The Civic Garden Centre) [ cash [ visa ] MasterCard
Credit Card #
Expiry Date / Signature
No confirmation of registration will be sent. Please make a note of the courses for which you have registered. To confirm registration, please call the Course Office at 416-397-1362. Thank You.
The Civic Garden Centre 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto ON M3C 1P2 Tel 416-397-1340 Fax: 416-397-1354 E-mail: courses@infogarden.ca www.infogarden.ca
