TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN
3¢
Who We Ar
The Toronto Botanical Garden is a volunteerbased, charitable organization that acts as a central resource and leader for gardening, horticultural arts and sciences, and allied environmental issues.
Our Vision
The Toronto Botanical Garden will be an outstanding horticultural landmark that provides leadership in gardening education and information to enhance thequalityoflife forthe communityand itsvisitors.
What We Offer
Located at Edwards Garden, the Toronto Botanical Garden offers many programs and services, including year-round activities for families and children.
Directory & Hours of Operation
Administrative
Offices
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 5 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: tbg@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
Courses: 416-397-1362; courses@infogarden.ca
Donation Inquiries: 416-397-1483 annualgiving@infogarden.ca
Horticultural Services: 416-397-1358 horticulture@infogarden.ca
Executive Director: 416-397-1346 director@infogarden.ca Library: 416-397-1343; library@infogarden.ca Rentals: 416-397-1349; rentals@infogarden.ca
Teaching Garden: 416-397-1355 teachinggarden@infogarden.ca Trellis Shop: 416-397-1357 hortassistant@infogarden.ca Volunteer Co-ordinator: 416-397-4145 volunteers@infogarden.ca
Our horticultural library has over 8,000 books, 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 ofgardening and the natural world. As a community service, Art in the Link offers gallery space to local artists. As well, the TBG has a wide variety of banquet halls, meeting rooms and show space, with access to Edwards Gardens, one of Toronto s favourite garden spots.
3¢ Patrons
Brian Bixley, AwdreyClarke, Mark Cullen, Camilla Dalglish, SondraGotlieb, Marjorie Harris, LorraineJohnson, Michele Landsberg, Susan Macauley, Helen Skinner
3% Board of Directors
PRESIDENT: Janet Greyson
Kim Dalglish Abell, Alice Adelkind, Brad Badeau, Arthur Beauregard, Marisa Bergagnini, Dugald Cameron, Peter Cantley, Lindsay Dale-Harris, Kathy Dembroski, Leslie Denier, Tony DiGiovanni, Heather Dickson, Suzanne Drinkwater, GeoffreyDyer, Ralph Fernando, Mary Fisher, Judy Floyd, Carol Gardner, Lorraine Hunter, Linda Ledgett, Sonia Leslie, Patrick Li, Doreen Paton,Jean Read,Jennifer Reynolds, Dawn Scott, Bunny Slater
3¢ Staff Members
Executive Director
Margo Welch Manager, Community Services Jenny Rhodenizer Manager, Horticultural Services Cathie Cox Volunteer Co-ordinator Christine Martin Accounting Joe Sabatino Administration Shirley Lyons Course Co-ordinator Rosetta Leung
Annual Giving Manager Janice Turner King
Capital Campaign Director Janice Turner King
Annual Giving Development Co-ordinator Andrea MacIntyre
Development Co-ordinator
Horticultural Assistant
Librarian
Maintenance Supervisor
Facility& Event Supervisor
Niti Bhotoia
T.B.A.
Mara Arndt
Walter Morassutti
Stephanie Chiang
Facility& Event Co-ordinator Kristin Campbell
Teaching Garden Co-ordinator T.BA.
Volume 31 3¢ Number 2
EDITOR
Lorraine Flanigan
DESIGN
June Anderson
VOLUNTEER
EDITORIALASSISTANTS
M. Arndt, T. Coombes, M. Magee
VOLUNTEER
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jennifer Capretta
VOLUNTEER PROOFREADERS
J. McCluskey
K. Sundquist
ADVERTISING 416-397-1351
Printed by HarmonyPrinting on recycled paper
Trellis is published six times a year as a members newsletter by the Toronto Botanical Garden at Edwards Gardens. 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, 416-397-1340.
Manuscriptssubmittedon 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 May/June issue must be received by February 27.
Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the TBG. Submissions may be editedfor styleand clarity.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited withoutwritten permission.
Charitable business number: 119227486RR0001
Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement#40013928 ISSN0380-1470
COVER PHOTO: Tony Bock
NU[BS from the Board
.f byJanet Greyson e PRESIDENT
The TBG reaches out to the community
This year is a busy and exciting one for the Toronto Botanical Garden as we gear up to start renovations on the building in the late fall. Despite this additional effort, regular programs and services will continue and new ones are being explored. This reflects the desire of the Board of Directors to reach out and to work with various groups with horticultural interests and needs within the community. New initiatives include a series of courses on landscape design that Landscape Ontario is offering at the TBG. Ryerson has returned again to offer another class from their landscape design certificate program, and Flowers Canada is hosting seminars on floriculture. The TBG has also conducted a study focusing on a plan to provide a children s horticultural program in the newly restored University of Toronto greenhouses that
oronto Botanical Gard
- Annual General Meeting
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
7:30 p.m.
Annual Report
Presentation of the Audited Financial Statements
Election of Directors
Volunteer Service Awards
8:00 p.m.
Edwards Memorial Lecture
The Well-Designed Mixed Garden with Tracy Disabato-Aust
Floral Hall, Toronto Botanical Garden
777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto ON M3C 1P2
are being reconstructed in Allan Gardens.
The TBG recognizes that our vision to be a leader in providing gardening education and information will not only continue through our lecture series, workshops and courses but also through outreach into the community.
With new improved facilities within the TBG building and the development of new gardens, our mandate to provide TBG members and the community with a gardening experience that gives both pleasure and horticultural knowledge will be met. We also know that through reaching out to our city in this way we are enhancing the quality of life for its citizens and visitors.
As our renovation plans proceed this year, we will ensure that you are closely informed of our progress through T7rellis and e-mail and at the
S, TBG itself. @
E STAFF CHANGES
FACILITYAND EVENTSUPERVISOR, STEPHANIE CHIANG: Stephanie Chiang has accepted the newly created position of facility and event supervisor. Stephanie will continue to support and supervise the facility rental office, and she will co-ordinate and take a lead role in some of our signature and revenue-generating events including Through the Garden Gate, Mistletoe Magic and the Golf Day. Our events will benefit greatly from her buoyant energy and creative flair.
FACILITYAND EVENTCO-ORDINATOR: KRISTIN CAMPBELL joins the TBG asfacility and event co-ordinator. Kristin has a well-rounded background in customer relations, office administration,and eventand database management. She hasa keen interest in horticultureand iscurrently taking evening courses in Landscape Design at Ryerson.
SECURITY OFFICERS: SHIRLEY MILLS and library volunteer CHRIS AYLOTT will be providing security services when special events are scheduled outside of normal operating hours. You may not see them, but be assured the building is in safe hands.
Tracy DiSabato-Aust
( <@T Sy $10,000 Shopping Spreel
wEnjoy over 90,000 sq. ft. ofplants, bulbs & hard-to-find tools in the Garden Marketplace & Landscape Feature Gardens!
eWateh Kids Grow
in the Make-It& Take-It
Children s Gardidn!_ il
aExperienece Perfeet Plants and flowers in the Ontario HorticulturalAssociation s Plant & Flower IR Competition! @
elbearn From The Experts
at the Helping You Grow
Theatre!
wEseape The Ordinary! Witness the awe-inspiring Dancing Waters Show Live from New York!
Nms from the Corner Office
by Margo Welch ® Executive DIRECTOR
A
year of creativity
nlike many Canadians, I don t mind February and March; the light is brighter, the days are longer and one can imagine (or dream) of the earth coming to life soon, once the snow melts. For gar-
better serve the community and visitors alike. We will have drawings and renderings available for your review and comment in the near future watch for an announcement.
Another important area of deners, the promise of spring We are now at a our current planning is the is intoxicating, and although it ~ Very exciting design development of our corporate is too early to be outside in phase for both the identity as the Toronto the garden, there are lots of renovation ofthe Botanical Garden. You may ways to feed one s passion. building and the cre- well ask what is a corporate
The Toronto Botanical Garden s spring programs will help you put your time to good use. Whether you wish to create something new, redesign an existing space, nurture and enhance a favourite spot in the garden or get the best performance from your plants, preparation and planning are essential. The Ultimate Gardening Workshop series, our ongoing courses and our Gardens by Design: Edwards Lecture Series are great resources for beginner and advanced gardeners. Come out and meet fellow gardeners, and don t forget to make use of our library the staff and volunteers are delighted to make suggestions and find books and periodicals that meet your needs and interests.
ation of thegardens.
The Toronto Botanical Garden s plans and preparations for the development of our own gardens have taken a leap forward with the selection of our landscape architects. I am pleased to inform you that a team comprised of PMA Landscape Architects, Tom Sparling and Paul Ehnes will be designing the gardens. They bring to the task extensive experience and outstanding expertise in design, horticulture and plants. We are now at a very exciting design phase for both the renovation of the building and the creation of the gardens. Our architect, David Sisam, and our landscape design team are working together to transform our site into a landmark that will delight, inform, inspire and
identity? Our working definition is that it is how you presentyourself; it represents who you are and what you do. It includes a logo and the graphic design of letterhead, signage, Web site and promotional material, among other things. Many of our communications materials will have a new look later this year. In the meantime you will see new temporary signs in and around the building with our new name, Toronto Botanical Garden, replacing our former name, The Civic Garden Centre. The revitalization project and all its parts are in high gear. This is a year of creativity as design proceeds on many fronts the building renovations, the gardens and our communications. We like to think that the programs we offer throughout this busy period will boost the creativity in every gardener. @
Thank you to all of those who Suppdrtéd the inaugural Sneak Preview Evening of Mistletoe
We would like to recognize thefollowingspecial donors Jfor making this event a greatsuccess.
LOBLAWS JACKSON-TRIGGS LANDSCAPE FORMS
Thankyou to thefollowing individualsfor designing and donating wreaths to the silent auction.
Marilyn Angus
Lynda Bryden
Leandra Camargo
Sue Clarkson
Rosemary Edwards
Shirley Galbraith
Pam Ierullo
Tree lerullo
Nancy Laurie
Stephanie McCullam
Jacqui Miller
Jennifer Reynolds
Penny Richards
Susan Schaal
Libbi Scully
Sue Stevenson
Sheila Thomson
Lynda Wadsworth
Special thanks to Paul Zammit and Plant World for their generous contributions.
Board member
Alice Adelkind and President Janet Greyson at the Sneak Preview Evening with wreaths designed and donated by Pam lerullo and Susan Schaal.
Finally, thankyou to those who attended thefirst SneakPreviewEvening. The support ofourevents helps to nourish the programs andservices at the Toronto Botanical Garden. We hope to seeyou nextyear!
Paul
Photo:
Gardner
o =9\
by Christine Martin
Building community
COMMUNITY. The word conjures up many different ideas and concepts. The definition in the Concise Oxford Dictionary includes such things as: a state of being held in common; fellowship; organized political, municipal or social body of people having religion, profession, etc. in common; the public; a group of plants or animals growing or living together in a given area (ecological).
A quick survey of staff and volunteers at the TBG garnered equally diverse responses. Some felt the key is people working together towards a common goal or cause or people with common ideas and attitudes bringing their talents together. Others thought of the sense of togetherness: of people interacting and thinking of their neighbours; people belonging to, sharing and relating in families, schools and churches; or people you can rely on and trust. Other responses focused on the idea of a group of people living in the same geographical area or neighbourhood. For me, community means all of these things and more.
In April, the TBG joins with Canadians from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the contributions of 6.5 million volunteers. This year s theme: Volunteers Grow Community. This overriding theme describes the volunteers at the TBG so perfectly. A look at our definitions and ideas of community shows that in so many ways this is what our volunteers are doing and have been doing for over 40 years. Together, our volunteers work as a team towards the goal of making the TBG a great place and helping it to achieve its mission. These are the common goals and ideas that draw us together.
It takes only a quick tour of the TBG to see how much our volunteers foster teamwork and togetherness. So often, they go out of their way to serve those who come through our doors, whether by answering a question at the front desk or by helping someone find the perfect
book. Most recently this sense of community has been seen in volunteers reaching out to care for fellow volunteers and staff in times of injury, loss and ill health. Through their contributions, the staff has come to rely on and trust our volunteers, knowing that they are at the heart of the TBG. Through their words and actions, our community at the TBG is growing and new people continue to be welcomed. Many people regard the TBG as part of their home and family.
In the geographic sense as well, our volunteers grow community. Just as neighbours host special events and beautify their corners of the world, so our volunteers contribute to the greater good of our city. More and more, our immediate neighbours and the citizens of Toronto see how much the TBG contributes to the health of the city. Our new vision includes the desire to enhance the quality of life for the community and its visitors. We could not make this happen without our volunteers.
It is exciting to be a part of a community. If you d like to become a community builder by volunteering at the TBG, please contact the volunteer office at 416-397-4145 or volunteers@infogarden.ca. Community builders are needed as tour guides, Teaching Garden program helpers and maintenance gardeners. Not only can you help grow the TBG community, butyou can grow too! @
SHOWING OUR APPRECIATION
This year, let s join together and celebrate the contributions of our volunteers to the community at theToronto Botanical Garden. During National Volunteer Week, from April 18 to 24, 2004, drop by to show your appreciation for the more than 400 TBG volunteers. Plan to attend the annual general meeting on April 27 at 7:30 p.m. at which volunteers will be especially honoured.
_ DEASETNTEIETY SONIA DAY
With afeeling ofdéja vu, Lorraine Hunterdiscovers the many talents ofSonia Day journalist, artist, gardener
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, as the new editor of Plant & Garden, | was attending a lunch with columnist Sonia Day. We were meeting for the first time, but as she came into the restaurant waving and wearing a wide-brimmed sunhat, I P had a sudden feeling of déja vu.
You ll probably think I'm crazy, I said, but did you ever live in the Bahamas? Yes, she responded, and we soon realized that not only had we been cub reporters on competing daily newspapers in Nassau but that I had also interviewed her when she was working as a window display artist at a prominent women' s dress store.
That s Sonia, devoted to both journalism and art. Today her major subject in both areas is gardening. Columnist, author and watercolour painter, Sonia has been associated with the Toronto Botanical Garden for over a decade as a member of the Toronto Master Gardeners, a lecturer and a volunteer. People are always asking where [ get my gardening information and I tell them to take a course at the TBG, she says, and goes on to recommend the TBG Library, a fantastic resource.
Sonia will have a show garden at Canada Blooms this year. Called the Artist s Garden itwill be part of the Balcony Gardens display and will feature some of her prints as well as cedar garden furniture made by her husband, Barry Murdock.
Sonia has written three garden books. Tulips, published in 2000, won a Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award. The Urban Gardener on how to garden on balconies, terraces, decks and rooftops came out last March. Its sequel, The Urban Gardener Indoors, comes out this spring and presents Sonia s views on houseplants.
I 'm not that keen on houseplants, she admits. They re a lot of work. This book focuses on easy ones such as amaryllis, my passion, and
forcing bulbs. It s not an exhaustive guide. My preference is nofuss gardens, indoors and out.
Sonia began writing her wellknown column, Down To Earth , for Plant & Garden where she first took a good-natured swipe at the snobby gardeners she calls the hoity horts . Her column now appears in Canadian Gardening. During the garden season she also writes a weekly column on balcony gardening for the condo section of the Saturday 7oronto Star.
Although she never took a writing lesson in her life, Sonia jumped at an offer to work as a reporter on the Nassau Guardian when she was barely out of high school. At the same time she was painting local scenes and many were sold at the Nassau Art Gallery. Before long, however, she was ready to seek her fortune and head to Montreal where she worked for the tabloids Midnight and SundayExpress.
Moving to Toronto with her husband, Sonia became well known for her colourful neighbourhood paintings of Bloor Village where she lived for many years. Recently she and Barry have moved to a larger property north of Fergus, Ontario, which she refers to as their middle age spread .
Sonia comes by her love of gardening naturally. Her father was an enthusiastic gardener. Her mother knows all the Latin names for plants and her maternal grandfather was head gardener in the 1920s at a big estate called Chevening in England. Her artistic ability may be inherited too. Her paternal grandfather, Walter Percy Day, was a well-known portrait painter.
Writing, however, is Sonia s own: Nobody in the family ever wrote for a living before me. @
Lorraine Hunter is a garden writer and member ofthe Board ofDirectors ofthe TBG as well as chair ofthe Trellis Committee.
Art Deco!
Carol GardnerdiscoversArt deco influences in modern garden design.
Art deco patio designed by Earth Inc.
rt deco has arrived - again! This decoraAtive style is undergoing a heady revival, thanks, in part, to an exhibition held at London s Victoria & Albert Museum and, more recently, at our own Royal Ontario Museum. Although Art deco had a relatively short life span (1910-1939), it is still considered by many to be the most influential style of the 20th century, followed closely by its predecessor Art nouveau (1890-1910). Both styles, having already taken the world of interior design by storm, are now extending their sphere of influence to garden design.
Art nouveau arose when artisans rejected the
unattractive, mass-produced, machine-made items that emerged from the Industrial Revolution. The goal was to bring the harmony, sinuous shapes and organic motifs found in nature to everything that could be designed from buildings to textiles to everyday household objects.
The term Art nouveau was coined by a Paris gallery owner, Sigfried Bing, who opened his Maison Bing, I Art nouveau in 1891. Four years later, jeweller René Lalique opened his Parisian atelier, fashioning plants, animals, fish and insects out of exotic materials including ivory, horn, amber, silver, copper, steel, tortoiseshell, opal, pearls, moulded glass and
Photo: Earth Inc.
enamel. The style influenced the houses built by Belgian architect Victor Horta, the elaborate designs of Czech artist Alfons Mucha, and the work of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi whose buildings were so organic they looked as if they had been grown from seed. In New York, Louis Comfort Tiffany was creating Art nouveau masterpieces in stained glass.
Alas, Art nouveau declined as quickly as it had arisen; ironically, because the elegant, complex designs could not be made for mass consumption, the cost became prohibitive, barring access to all but the very wealthy. Waiting in the wings, however, was a style that would prove to be more enduring Art deco.
Whereas Art nouveau rejected industrialization, Art deco (called style moderne at the time) embraced it. The fluidity, soft colours and curvilinear shapes of Art nouveau were replaced by the symmetry, bold colours and geometric shapes of Art deco. Lavish and extravagant, the style perfectly reflected the boldness of its era the roaring twenties and the dirty thirties . The discovery of King Tutankhamun s tomb in 1922 set off a frenzy of interest in Egyptian-inspired design. Patterns adapted from the Far East, India, Africa and the Mayan and Aztec cultures were expressed in diverse materials, from etched glass to exotic woods and chrome-plated steel.
The stars of Art deco design came from every field of artistic endeavour: artists Erté and Tamara de Lempicka, jewellers Cartier and Van Cleef& Arpels, couturier Coco Chanel and architect William Van Alen, designer of New York s Art deco skyscraper, the Chrysler Building.
Now, almost 100 years after its inception, Art deco is finding an audience again. As interest in the era continues to grow, architecture, interior design and gardening are falling under its intoxicating spell. For the past four years, the Chelsea
Flower Show has had show gardens reflecting Art nouveau and Art deco motifs. Closer to home, Toronto landscape designers are receiving requests from customers for some of the old-fashioned glamour emblematic of that time, and stores specializing in horticultural accoutrements are finding that dramatic and unusual garden ornamentation is flying out the door. So go ahead and treat yourself to that stylized garden angel or mirrored trompe [ oeil masterpiece. Better still, take a friend to our June 2004 Through the Garden Gate tour, featuring Rosedale gardens built in the Art nouveau and Art deco periods. Whether you re into elegant romanticism or hard-edged modernism, you re sure to find inspiration to satisfyyour inner glamour-puss. @
Carol Gardner is an award-winning garden writer, a volunteer and a member of the TBG s Board ofDirectors as well as a member of the Trellis Committee.
Art nouveau and Art deco influences at the Chelsea
Flower Show
® 2000 - Deborah Deane s Fantastic Garden inspired by the designs of Art deco artist Clarisse Cliff.
® 2001 - A Theatrical Garden designed by Xa Tollemache was rich with deco shapes and design motifs.
e 2002 - a courtyard garden, From Winter s Slumber , designed by Dennis Matthews and John Hawkwood, combined the sinuous shapes of Art nouveau with the geometric forms ofArt deco.
® 2003 - Michelle Brown s dramatic garden was inspired by Art deco photographs, geometric shapes and industrial materials.
The art deco-inspiredTheatrical Garden at Chelsea, 2001.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR CANADA BLOOMS
IS EARLY THIS YEAR
Steve Barber, the show' s executive director, invitesyou to this year s Toronto Flowerand Garden Show
Preparing for the Garden Club ofToronto s floral competition.
rom March 3 to 7, 2004, Canada FBlooms, The Toronto Flower and Garden Show, will create a paradise in the city. The show will feature six acres of gardens and more than 100,000 square feet of green thumb shopping. The Canadian Gardening Magazine Education Hall will offer over 300 hours of seminars, workshops and demonstrations from some of the best gardeners in the country. This year the gardens always the stars of the show reflect the theme Tides of Time. Thirty display gardens have been designed and built by the best of the best to celebrate Canada s rich horticultural history. You ll see brilliant spring flowers in full bloom, lush plantings, dazzling water features and dramatic stonework within the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
FEATURE GARDENS
New to the show this year is the Dream Bigger,
Dream Better, Dream Garden presented by the Home Depot. This fabulous dream garden will provide the inspiration for creating that perfect backyard space. You ll be surrounded by a variety of Canadian native blooms, pampered in a personal lounge complete with deck, hot tub and pond and ready to entertain friends and family in the outdoor kitchen space. Home Depot will also be on hand with a selection of garden products, plants, bulbs, seeds and cut flowers.
Also new this year is the Eukanuba Garden, Paws Awhile; dog owners won t want to miss this garden. Here you ll find a space that s as attractive as it s pet friendly. Look out for lots of wagging tails!
The Olay Oasis returns to the show this year featuring a Zen-like garden where you can enjoy the soothing comforts of trickling water and lush greenery in an intimate setting. And be sure to visit the Miracle-Gro garden to learn how to make your garden really bloom.
Photo: Iony Boék
DEMONSTRATIONS AND SOLUTIONS
As always Canada Blooms is the best place to learn from Canadian and international experts as they share their trade secrets on everything from the latest tools to the international trends in floral arranging. Learn to design simple floral centrepieces, create unique flower wrapping and more from the best in the city at the Garden Club of Toronto demonstration area. View prize-winning floral designs by some of the most talented non-professional exhibitors and garden club members from around the world.
Members of Landscape Ontario will be on hand to offer their expertise on many topics such as pruning, reducing pesticides, maintaining a healthy lawn and designing creative patios and decks. Garden and landscape pro Denis Flanagan answers your gardening questions every afternoon.
NEW INTRODUCTIONS
Take a peek at this year s new plants a must for every visitor to Canada Blooms. Bring a notepad to jot down some of the vibrant and exciting new annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs created by North America s top plant breeders.
COMPETITIONS
This year s open competition is your chance to show offyour green thumb at Canada s most prestigious flower show produced by The Garden Club of Toronto. Enter a variety of horticultural categories including the Sitting Pretty class where a chair of any vintage is decorated with growing plant material. Visit www.canadabloooms.com for more information.
HAVE A BALL
Celebrate spring by attending the Blooms Ball, this year s opening night party, on March 2. You can preview the unique feature gardens while you savour international cuisine, sip fine wine and enjoy great entertainment all night long. The evening is attended by some of Canada s notable personalities and offers a chance to win prizes. L
*CANADA BLOOMS-
Wednesday, March 3 through Sunday, March 7 Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 pm.
(Late afternoons and evenings are the best times to visit.)
METROTORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE SOUTH BUILDING
TICKETS: Adults: $15 online (www.canadablooms.com), $18 at the door ® Seniors and students: $15 Two-day pass: $30 e Children 12 and under free Early morning tours $35 (reservation required) Opening night party $150: call 416-447-8655
Adult admissions only ($18) will be on sale in the TBG s Trellis Shop.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit volunteer-driven event that depends on volunteers to plan and to ensure the show runs smoothly for its more than 100,000visitors. This year over 800 people from across Canada are expected to volunteer their time; please contact the Canada Bloom:s office ifyou are interested in participating as a volunteer. To date over $400,000 in proceeds has been donated to community horticultural projects.
The Gardens of Niagara
Visit the country and town gardens of the Niagara and Niagara-on-the-Lake area. This one-day bus excursion includes lunch at a golf course overlooking the countryside. The golf course features extensive gardens which have been recently designed to complement the club house.
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m
Members $90; public $110
To register, call 416-397-1361
Organized by Bayla Gross and the TBG s Out-of-Town Tour Committee
Small Gardens: THINKING INSIDE THE BOX
Smallgardens, says PennyArthurs, allowyou to dofewer things, but really well.
I ike most keen gardeners, you probably
spend time longing for more space; you want to try new plants, add a pond, an arbour ... All too soon, though, you discover that a large garden makes serious demands on limited physical and financial resources and that perfection is frustratingly illusive.
By contrast, a small garden allows the possibility of doing a few things really well. Whether you build and look after the garden yourself or pay someone else to do it, you can afford better quality materials and pay greater attention to detail than is possible on a larger scale.
Another good thing is that small gardens force you to make choices. Difficult as it may be to banish a gardener s acquisitive urges, there is delight in finding something that s absolutely right for a particular space. Being highly selective means giving careful thought to all the structural parts of the garden. You must also settle on a limited palette of plants, a task most serious gardeners enjoy as it means observing and evaluating every plant to be sure it will pay its way with a long period of bloom, good foliage, interesting form and winter interest.
THINK BIG
A FEW BASIC PRINCIPLES will help you achieve the perfection you seek. Scale is very important. It s a mistake to become diminutive in small gardens the dollhouse approach creates visual confusion and makes the space seem even smaller. Think of all the home makeover shows you 've seen on TV. Rooms feel much bigger and more elegant when the clutter is gone and small things are grouped or rationalized into a single entity. So think big. Start
with an idea and follow it through without fussy deviation. Stick to a few generously scaled elements such as a whole wall of euonymus, a giant urn or a single sculpture.
MAXIMIZE OPPORTUNITIES
BEFORE YOU START TO DESIGN, look critically at your garden, then, accentuate the positives and eliminate, or at least play down, the negatives. If, for example, there s a wonderful old willow tree two gardens away, first be thankful it s not in your garden, then plan to draw the eye towards it. Or you might turn the side of a neighbour s garage to your advantage by using its pleasing brick wall as a backdrop to your own scheme. The design must also minimize the impact of such drawbacks as being overlooked by neighbours or being close to a noisy street.
MAKE EVERY INCH COUNT
MAKE THE GARDEN FEEL larger by using every inch of available space. Planting beds arranged around the edge of the garden tend to bring in the boundaries, so extend pathways or an expanse of paving right to the margins of the space and set plantings away from the garden s perimeter. Also, because strongly defined spaces seem more generous than shapeless ones, use bold lines to delineate your scheme.
BREAK IT UP
DIVIDING UP A SPACE makes it feel larger. Do this with a strategically placed small tree, a low wall or a clipped evergreen hedge. An ornamental screen also works by stopping the eye while allowing some degree of transparen-
cy. If your space is very limited, break it up by using different paving patterns to create separate zones, much as a rug delineates an area on the floor of a room.
USE VERTICAL SPACE WALLS, FENCESAND HEDGES
' Vertical spacetakes on new significance
take on new significance in small gardens as you need to maximize vertical opportunities to compensate for the lack of horizontal space. If you're planning a fence, consider all of the details the height, the size and location of posts, the boards and their arrangement. Add details such as decorative lattice or wrought iron or a series of hanging planters for orchids, ferns or flowering annuals. Hedges take up a lot of space but make wonderfully interesting barriers that allow air to pass through the garden and deaden ambient sound.
MAKE IT COUNT
FINALLY, remember everything you do in a small garden counts and getting the details right makes a huge difference to the total effect. Choose and lay paving materials with care; consider the character and scale of steps; develop a small palette of plants with a sequence ofbloom and twelve months of interest; and consider garden lighting.
In the very manageable space you've created, you ll achieve flawless maintenance in a vibrant and healthy growing environment and you'll still have masses of time leftto sitandsmell the roses. @
PennyArthurs isa landscape designerandownerof The Chelsea Gardener. Herlecture onformal design Jfor the small garden is part ofthe TBG s Ultimate Gardening Workshop, Saturday, March 13.
Ultimate Gardening Workshop Series
Big Ideas for Small City Gardens
Saturday, March 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Small city gardens, and their owners, have big challenges: noise pollution, lack of space and reduced sunlight from surrounding trees and buildings. Learn how thoughtful planning and innovative design can help you reclaim your outdoor space to create additional entertaining areas, sanctuary for butterflies and birds and a healthy, restful urban
oasis for you and your plants.
Speakers and environmental writer
Bringing the Country into the City with Lorraine Johnson, gardening
Innovative and Alternative Design with Kent Ford, landscape architect and regular guest on CITY-TV s CityLine
Formal Design with Penny Arthurs, landscape designer and owner of The Chelsea Gardener Front Gardens with Curb Appeal with Liz Primeau, host of HGTV s Canadian Gardening and founding editor ofCanadian Gardening
Admission:
TBG members $30; public $40; lunch: $10 (optional, must be pre-ordered)
Photo: Pamela Hardie
Photos: Kentt Ford
Courtyard of the Senses
JudyHernandezexplores a garden oftextures andfragrances at theMontrealBotanical Garden.
Imagine being blindfolded
in a garden. How would you take in all the sensations the garden has to offer? Would you be at a loss, or would you easily switch to your other senses of smell, touch and hearing? For people who would be at a loss, the Courtyard of the Senses (La Cour des sens) at the Montreal Botanical Garden (Jardin botanique de Montréal) can open their minds to new ways of sensing, experiencing and enjoying gardens. This courtyard garden was designed so that blind or visually impaired visitors, as well as sighted visitors, can freely touch and smell the plants. The essence of this garden is discovery through direct interaction with plants.
Philippe Alarie at Courtyard of the Senses, Montreal Botanical Garden
The plants are selected for tactile and olfactory sense appeal and arranged in four consecutive pairings of textures and fragrances: soft with fruity, rough with citrusy, prickly with spicy and sticky with pungent. Within a courtyard enclosed by the administration building is an almost square garden of some 500 square metres (600 square yards). The four plant pairings are arranged along a U-shaped path that encloses a circular central area with a low fountain. The surface texture of the path changes as one moves from one section of the garden to another. Elevated beds with hand railings allow easy access to the plants, and plant pairings are signalled by colour coding on the railing which also has identification panels with French, Braille, English and botanical names.
At the entrance, wooden planks underfoot and a green railing signal the soft/fruity plant pairs. Lamb s ears, Stachys byzantina Cotton Boll , and fruit-scented sage, Salvia dorisiana, are examples of almost two dozen plants. From the soft/fruity section, visitors can either { enter the fountain area or continue to the gravel section of the path which signals the plants of rough texture. This rough/citrusy area has about a dozen plants, including a Rocky Mountain juniper, Juniperus scopulorum Blue Trail , and lemon verbena, Aloysia triphylla. The next section is paved with cement bricks, has red railings, and features the prickly/spicy plants. One notable plant is galactites, Galactites tomentosa, a striking green-andwhite thistle. Other plants include purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea Magnus , and bird s nest spruce, Picea abies Nidiformis . Various herbs supply the spicy fragrance. The final section of sticky/pungent pairs includes thladiantha, Thladiantha dubia Eva , patchouli, Pogostemon cablin, and the blue gum tree, Eucalyptus globulus. The central fountain area is paved with smooth cement, and the plants are either in raised beds or in large round planters on the ground around the fountain.
Visitors can explore the garden on their own or join a tour led by either a blind or a sighted guide. Sighted visitors willing to forgo sight are given blindfolds to make their experience more realistic. The guides encourage visitors to associate the tactile and olfactory sensations with
memories of other sensations or objects. Surprisingly, the same scent is interpreted differently by different people. For example, the fragrance of heliotrope, Heliotropium arborescens Perfume White , can smell like vanilla or baby powder or chocolate.
Because the plants are handled liberally by visitors, they are not used for tasting. Instead, guides provide samples of other plants, such as stevia, Stevia rebaudiana, species ofRumex, and alecost or costmary, 7anacetum balsamita. By tasting these plants, visitors learn which part of the tongue is sensitive to sweetness and other tastes. As yet, no plants have been selected specifically for sound although the fountain provides a beginning for addressing this sense.
Sensory gardens have a relatively short history. In 1955, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden opened the first one in the United States. In 1956 the Canadian National Institute for the Blind opened the first one in Canada in Toronto. Today, such gardens are found in many countries, and in 2004 the Courtyard of the Senses will celebrate its fifth anniversary.
More and more, botanical gardens are establishing sensory gardens because they add important dimensions to the garden experience. First, blind and visually impaired people can enjoy these gardens independently and reap the psychological benefits of an interactive relationship with plants. Secondly, these gardens can help sensitize the public to the realities of visual impairment. Finally, these gardens allow all people to appreciate and understand plants more fully.
Interactive relationships with plants take us beyond mere seeing and enrich our experiences of our world. The Courtyard of the Senses is here, says garden guide Philippe Alarie, referring to the garden. But the courtyard of the senses is everywhere, he adds, referring to the outside world. This garden, he continues, is the training ground to make you more sensitive tothe world i 0
]udy Hemandez vzsztedtheCourtyard of the Senses in 2001. She is afreelance garden writer anda member ofthe Toronto Botanical Garden.
prmgtimein Scotlandand Wordsworth s Lak}; lstrlct27 MarchL M r
hosted by MarjorieMastm and Stewart Bennett.¢
A host of Golden Daffodils will greet us as weexplore the land ofBurnsand the Scottish Borders Culzean Castle and Gardens, Threave Gardens, Beatrix Potter s Hilltop Farm at Hawkeshead Wordsworth s Grasmere will excite the spirit. Optional Golf, Scottish Dancing, History, Walking and Blrd (watching will complete this unique Scottish experience, ly bird pricing ifbooked by 01 December will be CAD$3479.00 per person, double occupancy.
Chelsea Flower Show ( on special RHS Members Day) 17-27 May 2004
This 10 day tour will include Sissinghurst, 'Wisley, Leeds Castle and London Theatre experience. LorraineHunter and Carol Gardner will escort this Town and Country Tour to the South of England. $3789.00 per person, double occupancy. Single Supplement $440.00
Garden Getaway to Cleveland 12-15 September 2004
This popular annual Fall Tour will be escorted by Marjorie and JeffMason, visiting Cleveland Botanical Gardens and specially selected venues. We suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.$759.00 per
person double occupancy.
Aftera long winter, Cathie Cox welcomes these early bloomers.
It is much easier to fall in love with early
spring flowers than with those that bloom later in the season. After a long cold winter any plant that dares to raise its head and flower in our cool erratic spring is welcomed with loving glances. Here are some of my favourites.
The brave Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, has to be not only my but nearly everyone s favourite spring flower. Its perfect, glistening white anemone-like flowers with butter yellow stamens and its semi-evergreen foliage are irresistible. To keep it from blooming unnoticed in mid-winter, protect the buds and flowers with a layer of mulch. H. x hybridus is another favourite. This perennial blooms prolifically, flowersa little later, has far more staying power than H. niger and comes in a variety of shades and colours from whites to pinks and purples and with or without freckles! [For more on hellebores, see Plant Portrait, page 24.]
Icicle pansies, in particular Icicle violas Azure Cream as well as blue and violet ones, are a surprising favourite of mine. I sneered at their introduction to the horticultural scene but my daughter arrived with some one day and planted them. All survived the next spring and formed bushy, spreading, compact clumps that flowered gloriously en masse, outlasting all my spring bulbs until I finally cut them back in July.
So much for my sophisticated tastes!
My next two choices have split personalities: first, they produce lots of flowers and then they become handsome foliage plants. Lungworts or Pulmonaria are shade lovers and arrive on the scene with a prolific display of flowers and undeveloped foliage. Traditional native cultivars feature cobalt or baby blue buds that develop into blue, baby pink or rose pink flowers, but some newer cultivars have all white, pink or blue blossoms. As the flowers fade the foliage enlarges into an eye-catching groundcover. P. Silver Shimmers has steel blue flowers followed by linear silver foliage edged with deep green while P. officinalis Sissinghurst White , an older cultivar, has pure white flowers and white spotted foliage.
Brunnera or Siberian bugloss is also a shadeloving groundcover that flowers prolifically in spring before large green leaves fully emerge. Brunnera, unlike Pulmonaria, typically requires moist rich soils, but B. macrophylla Jack Frost is more tolerant of drier soils. A recent introduction, it has the typical mass of forget-me-notlike blue blooms followed by huge shimmering silver leaves with green venation.
Relatively unknown and hard to find, merrybells, or Uvularia grandiflora, is an elegant native wildflower that forms well-behaved
Pulmonaria Silver Shimmers'
Photo: Terra Nova Nurseries
clumps of pale green foliage and a mass of longlasting glossy mid-yellow nodding flowers. It tolerates shady conditions and poor dry soil, making it very desirable in my garden. Another must-have plant, but even harder to find, is the strikingly beautiful shrub, Prunus incisa Kojono-mai or Fuji cherry. Extremely slow-growing to an eventual height of one to one-and-a-half metres (four to five feet), it has markedly contorted branches. It flowers prolifically with pale pink buds that open to double downward-facing pink-flushed white flowers in early spring.
The eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, is a compact, very showy tree with rich pink pea-like flowers that appear on its bare branches before its large pale green heart-shaped leaves emerge. It is very suitable for smaller gardens, tolerant of some shade and less than ideal soil. It is hardy in Toronto but less so north of the city.
I also have a huge affection for the golden currant, Ribes odoratum (syn. R. aureum), even though it has a rather ungainly habit that requires regular pruning after flowering. Its blossoms are true harbingers of spring, though. The bright yel-
PERENNIALS SALE
April 29 to May 2
Thursday to Saturday,9.30 a.m to 6 p. Sunday, 10 a.m.to4 p:
Large selection ofnew, hard-to-find. garden-worthy perennials. G ornamental grasses, clematis and ofnative perennials
Master Gardeners and horticulturists will be on hand to answer your questions. Free parking.
Pre-order list will be available from the Trellis Shop or at www.infogarden.ca. Orders will be accepted until April 24, 2004: by e-mail, horticulture@infogarden.ca; by fax 416-397-1354; by mail, Horticultural Services at the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Members only perennials preview event with Marion Jarvie on Wednesday, April 28, 7 p.m. The preview is followed by a shopping spree at the sale. Members receive 10-per-cent discount on all plants. Join the TBG now and attend the preview night andenjoy first choice at the sale!
To register for the preview event: 416-397-1362 or courses@infogarden.ca
low tubular blooms are strongly clove-scented and attract the first of the Northern orioles and hummingbirds to my garden. Of course bulbs are synonymous with spring, but if I could choose only one, itwould be a tulip 7ulipa Spring Green . A member of the Viridiflora Group, it flowers late in the season when the gardener is more often out and about. Spring Green has fairly large ivory flowers brushed with green, giving them a striped look. They re held on stiff stocky stems. Place them beside the variegated iris, Iris pallida Variegata (syn. L p. Aurea Variegata ), with its newly emerging striped yellow and green foliage to create a stunning and memorable combination.
My final choice is the lesser celandine, Ranunculus ficaria Brazen Hussey and Copper Nob . Glossy, rich copper brown leaves emerge fairly early to be followed by golden yellow blooms. The plant is a small gem that should be placed at the front of a shady border to be enjoyed before it goes dormant in mid-summer. @
Cathie Cox is manager ofHorticultural Services for the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Visit the Chelsea Flower Show with the TBG
May 17 to 27, 2004
Visit the Chelsea Flower Show on Members Day! Tour Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Munstead Wood, Wisley and other famous manors and castles and their gardens.
ofLondon s architectural and historical including a 1930s roofgarden, and go
Jlower Show will be tea with the TBG s hortiCarol Gardner
SPOTLIGHT ON The Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation
Lorraine Flanigan discovers howpublic/private partnerships are enhancing ourparks.
Raised vegetable beds at the Flemingdon Health Centre.
he Garden Auditorium at the Toronto TBotanical Garden was packed with staff from the Toronto Parks and Recreation Department, with TBG staff and volunteers and with members of the community concerned about the state of their neighbourhood parks. These people had gathered to hear Lynden Miller, a parks advocate who has worked to bring back the people to some of New York City s most neglected parks. Her stories prompted our own stories from Toronto parks staff and neighbourhood volunteers who are transforming parks of shopping carts and old shoes to gardens of tulips and trees in their grassroots efforts to take back our parks.
It s allabouthaving parks that work, she states, making Toronto a more livable place.
Foundation, a non-profit organization formed in 2002 at the urging of City Councillor Joe Pantalone. The Foundation s goal is to enhance our city s public parks through public/private partnerships. We realize how important parks are to Toronto, says Leslie Coates, the Foundation s executive director, who recognizes that the growth of the city means that taking care of our parks is more important than ever to our quality of life. It s all about having parks that work, she states, making Toronto a more livable place.
The sharing of ideas and the telling of stories that this seminar evoked was no chance happening. Attendees had responded to an invitation from the Toronto Parks and Trees
The Foundation intends to achieve its goals through a model of public/private partnership that encourages private philanthropy, corporate support and community involvement. Its fourfold mandate encompasses community grants, education, parks improvement and research. Thus far in its short history the Foundation has
Photo: Courtesy Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation
managed to grant $20,000 to 11 community groups across the city. Projects range from the Toronto Botanical Garden s Teaching Garden program and the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto s summer day camp at Todmorden Mills to the Rexdale Women s Group s efforts to involve ethno-cultural seniors in the improvement of the ecological health and beauty of Finch Islington Park.
Inviting Lynden Miller to Toronto arose from the educational part of the Foundation s mandate. One of the goals of the seminar was to inform Toronto Parks staff about what worked in New York City. Miller came prepared with handouts of the plant material she had used in the gardens of Central Park s Conservatory Garden. By distributing this information to Parks management and staff, Coates hopes to increase the palette of plant material we use in our parks. Another benefit of the seminar was getting Parks [staff] listening, and hearing the volunteers problems, says Coates, so they can learn from each other.
Improving Toronto s parks forms an important part of the Foundation s mandate. Although the Foundation works at arms length from the city, an appointment within the Parks Department combined with her position as executive director of the Foundation enables Coates both to liaise with City Parks to identify parks in distress and to work, through the Foundation, with the private sector to fund such projects. In the spring of 2003, the Foundation worked with the Parks Department to revitalize Market Lane Park, the pedestrian walkway adjacent to the North Building of the St. Lawrence Market. The park had become overgrown, and residents were concerned about security. In response, the Parks Department removed the old park but lacked the financial means to replace it with a more functional and attractive green space. In response to this need, the Foundation invited landscape designers Sandra and Nori Pope to redesign the park and approached Sheridan Nurseries, Loblaws, Epic Perennials and Conkle Nurseries who donated $10,000 in plant material. In return, the Parks Department gladly
accepted responsibility for the park s continuing maintenance.
The research part of the Foundation s mandate has yet to be tackled. One possible project is to locate, identify, photograph and find the stories behind the heritage trees in Toronto s parks.
Although there s much more work that can be done, Coates already feels that a sense of connection between Parks staff and neighbourhood volunteers has been forged through the community grants program. If the buzz generated at Lynden Miller s seminar is any indication, this connection is the start of something very, very good for our city. @
Toronto Parks andTrees Foundation
Web site: www.torontoparksandtrees.org Donation and community grant inquiries: Leslie Coates, ExecutiveDirector, 416-392-1885
Lorraine Flanigan is a garden writer, Master Gardenerand editor ofTrellis.
Visit theToronto Botanical Garden
(AMDA BLOOMS!
March 3 to 7,2004
TheTBG is once again the official show bookseller at Canada Blooms and we'll be offering a wide selection ofthe latest and greatest gardening books.
We'll also be hosting book signings by many ofyourfavourite gardening personalities;so, come along and meet them.
TheTBG's booth isjust outside the Lecture Halls on the 700 level. Bring yourmembership card to receive your 10-per-cent discount.
CANADA BLOOMS
The Toronto Flower and Garden Show
ROSEDALE MEETS THE RENAISSANCE
Sneak a peek at thisyear s Through the Garden Gate tour
STATELY ROSEDALE SEEMS
an unlikely neighourhood in which to find Tuscan loggias, Roman villas and a classic statue of the mythical Diana. But on this year s Through the Garden Gate tour, that's exactly what you ll discover. A peek behind the wrought iron gates and stone fences of some of Rosedale s finest homes will reveal a loggia inspired by a 14th-century villa once owned by Lorenzo di Medici. Consisting of a series of wrought-iron arches, the loggia is covered in wonderfully fragrant wisteria. In the same garden, a statue of the goddess Diana, flanked by two obelisks, stands at the end of a central lap pool.
Under a blanket of snow, the gardens of Rosedale wait to awaken for this year sThrough the Garden Gate tour.
In the terraced garden of a heritage home situated near the studio where the Group of Seven once met to paint is a garden adapted from a feature of the Villa Lante, a Renaissance garden outside
Part I
Build Your Own Hypertufa Container
Sunday, April 18 from 1- 4 pm
Build the perfect home for dwarf or alpine plants with a rugged ''stone" container made of a special cement, perlite and peatmoss concrete.
Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens 285 Spadina Road, south of St. Clair Avenue. 416-392-6910 » www.toronto.ca/culture/museums.htm
Rome that was originally built by two bishops of Viterbo. Here, an old grapevine shades a large flagstone patio and a large circular bathing pool features a central fountain. The pool is partly surrounded by a colonnade of limestone pillars and louvred windows that open onto the ravine. Potted palms in urns complete this Mediterranean fantasy. Mark your calendars now for this very special tour of Rosedale gardens. Through the Garden Gate takes place on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20, 2004. To order tickets, call 416-397-1340 or visit the TBG Library. @
Part I1
Fill Your Hypertufa Container
d Sunday, April 25 - 1- 4 pm
Anna Leggatt of the Ontario Rock Garden Society helps you create a beautiful arrangement of alpine plants.
Please call for admission fee information. Book now and avoid disappointment!
Photo: Mary Fisher
by Anna Leggatt
=// = ,,/§'//,/ = S
Helleborus - the hellebore
HELLEBORES ARE EXCELLENT plants for gardens in the greater Toronto area. They will grow in semi-shade and prefer slightly alkaline soils. They need moisture during their growing season but tolerate our hot summers. They will even survive some drying out. Helleborus niger (the Christmas rose), H. foetidus and H. x hybridus (syn. H. orientalis) have seven or more main divisions to the leaves while H. argutifolius has only three. H. niger is hardy to zone 4, while H. argutifolius is hardy, with protection, from zones 6 through 9. I cut off the old leaves ofH. niger and H. x hybridus in the early spring to prevent fungus diseases. Do not cut back H. argutifoliusor H.foetidus. These plants have a different growth habit. They have a stem (caulescent) so removing old leaves will remove the flower buds. In H. niger and H. x hybridus leaves and flowers arise from a crown which is just below ground level.
Helleborus argutifolius is commonly known as the Corsican hellebore and is thus sometimes called, incorrectly, H. corsicus. It is a great foliage plant, particularly as a specimen in a border. It grows from 45 to 60 centimetres (18 to 24 inches) high with an equal spread and has larger leaves than the common hellebores. The leaves are stiff, leathery and bluish green with prominent veins and large spines and a very slight gloss. The flowers grow in clusters that look like small green apples in the early spring and are good for cut flowers if a late frost does not kill them. Some wild plants are reported to have a pink tinge to the flowers.
Although H. argutifolius is advertised as
hardy only to zone 6, it and its cultivars Pacific Frost and Janet Starnes grow happily in my garden and in gardens north of Toronto although it may not be as long-lived as the more common hellebores.
Pacific Frost was a chance seedling found by Pam Frost in her b Vancouver garden, and 4 ) she tells me that this ] cultivar was later introduced into the trade by Roger Phillips. Pacific Frost has variegated leaves covered with blotches of creamy white and a lighter green. Janet Starnes is a similar seedling from H. argutifolius. Friends who grow both can barely distinguish between the two, but the flowers of Janet Starnes seem to be a slightly paler green than those of the straight species. Because H. argutifolius has stems from a single base it is very difficult to divide. However, it may self-seed generously. My own plants haven t made seed yet. If it is too cold for bees to pollinate them, perhaps I should go round with a brush and do it myself!
There are many other new hellebores to look for in specialized nurseries. I have a pink-purple double H. x hybridus Party Dress and am looking for a white double. H. x hybridus has pinks, creams, whites, purples, blacks, red, yellows, spots, rounds and more star-shaped flowers. It is best to buy plants in flower so you can choose the colour and pattern you prefer. However, they may not grow exactly the same in your garden as your conditions differ from the shade housesin which theywere raisedC
Anna Leggattis aMasterGardener, garden writerandactive TBG volunteer.
lllustration: Jocelyn Mann
" Expert advice from the Master Gardeners |
Q@ 1 have several Fritillaria or stinking lilies (the bulbs and flowers smell like a skunk). Last spring the plants came up but they did not bloom. Are the bulbs planted too deep?
A Fritillaria imperialis (also known as crown imperial) must have perfect drainage and should be planted 15 to 20 ¢cm (6 to 8 inches) deep with at least 20 cm (1 foot) of porous soil under it. [Adding sharp sand to the soil will promote good drainage. Ed.) The bulbs have been known to work their way deeper into the soil. Therefore, it might be wise to dig your bulbs up this fall and replant, adding bone meal to the bottom of the hole to encourage good root formation. Although the crown imperial will tolerate light shade, it prefers full sun to bloom its best. If replanting, choose a sunny site. Good luck with flowering next spring! porous drainage and leafy humus.
Q@ At the bottom of my garden I have elm trees that were planted by the city. I think they are Chinese elms, Ulmus parvifolia (the kind that can be trimmed to hedge height). What can I plant underneath them? Nothing seems to grow very successfully.
A Planting under trees is often difficult because of the combination of shade and root competition from the trees. The tree roots take a disproportionate share of the water and nutrients that are available, leaving less for the other plants.
In general, you will want to look for plants and shrubs that are shade and drought tolerant and that are relatively vigorous growers. Within these constraints, some ofthe following might work in your location.
Shady spots can grow hosta, vinca, ajuga and ferns.
For groundcovers, try perennial periwinkle, Vinca minor, English ivy, Hedera helix, or bugleweed, Ajuga. | grow periwinkle successfully under a Norway maple,Acerplatanoides, which is an even less hospitable location than under an elm tree. Other perennials that tolerate dry conditions include hostas and some ferns.
Suitable shrubs include some dogwoods such as redtwig dogwood, Cornus alba, or bloodtwig dogwood, Cornus sanguinea. Some cultivars have bright red branches for winter interest and/or variegated leaves. Both single- and double-flowered varieties of Japanese kerria, Kerria japonica, have pretty yellow flowers in the spring and attractive green stems for winter interest. Some of the more shadetolerant Viburnum might also be good choices.
When you are planting any of these shrubs or groundcovers, you should locate the planting holes between the roots of the trees to avoid damaging them. After planting, you will need to water plants both deeply and frequently on a regular basis. The trees themselves and anything you are growing under them need between 2 to 4 cm (1 and 1.5 inches) of water each week during the growing season, either from rain or from your hose. Fertilizers that can be sprayed onto a plant s leaves may also provide a boost to plants having to compete with tree roots for nutrients.
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
by Mara Arndt e Librarian
NATURAL HISTORY GUIDES
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN for a walk in or around the city and wished that you could identify more of the plants along the way? To help you out, here s a list of the latest natural history books on Toronto and Southern Ontario that we ve received in the Library.
A Graphic Guide to Ontario Mosses. Robert Muma
Guide to the Toronto Field Naturalists Nature Reserves
HumberForks at Thistletown. Joan O Donnell
SpecialPlaces The ChangingEcosystems of the Toronto Region. Betty 1. Roots et al, eds.
Todmorden Mills: A Human andNatural History. Louise Herzberg and HelenJuhola
Toronto Islands: Plant Communities and NoteworthySpecies. Steve Varga
Toronto the Green. A publication of the Toronto Field Naturalists Club
Through the Garden Gate ROSEDALE
Saturday, June 19 & Sunday, June 20, 2004
Noon to 5 p.m.
Single day pass: $25 members & guests, $30 public NEW! Weekend pass for TBG members only $40 (limited quantity)
Reserve your tickets at the TBG Library For information and group sales, call 416-397-1484
Through the Garden Gate, now in its 17th year, will lead you through over 20 beautiful private gardens in Rosedale. Surrounded by beautiful ravines and parkland, Rosedale has been one ofToronto's most fashionable addresses for over 100 years.
A complimentary shuttle service runs throughout the day with stops at the Rosedale subway station, tour headquarters at Rosedale Public School and all gardens on the tour.
All proceeds support the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Book REVIEW
TropicalFloweringPlants:A Guide to Identification and Cultivation By
Kirsten Albrecht Llamas
Portland OR, Timber Press, 2003; 424 pages, US$69.95
THIS BOOK IS AN UNUSUAL reference resource that will be helpful to the gardener and the botanist alike. Extensively researched, the book also features fabulous colour photography. For the gardener, this reference source bridges the gap between plant taxonomy as formulated by the botanist and the practical information needed by you and me.
The author, Kirsten Llamas, describes more than 1,400 flowering trees, shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants grown in tropical and subtropical gardens. Many of these plants are ones that we use as house plants because of our climate. The book details information on plant identification and cultivation, including growth characteristics, light, exposure, cold hardiness, invasive tendencies and unique horticultural features.
Over 1,500 colour photographs taken by the author make browsing this book as much of a pleasure as using it for research. It is truly an invaluable reference tool for years to come.
Reviewed byMadge Bruce
Web site REVIEW
FRAGRANT ROSES
MODERN ROSES ARE BEAUTIFUL but often they are only slightly fragrant. How | long for the stronger fragrance of the older varieties. With plans to plant some of these next year, | logged onto the Galetta Nurseries Web site at www3.sympatico.ca/galetta/tables/oldgardenroses.html to find a list of Old Garden Roses.Their list of thirteen roses describes some that date back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Not only are these very fragrant but disease resistant and quite hardy as well. A number of them are also offered in the online catalogue of Pickering Nurseries which specializes in roses. You can find them at pickeringnurseries.com/roses1/Web_store/web_store. cgi. Let us look forward to a sweet-smelling garden next summer.
Reviewed by JeanMcCluskey
Edwards Lectures |
GARDEN BY DESIGN SERIES
SPEAKER: NOEL KINGSBURY
WHERE: FLORAL HALL
WHEN: THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 7:30 P.M.
Toric: NEwWAVE NATURAL PLANTING
NOEL KINGSBURY provides an introduction to the basic principles of nature-inspired design including the importance of selecting plants for the garden habitat and tips on how to evoke wild places in the garden. This lecture is particularly relevant for the small garden and for continental climates.
Noel Kingsbury is a well-known writer who also works as a consultant on planting design. He has written many books including 7he New Perennial Garden and, most recently, Natural Gardening in Small Spaces. He is committed to improving the planting ofpublic spaces in Britain. Free to TBG members; non-members $12
SPEAKER: FREEMAN PATTERSON
WHERE: FLORAL HALL
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:30 P.M.
Topic: GARDEN OF THE GODS
FREEMAN PATTERSON will introduce you to his own garden at Shamper s Bluff, New Brunswick, where the boundaries between the domesticated and the wild are deliberately tenuous. He will investigate gardening as a metaphor for our personal lives as well as a deeply satisfying creative activity. Freeman will then move to the Northern Cape region of South Africa which he has photographed during 24 extended visits. He will speak about the region s ecology and show pictures of a selection of the more than 4,000 plant species found there.
Freeman Patterson is a photographer and writer, with 12 books on gardens, visual design, photography and wilderness. A member of the
Order of Canada and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, he has received the highest award of the Photographic Society of America and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the North American Nature Photography Association.
Free to TBG members; non-members $12
Edwards Memorial Lecture
SPEAKER: TRACY DISABATO-AUST WHERE: FLORAL HALL
WHEN: TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 8 P.M., FOLLOWING THE TBG S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AT 7:30 P.M.
Topic: THEWELL-DESIGNED MIXED GARDEN
THE QUEEN OF DEADHEADING , Tracy Disabato-Aust, will demystify landscape design and provide you with a greater appreciation of the principles of design. This lecture is for gardeners who are passionate about plants of all kinds and want to know how to build their beds and borders with the right mix of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and bulbs. Tracy will cover often-neglected topics such as site evaluation, colour theory and planning for maintenance. Tracy DiSabato-Aust is a nationally recognized American horticultural author, award-winning designer, professional speaker and consultant. She has contributed articles to many national magazines and has written two popular books: The Well-Designed Mixed Garden and The Well-TendedPerennial Garden. Free admission. Support from the Edwards Foundation enables the TBG to offer this annual special lecture at no charge.
APt in e Link - >
Sunsets to Butterflies TravelPhotosfrom around the World
Dr. Mel Borins
March 9 to 22, Upper and Middle Links
Opening night, March 10
Photos from this photojournalist s extensive travels. Subjects include sunsets, beautiful scenes and people from developing countries.
Under a High Heaven HEDVIGA WIGGLESWORTH
March 9 to 22, Lower Link
These paintings invite the viewer to enter the scene and enjoy every facet of the surroundings.
Exploring theFascinating World ofCollage
HAGOP KHOUBESSERIAN
March 9 to 22, Lower Link
Studies in angles and perspectives. Some of the artist s work has been selected for UNICEF cards.
A Sense ofPlace AL JONES
March 23 to April 5, Upper and Middle Links
Photographer/artist Jones shows a sense of place in photographs of Cabbagetown and Riverdale as well as the countryside and the Bahamas where he grew up.
OtherPlaces
HENRY MITCHELL
March 23 to April 5, Lower Link
These works offer a broad spectrum of contrast and colour that is both striking and thought-provoking.
TheyBeckon!
MARY ELIZABETH DUGGAN
April 6 to April 19, Upper and Middle Links
Opening night,April 7
Through her paintings in acrylic and transparent watercolour, the artist invites you to share her joy and enthusiasm for the colours, textures and patterns that fill the garden and other wild places.
Scenes within the Scenes
DIANE HORVATH
April 6 to 19, Lower Link
A close-up and sometimes abstract view ofthe world of nature.The artist s work can be seen at www.horvath.ca.
Rhythms & Conversations
JOHANNA SKELLY
April 20 to May 3, Lower Link
Opening night, April 21
These joyful watercolours evoke the vivid colours, patterns and movement of spring.
For information on Art in the Link, call Cathie Coxat416-397-1358.
licegn Scene
News and views about Toronto parks and green spaces
Downsview Park set to break ground in the fall
AN EXHIBIT AT Downsview Park s administration offices features the park s new design which officials expect to be implemented starting this fall. This urban park will be divided into three distinct zones. There will be a cultivation campus where visitors will be able to learn about gardening in the park s gardens and greenhouse. Bruce Mau, part of the team that worked on the design, explains that this zone will enable people to implement our themes and ideas and have them in their gardens. The park will also feature an Action Zone with a natural amphitheatre, Olympic-size pool and facili-
ties for sports. Finally the plan calls for a 90acre Promenade a web of pathways that wind through meadows, around a lake and through a forested area. The design is on exhibit by appointment at Downsview Park s main offices, 35 Carl Hall Road, Toronto: call 416-952-2229.
To submit items to Green Scene about green happenings in andaround Toronto, write to: Editor, Trellis Toronto Botanical Garden
777LawrenceAvenue East TorontoM3C 1P2
What's on at the Toronto Botanical Garden|
MARCH
6
Toronto Judging Centre of the A.O.S.
Judging 1 p.m. Open to the public.
Information: www.soos.ca
7t
Southern Ontario Orchid Society
Meeting, Floral Hall, 12:30 p.m.
Information: www.soo0s.ca
Greater Toronto Rose & Garden Society
Speaker: David Gribble, Goodwood Gardens
Topic: Perennials and Annuals for 2004
Studio 3, 2 p.m. Information: 416-485-5907
8
Toronto Bonsai Society
Opening seminar, 7 p.m.; meeting, 8 p.m.
Information: www.torontobonsai.org
Attend a free introductory meeting
9
North Toronto Horticultural Society
Gordon Kuettel, Ingredients for a Beautiful Garden
Studios 1, 2 & 3, 8 p.m. Information: 416-480-9379
13
Ultimate Gardening Workshop
Big Ideas for Small City Gardens
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
TBG members $30; public $40
Pre-registration advisable: 416-397-1362; courses@infogarden.ca
14
Ontario Rock Garden Society
David McDonald, Garden Photography
Floral Hall, 1:30 p.m.
Information: www.onrockgarden.com
15
Mycological Society ofToronto
Bruno Pretto, Mushroom Cultivation
Garden Auditorium, 7:45 p.m.
Guests welcome at one meeting or foray prior to joining Information: www.myctor.org
16
Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club Meeting, Studio 1, 7:30 p.m.
Information: 905-877-6013; torontocactus.tripod.com
Free introductory meeting
21
Canadian Rose Society
Annual general meeting
Studios 1, 2 & 3, 2 p.m. Information: crs@mirror.org
25
Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Meeting, Studio 1, 8 p.m.
Information: 905-686-8058
28
Rhododendron Society ofCanada
Plant sale & meeting, Studio 1
Sale: noon to 1:30 p.m.; meeting, 2 p.m.
Information: 416-486-6631
New members welcome at meeting
At PEREEL 1
Edwards Lecture
Noel Kingsbury, New Wave Natural Planting Floral Hall, 7:30 p.m. TBG members free; public $12
3
Toronto Judging Centre of the A.O.S.
Judging, 1 p.m. Open to the public.
Information: www.so0o0s.ca 4
Southern Ontario Orchid Society
Meeting, Floral Hall, 12:30 p.m.
Information: www.soos.ca
Greater Toronto Rose & Garden Society
Rene Schmidt, Palatine Roses
Studio 3, 2 p.m. Information: 416-485-5907
Ontario Water Garden Society Meeting, Studio 3, noon
Information: www.onwatergarden.com
12
Toronto Bonsai Society
Opening seminar, 7 p.m.; meeting, 8 p.m.
Information: www.torontobonsai.org
Free introductory meeting
13
North Toronto Horticultural Society
Sonia Day, Balcony Gardening Tips
Studios 1, 2 & 3, 8 p.m. Information: 416-480-9379
¥
North York Horticultural Society
Vendor sale: Garden Auditorium, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Information: Cmoore2738@aol.com
Flower show: Studios 1,2 & 3, 1 to 3 p.m.
Admission $2. Information: mitchener@sprint.ca
18
Ontario Rock Garden Society
Roy Klehm, Down Peony Lane
Floral Hall, 1:30 p.m. preceded byplant sale at 12:30 p.m. Information: www.onrockgarden.com
19
Mycological Society ofToronto
Meeting, Garden Auditorium, 7:45 p.m.
Guests welcome at one meeting or foray prior to joining. Information: www.myctor.org
20
Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club
Meeting, Studio 1, 7:30 p.m. Information: 905-877-6013; torontocactus.tripod.com, Free introductorymeeting
21
Edwards Lecture
Freeman Patterson, Garden of the Gods
Floral Hall, 7:30 p.m. TBG members free; public $12
22
Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Meeting, Studio 1, 8 p.m. Information: 905-686-8058
23,24
Ohara Chapter of Ikebana International Spring Flower Show, Garden Auditorium, noon to 5 p.m. Information: 416-920-0775
24
Rhododendron Society ofCanada
Plant sale & meeting, Floral Hall
Sale: noon to 1:30 p.m.; meeting, 2 p.m.
Information: 416-486-6631
New members welcome at meeting
25
Geranium, Pelargonium & Fuchsia Society Meeting, Garden Auditorium, 1 p.m.
Information: 416-281-6399
27
Edwards Memorial Lecture
TracyDiSabato-Aust, The Well-Designed Mixed Garden Floral Hall, 8 p.m., following TBG annual meeting at 7:30 p.m. Admission free
28
Perennials Previewwith MarionJarvie 7 p.m., followed by shopping at sale
Open to TBG members only. Admission: $10
29 April-2 May
TBG Perennials Plant Sale
Thursday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
IN & AROUND THE GTA
MARCH 3-7 CANADA BLOOMS
Information: 1-800-730-1020; www.canadablooms.com
MARCH 11-14 FOUR SEASONS
Stratford Garden Festival, Stratford Coliseum
Information: www.stratfordgardenfestival.com
MARCH 18-20
SUCCESS WITH GARDENING SHOW
Information: 416-512-1305
www.successfulgardening.net
|SCHEDULES CAN CHANGE AFTER PRESS | " TIME BE SURE TO CHECK AHEAD.
CLASSIFIED ADS
The Dufferin Arts Council DoubleFlowering Garden Tour takes place to the north and north-east of Orangeville, on Sunday, May 30 and Saturday, August 7. The gardens are in two clusters, one around the Hockley Valley, the other around Violet Hill and Primrose; those names alone should surely be a temptation for gardeners. There is time for lunch between the two clusters, and tickets contain information about good places to eat en route. The two-day feature of the tour will be of particular interest to keen gardeners, and the spectacular rural setting ( Headwaters Country') will delight everyone. Gardens range from 'designer gardens' to 'plantsperson gardens.' Some gardens will have plants for sale. Tickets are $15.00, and give admission on BOTH days. Mail cheques ( The
Dufferin Arts Council') to: The DAC Garden Tour, 547231 Eighth Sideroad, RR4 Shelburne, LON 1S8. For further information, telephone 519-925-5577 or email: lilactree@sympatico.ca
Ontario Wildflowers
Birding and botany tours to The Bruce, Manitoulin Island, Ojibway Prairie and Pelee Island. For free Newsletter and itineraries, call George Bryant at Travel Helpers (416) 443-0583
Mel Borins author of Go Away Just For the Health of It 'Sunsets to Teeth' Travel Photos From Around the World March 9-22,2004 Toronto Botanical Garden melborins.com
Lawrence Ave. East
Tel: 416-397-1340
Fax: 416-397-1354
E-mail: tbg@infogarden.ca www.infogarden.ca