Trellis - V31, No3 - May 2004 by Toronto Botanical Garden

TORONTO

(formerly The Civic Garden Centre)

Who We Are

The Toronto Botanical Garden is a volunteerbased, charitable organization thatacts 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 thequalityoflifeforthe communityand itsvisitors.

What We fier

Located at Edwards Garden, the Toronto Botanical Garden offers manyprograms and services, including year-round activities for families and children.

3¢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. 5"

Saturday, Sunday & Holidays noon to 4p.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.

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, Sondra Gotlieb, 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, TonyDiGiovanni, Heather Dickson, Suzanne Drinkwater, GeoffreyDyer, Ralph Fernando, MaryFisher, 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.

Judy Floyd, Carol Gardner, Lorraine Hunter, Linda Ledgett, Sonia Leslie, Patrick Li, Doreen Paton,Jean Read,Jennifer

Reynolds, Dawn Scott, Bunny Slater or infogarden.ca/mastergardenerboard.htm

Communications: 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

3¢ Staff Members

Executive Director

Margo Welch Manager, Communications & Visitor Services Jenny Rhodenizer Manager, Horticultural Services Cathie Cox Volunteer Co-ordinator Christine Martin Accounting Joe Sabatino

Administration

Shirley Lyons Program Co-ordinator Rosetta Leung

Development Director

Capital Campaign Director

Janice Turner King

Annual Giving Development Co-ordinator ~ Andrea MaclIntyre Development Co-ordinator Niti Bhotoia

Horticultural Assistant

Librarian

Maintenance Supervisor

Facility & Event Supervisor

Sandra Pella

Ruthanne Stiles

Walter Morassutti

Stephanie Chiang

Facility & Event Co-ordinator Kristin Campbell

Supervisor, Children s Education LauraYakutchik

Teaching Garden Co-ordinator Caley Baker

Volume 31 3% Number 3

EDITOR

Lorraine Flanigan

DESIGN

June Anderson

VOLUNTEER

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

T. Coombes, M. Magee

VOLUNTEER GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jennifer Capretta

VOLUNTEER PROOFREADERS

M. Bruce,J. McCluskey

K. Sundquist

ADVERTISING

416-397-1351

Printed by Harmony Printing 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.

Manuscripts submitted on a voluntary basis are gratefully received. No remuneration ispossible.

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 July/August issue must be received by April 30.

Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the TBG. Submissions may be edited for style and clarity.

Mixed Garden

Tracy DiSabato-Aust explains her love of the mixed garden The Gardens of South Rosedale

Through the Garden Gate tour

Garden Naturally

Toronto s pesticide bylaw

Recipe for a Successful Container

Combine exquisite plant selections with elegant containers

Favourite Early Summer Plants

Hard-to-find and hard-to-growplants

The Nitobe Memorial Garden

The harmony ofnature at UBC

from the Toronto Botanical Garden

by Margo Welch e Executive DIRECTOR

An invitation to review the buildig and landscape drawings

s part of our Revitalization Project, volunteers, board members, staff and consultants have been working intensively on the plans for the building renovation and the creation ofthe gardens. I am delighted to report that we are now in a position to share with you the results of this work. Drawings and sketches will be on display foryour review and comment.

Please join us prior to the Annual General Meeting on April 27, between 6 and 7 p.m., to review the design drawings. The building and landscape architects, along with members of the Revitalization Committee, will be available to discuss the plans, answer your questions and receive your comments. Those of us involved in the planning process are very excited about the plans, and we are keen to talk to you, our members, about what we have achieved to date and to welcome your thoughts on the plans. Do try to attend, but for those of you who cannot copies of the plans will be displayed at the TBG following their unveiling on April 27.

Along with the good news comes some sad news. We were very sorry to say goodbye to Mara

Arndt, long-time librarian at the TBG, who left us inJanuary because of poor health. Mara served us well not only in the Library but also in so many of our activities and events. She made an enormous contribution to the organization and will be missed by all. We wish her all the best and look forward to maintaining contact with her as her health improves.

With the beginning of another gardening season, our program guide insert in this issue of Trellis presents an array of courses, lectures and programs, including the TBG s summer programs for children that take place in the Teaching Garden. It s also the season for garden tours and we have three outstanding choices for you. In town, our Through the Garden Gate tour offers a look at the gardens of Rosedale. Farther afield, we've planned two out-of-town tours: join us in May on a trip to the Chelsea Flower Show and in June come with us to the Niagara region. I encourage you to sign up early for tours and courses, as space is limited.

I hope to see you on April 27. Enjoy spring! @

Team work has made the TBG work

This is my last report to 7rellis and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the TBG board, volunteers, and staff. Not only does each of you play an important role in keeping this organization going but you have also been a greathelp to me in trying to do my job. I started my term by believing that we are all part ofa team which also includes our membership at large. I still believe that, and whether our jobs seem big or small we are all an important part of making the Toronto Botanical Garden work.

We have accomplished a lot in the last two years: launched ourrevitalizationto restructure the building and add gardens, changed our name and developed and expanded programs. Inevitably, change creates challenges but we have managed these and havegrownin ourconfidence andstrengthto dothejobof makingourorganization a place ofexcellence.

Our mandate to provide programs and services that enhance the quality of life for our community will continue to grow, and I am honoured to have played a small part in this great team effort.Janet Greyson, President ®

SuMMER FLOWER SHOwW

Centennial Park Conservatory will reveal Alice in the Glass Palace by creating a scenefrom Lewis Carroll sfamous Alice sAdventures in Wonderlandfrom plant material

JUNE 1 TO SEPTEMBER 15

Daily 10 am 5 pm

Admission isfree

Centennial Park Conservatory 151 Elmcrest Road (north of Rathburn Road, west of Hwy 427)

For more information call,416-394-8543

SORROWFUL FAREWELLS & WARM WELCOMES

by Cathie Cox

A FAREWELLTO MARA

WITH GREAT REGRET AND SORROW, the TBG bids farewell to our Librarian, Mara Arndt, who has resigned because of ill health. Mara has been battling with environmental sensitivities for a long time, and now they have become a serious illness.

Mara came to The Civic Garden Centre in 1996 and worked extremely diligently to reinvigorate the Library and make it a centre of excellence. Her extensive business expertise enabled her to develop the Library into a well-run resource centre. Mara has always been efficient, reliable, conscientious and totally dedicated to theTBG. She was excited by the new vision for theTBG and was looking forward to continuing to develop the Library as the true hub of the organization.

However, it was her nurturing and caring personality that made the Library a warm and friendly place to visit and a great place to work. Mara went out of her way to accommodate everyone s needs and wishes, whether co-workers, the public, members or Library volunteers. Her volunteers enjoyed working with and for Mara. Many of them remain her friends and are giving her much needed support.

Mara made a tremendous difference, both as a member of staff and as a volunteer in other TBG activities, and | am sure that you will all join me in wishing her a healthy and contented future. We all will miss her enormously.

NEW RESPONSIBILITIES FOR RUTHANNE STILES

Ruthanne Stiles, former Assistant Librarian, has very graciously agreed to take over Mara s responsibilities. Ruthanne has worked at the TBG since 1996, first as a volunteer and then as assistant librarian. She came to us with a wide experience both as a secondary school teacher in various schools throughout southern Ontario and later, after receiving a BA in Library Science from the University ofToronto, as a librarian.

Ruthanne is part of the fabric that helps to make the TBG what it is, and the staff and her volunteers

feel very lucky to have her seamlessly pick up the responsibilities of the library from Mara.

WELCOMETO SANDRA PELLA, HORTICULTURAL ASSISTANT

Sandra Pella has a great horticultural background, both in education and work and volunteer experience. She has worked as a horticultural technician for J.LE.A. Perennials, a plant grower known for unusual and new perennial introductions and, most recently, as the perennials manager and buyer at Summerhill Nursery. She has particular interest in native plants and wildflowers and the preservation of heirloom and endangered varieties of flowers and vegetables. Sandra has joined us at a particularly busy time and has quickly become an invaluable member of the horticultural team.

MASTE GAR DE% Er

CONGRATULATIONS

to graduating and long-service Master Gardeners!

JanetBallantyne FIVE YEAR: AliceBirks SaraKatz

MaryEllen Brennan ~ Joan Lenczner

VernaCorlett s;tge; gzr}:?rk

b el Jack Cameron

Sue Gulley MaryFisher

John Hethrington Joan Hodges

Nicole Leaper

Alan Millikin

Anne Kotyk

Phyllis Shepherd

Hala Saab FIFTEEN YEAR: KarenSilvera AnnJohnson

RuthSlieker AnnaLeggatt

EleanorWard Grace Muncaster

Alice Wikaruk

by Christine Martin

A profile of our dedicated volunteers

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE who volunteer at the Toronto Botanical Garden? Where do they come from? Why do they volunteer? How do they find the time to give so much to the TBG?

The TBG volunteers are an extraordinarily diverse lot and bring a wide range of skills and experience to their efforts to contribute to the organization we care about so much. Recently, our volunteers were asked to complete a survey about themselves and their volunteer experience here. The high response over 35 per cent demonstrates once again the dedication of our team of volunteers. Their responses have highlighted some facts we were aware of and revealed some answers to the questions [ mentioned above.

Here s a profile of our volunteer team compiled from the results of that survey.

e Almost half of respondents have been volunteering for between one and five years 40 per cent for longer.

One-third of our volunteers live in the area, and word of mouth and advertising have each attracted one-fifth of those who come.

Over 80 per cent of our volunteers are interested in or enjoy gardening.

* Reflecting their ever generous nature, over 75 per cent of volunteers stated that "wanting to give back" is a motivating factor. Many cited the opportunity to contribute something based on their own expertise as a benefit oftheir work here.

e Learning is one ofthe key interests of our volunteers; over 50 per cent expressed interest in participating in training sessions and many stated it was one of the main things they liked about volunteering here.

Volunteers help to set up at last year s Through the Garden Gate tour.

®The most widely affirmed benefits of volunteering at theTBG are its people and atmosphere. oThe total hours contributed by volunteers in 2003 was the equivalent of at least eight full-time employees. More than statistics and survey results, the best way to find out about our volunteers is by meeting them. The next time you re at the TBG, you can find volunteers in many different areas. Make a point to get to know them soon they have a wealth of knowledge, helpfulness and smiles to offer.

Consider becoming a volunteer yourself and find out about the rewards first-hand. Currently, the TBG is seeking volunteers to work in our Teaching Garden programs, with school programs in the spring and day camp in the summer. We ll also need a crew to help at Through the Garden Gate, our tour of private Rosedale gardens to be held on June 19 and 20. Contact the Volunteer Office at 416-397-4145 or volunteers@infogarden.ca to find out more. @

THANK YOU

Many thanks to the teams of volunteers who came out to help at Getting the Jump on Spring and at Canada Blooms. You are the great people who help to make our events so successful.

Planting in the past. ..

WE ARE VERY EXCITED about our theme for the Teaching Garden this summer: Planting in the Past. In the first week of our program, knights and maidens in our medieval garden will plant foods for royalty, learn how ailments were treated with different plants and create remedies using herbs harvested from the garden. We will also have some great crafts and games representative ofthe time. Our second journey back in time will be to an Egyptian garden filled with plants used by the ancient peoples of that land. We will be mixing dyes and remedies from historical recipes, making our own "papyrus"-like paper for recording hieroglyphics, creating a watering system to move water from the Nile to the farm and even learning how mummies were made! These two camps are for children aged seven to 12.

Inspired by Madge Bruce s article in the January/February 2004 edition of Trellis, we are also offering two new programs for younger children based on the idea that looking after a plant can be just as much fun as caring for a pet. Children will adopt and care for their little green pet and learn all about plants with animal names. These new Teaching Garden programs and camps will be offered this summer to children in the Toronto area of appropriate ages from four to 12. Please contact the Teaching Garden at 416397-1355 or teachinggarden@infogarden.ca for more information.

Jean Godawa is a TBG volunteer and entymologist who teaches at bug camps in the

Teaching Garden.

TEACHING GARDEN VOLUNTEERS

LAST SEASON, THE TEACHING GARDEN

S maintenance volunteers were tremendously successful at keeping the vegetables, flowers and herbs weed- and disease-free. The volunteers were split into two teams: the Tuesday group under the supervisory eye of Master Gardener Lorraine Flanigan and theThursday crowd with their supervisor, Midge Cooper, Teaching Garden Committee member and long-time TBG volunteer. The teams were able to keep gardening problems to a minimum and get the maximum from the veggies so that they could be sent to food banks at the end of the season.

The Teaching Garden program volunteers also contributed to our success. They helped staff with the day-to-day delivery of gardening programs and camps, ensuring that everyone not only got to plant a seed, weed a plot and reap the harvest, but also understood how this miracle happens. The Teaching Garden is "growing" and always needs more volunteers. If you are a budding gardener or love children, please come and join us for some fun and to spread the gardening word to a future generation of gardeners. Please contact our volunteer co-ordinator, Christine Martin, at 416-397-4145 or volunteers@infogarden.ca.

WELCOMETO OUR CHILDREN S EDUCATION SUPERVISOR

LAURA YAKUTCHIK has joined the TBG as Supervisor, Children s Education. With a wide experience of children s outdoor education at organizations such as the Kortright Centre, Claremont

Conservation Field Centre and Downsview Park, Laura brings to this position lots of creativity and innovation. Her outgoing personality engages all who come into contact with her. We

wish her and her team of staff and volunteers a successful summer and hope that she infects many children with the gardening bug and gives them a healthy respect for our environment.

/A diverse and beautiful d garden combining ver 2,400 plants.

THEWELL-DESIGNED MIXED GARDEN

In this excerptfrom her new book, TracyDiSabato-Aust explains her love ofthe mixedgarden.

hen gardens that you've visited linger pleasantly in your memory, what do they look like? Do they have trees above to protect you? Are the trees underplanted with rhododendrons, hellebores, and daffodils? Perhaps there are old-fashioned roses, whose fragrance you can almost still smell. Around the roses are alliums, foxgloves, and dianthus, the wall behind may be covered with honeysuckle and clematis. A group of nigella in soft blue, seeded from the previous season, adds a soft grace to the romantic scene. Maybe you remember a garden with the bold tropical foliage of cannas, the bright yellow flowers of heliopsis, the swaying panicles of miscanthus. The enlivening scene was grounded by the solidity of a boxwood hedge. These picturesque images are of mixed gardens, the gardens I find to be the most spectacular and emotionally rewarding.

A mixed garden is one that is planted with a combination of herbaceous (soft-stemmed) and

woody plant material. Trees and shrubs, roses, and perhaps large-growing ornamental grasses may give the garden its outlining structure. Herbaceous perennials and annuals, along with spring- and summer-flowering bulbs, vines, and sometimes vegetables, fill the remaining space. The planting is diverse, derived from a wide palette of plant material, making for a garden that has interest and function year-round. Varied textures, forms, and colors abound in a mixed garden. The rhythm of undulating plant heights and habits makes for a dynamic scene. Planting in layers, utilizing all available space, frees the designer and gardener to choose from a wider variety of plant material; space is used more creatively and efficiently. Sections of light and shadow provide the ability to grow sun- and shade-loving plants in close proximity. Mixed gardens are particularly important for small spaces, where the luxury of separate spaces for a shrubbery (shrub border), an annual bed, and a perennial garden are not possible.

What I call mixed gardens or borders are often an extension of the traditional perennial border, yet they offer several advantages over a strictly herbaceous garden. The framework of deciduous and evergreen shrubs or trees can add tremendously to the winter garden. Annuals, tropicals, and early spring, summer, and autumn bulbs further extend the season of interest in a mixed garden. We need not rely on flowers for the predominant interest but can look to fruit, bark, and autumn color from the woodies to provide further drama. Vines incorporated to utilize the vertical space in the garden can add scale ifused on afreestanding structure such as an obelisk, or they might soften a wall or hide a fence. Aligned as it is with plantings in nature, a mixed garden often has a more natural feel to it than a purely perennial or annual planting. Hearken back to fourth-grade science (yikes!) and its lessons about the layers ofthe forest: canopy, understory, shrubs, and herbaceous groundcovers. For plantaholics those of us who love all kinds ofplants, no matter ifthey are herbaceous or woody planting a mixed border better satisfies our fanatical plant-lust. It turns a collection ofplants into an artistic garden. Although the traditional border was backed by a hedge, fence, or wall (and was often on the border or edge of the lawn), we will use the term "mixed border" to describe any mixed garden, whether it be a freestanding bed or a bordered bed. Mixed gardens offer many different types and levels of sophistication. They can be relaxed in appearance, with no definable plan, or they can appear very organized, with distinct color themes or prominent styles. Planning a mixed border is complex but extremely gratifying, no matter what level of gardening experience one has. Success requires an understanding of order, unity, and rhythm. With the recent profusion of new plant introductions, an overwhelming number of creative options are now available for every site or gardening objective. And although, I guess, it is a mixed garden in the most pitiful sense of the term, [ hope we can move on from the typical American foundation planting: yews and burning bush in predominance, a crabapple tree, and a token group of black-eyed Susan, flanked by a row of annual salvias, marching like bright red

soldiers along the front of the entire boring lot. What are the maintenance considerations of a mixed border compared to other types of plantings? Just as we can create perennial gardens requiring less maintenance, we can select low-maintenance plants for mixed borders. Or we may select some higher-maintenance plants, if they fit our objectives. It is misleading and inaccurate to say that a mixed border always requires less maintenance than a perennial garden. Yes, they never require as much work as the labor-intensive traditional borders in England around the time of World War 1. But a mixed garden can be comparable in maintenance to our current perennial gardens, depending on which plants are selected. A good deal depends on the ratio ofwoody to herbaceous plants: a garden that is predominantlywoody, or even close to being a shrubbery, with just a few herbaceous plants, will generally require less care than a mixed border that is predominantly herbaceous, with woody plants used mainly as outlining structural elements. Woody plants, of course, don t need as much care as herbaceous plants, but they do require periodic care in the way offeeding and pruning at certain times to keep growth in check. Select lower-maintenance woody plants just as you would lower-maintenance herbaceous plants. Mixed borders require seasonal adjustment to give maturing plants required space and to maintain the proper proportions of the planting. As always, putting the right plant in the right spot helps keep the degree ofmaintenance in check.

So, if we want to create dynamic, year-round gardens that give us endless choices and options, if we yearn for gardens that appeal to our hearts and souls mixed gardens are the answer. @

Reprinted and excerptedfrom The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs with thepermission oftheauthorand TimberPress.

Tracy DiSabato-Aust is an award-winning designer and a nationally recognized horticultural author, professional speaker, and consultant. She will be lecturing at the Toronto Botanical Garden on April27.

South Rosedale

Lisa Wood previews thegardens on thisyear s Through the Garden Gate tour.

he roses of Rosedale, at least in the T 1800s, were of the species Rosa blanda, the meadow rose. A thornless, pink-flowered, red-hipped native, it grew in such profusion that one of the early residents, Mary Jarvis, called her house Rosedale. The name stuck, although the house was demolished in 1905, and more than a century later, it describes an entire neighbourhood. Of course, there are fewer Rosa blanda growing here than there used to be, but that loss has been compensated for by a great diversity of beautiful garden plants.

When I was in Rosedale helping select the gardens on this tour, I was impressed with the interest of the owners in their gardens and their respect for their garden spaces. Those with the good fortune to have ravines in their backyards are concerned for the health of remnant native ecosystems.

Trends don t play a big role in most Rosedale gardens there s little time spent matching lime green hostas to maroon heucheras. There s an interest, instead, in growing good plants and creating well-ordered settings in which to enjoy being outdoors. Some of the best landscape architects have worked in this neighbourhood and you ll be able to see fine examples of their work.

One of the larger gardens on this tour had too much space given over to the parking of cars so the new owners built a garage beneath the front lawn. The old garage was adapted into an outdoor room with a fireplace, hot tub, sauna and kitchen. Now the house and its swimming pool sit comfortably in a park-like

setting. Around the corner, a modern house designed by Jack Diamond has a contemporary pocket garden in front that sits below street level. Out back, a balcony off the living room looks over the wooded ravine that is privately owned by the group of neighbours whose property backs onto it.

A few streets away is a classic garden designed by Lois Lister, one of the first women to be accepted into the Canadian Association of Landscape Architects. The garden has been reworked since then and now contains a stone waterfall, a pool and a magnificent spire from St. James Cathedral.

Down the road, a surprisingly modern back garden with a paving of cool limestone accented with clumps of horsetail, ornamental grasses and elephant s ears lies behind an old Picturesque style house. Another large garden on the tour, created by its first owner in the 1890s, was modelled after the Villa Lante near Viterbo in Italy. Stone steps lead down through its terraced gardens to a colonnaded pool with views out into leafy woodland. In the winter, there is a great view of the Toronto skyline but in the summer all is green.

Some smaller gardens are to be found west of Yonge on Roxborough Street. One of them is a low-maintenance garden that is never watered, even in drought, or fertilized or sprayed with pesticides. It has been featured in several publications and demonstrates how successful a garden can be with good planning and a minimum of fuss. On a south-facing slope, another gardener has intensively planted a garden on terraces cut into the hillside.

Agraceful arbour featured on last year s tour.

And down the way, two gardeners, living side by side, have created front-yard plantings; one of them is even planted successfully with azaleas within the root competition zone of a mature maple.

The area of the tour this year is quite compact, and it ll be very pleasant in June to walk the shady streets looking at the houses built in a variety of styles: Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Gothic and modern. As usual, there will be shuttle buses along the route and back and forth from the subway to tour headquarters at Rosedale Public School. Ice cream and drinks will also be available along the way.

Through the Garden Gate takes place on Saturday, June 19, and Sunday, June 20 from noon to 5 p.m. There are about 20 gardens on

the tour in south Rosedale and Roxborough Street West. Admission includes use of the shuttle buses on the route, a map, and a booklet with descriptions of all the gardens. Master Gardeners will be in the gardens to answer your questions.

Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. This year there is a two-day ticket at $40 for members only. Tickets are available from the TBG library and at Blossoms Rosedale, Via Verde and Plant World before the tour and at tour headquarters on the days of the tour if they are not sold out.

Stop at tour headquarters before you start your visit and we ll help you plan your day. @

Lisa Wood is a TBG volunteer and member of the Through the Garden Gate Committee.

Garden Naturally

With the passage ofToronto s pesticide bylaw, Health Promotion Consultant Rich Whatesays it' s more important than ever to garden naturally.

The springwe ve all been waiting for is here,

and with it comes Toronto s new pesticide bylaw. As ofApril 1, 2004, the outdoor use of pesticides (which includes insecticides, fungicides and herbicides) has been restricted on public and private property. This means that you or your lawn care companywon't be able to use pesticides in your lawn or garden, except for certain exempted products or in special circumstances, such as to control a pest infestation.

To help residents make the transition to natural horticulture, the bylawis beingphased in. Education will be the primary focus until next spring, after which Public Health inspectors will issue warnings, alongwith educational materials, to those who fail to

TIPS FOR GARDENING WITHOUT PESTICIDES

¢ Get off to the right start this spring. Clean up and compost leaves and dead plant material and prune out or remove dead, damaged and diseased plants and plant parts. Add a fresh inch of compost to your garden beds to increase soil health. Give plants plenty of space to improve air circulation and prevent disease.

® Mulch. A layer of mulch will help retain moisture and prevent weeds from growing around plants and trees.

¢ Go native. Because they have adapted to local conditions, native plants tend to be more resistant to drought and disease.

¢ Encourage predators. Plant flowering species to attract birds and beneficial insects that are the natural enemiesofgarden pests.

o Hit the books. There are many books written about natural gardening. Some are available at the Toronto Botanical Garden Library. You may be amazed to learn that some of the most beautiful gardens you ve seen are pesticide-free!

comply with the bylaw. After September 1, 2005, $255 ticketsmaybe issuedfornon-compliance.

Gardening under the bylaw

Whether you re caring for a lawn or tending to your vegetables or ornamental garden, rest assured that you can enjoy your oasis without pesticides. Consider natural lawn and garden care as a return to the basics. With good soil, appropriate growing conditions, proper plant selection and the right amount of water and nutrients, your plants will be healthier and shouldn t need pesticides.

The city has many educational resources on natural lawn care available (see below). If you use a lawn care company or landscaper, ask them about what natural services they provide, and how they will be adjusting to the bylaw.

Dealing with pests

If you suspect you have a pest problem, consider first whether you can deal with your problem naturally. Ask a fellow gardener or another plant health care expert for a second opinion.

If this approach is unsuccessful, the bylaw permits pest control products containing one or more of the following ingredients:

e Soap

® mineral oil, also called dormant or horticultural oil

e silicon dioxide, also called diatomaceous earth

e Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), nematodes and other biological control organisms

e Borax, also called boric acid or boracic acid

e ferric phosphate

e acetic acid (horticultural vinegar)

e pyrethrum or pyrethrins

e fatty acids

e sulphur

In addition to these active ingredients, the bylaw exempts products that use pheromones to lure pests, sticky media to trap pests or "quick kill" traps for mice and rats.

When you visit your garden centre, you may still find other pesticides on the shelves, since the city s bylaw does not regulate the sale of pesticides. Therefore it is more important than ever to read a product s label to identify a permitted item and its proper use and to ensure that it does not contain a non-exempted ingredient.

The bylaw does permit the use of pesticides in case of an infestation. The city is working to determine specific pest numbers (thresholds) that would constitute an infestation and hopes to provide this information later in the year.

Danw] ) é Lion

(nee Taraxacum officinale)

Passed away suddenly of natural causes. The end came quick and observers say it was painless thanks to the absence of pesticides. Though he had strong roots in the community he was dug up by hand and laid to rest in a composter. In that, we can take solace that Dan will bring new life to a lawn or garden in the hereafter. He is not survived by any living relatives as he passed before going to seed.

For more on the life of Dan, natural lawn care and the pesticide by-law visit www.toronto.ca/pesticides or call (416) 338-7600

Help is at hand

Many ofyou may see the bylaw as a perfect opportunity to replace some ofyour lawn with a naturalized garden. Remember, however, that the City of Toronto s Property Standards Bylaws require that you maintain a tidy property; so ensure that you have a routine maintenance plan in place when you "go wild." Ifyou have been issued an order by an inspector to cutyour garden and you live in the former CityofToronto, you can request an exemption under the Grass and Weeds Bylaw through your Community Council. Call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338 for more information. @

Together we can reduce pesticides and enjoy healthy neighbourhoods and healthy people. Talk to your neighbours. Ask a professional. Contact the City of Toronto we have information to help you take that natural step forward to pesticide-free lawn and garden care. Call us at 416338-7600 or visitwww.toronto.ca/pesticides.

Rich Whate is a health promotion consultant with theHealth Promotion &EnvironmentalProtection Branch ofthe TorontoPublicHealth Department.

Flowers Canada Toronto Chapter presents an "UnforgettableEvent

The Wedding Show with Hitomi Gilliam AIFD & Johan Huisman M.F.

Wed. Magy 19th, 2004

Liberty Grand, Exhibition Grounds cocktails & food from 6:30 - showto follow tickets: $65.00 FC members §75.00 non-members

To reserve tickets orfor more info call BrendaJones 416-917-7247 orJulieDrago 416-562-0466

RECIPE FOR A CONTAINERSUCCESSFUL GARDEN

Kerstin Quellet believes in combining exquisite plantselections with elegant containers, writes Lorraine Hunter.

he author of two books on container gardening The EuroAmerican Container Garden Cookbook and Contain Yourself:

101 Fresh IdeasforFantastic Container Gardens

Kerstin Ouellet brings European know-how to the art of growing plants in pots. Growing up in Germany, she witnessed the birth of the container garden boom and with her mother used to decorate their entire house front with window boxes to compete in their village garden club s annual window box contest.

Here is her Recipe for Success for this container design.

2 Carexflagellifera Toffee Twist

2 Begonia Maribel

1 Pennisetum setaceun Rubrum

1 Sedum Matrona

1 Osteospermum Orange Symphony

2 Solenostemon Kingswood Torch

2 Verbena Babylon Blue Carpet

1 Ajuga reptans Catlin s Giant

PLANT PERSONALITIES

The texture plants in this recipe were all chosen for their dark foliage. This effect leads the eye from one plant to the next. The height comes from purple fountain grass, Pennisetum. The airy appearance of its soft, foxtail flower plumes give height without overpowering the overall design. Depending on how big your container is, you can choose either regular purple fountain grass or its dwarf version which is sold under the cultivar names Red Riding Hood , Eaton Canyon or Dwarf Rubrum . While the regular form grows about a metre (3 to 4 feet) tall, the dwarf version reaches only 45 to 75 centimetres (18 to 30 inches).

Other foliage accents in the back are Begonia Maribel and Carexf. Toffee Twist , also called weeping brown New Zealand sedge. The begonia s mahogany-coloured foliage is especially intense under high light levels, and its delicate blush-pink blooms are an added bonus. The sedge rounds out the corners with its needle-thin leaves that drape elegantly over the edges.

In the centre and front corners, more foliage accents provide texture and interest. The coleus, Solenostemon, in the centre adds vibrant specks of red with maroon edges, while the Sedum and Ajuga visually connect the two corners with similar leaf colours and shapes. Although Sedum is a fall-flowering perennial, it is used here as a foliage accent. If you can t find the cultivar Matrona in stores, look for a similar one such as Purple Emperor . Ajuga might surprise you with its bright blue flower umbels in spring. For the rest of the year, enjoy its large, lush, mahoganycoloured leaves.

The flower and trailing elements in this container garden are Osteospermum Orange Symphony and Verbena Babylon Blue Carpet . The soft orange daisy flowers of Osteospermum have a dark blue centre echoing the colour of the Verbena. Orange Symphony is a mounding and heat-tolerant variety of Osteospermum.

CONTAINER

For this design, Kerstin chose a stunning iron container full of character. Its elegant, formal

look softens over time as it develops an antique look. The dimensions of this particular planter are 55 x 30 centimetres (22 x 12 inches). Whatever container you choose, make sure that it has drainage holes; if it does not, drill some before planting.

CARE CLUES

None of these plants requires deadheading, but the Osteospermum and Verbena will benefit from it. The flowers of fountain grass can be used in fresh or dried arrangements. At the end of the season, you may take the plants apart carefully and plant the Sedum and Ajuga in the ground. @

Lorraine Hunter is a garden writer and chair ofthe Trellis Committee.

KERSTIN P. OUELLET shares her latest designs for enhancing container gardens at the Edwards Lecture on Wednesday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m.

I"FAVOURITE PLANTS

Aftera long winter, hard-to-findand hard-to-growplants rate high on the list of Cathie Cox sfavourite plants.

hoosing favourite plants for early sumCmer is a daunting task. The selection is becoming greater all the time because of the current interest in gardening and because of advances in technology that are leading to the production of exciting new ones. Some of the following are my favourite plants because of personal connections while others are special because I have overcome incredible odds either to obtain or to grow them successfully in our somewhat hostile climate and in my poor soil. My garden is like my family loved and worth the extrawork most ofthe time!

Gas plant, Dictamnus albus Albiflorus , is a perennial that has rich associations as well as desirable attributes. Flowering in spikes of pure white in late May and early June, it has a lemony fragrance, is hardy to zone 4, tolerates hot sunny locations or part shade, is extremely long-lived and needs little maintenance. It grows slowly and dislikes being moved. Gas plants emit a flammable gas after a long hot day, and when he was young, my son would try to ignite the gas the thought of him with an open flame trying to light one of my favourite plants at night always concerned me!

Lupines, Lupinus, evoke a feeling of early summer and English gardens. When I was a child in England, every garden had lupines in quantity and all grew successfully apparently with little care. It took me a few years to realize

that to grow them well in Ontario, they need to be planted in partial shade where the soil is somewhat moist with a neutral or acidic pH. In addition, some of the flowers should be left to go to seed so that new plants will be produced.

Foxgloves, Digitalis, are also evocative of my childhood, but I first fell in love with them when I moved to Wales where they grew in full sun on roadsides and in ditches. Digitalis purpurea is the showiest foxglove, especially when grown massed in partial shade. New eye-catching forms include Pam s Choice with huge white bells spotted inside with deep maroon, and D. p. subsp. heywoodii Silver Fox , white-edged and spotted with pale lilac.

The fernleaf peony, Paeonia tenuifolia, is one of those must have plants that was so hard to find in the past, and sinfully expensive. Growing to about 50 to 60 centimetres (two feet) tall, it has a compact growth habit and lacy deep green, disease-resistant foliage that looks good well into fall. A multitude of large cupshaped, upfacing single carmine red flowers blossom in late May.

I value perennials that give value for more than one season. Many bleeding hearts, Dicentra, are showy and worthwhile growing, but there are two that I could not do without. Dicentra spectabilis Goldheart has pink heartshaped lockets typical of bleeding hearts and grows to 75 centimetres (30 inches). It has a

The pure white flowering spikes of Dictamnus albus Albiflorus

bonus of gold foliage that stays golden and brightens dark corners of the garden until it becomes dormant in late summer. I find that Goldheart tolerates most well-drained soils but needs some degree of shade. Dicentra Luxuriant is a bleeding heart that has faded undeservedly out of the public eye. It is a compact plant with lacy bluegreen foliage and red-pink blooms that flower fairly prolifically from June to October in partial shade. This perfect plant requires only a fertile welldrained soil and the occasional deadheading.

Mygarden is like my Jfamily loved and worth the extra work most ofthe time!

late May. This compact tree is ideal for a smaller garden. Philadelphus Snowbelle is another compact late spring to early summer bloomer that I like. This mock orange is covered with fully double, bell-shaped, incredibly fragrant blooms that make good cut flowers too.

The perfect plant for a hot and sunny location is the hardy Geranium Rozanne . If you only have room for one variety, this should be your choice. This Blooms of Bressingham plant has a bushy and tidy growth habit that remains that way until fall. Large white-eyed, violet-blue blooms flower from June until late fall with no deadheading required. Hardy geraniums require a fairly fertile well-drained soil and tolerate some shade.

I am very partial to bellflowers, Campanula spp., and will try any and all of them sight unseen, but if I had to choose, I would plant fairies thimbles in a sloping area in the garden and C. Birch Hybrid everywhere else. Fairies thimbles, Campanula cochleariifolia, grows to 10 centimetres (4 inches) and spreads well but not invasively. One has to lie down to appreciate the beauty of the downward-facing violetblue bells that are held en masse on thin wiry stems raised above glossy foliage. These bloom from early to mid-summer and rebloom into the fall if deadheaded. My other favourite bellflower, Campanula Birch Hybrid , is another low-growing mounding plant that grows 25 centimetres (10 inches) tall and flowers profusely from June to August. This plant has a tendency to die after a number of years but is worth replanting.

All magnolias are desirable but Magnolia Elizabeth bowls me over. [ first saw it in full flower in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where it was raised and selected. The fragrant primrose yellow flowers open just before the leaves in

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Mariesii , the wedding cake or doublefile viburnum, would be difficult to site in a confined space. It can grow three or more metres (10 or 12 feet) high and wide. The pleated green leaves turn a rich purple in the fall and its flowers are followed by red berries that darken to black. But its overwhelming heart-stopping beauty is displayed when the huge flattened panicles of creamy white flowers open in double rows on the upper side of the tiered branches like icing on a cake in true celebration of the coming of summer! @

Cathie Cox is Manager ofHorticulturalServices at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

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SPOTLIGHT ON The Nitobe Memorial Garden

Marion Mageediscovers the harmony ofnature at UBC' sJapanesegarden.

sThe Nitobe Memorial Garden is a treasure, a between masculine and feminine forms.

jewel, an oasis hidden amid tall trees just off busy Marine Drive which loops past the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. [ came into it on a hot August afternoon and it not only provided the cool I was seeking but balm for the soul. How lucky those at UBC are to have such a retreat at hand!

The garden was opened in 1960 and honours the memory of Dr Inazo Nitobe, a renowned Japanese leader in the fields of education and diplomacy. He was dedicated to peace and sought to become "a bridge across the Pacific" in his roles as assistant director general at the League of Nations and as a director of the Institute for Pacific Relations. He died in Canada in 1933 while attending an Institute conference.

Designed by Professor Kannosuke Mori of Chiba University, the garden covers about one hectare (2.5 acres) and is enclosed by a wall topped by tiles. Although it uses some nonJapanese species, the garden is considered the most authentic traditional Japanese Tea and Stroll garden in North America. The architect employed the principles of harmony, balance and tranquillity in his design and personally directed the placement of each tree, stone and shrub to achieve an idealized concept of nature with its harmony among natural forms and its balance

Visitors enter the garden through the gate in the wall and turn right to follow the winding path that symbolizes a span of time a day, a month, a life. The path leads past streams, a tricklingwaterfall, exquisitely pruned shrubs and stone lanterns, and out into a more open space where a bench situated by a reflecting pool provides views of the pebbled beach, the lovely footbridge and the corner of the Teahouse. Absorbing the "sounds of silence" is to be refreshed.

The guidebooks say that one should come in the spring for the cherry blossoms, in the summer for the irises or in the autumn for the Japanese maples. But even at the end of August the glory of the greens, the play of the shadows and the reflections in the ponds offer just as much food for the eye and the spirit as these more spectacular moments undoubtedly do.

The Nitobe Memorial Garden is a short walk from the bus terminal on the UBC campus. It is open daily from mid-March to mid-October and on selected days the rest of the year. Admission varies from free to a small fee. For admission and other information, check the Web site at www.nitobe.org. @

Marion Magee visited the Nitobe Memorial Garden in August, 2003. She is a TBG volunteerand member ofthe Trellis Committee.

Marion Magee

The reflecting pool at Nitobe Memorial Garden inVancouver

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Toronto Botanical Garden Fourth Annual GolfTournament presented by Torys LLP at the new Eagles Nest GolfClub

The Toronto Botanical Garden s 4th annual golftournament promises to be one ofthe great golfevents ofthe season.

Be one ofthe first to hit the links at Eagles Nest GolfClub which opens this May. Ranked among the top 10 courses in Canada by the National Post, and possibly the best public course in the country, Eagles Nest is located in Maple, just 20 minutes from downtown Toronto.

With the field limited to 144 players, this event is certain to sell out, SO we encourage you to register early.

Please contact Stephanie Chiang at 416-397-1484.

There are a number ofways to support the Toronto Botanical Garden through this year s tournament.You or your company can sponsor a hole for $500 or one ofthe tournament contests for $1,000. Other ways to participate include donating a gift for the silent auction or making a cash donation in any amount. For sponsorship and donations inquiries, please contact Andrea Maclntyre at 416-397-1483.

Proceeds from the golftournament go towards supporting the TBG s many programs and services. Your support enables the TBG to continue to educate people ofall ages and abilities about gardening and horticulture and the role they play in community improvement.

BOTANICAL Revitilization Project

' GARDEN

Meetthearchitectsand viewthedrawingsfor B our building and gardens renovations. AG M o 6 p.m.to 7 p.m. Y L Studios 1,2,3

. uetsday - Annual General Meeting

7:30 p.m.to 8:00 p.m.

Floral Hall,MembershipCards Required

Edwards Memorial Lecture

TheWell-Designed Mixed Garden

TracyDiSabato-Aust

Nationally recognized American horticultural authorof The Well-DesignedMixedGarden andTimber Press s all-time bestseller, The Well-TendedPerennialGarden 8:00 p.m.to 9:30 p.m.

Floral Hall,Admission is Free

Chelsea FlowerShowand theSouth ofEngland GardenTour 17- 27 May,2004

ALLABOARD for Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, -Dorney Court, Leeds Castle, Wisley Hampton Court Palace ,Chelsea Flower Show. Carol and Lorraine welcome you to this Toronto Botanical Gardens fundraising initiative. We have 5 spaces waiting for you. $3879.00 perperson double occupancy, single supplement $499.00 British Airways direct flights included. Your Royal Horticultural Society annual membership and entrance to the National Trust properties also included. Call Lorna now for detailed itinerary.

Cleveland -August22 - 25,2004Personally escorted by Marjorie and JeffMason ofMason Hogue Gardens, Uxbridge. We will be visiting the renowned Cleveland Botanical Gardens and Glass House, their new crystal peaked conservatory. The Costa Rican rainforest is an additional unique exhibit with a 20foot '| high waterfall and canopy walk. Hotel (with breakfast) is centrally located for shopping , museums and theatres. Riverboat cruise included at $759.00 for the early birds. $789.00 after 01 July. Contact Lorna now!

Septemberin Scotland andthe Lake District4- 15 September2004

Marjorie and Stewart offer this Golfand Gardens options for partners who are not totally " into" gardens. Burns country and Scottish Borders Gardens will be the focus ofthe tour with Beatrix Potters Hilltop Farm a highlight ofthe Lake District and Wordsworth's inspiration. A visit to Alnwick Gardens, Abbottsford House, » | home of Sir Walter Scott and Glasgow will complete this Scottish tour. Contact Lorna for itinerary $3679.00 ] per person, double occupancy with schedules direct flights. E

Buffalo Botanical Gardens and "Mumzand CraftsShow" 27-28 October2004

Departure from Toronto Botanical Gardens at 8.30am Buffalo Botanical Gardens and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery will be the focus ofthe day, returning to the Niagara region for dinner(included) and overnight Bed and Breakfast. Our behind-the-scenes visits next morning will be to local nurseries , lunch in Jordon Village with its antique stores and boutiques. Our final visit will be to the Mumz and Crafts Show in Hamilton before arriving at The Toronto Botanical Gardens late afternoon. $319.00. Pleasejoin us.

Plam Purlrau

CARNATION, PINK, clove pink, cottage pink, maiden pink, gillyflower, grenadin, sops-in-wine, Sweet William: these evocative names are either common or old-fashioned names for popular members ofthe genus Dianthus. Because ofits horticultural importance, the National Garden Bureau is celebrating2004 as the Year ofthe Dianthus.

There are more than 300 Dianthus species of annuals, biennials, evergreen perennials and subshrubs. Most of the perennials have dense clusters of acutely pointed linear leaves, often forming an attractive grey or blue-green bun or mat. All of the single flowers have five petals surrounded by a green, tubular calyx. The petals are usually pink or purple, some are white and one is yellow, Dianthus knappii, a rather weedy plant ifyou grow the species.

Because Dianthus hybridize well, there is a wide range of types and colours including solid red, rose, lavender, apricot, green and near blue as well as bi-colours, picotees, doubles, singles and those with shaded edges or darker centres. Many have petal edges that are pinked as if cut with pinking sheers. This fringed edge gave rise to the common name pink , a usage that was current long before pink became a colour. Many Dianthus are intensely fragrant, with a sweet, clove-like smell.

D. barbatus, Sweet William, is usually biennial though it may be a short-lived perennial. Newer varieties are annual flowering if seed is started early in the year. William comes from the mispronunciation of oeillet or little eye, referring to the

by Anna Leggatt

darker colour in the centre of the flower.

D. chinensis or the China pink is usually hardy to USDA Zone 7. However, many of today s plants are crosses between D. chinensis and D. barbatus. These are much tougher and will bloom in the first year from seed. Ideal Cherry Picotee has a pink centre, fading to white with darker central veins.

D. plumarius, the cottage pink, has a wonderful spicy scent. Even the leaves are fragrant! It is a low-growing tufted perennial, hardy to USDA Zone 3. The petals, usually pink or white, have long delicate fringes. Mrs Sinkins , a cultivar from my childhood, has the best scent. The double white flowers are somewhat uneven, making it a little untidy.

D. superbus, the lilac pink or fringed pink, is similar to D. plumarius but hardy only to USDA Zone 4. Although short-lived, it is well worth growing for its fringes. Crimsonia is an outstanding dark red.

D. alpinus, alpine pink, is one of several good rock garden plants. The flowers are typically bright pink, with a dark eye, growing from a prickly green mat. The plants are not long-lived and have little fragrance.

D. gratianopolitanus or Cheddar pink is a subshrub that forms a mat of steely blue needle-like leaves and blooms with pale pink fragrant flowers.

Dianthus need full sun and well-drained soil. They grow well in raised beds, in cracks in walls or under roses. Cut them back after flowering to encourage a second bloom after the first flush in late May to mid-June.

Dianthus is a worthy designate for Plant of the Year! @

With thanks to the National Garden Bureau for information supplied.

Anna Leggatt is a Master Gardener, garden writerandactive TBG volunteer.

Out-of-Town Tour - Tuesday, June 22

A chance to see some ofNiagara s best private gardens

\3\Since our last visit to Niagara-on-the Lake in 1991 there have been exciting changes to the gardens and vineyards of the Niagara Peninsula. The imaginative development of the gardens has kept pace with the development of the region s internationally acclaimed wines. Join us for a beautiful day in these exquisite private gardens whose owners who have graciously opened them for our pleasure.

This year the tour highlights both sophisticated town gardens and imaginatively designed country properties

Once again planned with the assistance of Bayla Gross who will accompany us, this tour includes transportation by air-conditioned motor coach, refreshments en route and lunch in a country setting with views over a golf course and vineyards.

Here s a taste ofsome ofthe gardens on the tour.

The Garden of David and Carol Appel

This garden has taken shape over the past six years in a gradual, almost organic, fashion. Owners Carol and David Appel have melded their love of fine art and the garden in this project which is close to completion if a garden is ever complete! Today, the grounds consist ofthree separate gardens encompassing two houses, three original building lots and two sections along One Mile Creek. Large specimen deciduous trees, an extensive array of understory trees seasonally flowering shrubs, evergreens and perennials are all used to best advantage. Natural and manmade watercourses and pools as well as stone steps and terraces follow the natural rise and fall of the landscape

The Hughes/Peacock Garden

This is a garden where plants rule. Situated on the Niagara Parkway with views of the Niagara River, this home was built in 2001 in a wood several hectares in size. Here Tom Laviolette, superintendent of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, has designed a remarkable garden of contrasts. Near the house the plantings are formal, but closer to the Carolinian woods, they become large masses of naturalistic perennials. In front of the sage green house blue porcelain urns make a dramatic statement last year the pots were filled with water plants and cardoons outsized, original combinations.

The Paras Garden

This private park is very serene with its swards of green set amidst a forest of maples. A stream meanders its way through the property under a charming bridge. Bonnie Paras is keen to keep the colours of the shade plants around the house in greens and white which adds to the feeling of tranquillity. The large oval pool was designed with discretion, contributing to the very special ambiance in this garden.

The Moggridge/Bloor Garden

Jeff Moggridge, garden consultant to Mori Gardens, has been collecting choice plants for over 20 years. Every square inch of this tiny jewel of a garden which surrounds the cottage-style home has been lovingly and artistically planted. Twenty different varieties of Japanese maples, hundreds ofperennials, a multitude of flowering shrubs and more than a hundred different evergreens including conifers, holly and rhododendrons create a remarkable garden mosaic. This is a gardener s garden full ofrare plants. There is much to learn here.

M Expert advice from the Master Gardener

Q 1 havea one-year-old Adam's needle, Yucca filamentosa, which is looking half dead. Many of the leaves around the base of the yucca have turned brown and I am wondering what I can do to bring it back to its original splendour.

A Don't worry.Your yucca will be fine.They always need a little grooming after the winter. Just cut off the dead leaves.Yuccas often have dormant buds that produce shoots after damage or pruning and they sometimes suffer from frost damage. Yuccas actually respond well to a hard pruning, but don t require it unless the plant has been damaged or become unsightly.The dead flower spikes should be removed in the spring by cutting them back close to where the spike emerges from the centre of the plant to encourage your yucca to bloom again. Give Cut offthe i ; dead flower fo it a top dressing of $ und 1B stalk down at g N WD the centre. muich it with gravel. Yuccas need well-drained soil and full sun. Heavy or clay soils can cause rotting dur-

ing wet winters.

Either

1) Cut one third each year OR

2) Cut all stems

iQ We have purchased a home with an old privet, Ligustrum spp, hedge that is approximately 38 metres (125 feet) long. It has been badly neglected and is bare at the bottom, with spindly branches and sparse leaf growth at the top. Rather than removing it, we would like to try and rehabilitate it. Can you provide some suggestions for a novice gardener to restore it to a thick lushness?

A Rejuvenating such a long hedge will be quite a challenge, but it can be done! Privet hedges that suffer from overgrowth or bare sections at the bottom can be cut back very hard down to as much as 15-

to 25-centimetre (6- to 10-inch) stubs.This must be done in very early spring, however, so | would suggest that you just prune for tidiness this year and deal with the problem next March or April. Remember that the ideal shape is a pyramid the hedge should be narrower at the top than at the bottom. My guess is that yours has not been pruned in this fashion, so that the upper branches were shading the lower branches which has caused the dieback in the lower regions.

Keep in mind that cutting the hedge back so hard will leave your home and lawn wide open to view for quite some time while the hedge grows back. You might choose to rejuvenate the hedge over a threeyear period, cutting back one-third of the stems to the ground each year. Whichever method you select, the hedge will not look very good while it is being rejuvenated. You will have to decide if you have the patience for this project. However, with two years of hard pruning and then three to four years of gradual rejuvenation, it will definitely look better than it did before you started. Good luck with your decision! [Regular fertilizing and mulching will help plants maintain good health during the rejuvenation period, as will annual pruning and a mid-summer clipping. Ed.]

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 AskaMaster Gardener!

lllustrations: Vivien Jenkinson

by Ruthanne Stiles LIBRARIAN I

Learn more about trees THERE S A GROWING INTEREST IN TREES.

Last fall the Toronto Botanical Garden held a well-attended tree identification workshop for volunteers that created a demand for books about trees. Students of Ryerson s plant materials courses, which focus on various aspects of trees and shrubs, have also been browsing our shelves. As a result, we ve added to the Library s collection of books on trees. The following four new books have been sponsored by TBG members.

A Color Atlas of Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers by David V. Alford. Timber Press, 2003.

THIS BOOK DESCRIBES the main features of insects, mites and other major pest groups, as well as discussing the principles of pest control. Detailed descriptions and photographs provide helpful guides to the identification, life history, and damage caused by each pest.

Meetings with Remarkable Trees by Thomas Pakenham. Random House, 1998. THE TREES IN THIS BEAUTIFULLY photographed book are grouped according to their characteristics: natives of Britain, travellers, shrines, fantasies and survivors.

Native TreesforNorth American Landscapes by Guy Sternberg. Timber Press, 2004

THE PROFILES INCLUDED in this book describe flowers and fruit, native and adaptive range, culture, and problems for more than 650 species and varieties and over 500 cultivars of native trees.

Remarkable Trees of the World by Thomas Pakenham. W.W. Norton & Company, 2002. IN HIS LATEST BOOK, British historian Thomas Pakenham has chronicled the lives of some of the world s most dramatic trees. Famous for their girth, height, volume or age, the 60 trees photographed in this volume are arranged by their unique characteristics: giants and dwarfs, Methuselahs, shrines, dreams, lovers and dancers, ghosts and trees in peril.

Book REVIEW

Roses: A Celebration

Edited byWayne Winterrowd, with original paintings by Pamela Stagg Vancouver/Toronto, Douglas & McIntyre/Greystone Books, 2003; viii, 249 pages, $45

THE GREAT ROSARIAN Graham StuartThomas once asked, "What is this rose that enslaves gardeners?"

In Roses: A Celebration, Wayne Winterrowd puts this question to 32 eminent fellow gardeners, each of whom added highly perceptive and original responses to Winterrowd s own declaration. These are complemented by Pamela Stagg s remarkable collection of rose paintings that illustrate the book, animating the unique beauty of each species and cultivar.

Representing a virtual "who s who" of contemporary garden writers, each response deals with the writer s special favourite, explaining the reason for its choice and describing its most appealing attributes. These essays are highly personal and uniquely entertaining. Some offer interesting historical information, valuable tips on cultivation or even family recipes that use rose petals.

This book is essential reading for all rose gardeners and will truly inspire them to say "everything s coming up roses"!

Reviewed byMadge Bruce

Web site REVIEW

GARDENSTOVISITTHIS SUMMER

If you are heading for Niagara this summer, the Niagara Botanical Gardens, Floral Clock and Butterfly Conservatory are all well worth a visit. www.niagaraparks.com/nature.php provides directions and information, although the names on the map are a little hard to see.

Going farther afield? Take in the Botanical Gardens in Buffalo, for which the site at www.buffalogardens.com gives excellent information on location, hours, what to do and see, plus a good virtual illustrated tour.

If you are off to the United Kingdom, the Eden project in southwest England is a fascinating ecological project where they re growing tropical and temperate plants in giant biomes. Click on www.edenproject.com and, with the aid of Quicktime, view a panoramic virtual tour. How to get there, hours, admission fees, restaurants, menus and where to stay are all covered.

All these sites are wheelchair accessible and the Eden project has a train to which wheelchairs can be secured.

Reviewed byJean McCluskey

GARDEN BY DESIGN

SPEAKER: THOMAS HOBBS

Topic: THE JEWEL Box GARDEN

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, MaY 5, 2004, 7:30 p.M.

WHERE: FLORAL HALL

INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN GARDEN guru

Thomas Hobbs will inspire you to be more creative with less space, creating a jewel box garden in which to keep your plant treasures.

Thomas Hobbs was born obsessed with plants and had his first | greenhouse at age six. An . internationally known . impresario of garden and { floral design, he runs Southlands Nursery in Vancouver. His private garden has been featured in many prominent magazines, including Horticulture, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens and Garden Design. Tom has a weekly TV show, has been featured on Martha Stewart Living and gives popular lectures across North America on inspirational garden design. His first bookwas the acclaimed bestseller Shocking Beauty. His second, The Jewel Box Garden, has just been released. Free to TBG members; non-members $12

SPEAKER: KERSTIN P. OUELLET

Topric: CONTAIN YOURSELF: AVANTGARDE GARDENING

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, May 26, 2004, 7:30 P.M. WHERE: FLORAL HALL

KERSTIN P. OUELLET WILL SHARE HER latest designs using many new and underused plants. Learn how to enhance your container gardens with perennial and ornamental grasses

SERIES

and how to make the most of your container gardening program.

Kerstin is president of Pen & Petal Inc. She has a thorough knowledge of the international horticulture industry and has worked at several nurs- ¥ g eries in Germany and Denmark and is a well known speaker at industry and home gardening events. She has written two books on container gardening: The EuroAmerican Container Garden Cookbook and Contain Yourself: 101 Fresh IdeasforFantastic Container Gardens. Free to TBG members; non-members $12

DavidTarrant s Gardens of Tabhiti & French Polynesia

October 19-30 2004, I | days

6-star Radisson Seven Seas Paul Gauguin Join David Tarrant, Canada s Favourite Gardener, for garden tours & adventures in a flora and fauna paradise on Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea and Bora Bora.

* Pre cruise in Tahiti, 4 nights deluxe ocean view accommodation

* Onboard Gardening Seminars & private tours

* Exclusive Cocktail Party

* Fine wines, all non- alcoholic beverages and complimentary watersports

US$ 100 shipboard credit per guest! very limited time offer 604 733 1074 or | 800 317 0464

Vancouver

Niagara sFloral Clock modelledafterEdinburgh s

FROM THE SCENIC Niagara Parkway north of Niagara Falls, a steady stream of vehicles converges on an extraordinary timepiece. With its 12-metre (40-foot) dial, the Niagara Parks floral clock has been drawing admirers for over 50 years. In spring, its dial is a colourful geometric composition of privet and spring flora; in summer, the neatly clipped design includes privet, Alternanthera cultivars, and Santolina.

This popular clock was modelled on an equally popular floral clock which was created in Edinburgh in 1903. Installed in 1950 by Ontario Hydro, Niagara s floral timepiece is three times the size of Edinburgh s. The Niagara clock itself has been a model for others, including one installed in West Vancouver in 2001.

Originally, the numbers on the clock were represented by the letters of the words "Ontario Hydro". Today, the clock spells "Niagara Parks" instead. It is one of the largest floral clocks in the world, and its water feature is a rarity. Goldfish and turtles populate the curved pond along with aquatic plants such as cattails and water lilies. Along the sides and back of the clock, evergreens and perennials adorn two gardens. The whole ensemble is a delightful example of garden artistry. JudyHernandez

To submit items to Green Scene about green happenings in andaround Toronto, write to: Editor, Trellis

Toronto Botanical Garden 777LawrenceAvenue East Toronto M3C 1P2

Landscape andArchitecture: Inside Out, Architecture ofthe World JIRIVONDRAK

June 1 to June 14, Upper, Middle and Lower Links

The landscape of New Zealand and North America s west coast

Willowdale Group ofArtists

June 15 to June 28, Upper, Middle and Upper Links

Summer art exhibition and sale.

Bird, Butterfly and Botanical Paintings ELIZABETH POLLACK

June 29 to July 12, Upper Link

Watercolours and acrylics illustrate the artist s love of vibrant colours and the beauty of nature.

The Five Elements RITA NARAS

June 29 to July 12, Middle and Lower Links

The five elements of Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Spirit are explored in oil pastel paintings. For information on Art in the Link, call Cathie Coxat416-397-1358.

PERENNIALS SALE

April 29 to May 2

Thursday to Saturday 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

on ofnew, hard-to-find and e garden-worthy perennials

ers, ornamental grasses, clematis and selection of native perennials

Ldeners and staff horticulturists ailable to answer your questions.

Members-only perennials preview event with - MARION JARVIE

Wednesday, April 28, 7 p.m.

'Preview is followed by a shopping spree at the sale. ter for this event at 416-397-1362 or courses@infogarden.ca

Members receive a 10-per-cent discount on all plants. Join the TBG now, attend the preview night, enjoy first choice at the sale!

e Annuals for co

* Sun and shade

» Master Gardeners and staff horticulturists will be available to answer questions.

NEW!

* Members-only preview night with Paul Zammit

* Learn about the newest and best varieties!

* Buy ahead of the crowd!

Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m., cost $10 Register for this event at 416-397-1362 or courses@infogarden.ca

Members receive 10 per cent off their purchases. Join the TBG now, attend the preview night, enjoy first choice at the sale!

What's on atthe Toronto Botanical Garden|

MAY

1-2

TBG Perennials Sale

May 1: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

May 2: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

TorontoJudging Centre, American Orchid Society

Judging 1 p.m. Open to the public.

Information: www.so0s.ca

Southern Ontario Orchid Society

Meeting, Floral Hall, 12:30 p.m.

Information: www.soos.ca

Greater Toronto Rose and Garden Society Meeting, Studio 3, 2 p.m.

Peter Keeping, Clematis and Roses

Information: 416-485-5907

Edwards Lecture

Thomas Hobbs, The Jewel Box Garden

Floral Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Free to TBG members; public $12

North American Native Plant Society

Spring sale; Floral Hall, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Information: www.nanps.org

Society ofOntario Nut Growers

Nut tree auction, Auditorium, 1 to 4 p.m.

Information: www.songonline.ca

Admission free

Ontario Rock Garden Society

Major plant sale, 12:30 p.m.

Meeting, Floral Hall, 1:30 p.m.

Toby Mulgrave, Rock Gardening and Its History

Information: www.onrockgarden.com

10

Toronto Bonsai Society Meeting, Floral Hall, 7 p.m.

Information: www.torontobonsai.org

Attend a free introductory meeting.

North Toronto Horticultural Society

Plant & garage sale, Floral Hall, 8 p.m.

Glen Cox, Containers: Geranium, Pelargonium, Fuchsia and Accent Plants

Information: 416-480-9379

Ikebana International Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

Yasuko Kodama, Demonstration of Koryu

13-16

TBG Annuals Sale

May 13-15: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

May 16: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ontario Water Garden Society Meeting, Studio 3, noon to 5 p.m.

Information: www.onwatergarden.com

Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club

Meeting, Studio 1, 7 p.m.

Deborah Wisniewska-Jones, Choosing and Preparing Plants for Show

Ben Nogueira, Putting Plants Outdoors for Summer

Information: torontocactus.tripod.com

Free introductory meeting.

Edwards Lecture

Kerstin P. Ouellet, Contain Yourself: Avant-Garde

Gardening, Floral Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Free to TBG members; public $12

Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Meeting, Studio 1, 8 p.m.

Information: 905-686-8058

Toronto African Violet Society

Show and sale, Floral Hall, 11 a.m.

Information: geocities.com/tavsca/tavs.html; 416-964-9305 J UNE 5

TorontoJudging Centre, American Orchid Society

Judging, 1 p.m. Open to the public.

Information: www.soo0s.ca

Southern Ontario Orchid Society Meeting, Floral Hall, 12:30 p.m.

Information: www.soos.ca

Rhododendron Society of Canada

Meeting & show, Administration Foyer, noon Free admission, Information: 416-444-6882

Greater Toronto Rose and Garden Society Meeting, Auditorium, 2 p.m.

Shirley Binns, AJudge s Perspective: Getting Ready to Show

Information: 416-485-5907

Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club

Plant show and sale

Studios 1, 2 & 3, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Admission $2

Information: torontocactus.tripod.com

North Toronto Horticultural Society

Floral Hall, 8 p.m.

David Hobson, A Look at the Lighter Side of Gardening, Information: 416-480-9379

12-13

Toronto Bonsai Society

Show and sale, Floral Hall

Saturday: noon to 5 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission $5

Information: www.torontobonsai.org

Toronto Bonsai Society Meeting, Auditorium, 7 p.m.

Information: www.torontobonsai.org

Attend a free introductory meeting.

Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club

Meeting, Studio 1, 7 p.m.

Deborah Wisniewska-Jones, Cactus and Succulent Ethnobotany

Information: torontocactus.tripod.com

19-20

Through the Garden Gate

Noon to 5 p.m.

Members $25; public $30

Niagara Gardens

TBG out-of-town tour

Members $90; public $110

Information: 416-397-1361

Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society Meeting, Studio 1, 8 p.m.

Information: 905-686-8058

Ontario Herbalists Association

Herb fair

Information: www.herbalists.on.ca

R A i S D R T R e BT RSl IN & AROUND THE GTA

R S e s e e 2 i o T S s Ve A RS MAY 8, JUNE 12

Merlin s Hollow Open House

181 Centre Crescent, Aurora

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission free.

JUNE 6

High Park District Garden Tour

Self-guided tour of 15 gardens.

Tickets, $15 Information: Lillian at 416-534-4043

CLASSIFIED ADS

Ontario Wildflowers Birding and botany tours to The Bruce, Manitoulin Island, Ojibway Prairie and Pelle Island. For free Newsletter and itineraries, call George Bryant at Travel Helpers (416) 443-0583

Toronto Island Garden Tours Sunday, July 11, 18, 25, 1-5 pm, $6, ten or more private gardens each day. The Ward's Island ferry departs from the foot of Bay Street on the hour and the half hour. Follow the signs to 5 Ojibway Avenue for tickets and maps. Info: 416-203-0921 or www.torontoisland.org/gardens.

Northhumberland Big Sisters Garden

Tour June 27, 10-4. Explore nine wonderful gardens in the Northumberland Hills and enjoy fabulous country vistas and views of Rice Lake. Tickets $15. Call 1-888-278-2484

The Dufferin Arts Council DoubleFlowering Garden Tour Sunday May 30 and Saturday August 7. The new way of organising garden tours that gives you a real look at the travails and triumphs of gardens. Tickets $15.00 for both days. For detailed information, see the MarchApril Trellis, or phone: 519-925-5577, or email: lilactree@sympatico.ca

Wanted Person to care for perennial garden, Summer of 2004, Yonge/Sheppard, Please call Luba, 416-229-4357

Toronto Homes for the Aged are looking for gardening enthusiasts to volunteer and assist with Therapeutic Gardening programs in a number of locations across the city. If you would like to play a role in enriching the lives of those we serve in our Homes for the Aged, please contact Kathy Varley at 416-392-8489.