TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN
(formerly The Civic Garden Centre)
Who We Are
The Toronto Botanical Garden is avolunteer-based 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 the qualityoflife for the communityand itsvisitors.
What We Offer
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.
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays noon to 4 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
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
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 of gardening 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, Awdrey Clarke, Mark Cullen, Camilla Dalglish, Sondra Gotlieb, Marjorie Harris, LorraineJohnson, Michele Landsberg, Susan Macauley, Helen Skinner
3% Board of Directors
PRESIDENT: GeoffreyDyer
Brad Badeau, Arthur Beauregard, Susan Burns, Dugald Cameron, PeterCantley, LindsayDale-Harris, Kathy Dembroski, Leslie Denier, TonyDiGiovanni, Heather Dickson, Suzanne Drinkwater, Geoffrey Dyer,JanetGreyson, Ralph Fernando, Mary Fisher, Carol Gardner, Lorraine Hunter,JanetKarn, Linda Ledgett, Sonia Leslie, Doreen Paton, RosemaryPhelan,Jean Read,Jennifer Reynolds, Dawn Scott, Bunny Slater
3¢ Staff Members
Executive Director
Margo Welch
Manager, Communications & Visitor Services Jenny Rhodenizer Manager, Horticultural Services
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Accounting
Administration
Cathie Cox
Kristin Campbell
Joe Sabatino
Shirley Lyons
Program Co-ordinator Agnes Ladon
Development Director
Capital Campaign Director
Janice Turner King
Janice Turner King
Annual Giving Development Co-ordinator ~ Andrea MacIntyre
Development Co-ordinator Niti Bhotoia
Horticultural Assistant
Librarian
Library Assistant
Maintenance Supervisor
Facility & Event Supervisor
Facility & Event Co-ordinator
Supervisor, Children s Education
Teaching Garden Co-ordinator
Sandra Pella
Ruthanne Stiles
Leanne Hindmarch
Walter Morassutti
Stephanie Chiang
Kristin Campbell
Tobin Day
Caley Baker
EDITOR
Lorraine Flanigan
DESIGN
June Anderson
VOLUNTEER
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
T. Coombes, M. Magee
VOLUNTEER
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jennifer Capretta
VOLUNTEER PROOFREADERS
M. Bruce L. Hickey
L. & S. Skinner
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.
Manuscripts submitted on a voluntary basis are gratefully received. No remuneration is possible.
Articles, manuscripts and advertising material must be received by the first of the month to ensure publication eight weeks later. For example, material for the January/February 2005, issue must be received by November 5.
Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the TBG. Submissions may be edited for style and clarity.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.
Charitable business number: 119227486RR0001
Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40013928 ISSN 0380-1470
van Sweden
from the Board
by Geoffrey Dyer ® PRESIDENT
Managing our transition
Thanks to many of you, a great deal of hard
work and good thinking has evolved into an exciting Revitalization Project for the TBG, including a vision for its future that fits within the horticultural landscape and the beautification of our city. The improvements to the existing building and the creation of the greenroof addition will start in early December 2004 and construction is expected to last for almost a year. The making of the gardens is scheduled to start in the spring of2005 with an opening date of 2006. That means our revitalized Toronto Botanical Garden will emerge in 2006 at which time Toronto will have a botanical garden in fact and in name.
During the 15 months of the transition, it will be very challenging to deliver our existing programs. The Trellis Shop will be closed, although some items will be available for purchase during lectures and workshops. The Library will be packed up and stored, but current issues of periodicals and selected reference books will be available to members in the administration area. Courses, lectures, workshops, Teaching Garden programs, most special events and 7rellis magazine will continue to be offered throughout 2005.
Through all of this we are counting on your patience and support. Volunteers will continue to play an essential role in all that we do. Since most of our programs and activities will be offered in 2005, we will need our volunteers to help with program planning and delivery. For those who have worked exclusively in the Library and the Trellis Shop, we will need help with monitoring periodicals and reference books and with sales during lectures and workshops, but we will also need your help for the many activities we have planned. We have enough to keep everyone busy and we value your contribution, so please stay with us!
The board is acutely aware of its responsibility to manage the TBG on a sound financial basis. The construction and transition phases require us to take all reasonable steps to manage and control our expenses while continuing to maintain our core structure including, most importantly, our skilled and dedicated staff who are so essential to our success. Unfortunately, we are unable to keep everyone fully occupied, so some staff changes have become inevitable. During the fall we lost Sandra Pella (horticultural assistant), Lore Fuchs (weekend supervisor), Agnes Ladon (program co-ordinator) and Ruthanne Stiles (librarian). Decisions like this are always difficult, but in this case necessary. In addition to controlling costs, we are exploring many ideas and initiatives on the revenue and financing side of operations to ensure sound financial management.
Momentum is building as the Capital Campaign moves into full swing. Many important and successful fundraising events have been held and more are planned. Our relationship with the City of Toronto is very strong; indeed, we had a very positive meeting with Mayor David Miller this past summer.
Our Friends program has expanded, and I hope for a substantially increased membership as well as strong core support from our Friends both financially and in the dedication of time, energy and talent. It is you who can make this work.
Thanks also go to our dedicated and enterprising board of directors and the many committee members who are demonstrating great leadership and responsibility. Without you our task would be impossible. Here s to the successful completion of our project and to the emergence of Toronto Botanical Garden as both an oasis and an organization that helps bring about a beautiful, clean and horticulturally enlightened Toronto. @
THE ALLAN GARDENS & CENTENNIAL PARK CONSERVATORIES
OPEN DAILY 10 AM - 5PM e e
December5 t ]anuargz
*Scllcclulc of EventsGRAND OPENING ALLAN GARDENS Sunday, December 5 Noon to 5pm
Victorian Carollers
Father Christmas
Hot Cider & Cookies
Horse & Carriage Rides
Children s Activities
ADMISSION FREE
ALLAN GARDENS
(Carlton Street, Between Jarvis and Sherbourne Sts.) 41603927288
CENTENNIAL PARK 151 Elmcrest Road, (Etobicoke Region) 41603948543
ories by Candlelight
December 12-23 & 26-30 5-7 pm
Victorian Carollers ¢ Hot Cider & Cookies
Horse & Carriage Rides
tory by Candlelight: Sunday, December 12 ¢ 5-7 pm
N [ s from the Corner Office
by Margo Welch ¢ Executive DIRECTOR
Developing a long-term vision
oronto Botanical Garden s reputation is Tbuilt largely on its educational programs and services. We have an excellent horticultural library, children s programs, workshops, courses, garden tours and lectures. For many years we have been the place to go to learn about horticulture and gardening. The revitalization project will build upon our unique strengths while offering even more for the public to learn and enjoy. In this phase of our evolution we will reopen in 2006 with spectacular gardens to enthrall visitors, more programs and better services.
But what are our goals beyond the next two years? To plan effectively for the next five, ten and even 20 years, we recognize the need for a long-term vision and goal that would serve as a compass for decision-making. Over the past year, the board and staff have sought advice and ideas from outside experts we asked them what they would recommend we do to make the TBG unique, relevant and viable.
Workshops were held with experts from the scientific community, botanical gardens, museums, landscape architecture and urban planning. To our delight, there was genuine excitement expressed about our potential, and great ideas offered about how to move forward. With this body of new information, together with ideas offered by horticultural groups, members and volunteers, the board and staff set about articulating a direction for the TBG in the next 20 years. With the help of a strategic planner on loan from Loblaw Companies, we stretched our imaginations and dreams to produce a statement that expresses our ambitions and will act as a goal moving forward.
This is the vision statement that we developed to help guide the TBG for the next 20 years:
Toronto Botanical Garden is founded upon and guided by the following core values: learning and education; excellence and innovation; environmental responsibility; and collaboration and inclusiveness.
Our core purpose is to inspire passion, respect and understanding of gardening, horticulture, the natural landscape and a healthy environment.
Our goal is to become a self-sustaining urban oasis while making Toronto the most horticulturally enlightened city in the world.
OURVISION
e Toronto Botanical Garden will be world renowned as a 21st-century botanical garden.
e The gardens of Toronto Botanical Garden will showcase spectacular contemporary and traditional design, featuring the best of native, modern and heritage plants. Through partnerships and affiliations with groups that share our common vision, Toronto Botanical Garden will offer visitors a botanical journey along the celebrated Don Valley ravine system extending from Edwards Gardens to Lake Ontario.
e Toronto Botanical Garden will be a leader in the greening of our city and an internationally recognized educator and advocate for environmentally responsible gardening, horticultural excellence and the preservation of our native landscape and habitats.
e Toronto Botanical Garden will preserve our natural heritage, reflect the diversity of our city and leave a legacy for future generations. @
o =9\
by Kristin Campbell
Volunteers needed during renovations
WHILE THE Toronto Botanical Garden building is under renovation, we ll need our valuable volunteers more than ever. That s why we've developed a modified volunteer program for 2005.
During December and January when the building is closed, the administrative offices will continue to be accessible by telephone and e-mail. In February we will re-open for a full program of courses, workshops and Edwards Lectures. The refurbished Garden Auditorium and Floral Hall will also re-open, and we re excited about the improvements to our two largest venues. It is important to us that we remain a hub for the horticultural community.
Although the Library and Trellis Shop will be closed for most of 2005 due to the extensive renovations to the central part of the building, there will be lots of work for our volunteers. Here are some of the positions that will be available throughout the renovations:
® Volunteer librarians to oversee access for members to current issues of periodicals and selected reference works
* Volunteer staff for the Trellis Shop which will operate in a modified fashion (books, small gift items, and floral materials will be sold at lectures and special events)
* Help in staffing and running our booth at Canada Blooms
* Teaching Garden volunteers at Allan Gardens from November to March and at Edwards Gardens for maintenance and camps from March Break through the summer of 2005.
* Administrative volunteers to help keep the office running smoothly
* Volunteers to help with the administration and delivery of courses and workshops
® Cashiers and assistants for our popular spring annuals and perennials sales
* Volunteers to help with ticket sales, to greet
lecture attendees and take care of refreshments at Edwards Lectures
e Volunteers to call to remind members to renew their membership
e Volunteers for Through the Garden Gate on Father s Day weekend
e Special project volunteers to help research, plan and redesign the rentals department, work on revitalizing the volunteer program and plan for our grand re-opening
Our board and committees will continue their invaluable work, setting the course for the TBG programs, budgets, communications and events.
Watch for information about the progress of our renovations in future issues of 7rellis and the volunteer newsletter, Grapevine. If you have questions or concerns about the renovations and how they will affect you and the volunteer work that you do, please call the Volunteer Office at 416-397-4145 or send an e-mail to volunteers@infogarden.ca.
It won t be business as usual, but there will be plenty of business to take care of and we hope we can count on you to help!
From all of us at the Toronto Botanical Garden, we wish you a very merry holiday season and all the best in the New Year. @
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
'MISTLETOE MAGIC
Set-up: Monday andTuesday, November 15 & 16
Sneak Preview: Wednesday, November 17
Show: Thursday, November 18 through Sunday, November 21
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Volunteers to call members with reminders about renewing their membership
Preparations for Construction
Along with the building reno./ vations, we are tremendously
retail location in our reno- _excited about the creation vated building, the Trellis NN e e JM and rejuvenation of a series Shop is clearing out stock dow & % LS of magnificent gardens in the with weekly sales anda final > "c %g nearly four acres surrounding blow-out sale just before our building. The landscaping closing at the end of "3 team, lead by PMA Landscape n preparation for the big move to our beautiful November. In 2005, some N Architects and the Garden books as well as other items will "hfs; 3 / Implementation Committee, is in still be available for purchase in a o the final stages of the design process. temporary location during lectures, special These new gardens will showcase a variety of events and courses. styles, themes, sizes and design techniques.
From December 1, 2004, all personnel, They will demonstrate environmentally responincluding volunteers, staff and the Toronto sible gardening and will introduce the very best Master Gardeners, will be temporarily relo- of what can be grown in our region. Everyone cated to the administrative area of the build- will be able to enjoy the splendour of the garing. Current issues of periodicals and a selec- dens while learning practical applications for tion of reference books will also be located in their own green space. this area. Members will be able to access Martin Wade Landscape Architects has been these materials during regular business hours. engaged by The Garden Club of Toronto to The remainder of the Library will be securely design the arrival court and entry garden walk. packed and stored until re-opening at the end Piet Oudolf, one of the most-talked-about of 2005. planting designers in Europe, will be collaborating
During the months of December 2004 and on this project. @ January 2005 the building will be closed to the public while upgrades are made to the Moriyama building which houses the Garden Auditorium, board room and administrative
offices. At this time, the Floral Hall will also undergo a facelift. Initiating the renovation of these spaces at the very beginning of the construction schedule will allow the TBG to reopen these rooms as of February 2005. In response to requests we will also have some space available on a limited basis for horticultural groups and business clients. We are committed to maintaining our long-standing relationships with the various horticultural societies and specialty groups that call the TBG their home, and we are very pleased we can now accommodate their requests.
BUILDING ACCESS
During the renovations there will be different access points to the building. One path will lead directly from the parking lot to the patio and front door of the Garden Auditorium on the southwest side of the building. This room will also be accessible through the administrative offices by entering the doors on the west end of the building and proceeding down the staircase.To reach the Floral Hall, visitors will enter by the doors that lead directly into the hall from the patio on the southeast side of the building.
Renovation Timetable 2004/2005
DECEMBER 1 TO MID-JANUARY
FEBRUARYTO MAY
JUNETO AUGUST
SEPTEMBERTO NOVEMBER
Building closed to the public
Building construction begins
Administrative offices can be reached by phone or e-mail
Floral Hall, Garden Auditorium and administrative
offices re-open
Courses, workshops and lectures resume Horticultural and business meetings resume
Landscaping begins
Administrative offices open Floral Hall closed Garden Auditorium open on a limited basis
Floral Hall, Garden Auditorium and administrative offices open
Courses, workshops and lectures resume Horticultural and business meetings resume
Meet our newest Board Members
SUE BURNS
Raised in Toronto, Sue Burns moved to London, England in her youth where a neglected garden captured her heart. She expanded her gardening skills by accepting contract work planting window boxes and rooftop gardens. She returned to Canada and settled in King Township where she has spent the past 24 years creating and expanding the gardens on her family farm. Sue has been involved with the University of Guelph for 12 years and is a founding director of the Yellow Brick House women s shelter in Aurora. She is currently chair of the TBG s 4th annual golf tournament.
JANET KARN
With a bachelor s degree in commerce from the University of Toronto, Janet Karn worked as a chartered accountant for four years with Pricewaterhouse and for 13 years at Cadillac
Fairview. She has recently joined her family s business in mortgage banking. Outside of work, Janet enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors, at her family farm, in her garden and pursuing her other recreational interests. Janet is currently treasurer of the TBG Capital Campaign and a member of the TBG Finance and Audit Committee.
ROSEMARY PHELAN
Educated at Chatham Hall School in Virginia and the University of Vermont, Rosemary Phelan is an owner and director of Cara Operations, Canada s largest full-service restaurant business. Rosemary has lived and gardened in Canada, the United States and New Zealand. She combines her interest in horticulture and cultivating her garden in Collingwood with riding horses and caring for a family of five children.
Growing in greenhouses
WHEN THE DAYS ARE SHORT and the sky is grey, students from across the city will be growing in the new Children s Conservatory at Allan Gardens. This wonderful new teaching facility has been made possible through a partnership between the City of Toronto, the University of Toronto and TD Bank Financial Group. The Ontario Works Incentive Funds Initiative and the Donner Canadian Foundation in association with the Ontario Heritage Foundation have provided endowment support for children s programming. And the Teaching Garden staff at the Toronto Botanical Garden has designed and will implement the school programs.
The historic greenhouse that once stood at the corner of University Avenue and College Street was constructed in 1932 and housed the university s Department of Botany. Researchers focused on pollination, plant diseases and pest resistance. As technology advanced, however, the greenhouse no longer met the developing research requirements of the department and was replaced with more modern facilities. Thanks to this recent partnership of donors, the greenhouse has been successfully reconstructed at Allan Gardens and refurbished as an educational facility.
After its grand opening on October 13, 2004, students from elementary schools (initially, high-needs schools) visited the greenhouse. The programs have been designed for students in grades three and four. Activities include planting and harvesting vegetables, becoming familiar with vermiculture (worm composting), touring the lush greenhouses, and solving botanical mysteries as well as other nature-oriented tasks. Each class takes part in two sessions which give students a chance to harvest the food they grow from seed and to track the progress of plant and worm experiments at their schools.
After the fall school programs at the TBG Teaching Garden finished, Caley Baker and I moved to Allan Gardens for the winter. There, we plan to spend a wonderful season in the greenhouse before returning to the Teaching Garden to begin spring programs in March. The Teaching Garden staff is looking forward to making connections between urban youth and plants.
ALLAN GARDENS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
A variety of volunteer opportunities is available for those interested in supporting the programs at Allan Gardens (and finding warmth in a greenhouse!). Programs will run mornings and afternoons from Monday to Thursday until March. If you or someone you know is interested in helping withTeaching Garden programs over the winter, please contact theVolunteer Office at 416-397-4145 or volunteers@infogarden.ca.
Thanks to our volunteers!
Caley, lanice and Tobin would like to thank all of grams so successfui thls year.Youkept the garden well mamtamed the chlldren actwe and the staff
Mistletoe Magic
Thisyear s arts and crafts show, says Carol Gardner, offers an excitingarray ofpopularand new exhibitors.
his may just be the Tbest Mistletoe Magic we ve ever had, in terms of both quality and variety! Our 13th annual arts and crafts showwill feature the most popular vendors from previous years as well as an exciting array of new exhibitors. There will literally be something for everyone including holiday gift items, scrumptious gourmet food, natural hair and body products, handmade paper and cards, pottery, teas and table linens. There ll be gifts and clothing for children and, for their mothers and grandmothers, we ll have an exciting array of jewellery, including those funky brooches that are de rigueur this year. Pin them on a new chapeau from Dem Hats or Haughty Hats and you ll be ready to attend any event in style! Natural Heritage Books will return with their wonderful Canadiana collection and Milne House and the TBG Pressed Flower and Craft Groups will be there with a wide range of beautifully made decorations. Our sponsor, Sheridan Nurseries, will have elegant outdoor containers, Christmas decor and gifts, decorative branches, patio furniture, garden gifts, custom-designed outdoor arrangements and more.
Mistletoe Magic
NOVEMBER 18 TO 21
Thursday & Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: $5; children under 12 free (door sales only)
We ll welcome back Peter Bell and Pam Grossi, owners of Northern Dipper Enterprises, Canada s largest gourd supplier. The couple started growing gourds on their farm near Wilsonville, Ontario, five years ago, and they are now racing to keep up with demand, supplying North American gourd craftspeople and running workshops for aspiring artists. Their farm produces 16 varieties
of hard-shell gourds (as opposed to the soft-shell gourds we use for decoration in the autumn), and they have made them into just about anything you can imagine. One of their most versatile gourds the bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) has a very long history. Archaeologists have found evidence of them in Mexico and Peru dating from 5,000 to 10,000 B.C.
These days, gourds have a wide range of aficionados, from musicians who use them to make drums and banjos to feng shui masters who swear by their health-enhancing properties. This year, the couple will feature some of their most popular products birdhouses and drums as well as two new ones: jewellery made from gourds and beads, and lamps sporting gourd lampshades.
One of our favourite photographers, Robert Ward, will return with an eclectic mix of wildlife and nature photographs. Ten years ago, Ward took up photography to counterbalance the demands of a banking career, little knowing that he was setting off on a career change that would take him through retirement . Now, he spends his days travelling Canada s back roads in search of scenes that capture the country s essence. He finds beauty everywhere, from old mine shafts and tumbledown barns to the birds and animals that are his favourite subjects.
And speaking of animals wait till you see the creatures made by one of our new vendors Green Piece Wire Art. Owner Peter Braun has been a Niagara-based tree grower and nurseryman all his life. He has always been interested in
wirework and has designed tree baskets that are widely used in the horticultural industry. It seemed a natural step to move on to designing topiary, but Braun wanted to do something different from the very formal, geometric topiary designs that were available. His marriage of imagination and technology combined to launch a joyous collection of designs that are both stunningly beautiful and jolly good fun.
The topiaries over 60 different designs are largely based on animals, although there are also whimsical shoes (for those of us with that particular obsession), teapots, urns and even sleighs. There is literally something for every taste and interest, from bumblebees, frogs and snails to the Loch Ness monster that has been installed in a Chicago park. And if you can t find a design you want among those available (a very unlikely situation), Braun will even do custom orders. The topiaries come filled with sphagnum moss, ready for planting. Braun likes to meld plant and animal characteristics and offers great planting tips such as using silky ornamental grasses to form a horse s mane, hens and chicks, Sempervivum spp., to emulate alligator backs and a crown of mondo grass, Ophiopogon, to adorn the top of a duck s head. If you can pass this display without buying something, you 're a better woman (or man) than I am.
And, don t forget to stop at the Trellis Shop. It will be chock-a-block with beautiful and unusual gardening gifts as well as a wide selection of gardening books. @
SROSRSR SR SR SR SR SR BX PR
B B 3 K
Carol Gardner is a member of the Mistletoe Magic and Trellis Committees.
Reserve Now for a Sneak Preview
Want to beat the crowds? Come to our Opening Night Sneak Preview on Wednesday, November 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. and shop in style, fortified with wine and hors d oeuvres. Advance tickets ($25) are required and are available in theTrellis Shop and the TBG Library as well as by telephone at 416-397-1340. So make a list, bring a friend and give the holiday season a kick-start.
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; Inthe New American Garden, hardscape features complement the surrounding "softscape .
James van Sweden
at Convocation Hall
Oprah sgarden designerspeaks
on art s place
in thegarden
he internationally renowned landscape designer, James van Sweden, presents a special photographic tour of exquisite gardens on Friday, November 19 at the University of Toronto s Convocation Hall.
Art belongs in the garden is Mr. van Sweden s topic, and it draws on his most recent book, Architecture in the Garden. The talk will touch on art s essential aesthetic role in the garden and suggest how designers, gardeners and homeowners can be inspired by sculptures and paintings and how art can be integrated into a design. Ideas for paving, pathways, bridges and fields of colour can come from many eras and styles.
Mr. van Sweden worked as an urban plan-
ner and for a private landscape architecture firm before joining with Wolfgang Oehme to form Oehme, van Sweden & Associates in 1975. Their New American Garden is a design philosophy that reflects the year-round beauty of the natural landscape. Mr. van Sweden describes the style as, gardens of freedom and ease, where wildlife, plant life and human life coexist in harmony. This team is setting a new North American landscape tradition, says Caroline de Vries, president of the Toronto Chapter of Landscape Ontario.
Gardens designed by Oehme, van Sweden allow plants to seek a natural course, resulting in layered masses of foliage that welcome
~In an Ochmie; van.
Sweden gardert, '% plants seek a natural course.
change seasonally. The style is a basic alternative to the typical North American garden scene more relaxed, less like a formula and more sympathetic to the environment.
In the New American Garden the constructed elements and the plants are of equal importance. Carefully designed walls, terraces, steps and other hardscape features complement the surrounding softscape . In his talk, Mr. van Sweden will focus on these elements that make up the backbone of a well-designed garden. By following his practical advice, gardeners can apply his style to their own landscape.
Van Sweden is responsible for designing the World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and the gardens of the Great Basin at the Chicago Botanic Garden as well as many private residences. Oprah Winfrey chose James van Sweden to design the grounds of her estate.
Mr. van Sweden s multidisciplinary design talents encompass architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. He is the author of several
distinguished books about gardening, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and recipient ofmanyprestigious awards. @
Proceedsfrom Mr. van Sweden s talk will directly benefit the Toronto Botanical Garden
Book your tickets now!
Presented by the Landscape Ontario Toronto Chapter and Canada Blooms, this lecture is open to all gardening enthusiasts. It takes place at Convocation Hall on the University of Toronto s main campus on Friday, November 19, at 7 p.m.
Tickets to this special presentation are available from the Canada Blooms office for $25 each: call 416-447-8655 or visit www.canadablooms.com.
van Sweden books in the Trellis Shop
A good supply of James van Sweden s books will be available in theTrellis Shop, including, Architecture in the Garden, Gardening With Nature and Gardening With Water.
That Touch of Whimsy
Carol Gardnerfinds the quickest way to a gardener s soul is through their choice ofornamentation.
hen I first visit a garden, I find myself Wlooking not for plants or garden design but for that elusive ingredient that makes for a great garden: evidence of the soul of the gardener. What, you say, in addition to blood, sweat and money, gardeners must now leave their souls hanging about the garden as well? Well, yes. No matter how grand the garden, if it isn t loved, you can feel it, can t you?
For an increasing number of gardeners, adding a whimsical touch to the garden is their way of imprinting their soul, their connection to their gardens. This summer, I had a chance to visit the home of garden whimsy England. After leading a TBG tour of the gardens of Kent and the Chelsea Flower Show with my fellow guide, Lorraine Hunter, I joined a tour organized by the Garden Writers Association for a
visit to the gardens of East Anglia and a day at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. So if the rest of this article sounds like name-dropping, I can t help it; through these two tours, we saw many of Britain s best gardens and schmoozed with the likes of Christopher Lloyd, Adrian Bloom, Beth Chatto and ex-patriate Canadians Nori and Sandra Pope. Lah-di-dah! On returning home, I was horrified to find that despite rubbing shoulders with the horticultural elite, I was still expected to scoop my share of doggie doings from the garden. So much for brushes with the rich and famous.
The English garden that left me totally gobsmacked (had to bring back at least one expression from England, eh?) was one I had never heard of The Old Vicarage Garden in East Ruston, Norfolk. It s the flight of imagina-
A whimsical mossy bench at Sissinghurst.
tion of Alan Gray and Graham Robeson, two amazingly creative souls who have built a brilliant garden around their Arts and Crafts style house in the Norfolk countryside. When they bought the property 30 years ago, it contained one Albertine rose, some Virginia creeper, five lime trees and a few scrub oaks. Today, the garden rivals, and perhaps surpasses, Sissinghurst.
These two men created a series of garden rooms with brick walls and, within these very traditional garden bones , the pair unleasheda riot of plants and colour combinations that you have to see to believe. But the icing on the cake is the garden ornamentation which could be described as traditional with a twist . You enter the garden through a very ornamental iron gate, but the twist is that instead of the typical black, the gate is painted a vivid blue with gold accents. A slightly scary fuchsia-coloured sculpture called The Paper Lady lurks among the trees, a topiary watering can awaits the gardener and a chicken-wire pheasant contemplates a pond. Two immense sculptures (probably worth the price of a small house) act as centrepieces in two separate garden rooms. This is a huge garden that can easily take a few quirky items and the unusual ornamentation perfectly complements the exuberance of the garden design. If you're planning a visit to England, try to schedule some time in this amazing place (www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk).
Whimsy can, of course, be created with the plants themselves. In Adrian Bloom s Bressingham garden, there is a river of Japanese blood grass flowing through the perennial border, and Sissinghurst sports a garden bench covered in moss. At Chelsea, a garden of carnivorous plants formed a scene that would be perfectly at home on the Space Channel.
The Chelsea show gardens incorporated a number of fanciful elements, particularly the silver-gilt medal-winning garden by designer Diarmiud Gavin. Gavin, a television personality in Britain, designed a garden for the National Lottery Corporation that featured a series of multi-coloured spheres in a curved garden. It was one of those gardens that fell into the love it or hate it category; Harrods department store apparently fell into the former cate-
gory as they featured the lottery ball design in their front windows.
At both shows, many garden ornaments were crafted from recycled materials, with mixed results. Some were funny and charming, but many looked as if the designers had let their nutty uncle Bubba loose in the garden with a chainsaw. The Daihatsu Green Garden, designed by the pupils of Burntwood School for Girls, featured a stunning water feature made from car exhaust pipes. A Hampton Court show garden, described by the designers as funky and kitschy , featured plants in organized disarray , sedum matting and other recylables, all seen through a neon-pink liquid-filled cavity wall. Let your imagination be your guide.
Also at Hampton Court, faerie sculptures abounded, contributing an ethereal air to the gardens they adorned. A fresh and colourful parterre garden sponsored by Loire Valley Wines featured a wine-glass water sculpture which sounds awful but was quite beautiful. Many show garden walls were painted in strong reds, purples and blues to great effect.
While talking about the flower shows, let s not forget the vendors (I certainly didn t). You can buy just about anything for the garden or the gardener at these shows. A variety of topiary creatures can be crammed onto a plane as can colourful pots and tuba-playing frogs reminiscent of those in Frank Cabot s Les Quatre Vents garden. One thing that didn t make it on the plane with me was something called Barrel Man - an eye-bulging, grey-faced creature billed as a bit of gothic humour . Barrel Man emerges from a water-filled barrel in your garden like a ghost of the hunchback of Notre Dame. As soon as he saw the creature s picture, my husband castigated me for not buying it. Lit up eerily at night, he said, it would surely have rid the garden of the assorted wildlife that make a mockery of garden planning.
Perhaps some souls should be left out of the garden after all. @
Carol Gardner is an award-winning garden writer as well as a member of the Trellis Committee.
kirchtreesmakeelegant S iter silhouettes.
Betula Birch
In this excerptfrom his Best Trees for Your Garden, Allen Patersonfinds beauty in birches.
Everyone wants a silver birch. But which distribution in the wild, being the archetypal woody plant of hilly northern regions throughout Europe and into Asia. Thus it will take with impunity almost all the vagaries of Old World climate, making thin, elegant trees of up to 100 feet (30 m), though half that is more typical. Any observation of a bit of natural birch wood will exhibit considerable variation in form, with individual plants being noticeably more pendulous and others showing whiter bark. Particularly fine cultivars have been selected and named.
one? There are white-barked birches from North America, from Europe and from the Orient. All are lovely, but in cultivation terms they are not necessarily interchangeable. North American insect pests, for example, find exotic species easy game presumably natives have developed a certain resistance to the equally native birch borers and leaf miners. In most cases, therefore, and especially in North America, it is wise to make one s choice from those species known to be reasonably immune. But then not all birches are silver : all species have the ability to shed strips of bark horizontally and often vertically, exposing new layers and new colors beneath; these may be cream, pink, buff or brown, sometimes shining, sometimes matt.
Beauty of bark is not the only virtue of birches. There is rapidity ofgrowth: a 12-inch-high (30 cm) seedling may reach 20 feet (6 m) in 10 years, yet without any feeling of imbalance. They offer a lightness of branch pattern, often clear yellow autumn color and an elegant winter silhouette. Birches can make admirable lawn specimens as single-stemmed trees, especially when grown in a multi-stemmed form, As the trunks colors and textures are the prime reason for growing birches, it makes obvious sense to grow one that is multistemmed, though this is done far more in North America than in Britain, where good three- or five-stemmed specimens are much less commonly available. One way of circumventing the search is to plant several small plants, not all the same size, in one well-prepared hole. Clever early staking can produce an interesting shape at maturity. Such plants are admirable at mediating that area in larger spaces where lawn meets woodland, by linking the vertical with the horizontal.
Silver birch in Britain means Betula pendula; in North America, this species is generally known as European white birch. It has a huge
B. pendula Dalecarlica is one of these. Known as Swedish birch, it is recorded from the mid-18th century and renowned for its shower of weeping branch ends and almost fingered leaves. A most beautiful plant, B.p. Tristis has a similar habit on a tall, narrow tree with entire leaves. But the pendulous habit is not always synonymous with elegance. Young s weeping birch (B.p. Youngii ), so often recommended as the silver birch for small gardens, is nothing of the kind. It is incapable of producing leading shoots, so it has to be grafted on to a high standard stock from which Mr. Young s growth falls, hiding any silver trunk. The resultant mushroom is admirable as a refuge for small children playing hide and seek but lacks all the grace of common silver birch that grown-ups want.
Two other variants have their uses: B.p. Fastigiata , as a stiffly upright form, is obviously a botanical oxymoron. Obelisk may also be available, and both are useful to frame a gate or point a vista. Very different is the purple-leaved birch (B.p. Purpurea ). It can look rather heavy but lights up well with variegated shrubs such as golden elder.
On the whole, with its combination of virtues, this native is the best silver birch for general use in European gardens. But, inevitably, we are apt to lust after exotic species, which the Orient is very ready to supply.
For brilliance of bark, none surpasses B. jacquemontii from the western Himalayas; it has a rich creaminess in its color, emphasized by dark lenticel lines. The ground beneath it can be strewn with shreds of shed bark. Growth is upright, with large lustrous leaves that turn a golden yellow in autumn. It should be noted that nomenclatural confusion is apt to dog this plant; authorities now relegate it to a geographic subspecies of B. utilis. For most of us, it is better not to worry about such niceties but just look to reputable nurseries offering names of selections that have been given the British AGM, such as Doorenbos or Silver Shadow , where other worthwhile species can also be found. B. ermanii, for example, from Russia s Pacific rim, is renowned for its beautiful peeling bark, which, though predominantlywhite, has pink and cream shading. As a multi-stemmed tree it is particularly attractive. Stock has been propagated from the famous specimen at Grayswood Hill in Surrey whose name it takes, and this, with its AGM attached, is worth searching out.
As mentioned above, these Old World and oriental birches, though happy enough in North America in the lower climatic zones, are mostly vulnerable to borers. There is one exception. This is Whitespire , a vegetatively propagated form of the Japanese white birch (B. mandshurica var. japonica), which becomes a good medium-sized tree in the Midwest states (it originated at the University of Wisconsin). Otherwise, North American gardeners should stick with the considerable range ofNorth American birches.
The paper birch (B. papyrifera) does for the North American high latitudes what B. pendula does for Europe. It has a rather heavier outline, with bigger leaves, and its famously white trunk takes the color higher into the canopy. Splendid multi-stemmed plants are seen in East Coast gardens way up into Labrador. Zone 6 is probably a sensible limit to the south. Any birch that is not flourishing is more likely to be badly attacked by borers and leaf miners than healthy specimens, and spraying is both an effort and environmentally undesirable. The paper birch commonly exceeds 50 feet (15 m) in the wild and, like most birches, looks well long before
maturity. As well as offering fine bark, it has a clear butter-yellow fall color that is outstanding.
The other worthwhile North American birches are a great contrast. The yellow birch (B. lutea) and B. lenta both have polished brown bark and good autumn color and again exceed 50 feet (15 m) in height. The former seems more able to accept British conditions, as does the lovely river birch (B. nigra). Its natural habitat is along streams and rivers in the southeastern United States. This tree typically branches into three or more trunks low down, which of course helps to show offmore of the flaking dark-cinnamon bark. Mature trees are splendidly statuesque. Moist soil is more necessary in North America, with its hotter summers. We should celebrate its ability to thrive in land that stands waterlogged after spring floods. Heritage is a valuable cultivar with pinkish-white bark and is by far the best near-silver birch in such sites.
As is obvious, many birches are from poor soils and situations the snow-bent B. jacquemontii (or B. utilis) on 8,000-foot (2,500 m) Kashmir mountainsides are a sight to behold; in cultivation, therefore, they will accept pretty poor conditions. But the mere fact of being away from the home for which they are environmentally programmed adds further stress. We may expect birches to be a part of a planned plant association, the light shade they provide being perfect for rhododendrons. But in shallow soil the tree, naturally dominant above ground, will be equally so below, soaking up available moisture like a sponge to the visible detriment of everything beneath. Where deeper rooting is possible, good mulching around the shrubs will permit that desirable layered effect of well-furnished garden space. @
Reprinted and excerpted with permission from FireflyBooksLtd.
Allen Paterson talks trees
Find out which trees flourish in theToronto area at the Edwards Lecture on Monday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m in theTBG s Floral Hall. The author will sign his books following his talk.
SPOTLIGHT ON 100 Yea§in Mrs. Butchart sGardens
]anetDmstracemhzstorjm
-:oumferIsland landmark
Kennedy married Robert Pim Butchart of Owen Sound, they launched a loving partnership that would produce two daughters, a successful family business and one of the most spectacular display gardens in the world.
Those days were boom years in North America, and young entrepreneurs were capitalizing on the building needs of an exploding population. Several years after their marriage, R.P,, as he was known, left his family s hardware business and launched the Owen Sound Portland Cement Company. Following his success in Ontario, Butchart travelled to British Columbia to evaluate a rock quarry north of Victoria. In 1904, the Vancouver Portland Cement Company opened, and Jennie and their two daughters joined R.P. in the west. They called their new home Benvenuto, welcome in Italian, and planted a solitary rose bush and a packet ofsweet pea seeds.
As the cement business prospered, blasting and drilling in the quarry produced ear-splitting noise and clouds of dust. Jennie retreated to the quiet northern slope overlooking Brentwood Cove and went to work with a Japanese landscape artist to create a serenely beautifulJapanese garden.
In 1909, with the depleted quarry abandoned, Jennie began the gargantuan task of transforming it into a sunken garden. She hiredahead gardenerand directed men from the cement plant in placing the vast quantities of topsoil needed to cover the rock floor. It was not unusual to see Jennie herself hanging over the quarry s edge in a bosun s chair, tucking ivyplants into crevices in the sheer rockface.
As the years passed, the original cottage was remodelled and enlarged, adding a billiard room, saltwater swimming pool, tennis court and con-
servatory. Through the years the public was welcomed into the garden, and by 1915, tea had been served to 18,000 visitors.
In 1939, after ill health forced R.P. to move with Jennie into Victoria, they made a gift of Benvenuto to their grandson, lan Ross. Following a wartime tour of duty, lan abandoned law school in Toronto and returned to Victoria with his wife and children, intent on turning his grandmother s garden into a major tourist attraction. In 1964, he marked the garden s 60th year by installing an elaborate fountain in a small water-filled quarry adjacent to the sunken garden; in the years that followed, firework displays on Saturday evenings encouraged visitors to stay until dark.
Today, Jennie Butchart s garden welcomes one million visitors yearly. Many come in the spring to see the spectacular displays of flowering bulbs. Many more arrive in June and July, when the roses, delphiniums and other perennials are at their best, or in summer, when dahlias and brilliant annuals enliven the scene. Still more visit in autumn, when the Japanese maples and other trees take on their fall hues.
The garden remains a family business. And this past April, a lovely, ruby red, lily-flowered tulip bloomed for the first time. Petite, sturdy, yet elegant like the gardens founder, it bears thename ]ennieButchart (3
TBG member]anet Dawsspent her rst I0years in Victoria andhasfondmemories oftheButchart Gardens, then and now.
Visit the Butchart Gardens
The gardens can be visited year-round. Hours vary. For more information, visit www.butchartgardens.com
In 1884, when 18-year-old Jennie Foster
Photo: Janet Davis "-"
FAVOURITE INDOOR PLANTS
Cathie Coxrecommends a collection ofhouseplants to getyou through the winter
Echeverias are among many highly collectible succulents.
I
HAVE
RARELY MET A PLANT
that [ didn t admire or desire, and with our long cold winters I feel it is important to have an indoor plant collection to appreciate and care for, and to help keep the air free of toxins. My taste in houseplants tends to change radically from year to year. I am a collector by nature, and a glimpse of one desirable plant will send me into a frenzied tour of garden centres to find more of a similar nature or family.
All my plants spend their summer vacation outside on the back patio if they are shade lovers and in the front courtyard if they require more light. They all seem to thrive and regain their initial vigour. Some have even been cured of spider mite and scale naturally with the aid of local insect predators.
I have a particular fondness for the ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata, which originates in Mexico where it can grow four metres (13 feet) tall and have one-metre (three-feet) long
grass-like evergreen foliage. In a pot, the trunk becomes markedly swollen at its base and the foliage, which is produced in a rosette, will elongate with age and become attractively wavy. These palms, which are almost impossible to kill, store water in the enlarged base and can do without watering for weeks, even months, at a time. They prefer high light but tolerate lower light conditions really well.
Succulents make fascinating houseplants providingyou have good light and water them deeply but infrequently. Available in all shapes, colours and sizes they can be grown singly or massed and provide continuous entertainment with their unusual growth habits and funky flowers. Leaving them outside until the weather starts to chill often initiates a sudden explosion of flowers. Echeveria, Crassula, Agave and Cotyledon are all highly collectible succulents but my particular weakness is for velvet leaf, Kalanchoe beharensis, with its large 15-centimetre (six-inch) triangular,
wavy olive green leaves covered in brown woolly hairs. In its native land of Madagascar, it can grow to a height of 135 centimetres (4.5 feet), but in a pot it is more likely to grow only to 50 centimetres (20 inches). The panda plant, Kalanchoe tomentosa, is another favourite with thick, oblong leaves covered in tactile silvery grey felt with pronounced brown markings at the tips. The panda plant is a considerably smaller potted plant than velvet leaf, growing to a height of only about 30 centimetres (one foot).
The wavy-leaved echeverias, cultivars of Echevaria crenulata, are plants with personality plus! They look their best when placed in a group. Seemingly identical when purchased, these succulents reveal their differences as they mature. Their flattened leaf rosettes come in shades of blue, lilac and silvery grey, a variety of leaf sizes and shapes and, most exciting of all, have reddened wavy edges that can be either showy or subtle in tone. They all produce spikes of soft red and apricot-yellow bell-shaped flowers in summer. Succulents should be grown in a south- or west-facing window and planted in clay pots filled with cactus soil mix. In winter most succulents prefer cooler conditions and should be watered only once a month.
My next two top choices, rosary, Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii, and bead vines, Senecio rowleyanus, are also succulents, but they are easier to site as they can be suspended in small hanging baskets or pots. The rosary vine, or string of hearts, has a series of fleshy purpletinged, silvery grey marbled, green heartshaped leaves strung on long 60-centimetre (24-inch) slender, trailing stems. Small lanternshaped reddish pink flowers add to the plant s charm. The bead vine, or string of beads, consists of trailing stems and a series of spherical bright green leaves which are slightly pointed at one end. The tiny white shaving-brush-like flowers are interesting rather than showy.
The monkey plant, Ruellia makoyana, has remained a firm favourite of mine for many years. It has velvety, white-veined and purpleflushed deep green foliage and bright carminered, trumpet-like flowers that seem to bloom
most of the year. This plant will spread to make a bushy, low-growing, compact plant suitable for a terrarium or provide a focal point if grown on its own. It prefers indirect, fairly bright light, is very easy to grow and is a great alternative to the ever-present African violet. Saintpaulia cvs. Ruellia macrantha is a much taller shrub-like cousin of the monkey plant that has blue-violet flowers and is also long flowering. The friendship plant, Pilea involucrata, shares a number of similar characteristics with the monkey plant. It is easy to grow, has attractive foliage, is an ideal plant for a terrarium and can be cut back if it starts to look leggy. This low-spreading plant has beautiful broadly ovate, reddish bronze crinkled foliage that ages to bronzy green with a silvery overlay. The Pilea genus includes the aluminium plant, P. cadieri, and P. involucrata Moon Valley as well as the artillery fern, P. microphylla; all are tolerant of less-than-perfect conditions and are worth growing for their interesting foliage.
I am not a lover of orchids, with the exception of the slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum spp. This orchid has extremely long-lasting large single flowers that are subtle but stunning in their combinations of green, white and maroonbrown shades, stripes and blotches. They have elegant pale green evergreen foliage that is occasionally mottled, with no ugly pseudobulbs to mar the view. I give them strong indirect light, fertilize them when I remember (which is not often), keep them moist when in flower and, despite their reputation, have had no problems with them (yet!).
My final choice among indoor plants is the caladiums, Caladium cvs. Their huge, heartshaped, fragile colourful leaves make their flowers redundant. Originally from South America, these plants grow from tubers and require fairly good indirect light and warmth. They come in a variety of shades of pink, red, and white and green that look dramatic when grouped. | grow mine outdoors in the shade in summer once the weather is reliably warm. @
Cathie Cox is Manager, Horticultural Services, at the Toronto Botanical Garden.
by Anna Leggatt
The genus Cornus
ALTHOUGH I DON T RECALL seeing Cornus growing in England, during my first summer in Canada I saw wonderful dogwoods in the woodlands and gardens out west. These flowering dogwoods were Cornus nuttallii, the provincial flower of British Columbia. Since then, I've discovered Cornus florida, flowering dogwood, Cornus mas (called the cornelian cherry because it has red, cherry-like edible fruit), the red stems of Cornus stolonifera, red osier dogwood, and the pagoda dogwood, Cornus alternifolia, with its branches arranged in graceful tiers.
Now there s an improved cultivar of C. alternifolia called Argentea . It has leaves with a creamy white border so that from a distance it appears to form a silvery pyramid. Because this cultivar is often grown from grafts (which is difficult to do), these trees are available in limited quantities and may be expensive, but buy as large a tree as you can afford as young grafts may be weak. Another newly available pagoda dogwood is C.a. Golden Shadows its wide golden leaf edges look terrific. Very few are available at the moment, but do get one when you see it!
Cornus kousa, kousa dogwood, is a flowering dogwood that is perfectly hardy in the Toronto area. It flowers from mid-June to mid-July and produces red fruits that look like glossy raspberries. Some of these dogwoods have pink flowers: C.k. Satomi is one of the best.
There are also some vigorous Cornus hybrids such as C. Eddie s White Wonder , weeping forms (C.k. Weaver s Weeping ) and many with variegated leaves edged with yellow or white. My favourite is C.k. WolfEyes . It has a strongwhite variegation
that makes you look twice to see the flowers! The foliage of all of these flowering dogwoods turns a reddish purple for two or three weeks in the fall unless the weather turnsverycold.
There are many different cornelian cherries, too. Golden Glory has an upright habit, C. mas Variegata has creamy-white leaves and Aureoelegantissima has an irregular yellow and pink variegation.
The low-growing shrubby dogwoods have some of the best winter colour. The stems of C. alba Aurea and Sibirica are bright red; C. stolonifera Flaviramea' has yellow branches; and Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire and Winter Beauty have orangey red stems. For best colour, all of them should be cut back each year as the youngest wood yields the best colour. These dogwoods are all stoloniferous, so they will spread. Dogwoods can be > enjoyed year-round. As you read this, their autumn colour may still be making brilliant patches in your gardens. But before long red, yellow or orange twigs will lift up out of the snow, and frost will silver the branches of the pagoda dogwood. Enjoy these until the cornelian cherry buds swell in March into patches of yellow. Cornus florida will make a splash in May as will the more discreet clusters of C. alternifolia and C. alba. June will bring another splash as C. kousa turns white. With September come the berries that attract wildlife; soon after the cycle is complete with the return of fallcolours t
Anna Leggattis aMasterGardener, garden writerandactive TBG
volunteer.
Cornus kousa
M ExpertadvicefromtheMasterGardeners
Q Do you know how to force a bird of paradise plant, Strelitzia reginae, to bloom?
A You did not say how old your bird of paradise is, but they take seven to 10 years to bloom when grown from seed! So, yours may not be mature yet. While you re waiting, here are the conditions they like: at least four hours of direct sunlight every day and bright light the rest of the day; a fairly rootbound pot; warm temperatures during the day (20-22°C/68 to 72°F) but cooler at night (10 to 13°C/50 to 55°F). Bird of paradise also likes to be fed a 10-10-10 fertilizer every two weeks between March and September. So, if you re doing all of these things, | think the only other requirement is patience! Good luck.
Strelitzia may take years to bloom.
Q How do I overwinter begonias?
A Wax begonias, Begonia semperflorens, can be brought indoors and treated as houseplants. If they become long and leggy , cut them back. Keep them in a bright window but out of direct sun.
Tuberous begonias (various Begonia groups) should be lifted from the garden before a hard frost. Allow the tubers to dry by laying them on newspaper for a few days. When dry, discard the leaves and place tubers in peat moss. Keep at a temperature of between 5 and 10°C (40 and 50°F) for two to three months. In early spring, pot them
Begonia tubers must be stored over winter. up in a soilless mix, placing the tubers on top of the mix. Put the pot in a bright window. Keep the soil barely moist until top growth appears, then increase watering. Plant outdoors when all danger of frost is over. @
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!
mussels martinis tapas select beer
RIVERSIDE
730 queen st e & NENol @)} =S(@)] No}1NW open Tuesday throughSaturday 5pm to 11pm riverside-cafe.ca
mussels martinis tapas select bee
lllustrations: Vivien Jenkinson
Herbal Delights: The Use of Medicinal and Culinary Plants in History
Sunday, November 7 - 1 to 3 pm
In this hour-long talk discover the many uses of plants, such as Love Lies Bleeding, and Motherwort, to cure all manner ofills and delight the palate. Afterward enjoy teas and sweets from related recipes. s
$15 plus Tax. Pre-registration recommended.
n]m 'I'
Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens L nnnNm CUlture 285 Spadina Road, next door to Casa Loma www.toronto.ca/culture/calendar.htm 416-392-6910
Stocking Stuffers
Super-shopper Carol Gardnerfills a stocking full ofgarden-varietygifts.
IF YOU CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS in a big way, you may be trying to gear yourself up for that most frustrating of shopping tripsChristmas stocking stuffers. It s easy to shop for the children on your list just stuff the stocking full of sugary things and watch their mothers go mad trying to calm them down. (Actually, this part can be a lot of fun as long as they aren t your children and you re not staying for dinner.) But what do you buy for adults that is small, inexpensive and charming? [ happen to be an expert in this area, not because I do it so well, but because [ do it with such gusto. I buy stocking stuffers all year long, only to be crestfallen when my husband says it s a really nice bird whistle, but when will [ use it? or a grown son rolls his eyes as he retrieves a pen made to resemble a corn on the cob. Never mind, artists are seldom recognized in their own time.
That s the bad news. The good news is that if the person on your list is a gardener, your task will be immeasurably easier because there s a plethora of great gardening items available this year. Here are a few of my favourites: Gardenimport (www.gardenimport.com) has come up with a brilliant idea: they ll sell you a card with a colour photograph of a plant and then deliver the real thing to the recipient in the spring. They also carry a wide range of seeds, including different varieties of the wonderful love-in-a-mist, Nigella. This delicate, ferny annual blooms in late summer and selfseeds reliably. The seedpod, with its purple and green stripes, is every bit as beautiful as the flower itself.
Loblaws is selling a lovely and unusual little plant called a frosty fern, Selaginella kraussiana. It s green on the bottom and white on top just like a little cupcake, but without the calories. They also have paperwhites, amaryllis, hyacinth-glass kits and mixed bulb baskets.
The Trellis Shop has posy pin holders, a wide assortment of garden jewellery, McBlooms creams and Foxgloves those practical and vibrantly coloured garden gloves that are so popu. ® lar. For kids, there s Let s Look at Bugsan 1nv151bleink picture book as well as bug mazes and sticker books for every interest.
For guerrilla gardeners, Rittenhouse (www.rittenhouse.ca) has U-Dig-It stainless steel folding trowels and Lee Valley Tools (www.leevalley.com) has a huge catalogue full of ideas. I must admit, however, that my favourite Lee Valley tools have only a tenuous link with gardening a set of stainless steel measuring spoons that fit perfectly into spice jars. How clever is that?
If you re not inspired by any of the above, I also have a good source for a never-before-used birdwhistle t'
Carol Gardner zlsa memberoftheMistletoeMagic and Trelliscommittees.
by Ruthanne Stiles LIBRARIAN I
RENOVATION CLOSURE
SADLY, ON NOVEMBER 30 the TBG Library will close for many months as the renovation of the TBG s building proceeds. As the only special library in Toronto that offers access and borrowing privileges seven days a week to a unique collection of horticultural material, it will be much missed by staff, volunteers, the public and TBG members.
Beginning at the end ofJanuary currentissues of periodicals and a basic selection of reference books from the Library s collection will be available to staff, TBG members and Master Gardeners. These will be located in the administration area. The balance of our large collection will be packed up and moved into secure storage until we are able to rehouse it at the end of2005.
During our closure, here is a list of other libraries where you may be able to find horticultural information.
¢ The Toronto Public Reference Library (a smallbut excellent collection on avariety ofgardening subjects). (www.tpl.toronto.on.ca)
* Local branches ofthe Toronto Public Library (www.tpl.toronto.on.ca)
* Noranda Earth Sciences Library, UniversityofToronto. (www.library.utoronto.ca)
o Shore & Moffatt Library, Faculty ofArchitecture, Landscape & Design, UniversityofToronto. (www.library.utoronto.ca)
¢ Libraryand InformationCentre, ROM, affiliatedwith UniversityofToronto. (www.library.utoronto.ca)
¢ Canadian College ofNaturopathicMedicine Learning Resources Centre. (www.ccnm.edu)
* RoyalBotanical Gardens (Burlington), Library. (www.rbg.ca)
Unfortunately, with the exception ofTPL branch libraries, all of these libraries restrict the general public to non-circulating, reference use only. Let s hope the renovation moves along quickly so that we can soon enjoy the spaciousness and ease ofaccess of the new facility.
Ruthanne Stiles with the assistance ofMara Arndt &Leanne Hindmarch
Book REVIEW
Greenhouse Gardener s Companion By Shane Smith; illustrations by Marjorie C. Leggitt Golden, CO, Fulcrum Publishing, 2002 (revised); xiv, 498 pages; $30.95
WRITING IN TERMS SIMPLE
enough for novice gardeners, Shane Smith leads the reader through the stages and requirements of gardening in a green- £4 house including methods of " dealing with problems, pests and diseases. A special section of the book contains an exhaustive alphabetical list of plants suitable for greenhouse growing including seasonal and house plants.This revised and expanded edition also features a new section on orchids with practical guidance for successfully growing basic orchid families. The author also stresses using the greenhouse in summer as well as winter advice that is applicable even in Canadian climates.
Graced by more than 250 new illustrations, with many instructive photos and charts, this comprehensive and entertaining book is an invaluable companion for any aspiring greenhouse gardener. This thorough overview of greenhouse gardening brings our current library collection on the topic right up to date.
Reviewed byMadge Bruce
Web site REVIEW
Where s the Glue Gun?
ONE YEAR I RECEIVED a Christmas gift most beautifully decorated with an angel made of goldsprayed pine cones and acorns. Ifyou enjoy making your own festive ornaments, visit vt.essortment.com/makingwreaths_ruit.htm. This site will give you suggestions, not only for wreaths but for ornaments and wrapping paper too.
Remember to decorate outside your home as well by filling your window boxes, urns and patio pots with evergreen branches and pine cones. I found Mark Cullen s article on this subject well worth a visit: www.canada.com/national/features/ holidayguide/holidaynews/xmasboxes.html. Happy decorating!
ReviewedbyJeanMcCluskey
Decorators Finds
JEANNE CAMERON BROWN
October 25 to November 11, Upper Link
Jeanne Cameron Brown paints in oils and acrylics. One hundred of her paintings now reside around the world in private homes, galleries and corporations.
History in Colour BUD SHAPIRO
October 25 to November 11, Middle & Lower Links
0Oil paintings from four years as village artist at Black Creek PioneerVillage and still lifes offruit and flowers.
Studio Artists ofThornhill
November 22 to November 29, Upper, Middle & Lower Links
The Studio Artists ofThornhill present a show of oils and watercolours.
All are welcome to the opening reception on November 23, 7 to 9 p.m.
Shebanaliy
TORONTO CHAPTER 208
EXPRESSIONS
23" Annual Flower Show
Saturday November 13, 2004.
Sunday November 14, 2004.
DEMONSTRATION BY
MR. GREGORY WILLIAMS
SUNDAY NoV, 14, 2004. 2PM 4PM
Toronto Botanical Gardens
777 Lawrence Ave East (at Leslie)
Admission $20 good for both days
Ticket Information Linda 416-784-3752
Lectires o= | Edwards Lectures
SPEAKER: ALLEN PATERSON
Topic: THE BEST TREES FORYOUR GARDEN WHEN: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 7:30 P.M. WHERE: FLORAL HALL
TREES ARE THE ONLY organisms that can compete with man s works and provide a context for them. The trees you choose for your garden will influence not onlyyour own yard but also the house and even the neighbourhood and beyond, so making the right choice is vital. Allen Paterson will explore the diversity of fine trees that flourish in the Toronto area and which offer beauty of flower, foliage, bark, fruit and fall colour. He will also offer practical and proven ideas for placing trees to best effect and using them creatively with other trees, shrubs and plants.
Allen Paterson is the author ofPlantsforShade and Woodland, A History of the Rose, and Designing a Garden. He was the former curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden, former director of the Royal Botanical Gardens and consultant editor to Reader s Digest s Creative Gardening. Free to TBG members; non-members $12 at the door.
What's on at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
NOVEMBEHR
1-30
Trellis Shop Blowout Sale
6
Seeds of Diversity
20th Anniversary Conference & Annual Meeting
Garden Auditorium, Studios 1, 2, 3, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This event is geared to anyone with a passion for gardening, seed saving, garden history, plant diversity, environmental conservation or horticultural education. Program includes keynote address, four seminars, seed-saving demonstration and heritage seed sales.
Admission: pre-registration $15; $20 at the door
Information: mail@seeds.ca; www.seeds.ca
7
Southern Ontario Orchid Society Meeting, Floral Hall, 12:30 p.m.
Information: www.soos.ca
8
Edwards Lecture
Speaker: Allen Paterson
Topic: The best trees for your garden Floral Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Free to TBG members; public $12
9
North Toronto Horticultural Society Meeting, Floral Hall, 6 p.m.
2nd Annual Member s Short Slide Show Festival, Potluck Dinner and Awards Night
Information: 416-488-3368
13, 14
Ikebana International Show & sale
Floral Hall & Garden Auditorium
Information: 905-642-4229
14
Greater Toronto Rose & Garden Society
Speaker: Joel Schraven
Topic: New rose introductions for 2005
Studio 3, 2 p.m.
Information: 416-282-4434
17
Mistletoe Magic Sneak Preview
6 to 9 p.m.
Admission $25 (advanced tickets required: call 416-397-1484)
18-21
Mistletoe Magic
Holiday craft & gift show
Thursday & Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: $5 (children under 12 free)
22
Southern Ontario Orchid Society
Newcomers meeting, Boardroom, 7:30 p.m.
Information: www.soos.ca
Mycological Society
Speaker: Professor Tom Volk Garden Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Information: www.myctor.org
23
Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club
Speaker: Dave Naylor
Topic: Mid-Western USA Cacti in Habitat Plants of the Month: Coryphantha &Monanthes
Studio 2, 7 p.m.
Information: http://torontocactus.tripod.com
24
Ikebana International
Meeting, Studio 1, 7:30 p.m.
Information: 905-642-4229
Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society
Christmas Party, Floral Hall, 6 p.m.
Information: 905-686-8058
27
Toronto Judging Centre of the American Orchid Society
Judging, 1 p.m. Open to the public.
Information: www.soos.ca
28
Geranium and Pelargonium Society
Show and sale, Studios 1, 2, 3, 1 to 4 p.m.
Information: 905-683-0935
Ontario Rock Garden Society
Speaker: Rod Shaver
Topic: Special Plants
Garden Auditorium
Plant sale 12:30 p.m.; speaker 1:30 p.m.
Information: www.onrockgarden.com
Rhododendron Society of Canada
Speaker: Tom Atkinson
Topic: Companion plants for rhododendrons, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. As a professional mechanical engineer he likes to see his plants with the green end pointing straight up .
Boardroom & Administration Foyer, 2 p.m.
Information: 416-444-6882
IN & AROUND THE GTA e
NOVEMBER 19
ART BELONGS IN THE GARDEN
James van Sweden
Convocation Hall, University of Toronto
7 p.m.
Admission: $25; students $20
Information: 416-447-8655 ext. 22
BLOWOUT SALE!
TheTrellis Shop will be closing on December 1 to allow renovations to begin.
A And so most of our stock must go.
November 1 to 21
25 per cent OFF
All giftware, gardening supplies, cards, floral design products, kids' toys and books
November 22 to 30
50 per cent OFF
Selected giftware,soils,fertilizers,organic pesticides and fungicides,kids' toys and books
Booksand floral art supplieswill be availablefor sale in 2005 following lectures and courses whilethe newTrellis Shop is being built.
CLASSIFIED ADS
Ontario Wildflowers Birding and botany tours to The Bruce, Manitoulin Island, Ojibway Prairie and Pelee Island. For free Newsletter and itineraries, call George Bryant atTravel Helpers (416) 443-0583
Complete run Canadian Gardening 19902004 over 90 issues. $190 plus postage/packing; free delivery inToronto. 416-481-3895.
CHELSEA 2005 - Tentative dates for 2005 are 23 May 02 June when we will visit RHS Wisley, Kew Gardens and Chelsea, the world s greatest flower
show. Selected guided visits to prominent castles, manor houses and stately homes in addition to London sightseeing with British Airways direct flights to London also included at Cad $3899.00 per person double occupancy. World Expo Garden Tour of Japan, Kyoto:Nara:Nagoya 07 May 15 May 2005 JAPAN Springtime Nature Tour to Hokkaido & Honshu Islands, 03 June 18 June 2005. GREECE in Autumn - Off the beaten track experience -08-27 October 2005. Please register your interest for more detailed itineraries for these tours by contacting 905-6838411 e-mail Ibates@on.aibn.com