TBGNews
ON THE gO
visit the tBg at Canada Blooms, March 16 to 25, where we’ll be sponsoring the cityscapes series with main stage presentations on containerscaping by paul Zammit and Frank Ferragine, on Kidscaping with liz Hood, natalie Harder, Jasmine green, on Foodscaping with marjorie, Jeff and Derek mason and on cityscaping with Allan Kling. in the gardening solutions area, the tBg’s lunch and learn garden Basics series offers how-to tips from Head gardener sandra pella. And the tBg “shop a go-go”, located near the main stage, features books and author signings, favourite celebrity garden implements and the latest gardening wares.
EDWARDS LECTURES
March 1 • W. Gary Smith
Unleashing Creativity in the Garden
Who’s TA lkinG
LECTURER: JENNY ROSE CAREY
TOPIC: LADIES IN THE LANDSCAPE 1900 TO 1940
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 7:30 P.M.
During the twentieth century, changes in society brought new opportunities for women at horticultural schools and in garden clubs. Using contemporary quotes, fashion plates, magazine advertisements and glass lantern slides, Carey illustrates how and why women entered this new field. Jenny Rose Carey is Director of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University Ambler, a Pennsylvania women’s history site that has just celebrated its 100th birthday. She is co-author of A Century of Cultivation 1911-2011 —100 years from the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women to Temple University Ambler.
The TBG Annual General Meeting (members only) precedes this lecture at 6:30 p.m. Find out what the TBG has been working on this past year and hear about future plans. Meet members of the Board of Directors and new inductees.
Let Gary help you unleash the artist within. Learn about making meaningful gardens that express the relationship between a sense of place and your creative spirit.
May 2 • Jenny Rose Carey
Ladies in the Landscape, 1900 to 1940
This informative light-hearted lecture explores the roles ladies played in the development of early twentieth-century gardens.
May 31 • Judith Blacklock
The Changing World of Floral Design
Renowned floral designer Judith Blacklock showcases current trends and cutting edge techniques and launches her latest book.
Unless otherwise indicated, lectures take place in the Floral Hall at 7:30 p.m. Public $20, students (with valid ID) $15, TBG members free. Door sales only, limited seating. 416-397-1340.
Generously sponsored by the Edwards Charitable Foundation
Welcome
Sue Hills Head, Volunteer Services and Tour guide Coordinator
sue Hills, who grew up in the united Kingdom, holds a BA in english, a masters Degree in education and professional designations in human resources. Her first career was in Hr, specializing in performance management and education. sue recently completed her certificate in garden Design through the tBg program with george Brown college and is a master gardener in training. At the tBg, sue combines her professional experience with her passion for horticulture as Head, volunteer services.
gOINgS ON
• Join the TBG’s Earth Day celebrations, Sunday, April 22, noon to 4 p.m. FREE. Activities for kids and Woodland Walk planting.
• TBG Plant Sale features the most sought-after plants! Friends Breakfast and Pre-Sale: Thursday, May 17, 10 a.m. to noon Members Pre-Sale: noon to 8 p.m. Public: Friday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Sunday & Monday, May 19, 20 & 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Mother’s Day: Spring Planters and Champagne Reception with Sara Jameson of Sweetpea’s. Sunday, May 13, 1 to 4 p.m. Public $62; Members $50.
• Weston Family Library’s HortiCULTURE Salon Series launches with Amy Lavender Harris’s literary voyage, Imagining Toronto. Thursday, May 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Public $10; Members $5. Registration required.
• Woman to Woman— Party in the garden Thursday, June 7, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets $100 each; blocks of tickets available.
• Through the garden gate: Resplendent Rosedale Saturday, June 9 & Sunday, June 10, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Public $40 (one day) $52.50 (two days): members $35 (one-day) $47.50 (two days); Tickets available on-line at torontobotanical garden.ca/news/ttgg.
From The TBG
ALDONA SATTERTHWAITE executive Director
A Celebration of Gardens
The Gardens by Design special issue of Trellis, included with this issue, commemorates 25 years of gardens and gardening — in honour of the silver anniversary of the TBG’s annual Through the Garden Gate tour of private gardens. Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting unfamiliar neighbourhoods to see what other gardeners were doing and growing. So three cheers for the many homeowners who have generously allowed us into their gardens; for the volunteers and Master Gardeners who have cheerfully given their time to staff them and answer our questions; and for the talented individuals who have volunteered countless hours to mastermind venues and itineraries and see to myriad details for each tour.
Gardening is as much prone to fashion as any other form of creative expression, and we’ve seen trends come and go. I’ve noticed gardeners have become more sophisticated and confident — perhaps it’s because there’s more and better information available to them in good garden centres and nurseries as well as a wider range of home-bred plants that do well here. There’s been a clear emergence of a more eclectic and adaptive way of gardening in a climate that offers considerable challenges. After years of lusting after the impossible — those labour-intensive, Gertrude Jekyllstyle perennial borders spring to mind — could it be that we’re finally developing our own distinctly Canadian style?
Twenty-five years ago, I too was dreaming of England. Now, I am much more interested in mixed plantings and I prize texture, form, foliage and specimens that deliver something in all seasons — or at least three — and, whenever possible, provide habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and beasties as well. You can have it all.
Of course, some things will always remain sacrosanct to a successful garden — good design, healthy soil, well-chosen and well-sited plants and proper maintenance. And for me, another thing that never changes is the pleasure I take in being in a garden — whether mine or somebody else’s. Happy gardening.
March Break Camps
Celebrate the return of spring at the TBG. March Break camps offer exciting hands-on programs on art, animals and nature. Make slime during Science Camp, meet some live creatures during Animal Camp and make your own pizza during Food Camp! March 12 to 16. Public $65 per day; Members $60 per day. Register for a full week and SAVE: public $290; members $270.
Yours, Mine & Ours Volun T eers
We are fortunate to have someone with Martha McKee’s skills and expertise because, when she is not assisting customers in shopTBG, Martha produces eye-catching merchandise displays. These skills draw on her background in brand development, communication and retail training as well as special events and event marketing. Martha brings these same skills to another volunteer position as the TBG’s Canada Blooms project coordinator. This key role involves putting together the schedule of essential elements for the show, liaising with vendors, suppliers, volunteers and TBG staff and assisting with publicity. We will have the pleasure of working closely with Martha on this important event.
From April 30 to September 14, 2012, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library presents an exhibition of written works belonging to an age of garden writing that includes Russell Page, John Parkinson, Philip Miller, William Robinson and Roscoe Fillmore. The exhibition approaches horticultural
history from the viewpoint of how people learn to cultivate. While the focus is on historical material the exhibits offer modern examples and all are based on the love of plants and the universal human pleasure we take from them. For information, visit fisher.library.utoronto.ca/events-exhibits. torontobotanicalgarden.ca For
in season To Do
JuSt aSk TrAde seCreT
“coir (coconut fibre) is better than peat moss. Why aren’t we using more of it?” as a component of growing media, coir is resistant to mould, produces faster plant growth and rehydrates more quickly, absorbing 30 per cent more water than sphagnum peat.
— Sonia Day, toronto star columnist
in our Gardens
everyThing’s Coming up — dAffodils!
thanks to the members of the greater toronto Bulb society, 400 bulbs of four new and unique types of Narcissus have been planted under the arbour in the arrival Courtyard. Watch for them this spring!
For 2012, the Kitchen garden will feature select edibles of Chinese cuisine.
i’ve
planted over 100 daffodils.
What
would you suggest i could grow for summer and fall interest that would hide the daffodil foliage as it dies back?
Consider ornamental grasses. They come in all shapes and sizes, and some change colour with the season while others last through the year, providing winter interest too. Almost all are drought tolerant once established. The grasses will also hide the foliage of the fading daffodils for the six weeks needed to feed the bulbs.
My Favourite PLants
head of volunteer services Sue Hills picks 4 plants for 4 seasons.
selecting these four plants gives me the opportunity to indulge in nostalgic memories of my childhood in england and an early love of gardening gained from helping my father in his gardens in Kent and surrey i also developed an equally enduring love of history and literature and find that many of the plants i love are celebrated in verse and prose. so, with these picks, i’ve combined my two loves.
Spring: the charming flowers of columbine (Aquilegia) form an elegant bridge between spring and summer. they bloom in jewel-like colours and have an aristocratic air about them. Columbine has ancient origins: the name comes from the mediaeval Latin columbina, meaning dovelike, which the inverted flowers resemble. in The Happy Prince and Other Tales oscar Wilde called them “beautiful to look at.”
Summer: hollyhock (Alcea) is my historical romance choice. although they battle rust, they are beautiful majestic plants described by Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre
as “tall as trees ... fragrant treasures.” they evoke memories of old-fashioned cottages and the country values that go with them — memories of a bygone age. Fall: reliably used as a colourful filler, pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) make me feel cheerful. shakespeare appreciated them, too, describing them in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as “a little western flower / Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound / and maidens call it love-in-idleness.”
Winter: a tribute to my beloved adopted Canada is the beautiful, majestic and historical hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), although i first encountered it in Christmas decorations my parents used to deck the halls: “a procession of holly, hemlock, and cedar boughs that came marching up the stairs,” says Louisa May alcott in Eight Cousins. My pick would be ‘Jeddeloh’, which slowly grows into a mound and is ideal for rock gardens.
spring summer fall winter
container crazy
Add The unexpeCTed
To your plAnTers i’m always searching for new sources of colour and texture for container combinations. one of my favourite plants for spring planters is purple bok choy. it combines wonderfully with other cold-tolerant spring edibles such as the violas and golden oregano that are featured in this arrangement. in keeping with the Chinese theme of this year’s Kitchen garden, be sure to look closely for edible surprises in the planters displayed throughout the tBg gardens. no sampling PLease!
— Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture
Anna’s plant pick
Narcissus
triandrus ‘thalia’ ‘thalia’ daffodil
“Daffodils … take the winds of March with beauty,” wrote shakespeare in The Winter’s Tale he would have seen the native Narcissus pseudonarcissus in March. We are lucky if the early ‘February gold’ is showing colour as March wanes.
Large frilly blousy modern hybrids lack the delicate charm of these small species daffodils and closely related hybrids. one of my favourites of these is Narcissus triandrus ‘thalia’, chosen by the international Flower Bulb Center as daffodil of the year for 2011. it’s often called the orchid narcissus or angel’s tears as the heads are facing out and down. sweetly scented, ‘thalia’ flowers in early May and grows to about 30 centimetres high. each stalk has two or three downward- and outward- facing white flowers. the “cups”, or coronas, really are cup-shaped, and each is surrounded by six reflexed tepals — petal-like flower segments that face backwards.
grow ‘thalia’ in full sun or semi-shade in moist but well-drained soil. avoid overwatering after the leaves start to yellow. Plant them in drifts or in large groups. they naturalize well: i planted some many years ago and they are still there 20 years later i love all daffodils, even the new hybrids. have a look at the collections of new cultivars and old favourites planted in the arrival Courtyard of the tBg and note the ones you want to order in the fall.
— Anna Leggatt, Toronto Master Gardener
garden gear
TempTing seeds
more than 20 varieties of asian vegetable seeds will be available in shoptbg this spring. shop early for these exclusive varieties!
Baby napa cabbage ‘little Jade’ a mini chinese cabbage with tangy-sweet flesh and crispy texture. extremely vigorous; excellent disease resistance. ‘mandarin Cross’ Japanese heirloom tomato golden-orange fruit with a creamy texture and a mouth-wateringly sweet flavour. tomatoes are borne in abundance and ripen like jewels on strong indeterminate vines.
around the garden with head gardener sandra pella
horticultural oils — or dormant oils as they’re called when applied to dormant shrubs and trees — are highly refined petroleum products. (There are also some that are vegetable-based.) mixed with water, this safe odourless organic pest control coats and suffocates insects, including scale and aphids as well as spider mites, without injury to plants. Apply evenly to healthy plants in late march or early April once temperatures are above 4°C and before leaves break bud.
JoBs To do
prune out any winter dieback or damaged stems on trees and shrubs.
carefully pull mulches away from the crowns of plants so as to prevent rot. use caution to avoid damaging emerging shoots.
prune summer- and fallflowering shrubs such as peegee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘grandiflora’) to promote compact growth.
remove any germinating weed seeds before they develop deep roots.
pinch out new growth on the tips of evergreen branches by a third to a half to encourage a compact habit.
sow cold-tolerant crops (radishes, chard, beets, spinach, etc.). incorporate edibles and herbs throughout the garden or grow them in containers.
lift and divide mature clumps of summerflowering perennials such as phlox, hostas and sedum. amend soil before re-planting and use divisions in containers.
deadhead spring-flowering annuals to encourage more blooms; remove seed heads that develop on springblooming bulbs, except alliums. — Paul Zammit
Plant Sale Must-Haves haPPenings
In spring, the main event for TBG members and their friends, family and just about anyone who will listen to us is The Plant Sale. Always a hubbub of horticultural indulgence, this year’s sale which takes place over the Victoria Day long weekend, from May 17 through 21, promises to be better than ever. In fact, here’s what Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture Paul Zammit says about some of the plants you’ll see there.
actaEa ‘ChoCoholiC’ (formerly cimicifuga ‘ChoCoholiC’)
I’m a sucker for perennials with dark and dramatic foliage, and this plant lives up to my highest expectations. The rich bronze to purple foliage grows to about a metre in height and is topped in late summer with fragrant white spikes of flowers. Full sun to part shade.
EchinacEa ‘Powwow wild Berry’
Despite the many recent introductions of coneflowers, particularly the new orange and yellow colours, this selection has stood out in field trials. Compact, well-branched, 60-centimetre tall plants produce abundant fragrant blooms over a very long period.
Euphorbia tirucalli ‘sTiCks on fire’
This upright growing tropical yields eye-catching chartreuse to gold branching stems that develop an orange colouring as summer heats up. Great for vertical and textural interest, it’s not always available, so we are thrilled to offer some plants at this year’s sale. Easy to overwinter indoors.
KalanchoE thyrsiflora ‘fanTasTiC’
Bold, dramatic and colourful only begin to describe this tropical succulent. When I first heard about it, it became a must-have plant for my own collection, and honestly, the hunt has been worth it. I love this plant! Shop early to avoid disappointment.
the toronto Botanical Garden (tBG) is a volunteer-based, charitable organization whose purpose is to inspire passion, respect and understanding of gardening, horticulture, the natural landscape and a healthy environment. the tBG raises more than 95 per cent of its operating funds through membership, facility rentals, retail enterprises, program fees and donations. the organization relies on the generosity and financial commitment of individuals, foundations and corporations to help maintain the gardens and support the many horticultural and environmental services we provide to our community. charitable business member 119227486rr001.
GENE r A l H our S AND ADM i S S io N
G A r DENS : Free admission, dawn to dusk A DM i N i StrAtiv E oFF ic ES : Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. W ESto N FAM ily l i B rA ry: Call 416-397-1343 or check www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca for hours of operation. shop t BG: Call 416-397-1357 • shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca
M ASt E r G A r DENE r S’ iNFo l i NE : noon to 3 p.m. 416-397-1345 (April & July, Tuesday to Saturday; May & June, daily; August through March, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday) www.questions.torontomastergardeners.ca
MEMBErSHip: $45 single, $65 family. call 416-397-1483 or sign up on line at torontobotanicalgarden.ca/join
SiGN up For GArDEN E-NEWS!
Receive the latest horticultural news and information on events, workshops, lectures and other horticultural happenings. Free registration at torontobotanicalgarden.ca
F ri ENDS o F t HE toro N to B otAN ic A l GA r DEN
the toronto Botanical garden is deeply grateful to its Friends for providing continued and generous support towards programs and services. our Friends enable the tBg to educate and provide the community with information on horticulture, gardening and environmental issues through lectures, courses and events. the following individuals made a contribution to the Friends program between June 29 and December 16, 2011.
Director’s circle
Mark & Mary Cullen
Geoffrey & Susan Dyer
Benefactors
Anne & David Bawden
Janet & Doug Davis
sustaining MeMBers
Joy Gray-Donald
Jim Harbell
Joan & Alan Lenczner
Helen B. Skinner
Jane & Donald Wright
Joan & Bob Wright
frienDs
Katy & Ian Anderson
Virginia & James Baxter
Carol & Gordon Bairstow
Sandra & Larry Beech
Kelvin Browne & Michael Allan
Mary Ann & Bruce Burton
Ellen & David Clark
Nancy Croil
Erica Gilbert
Irene Gish
Trudy Grantham
Barbara & Moffat Hill
Joyce & Stephen E. Johnson
pAtro NS
Ho N orA ry pAtro N : ADriENNE clArkSoN
Brian Bixley, Mark cullen, camilla Dalglish, Sondra Gotlieb, Marjorie Harris, lorraine Johnson, Michele landsberg, Susan Macaulay, Helen Skinner
B oA r D o F D ir Ector S
tom Sparling, Mary Fisher (co-chairs); Suzanne Drinkwater, Geoffrey Dyer, colomba Fuller, Jim Gardhouse, Steven Heuchert, Janet kennish, Allan kling, Joan lenczner, penny richards, Dawn Scott, Judy Shirriff, pat Ware, Barbara yager
StAFF D ir Ectory
ExEcutivE DirEctor
Aldona Satterthwaite director@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1346
BuSiNESS AND FiNANcE Director of Business initiatives and Finance
Margaret chasins
business@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1484
Accounting, Nadesu Manikkavasagam accounting@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1352
Database & technology Administrator trish cassling database@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1371
coMMuNicAtioNS DEpArtMENt Director of Marketing & communications carrie Shibinsky media@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1351
creative Director, Jenny rhodenizer communication@torontobotanicalgarden.ca trellis Editor editor@torontobotanicalgarden.ca DEvElopMENt DEpArtMENt Director of Development, claudia Zuccato ria development@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1372
Development officer, Jessica reese annualgiving@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1483
Events & Facility Manager, paulina cadena events@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1324
Facility Sales coordinator, Emily chow rentals@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1349
Anna Leggatt
Barbara E. McDonald
Joyce McKeough
Catherine & Bruce Peer
Mary Jean & Frank Potter
Konrad Radacz
Flavia Redelmeier
Janet Rowley
Dawn V. Scott & Michael Harris
Deborah S. Vernon
Martin Wade & Daniel Larocque
Joan Williams
Elizabeth & John Yarnell
noTiCe: since publication of “the g ardens of sarasota and naples” in the winter issue of Trellis , beginning in 2012, the naples botanical g arden has withdrawn from american horticultural society network reciprocal agreement and are now charging admission to members of former partner organizations, including the toronto botanical g arden.
EDucAtioN DEpArtMENt Director of Education, liz Hood education@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1355
children’s Education Supervisor
Natalie Harder childrensed@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1288
children’s Education coordinator
Jasmine Green childrensed@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-5209
Adult Education coordinator Anna-liza B adaloo adulted@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1362
tour Guide coordinator
Sue Hills tourguides@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1366
WEStoN FAMily liBrAry
Zack osborne, Head librarian 416-397-1375 librarian@torontobotanicalgarden.ca HorticulturAl DEpArtMENt
Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture paul Zammit horticulture@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1358
Head Gardener, Sandra pella gardener@torontobotanicalgarden.ca taxonomic Assistant, toni vella taxonomy@torontobotanicalgarden.ca shoptBG
Heidi Hobday shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1357
MAiNtENANcE SupErviSor Walter Morassutti maintenance@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1344
HEAD, voluNtEEr SErvicES Sue Hills volunteers@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145
777 l a wrence Avenue East, toron to, o n tario M3 c 1 p 2 , c anada 4 16-397-1340; fax: 416-397-1354 info@torontobotanicalgarden.ca torontobotanicalgarden.ca @ t BG_ c anada
ttc
Exit the yonge subway line at the Eglinton station and take the 51, 54 or 54A
