BUENOS AIRES & BRAZIL Gardens and Natural Wonders with PAUL BRYDGES, April
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW & SCOTLAND with DAVID HOBSON, May 2014
GARDENS OF TUSCANY with DAVID HOBSON, July 2014
SPLENDORS OF SICILY Gardens and Gastronomy with PAUL ZAMMIT, October 2014
Editor
lorraine FlaniGan
dEsign
June anderson
trEllis CommittEE
lorraine hunter (chair)
lorraine FlaniGan (editor)
carol Gardner
liz hood
marion maGee
zachary osBorne
Jenny rhodenizer
Paul zammit
VoluntEEr
Editorial assistant
m maGee
VoluntEEr ProofrEadErs
J. camPBell, l hickey, s katz, m maGee, and l uyeno
adVErtising
416-397-4145
Trellis is published as a members’ newsletter by the toronto Botanical Garden at edwards Gardens
777 lawrence avenue east, toronto, ontario, m3c 1P2, 416-397-1340
Trellis welcomes queries for story ideas, which should be submitted to the editor for consideration by the trellis committee at least four months in advance of publication dates. 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.
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canada Publications
mail Product sales agreement #40013928
issn 0380-1470
coVer Photo helen BattersBy Printed by harmony Printing
to do Features News
4 Hort Happenings keukenhof Flower Parade, calgary Parks and canada’s Garden route
Welcome michelle kortinen What’s in it for You? travel benefits
Blogwatch Garden travel blogs and smartphone apps
5 from the tBg home is where the hort is tBgKids march Break nature camps Volunteers serena smith
6 romance of the stone the fairytale garden of abkhazi
9 the retreat a mystery garden in the Bahamas
10 monet’s flowering masterpiece impressions of Giverny
12 Just ask advice from the toronto master Gardeners trade secret Packing plants my favourite Bug Bees
13 Container Crazy air plants and airiums around the garden with head Gardener sandra Pella in Your garden Jobs to do indoors anna’s Plant Pick Clivia
14 Who’s talking three chances to hear John Brookes tBg lecture series
TBGNewsnews
hort hAppenings
— Compiled by Zachary Osborne, Head Librarian, Weston Family Library
KeuKenhof flower pArAde 2014
the 67th annual bloemencorso bollenstreek (bulbflower Parade), covering the 42 kilometres from noordwijk to Haarlem, the netherlands, will take place on May 3, 2014. the theme for 2014 is energy, and the parade is guaranteed to be full of bright colours, dynamic sculptures, live music and fragrance. to view parade photos from previous years, visit bloemencorso-bollenstreek.nl/en.
Welcome
Michelle Kortinen Adult educAtion coordinAtor
michelle’s varied experience in land stewardship and the arts—most recently at the mcmichael canadian Art collection— spans the globe from toronto to Finland. A veritable renaissance woman, michelle’s many passions for heritage conservation, s ogetsu i kebana, vegetable gardening and weaving make her the ideal candidate to support education programs at the t BG. p lease welcome her when you see her!
CalGaRY PaRKs, Post-FlooD
cAnAdA’s gArden route
Sponsored by Via rail canada, this web site is designed to acquaint canadians and visitors with the many public gardens that canada has to offer. From Victoria, bc, to St. John’s, nfld, the garden route features 26 garden attractions and experiences covering nine provinces. For more information and to learn more about canada’s garden route, visit www.canadasgardenroute.ca.
What’s in it for you?
Travelling this winter? Don’t forget to pack your TBG membership card. As one of your membership benefits, you are eligible for free admission or discounts at more than 300 participating gardens throughout North America. Be sure to call ahead to confirm hours, blackout dates and current reciprocal offerings. Present your current membership card at the admissions desk or shop to receive any reciprocal benefits.
goto ahs.org/gardening-programs/rap/ the-garden-guide to locate participating gardens near your travel destination.
in the aftermath of calgary’s 2013 flood, many parks, trails and gardens faced closures as a result of high water and the damage caused by erosion and destruction. edworthy Park, which includes douglas Fir trail and lawrey gardens, was much affected, and some areas are still closed. For updates on park conditions throughout calgary, visit www.calgary.ca/ cSPS/Parks/Pages/Flood-closures.aspx. Blogwatch
tRavel BloGs And sMArtphone Apps for the gArden tourist
Many botanical gardens have developed apps for iphone and Android devices. Visit your mobile phone store and download these and more (often free) guides:
• New York Botanical Garden
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Kew Royal Botanic Gardens
—Compiled by
CheCK out these GReat tRavel BloG
• loving Italy’s Gardens by Donna Fenice (lovingitalysgardens.wordpress.com)
• Green theatre: Canadian and Bajan (Barbados) gardens by toronto native deborah Mills (kilbournegrove.wordpress.com).
Zachary Osborne, Head Librarian, Weston Family Library
From The TBG
haRRY JoNGeRDeN executive Director
home is where the hort is
Dear friends: I hardly know you yet, but there’s no doubt we’re going to be friends. As the TBG’s new Executive Director, I’ve only been in the job since mid-July, but I’ve found a community of interest and support here as vibrant as those I experienced at Royal Botanical Gardens and in Vancouver, my other botanical garden postings. What a pleasure it is to feel at home amongst you.
Botanical gardens attract the best of people as staff, as members and as volunteers. We are united by our common interests and a passion for plants, for natural beauty and for the healthy ecosystems that sustain the things we love. With such a degree of common interest, of course we’re going to be friends!
You’ll be pleased to hear that the general trend in North American botanical gardens is towards stability and growth. Despite our fears during recent recessionary times, our gardens have generally retained their membership base and financial support. Fortunately, our gardens continue to be seen by the public as inexpensive and secure oases of natural beauty in a troubled world. We provide healthy environments and learning opportunities in a world of degraded environments and diminished opportunities. We still have what the world needs more of!
Botanical gardens require beautifully designed and artfully curated plant collections. But, sadly, we’ve reached the point where plants have come to need botanical gardens for their preservation. Collaborative networks of botanical gardens are at the forefront of plant conservation efforts worldwide. We do more than raise awareness about the importance of plants and the imminent extinction of many species. Collectively, botanical gardens maintain a multi-institution gene pool in our plant collections and seed banks. I encourage you to feel very good about playing a role in essential worldwide conservation efforts.
The Toronto Botanical Garden is young and still small compared to more august institutions such as the Royal Botanical Gardens of this world. We are also the only botanical garden in North America that lacks admissions revenue, an endowment or significant operational support from any level of government. Every other garden, museum or cultural attraction has at least one, or two or all three of these revenue sources. My most important task here is to change the fundamentals of support that prevent the TBG from fulfilling the role played by other botanical gardens in their communities and worldwide. I know that you’ll join me and our board in helping to catapult the TBG to a new level.
MaRCh BReaK NatuRe CaMPs
MArch 10 to 14
Join us in celebrating spring at tbgKids’ March break nature camps! be inspired by the world around you in the art attack program; summon your inner animal and learn how animals survive in the wild during animal Survival camp; or, dissect owl pellets and make slime while engrossed in grossology. interactive and educational nature programming takes place in and around the tbg grounds and surrounding ravine as well as in the James boyd children’s centre
Members $60/day, Public $65/day. register for a full week and SaVe: Members $270, Public $290.
goto torontobotanicalgarden.ca/learn/kids for more information on programs and to register.
Yours, Mine & Ours
Volun T eers
Serena Smith developed a love of flowers and plants while growing up in Trinidad. It’s no wonder that the TBG became her favourite place to visit when she came to live in Canada. Once retired, Serena became a TBG volunteer and has made key contributions to multiple special events over the years. Since the Organic Farmers’ Market opened in May, she has been a regular volunteer most Thursdays throughout the summer, helping the farmers with set-up. Serena is also an adult education course ambassador, assisting both lecturers and registrants at evening lectures.
Romance of the stone
Helen Battersby discovers the fairytale garden of abkhazi in Victoria, british columbia
For a Cinderella garden story, it would be hard to beat the Abkhazi Garden in Victoria, BC. Like Cinderella, its characters include a prince and an orphan. And, to add a twist, the narrative includes reversals in which he loses a fortune and she gains one.
But this Cinderella’s cinders have nothing to do with a fireplace— although they were created by fire. They’re the volcanic rock (and glacial grinding) that created Abkhazi’s landscape; one that’s not unlike Northern Ontario’s Canadian Shield. A garden like this offers a lot of ideas to bring home—or to the cottage.
But first, fall in love with the romantic tale of the couple who created it.
The prince of our story is Nicolas of Georgia, exiled as a twenty-year-old to Paris after the Bolshevik Revolution. There, he met our heroine, Marjorie Pemberton-Carter (Peggy), three years his junior. Born in Shanghai, Peggy Carter had been orphaned at age three and adopted by a wealthy couple, the Pembertons.
In Paris in the 1920s, Peggy and Nicolas (Nico) formed a strong friendship. But romance was not to be. Years of separation followed. The execution of his father in 1923, and
confiscation of their income, put Nico in the position of breadwinner for his widowed mother. Meanwhile, Peggy’s adoptive mother had a penchant for travel. Widowed, too, she clung tightly to Peggy, who dutifully came along. So, the young friends became pen pals.
Then came World War II. Both Nico and Peggy were interned as prisoners of war, he in Germany and she near Shanghai. When war ended, neither was sure the other was alive. They were reunited by chance. After the fall of Paris in 1940, concerned for Nico and his mother, Peggy had left money in his name with the Swiss
Photos:
The steep slopes are ideal for clambering groundcovers.
Red Cross. In 1945, destitute Nico wrote to Shanghai to thank her. His letter reached her in Victoria, where she was recuperating with friends from her war experiences. By then, he had sailed to New York. There, in September 1946, the two had an eager rendezvous, returning to Victoria as an engaged couple. That November, they married.
At ages 47 and 44, Prince and Princess Abkhazi had found their soulmates and began to create a garden that she would call their child.
The story of their garden had actually begun before the Abkhazis were reunited. At this stage, the garden was more of an ugly duckling—a steeply sloped, oddly shaped property. Any ground not covered with weeds was dominated by exposed granite. But Peggy saw promise. At its top, the hilly site offered wonderful views, and some of the trees included mature Garry oaks (Quercus garryana), native to the area. She dove in, bought the property with some of the proceeds from the sale of her home in Shanghai and had it cleared.
On their marriage, the Abkhazis designed the garden together. Peggy’s first structure had been a summerhouse overlooking the site, which they used as their base.
Local nurserymen and plantsmen also fell in love with the Abkhazis, providing them with many rare species and specimens. These included 50-year-old rhododendrons, planted in the shade of the Garry oaks, which added instant maturity to the infant garden.
Abkhazi Garden evolved over more than 40 years under its originators, with major contributions in their waning years from Christopher and Pamela Ball. Almost destroyed by developers who wanted to build townhomes, it was rescued through purchase by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia in 2000.
Helen Battersby is a bit of a romantic. She is also a Master Gardener and co-publisher of the Toronto Gardens blog at torontogardens.blogspot.com
7
lessons
for gardening on the rocks
in gardEning, as in life, it’s best to accept the things you cannot change—and, even better, turn them to your advantage. Here are tested ideas for hard-rock gardeners.
1
EmBracE HardsHip
as the abkhazis found, constraints can inspire creativity. when your garden sits on the canadian shield, you truly are between a rock and a hard place. as the web site for the abkhazi garden says, “they chose to explore its possibilities; not be stifled by its limitations.” the abkhazis turned their rocky slopes into both a garden feature and a frame for plantings. You can, too.
2
rigHT planT, rigHT placE the abkhazis experimented a lot with plants—and lost many. the site dictated which would survive: those native to rocky cultural conditions, such as alpines, or exotics including the garden’s signature rhododendrons that thrive under the native garry oaks. hard-edged proof of right plant, right place.
3
puT iT in a pockET
natural depressions in the rock are ideal spots for pocket gardens. Just fill them with soil. the deeper the chasm and the more soil, the larger the plant it will support, all the way up to shrubs and trees, such as the abkhazis’ lovely full moon maple (Acer shirasawanum ‘aureum’) and giant deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara). think container gardening on a permanent scale.
4
TamE THosE THugs
Pockets let you plant what you might otherwise avoid: tough but thuggy plants like lily of the valley, which the abkhazis confined in natural cracks in the stone. in this way, a desired-but-dangerous plant is less likely to run rampant.
5 go To ground
along the edge of the rock face, the abkhazis created a ribbon of lawn that Peggy called her Yangtze river. look at the edges of your rocky property. is there room to create a plateau for a patio or lawn, adding interesting changes of level to your garden?
6 spring no lEaks
a rocky garden is the pond liner you’ll never have to replace. abkhazi g arden has three ponds. one of them is home to turtles. where a waterfall was impossible, Peggy and her prince mimicked one using cascading evergreens.
7
lET THEm sprawl
a low-lying native evergreen such as the bearberry (Arctostaphylos) in the abkhazi garden is a natural choice to clamber over a rocky slope. but how about clematis? the abkhazis used a rock crevice to provide the cool root run that clematis craves, while the warm rock face makes a beautiful backdrop for the flowers.
If You Go
Hours: abkhazi garden is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. address: 1964 Fairfield road, Victoria, British columbia admission: by donation information: blog. conservancy.bc.ca/properties/ vancouver-island-region/ abkhazi-garden
control the spread of lily of the valley by pocket planting.
Meet with horticultural societies, garden clubs and environmental organizations
Presentations and demonstrations
Floral design competition
Specialty vendors & artisans
Free gardening advice
Winter garden tour
(weather permitting)
Farmers’ Market
Gently used book sale
Jump Café
lorraine Hunter reveals a garden that’s been a mystery to her since her childhood days in the bahamas.
RETREAT T HE
As a schoolgirl I always wondered what was beyond that grey stone wall where only palm trees were visible through the gates at a secluded property called The Retreat on Nassau’s Village Road.
More than fifty years later I finally ventured beyond those gates to tour the grounds of The Retreat, now headquarters to the Bahamas National Trust and home to a collection of more than 100 exotic palms from all over the world as well as many hardwood and native fruit trees. I also learned the story of the couple who had lovingly assembled them.
This is not a pristine organized botanical garden in the usual sense but rather a hidden jewel—a unique Caribbean garden tucked away in a residential neighbourhood quite apart from the beaches, bars and casinos that attract so many tourists to this tropical capital.
The Retreat is the former home of Arthur Langlois, a colonial-era civil servant originally from Jersey, Channel Islands, and his wife Margaret, who bought the homestead, including the 120-year-old Bahamian plantation house, in 1925. After five hurricanes ravaged the property over the next four years, they restored it by planting palms. Over the next 40 years their garden would become one of the best known private palm collections in the world and two palms would be named after them: Areca langloisiana (syn. A. vestiaria) and Euterpe precatoria var. langloisii (syn. E. precatoria)
The Langlois were fascinated with palms, which led them to travel the world collecting seeds and seedlings from as far away as Afghanistan, Australia, Borneo, Brazil, Fiji, the Himalayas, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and more. There are now 176 rare and exotic palms at The Retreat, representing 92 genera. These include the now rare fan palm
(Borassodendron machadonis) from Malaysia; the feather palm (Scheelea osmantha aka Attalea osmantha), an oil palm which produces oils used in soap and other toiletries; the Cuban petticoat palm (Copernicia macroglossa); the zombia (Zombia antillarum), a specimen from Haiti; and the nearly extinct Satakentia liukiuensis from Japan.
Most of the palms were planted in deep natural sinkholes in the limestone soil. Native trees provide shade as well as leaf mould which add nutrients and conserve the water needed for many of these tropical palms to flourish.
The Langlois never had children and were eager to protect their garden from developers. So, after they both died, the property eventually went, as per their wishes, to the Bahamas National Trust, and in 1985 Prince Philip opened The Retreat to the public.
The star of the garden at that time was the talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera) which bloomed in 1986 and died three years later, having spent all its energy creating its spectacular once-in-a-lifetime inflorescence. Fortunately, volunteers were able to cultivate its seeds.
Lorraine Hunter is a garden writer and chair of the Trellis Committee.
If You Go
The retreat is open monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. information: www.bnt.bs/The-national-parks-ofThe-Bahamas/The-retreat
MoNeT ’S
Flowe RING M AST e RPI e C e
at giverny, Janet Davis discovers the horticultural artistry of impressionist claude Monet.
only one famous artist has left behind a physical legacy that lets people step right into the inspiration for many of his paintings, even though almost 90 years have passed since he completed his last canvas. Not every artist was a passionate gardener, too. That melding of talents belonged to Impressionist painter Claude Monet.
Photogra P hy by Janet Davis
would inspire many of his most colourful paintings. Ten years later, his passion for all things Japanese led Monet to set about diverting a small tributary from the nearby River epte to fill the new Japanese-inspired pond that would hold the water lilies captured in his most famous paintings. even as his fame as an artist was spreading, he was exchanging seeds and cuttings of flowers within a small circle of gardening friends. Soon his garden was providing
In 1883, when Monet and his family moved to their new home in the sleepy countryside of southern Normandy, just 80 kilometres west of Paris, the property was a stone-walled orchard. In the sunny expanse stretching out in front of his green-shuttered, pink house— the Clos Normand—Monet planted the tumble of cottage-garden flowers, spring bulbs and arched roses that
I stood at the bottom of the Clos Normand and gazed up the Grande Allée to the pair of evergreen trees hulking like sentinels in front of the house, exactly as they appear in the painting he made of the path in 1900.
The brilliant drifts of spring bulbs in the garden echo Monet’s obsession with the stripes and blocks of colour in the Dutch tulip fields near Rijnsburg and Sassenheim, scenes he painted in1886. The profusion of purple pan-
more than bouquets for his still lifes; it became the very heart of his work. when I visited Giverny in late April, I was transfixed by the subtle colour differences in the drifts of pink tulips in the beds in front of the house. That clever mix of mid-to-late-season cultivars is intended to suggest brush strokes of varying hues and intensity, just as Monet might have painted them.
sies nestled amidst the bulbs reminded me of the famous irises that would be flowering in a month or so.
And when I walked around the lily pond, gazing at the Japanese bridge through the cascading weeping willow boughs, I might as well have been watching Monet work on one of the many paintings he made of this bridge and the shimmering play of light on the water.
the grande allée as it appears today (left) and as painted by Monet in 1900 (right).
If You Go
No matter when you visit Giverny, the garden seems to echo one of Monet’s masterpieces. That effect is achieved by the gardeners, who work hard to emulate his techniques. As head gardener James Priest says in a video about Giverny: “It’s a painter’s garden, with all the sensibility of a great painter, an Impressionist painter, who painted and gardened in the same style.” He notes that the gardeners must respect various historical viewpoints: the garden as it was in Monet’s time and the garden as it is today, with
600,000 visitors annually. without changing the basic elements that people love and want to see, like the lily pond and the irises, it means using a palette of thousands of annuals to vary the scheme slightly from year to year.
“It’s a delicate balance of getting that just right,” he says. “we’re always working for Claude Monet. He’s very much present, even though he’s passed by.”
Janet Davis is a garden writer and photographer and member of the Toronto Botanical Garden.
open april through october, 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
address: 84, rue Claude Monet, 27620 giverny, France
admission: €9.50 for adults; lower prices for children, students, and the disabled; guided tours by appointment information: fondation-monet.com video of head gardener James Priest: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6b_-uhsDf4c giverny impression blog: giverny-impression.com
Light shimmers on the lily pond at giverny in the photo (left) and in Monet’s painting (right).
in season To Do
JusT ask
TrAde secreT
Packing Plants
While travelling within canada, we often find a plant or two that we would love to add to our collections, but there are regulations regarding the transportation of plant material across canada. Once you do your research and know the rules, here’s how to get your plants home safely.
• Water plants well a day or two prior to packing.
• When flying, if weight is an issue, remove plants from pots, but leave some of the growing mix around the roots.
• Roll and wrap each plant in newspaper, and then place them into a plastic bag. (Smaller plants can share one bag.)
• If plants are easily crushed, slip wrapped plants into a recyclable water bottle with the top removed.
• Secure plant packages into luggage, nestling them into shoes or amongst clothing.
• Unpack plants immediately when arriving home; repot and feed with a transplant solution.
• Keep plants out of direct sunlight and wind for a few days.
—Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture
how do i care for Boston ferns indoors over the winter?
goTo
Boston ferns need 12 to 16 hours of indirect or diffused light each day as well as cool locations with lots of humidity. If the air in your home is too dry, mist them daily or use a humidifier. Allow the soil to begin to dry between waterings, and use distilled, not tap, water. torontomastergardeners.ca for more tips on caring for indoor plants.
My Favourite Bug
bees
Bug lady Jean Godawa explores the winter life of bees.
To emphasize the crucial role of bees, Charles Darwin is credited with saying that old maids are the mainstay of the British empire. Cats eat mice, so the argument goes, that eat bees, that pollinate clover, that feed cows, that provide beef for soldiers. and old maids keep cats. Despite the offensive generalization, the idea is still relevant. Bees are vital. as they feed on the sugary nectar and protein-rich pollen of flowers, they pollinate fruits, vegetables, decorative plants and field crops.
the winter behaviour of bees varies. Bumblebee queens hibernate underground while the rest of the colony dies off. Carpenter bees hibernate in wood and surface in spring to mate. Honeybees survive the winter by clustering around the queen and rapidly vibrating their wings to generate heat. they feed on stored honey for this energy-expending activity. Mason bees and leafcutter bees spend the winter as pupae, well protected
in their cocoons, and emerge as adults in the spring. Beekeepers expect some losses after the cold season, but recently the winter losses have almost doubled. Coupled with a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder where apparently healthy worker bees abandon their nests, honeybee numbers are rapidly decreasing. Parasites, viruses, bacteria and pesticides could all be to blame. gardeners don’t need a honeybee colony to be beekeepers. By making the garden friendly for overwintering bees we can help preserve these essential creatures. avoid cutting back tall grasses and canes in the fall because they give shelter and hibernating space for solitary bees. a fallen log in the yard provides a protected winter habitat. and, finally, make sure to have some early spring flowers in your garden to provide nutrition for hungry bees emerging from hibernation.
Photo
Leafcutter bee
container crazy
AIr PLAnTs And AIrIums
air plants (from the genus Tillandsia) have experienced a resurgence. these curiosities of the plant kingdom do not require soil to grow; instead they collect nutrients and moisture through their leaves. What they do need is a well-lit location and high humidity. one way of increasing the humidity is to grow them in a mini glass terrarium. to create an “airium”, arrange air plants, along with natural elements such as moss, bark and decorative stone, in a hanging or tabletop glass sphere. Mist plants regularly with tepid water. ShoptBg features a wide selection of air plants starting at $3.99 and mini glass terrariums from $4.99.
— Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture
around the Garden With head Gardener sandra Pella
Before winter sets in, deadhead and prune grasses that self-seed, such as Calamagrostis brachytricha and certain Miscanthus cultivars. When perennial grasses start falling over and getting in the way of bulb planting and spreading compost, tie them up. Touched by winter’s snow they look like miniature christmas trees!
Clivia: a Great Winter houseplant Anna’s Plant Pick
Clivia, a member of the amaryllis family, is native to woodlands in South africa. Properly speaking, the name is pronounced “clive ee ah”, after a member of the Clive family.
Dark green, smooth, strap-like 50- x 6-centimetre leaves fan out from the base of this herbaceous, evergreen plant. the flowers of Clivia miniata are like small amaryllis blooms—clusters of about ten, up-facing open bells on a smooth stout stalk. there are about six species, and more are being discovered. Some have small, tight, downward-facing bells, such as the hybrid i grow the flower colour is usually orange with a cream throat at the base, but many bloom in shades of orangey red, salmon, yellow, apricot, white, pink and even green. the foliage can be variegated with bright yellow or white stripes. these forest plants do not form bulbs but have fleshy roots that grow just below the surface. they like a slightly acidic, well-drained soil with a lot of humus. Water weekly when in active growth, fertilizing every other week with a slowrelease fertilizer. in the summer, keep
plants outside in the shade to protect the leaves from being burnt by the hot sun. Plants will produce flowers only when they are mature enough: usually when they’ve grown 12 to 14 leaves. (there is usually a cycle of four leaves, then a flower bud.) the bud will remain dormant if the plant does not have cool temperatures to initiate growth. to prepare for the cool dormant period, usually starting in late September or october, water sparingly and do not fertilize. Keep plants below 13ºC but above 4ºC for a couple of months. When flower buds appear at the base of the leaves, move the plants to a warm place at 18ºC or more. they need warmth for stem elongation. indoors, place plants in bright indirect light such as a north or east window Fertilize when new leaves appear in late winter. repot carefully every four to five years when the roots fill the pot.
— Anna Leggatt Toronto Master Gardener Emerita
in Your Garden
JOBs TO dO
Monitor indoor plants for pests. Keep foliage clean and free of dust.
Regularly check bulbs and tubers stored indoors for the winter for pests, disease or rot.
Pot up begonia tubers in February or early March.
Catch up on garden reading, review catalogues and place seed and bulb orders. (Seeds arrive in shopTBG in early January.)
Reduce frequency of watering indoor plants. Water more frequently as sunlight becomes stronger and longer in February and March.
Begin to fertilize indoor plants when growth resumes in early spring.
In February and March, force spring-flowering branches such as forsythia and crabapple.
Eat fresh produce: start some sprouts indoors.
Stay fit to ensure your body is ready to garden in the spring!
Take a winter walk through the TBG gardens.
Attend Get the Jump on Spring, February 22 (see page 8 for details).
Happenings
Who’s Ta Lk inG
THree cHances To Hear JoHn brookes!
John Brookes has created more than 1,200 gardens around the world, from traditional English gardens to modern, minimalist, Islamic and wild gardens. Don’t miss these rare opportunities to learn from one of Britain’s most influential garden designers.
Monday, February 24, 2014
The gardens of John brookes Brookes takes us on a tour of his favourite landscape designs, explaining his practice and process.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
How to design with an expert Take your garden to the next level: learn how to work with a garden designer to create a garden with a professional look.
Doors open: 6:30 p.m.; Lecture: 7:30 p.m.; Public $35, TBG members $30. Save on both lectures: Public $60, TBG members $50. Pre-registration required at torontobotanicalgarden.ca or 416-397-1341
Tuesday To Friday, February 18 To 21, 10 a.M To 4 p.M garden design MasTer cLass Learn from the methods and experience of John Brookes, and see your designs evolve in a relaxed studio atmosphere with one-on-one attention. Students will be taken through the steps of the site visit, client interaction, detailing the outline and planting plan preparation.
Prerequisite: Offered to professionals and students of garden and landscape design with a solid foundation in drafting.
Public $600, TBG members $550. Pre-registration required at torontobotanicalgarden.ca or 416-397-1341.
classifieds
is ireland on your bucket list? Then join Margaret as she discovers the fabulous gardens of Ireland, plus WAFA! Call for more details on this and other exceptional garden tours: Philadelphia Flower Show/Longwood; Hudson River Valley Mansions and Gardens; American Peony Convention (Ohio); Buffalo Garden Festival; Chicago – gardens and architecture; and the gardens of the Cotswolds. Margaret@hnatravels.com; 416-746-7199; 1-877-672-3030; www.hnatravels.com
TBG LECTURE S ER i ES
— Generously supported by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and The S.
January 22, 2014 scoTT Torrance promoting biodiversity in the urban Landscape Landscape architect Scott Torrance will show how to create beautiful urban environments using a diverse palette of native plants. Co-presented with the North American Native Plant Society.
February 5, 2014 Harry Jongerden Why gardens Matter Gardens are as necessary to public well-being and economic advancement as any public program or infrastructure project. Discover more about why gardens matter in creating a healthy and prosperous society.
public $25, students (with valid id) $15, Tbg members free (bring a friend for $10). door sales only. doors open at 6:30 p.m. Lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. Come early to grab a light supper, served from 5:30 p.m.; take in Conversations from the Stacks from 6:45 to 7:15 p.m.; visit shopTBG for great member discounts!
Schulich Foundation
A B out tHE toro N to BotAN ic A l gA r DEN
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 number 119227486RR001.
g ENE r A l H our S AND ADM i S S io N
gA 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 B g : Call 416-397-1357 • shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca
M ASt E r gA r DENE r S’ iNFo l i NE : 416-397-1345, noon to 3 p.m. (April & July, Monday to Thursday, Saturday; May & June, daily; August through March, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday). Visit torontomastergardeners.ca and Ask a Master Gardener
MEMBErSHip: $45 single, $65 family. call 416-397-1483 or sign up on line at torontobotanicalgarden.ca/join
SigN up For BiWEEkly gArDEN ENEWS!
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 g A r DEN
the toronto botanical Garden (tbG) 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 their contribution to the Friends program between July 18 and october 17, 2013.
FRiEndS
Kathleen M. Belshaw
Deborah Cloakey
Lindsay Drake Nightingale
Melissa & Garfield Emerson
Rebecca & Nicholas Golding
Louise & Mark Golding
Mary Janigan & Tom Kierans
Elisabeth A. Jocz
Susan Leask
Susan Lipchak
Catherine J. Paterson
Elisabeth Renner
Tony Spencer
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
President: Allan Kling. Co-Chairs: Allan Kling and Rebecca Golding. Tim Bermingham, Mark Bonham, Ellen Carr, Heather Cullen, Beth Edney, Colomba B. Fuller, Ryan Glenn, Cathy Kozma, Elaine Le Feuvre, Shelagh Meagher, penny richards, Judy Shirriff, Nancy tong, Barbara yager
StAFF D ir Ectory
ExEcutivE DirEctor
Harry Jongerden director@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1346
BuSiNESS AND FiNANcE Director of Business initiatives and Finance
Margaret chasins business@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1484
Sue Hills volunteers@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145
MAiNtENANcE
Maintenance Manager, Walter Morassutti
Maintenance officers, Alvin Allen, Jonas kweko-teye, Marcos tawfik maintenance@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1344
Eleanor Ward Find
777 l awrence 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 • @TBG_Canada
