MESSAGE TO MEMBERS
by Gordon D. Wick, Exec. Dir.
Activities continue in high gear as we begin our summer season. Our show schedule includes the Toronto African Violet Society Show to wind up May, and then June begins with the Toronto Cactus and Succulent Society Show and the Toronto Bonsai Society Show on June 2nd.
I would like to congratulate the members of the Cactus Club who have provided a changing group of blooming plants for a lobby display to help promote interest in this specialty.
The new Ontario Rock Garden Society is attempting to fill a bus for a trip to Ottawa on June 16th. Call for further information.
Just before I rush off to the Ontario Horticultural Association Convention in Windsor on June 19th to 21st, I will be preparing an entry for the invitational class in the Milne House Flower Show. The Wizard of Oz theme will be developed and based on last year s theme show, this is a must see exhibition.
When I arrive back from Windsor it will be time to attend the Internatjonal Rose Show and Convention hosted by the Canadian Rose Society and held at the Westin Hotel. The Show will be open to the public on Sunday June 23rd from 1 to 5 p.m. but the convention continues until
June 27th with 3 days of lecture programs featuring the top rosarians from all over the world speaking on everything from Old World Roses to the newest hybrids and, of course, including mini roses.
The following week will see the CGC involved in the educational exhibits for the other international convention hosted by our user groups this year.
The American Gloxina and Gesneriad Society convention is being hosted by the Toronto Gesneriad Society at the Constellation Hotel on July 4th to 7th with the flower show open to the public Fri. July 5 from 3:30 to 9 pm and on Sat. July 6 10:30 am - 4 pm
On July 7th the York Rose and Garden and Canadian Rose Society, once again, will be presenting their Garden Tour program. For information call Paul Graber 757-8809 or Audrey Meiklejohn at 633-9195.
I wanted to boost our summer season with another horticultural event so we are issuing a challenge directed at (but not limited to) all those hundreds of people who received packages of sweet pea seeds courtesy of Thompson and Morgan and Cruickshanks. We will be holding a mini show of sweet peas on the mezzanine of the CGC lobby with entries to come in Saturday July 20th between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Judging will then be done at 11 a.m. and the exhibits will be open for public viewing until 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday July 21st.
WIZARD OF 0Z
ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW
JUNE 18- 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
JUNE 19 - 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
JUNE 20- 11 am. - 10 p.m.
The Milne House Garden Club is a Ladies Garden Club affiliated with the Civic Garden Centre. It was inaugurated May 2, 1967, deriving its name from Alexander Milne, a United Empire Loyalist, who originally owned the property, on which the Civic Garden Centre now stands along side of the renowned Edwards Gardens.
The Milne House Garden Club members, are preparing for your pleasure their Annual SUMMER FLOWER SHOW. The theme of the show this year is The Wizard of Oz . This whimsical presentation will include the memorable characters who accompanied Dorothy and Toto to the Emerald City in the movie production of the 1940 s.
Highlight of the Show will include the superb talent of one of their members in the form of Paper Sculpture. Nan Unsworth, excels in this craft, and the flower designs, both competitive and non-competitive will enhance her life size figures of the characters in the show. Picture yourself strolling along the Yellow Brick Road, through Munchkin Land, past fields of poppies en route to Emerald City.
Don t miss the Mens Celebrity Invitation Class and become aware of hidden talents of folks we best know for other skills.
Horticulturally speaking - Competitive Classes including all seasonal grown plant material will be exhibited with special provision made to answer
your gardening problems by experts at hand.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road further and it leads you to a plant market a display of pottery from Spiral Pottery a varied theatre presentation eg. preserving plant material and flower arranging an outstanding display of Neville Holmes s Sweet Peas in the Horticultural Section an interesting exhibition of Watercolours and Pastels by Justini Giuliani and a Tea Room where you can rest and enjoy light refreshments.
The proceeds of the Show will go towards the Continuing Support of your Civic Garden Centre, the Scholarship fund for the Niagara School of Horticulture as well as the annual planting and maintenance of flowers in the beds at the Ronald McDonald House.
For information, phone Joan Creighton - 832-1101 or Emmaleen Baker - 445-4578.
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HWY 52 (1 mile $ anx x gWHITBY < TORONTO
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
1985 PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
June 2 CACTUS SHOW & SALE - Tor. Cactus & Succulent Club 11 am - 4 pm
Admission $1.00
BONSAI SHOW - Toronto Bonsai Society 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
User Group Meeting 7 p.m.
New Trends in Flower Arranging - one-day workshop to learn the newest techniques for people working for flower shows 10 am - 3 pm
Mens Garden Club meeting 8 p.m.
Green Thumbs (Junior Garden Club) 9:30 am to noon
Toronto Gesneriad Society meeting 2 - 4 p.m.
S. Ontario Orchid Society meeting 1 - 5 p.m. A panel discussion on Orchid Culture
10 Toronto Bonsai Society meeting 7 p.m. - lecture and demonstration by Bill Valavanis from Rochester
11 North Toronto Horticultural Society Meeting 8 p.m. Ada Smith will be demonstrating Japanese Flower Arranging.
12 Garden Therapy Group meeting 12.30 p.m. for handicapped people
13 Nature Gifts - 3 week course at 7:30 pm on cultivated & wild plants as unusual food, beverages, dyes, medicine, folklore, repellants, & crafts
18,19,20 FLOWER SHOW - Milne House Garden Club - Tuesday 7 pm - 10 pm
Wed. & Thurs. 11 am - 10 pm - Admission $2.50
27 Can. Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Soc. meeting 8 p.m.
July 9 Basic Flower Arranging - 5 week course at 1:30 p.m.
10 Ikebana International meeting 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
17 Renovating Old Gardens - 3 week course at 7:30 pm - this course covers gardens in run-down condition with attention to lawns, trees & shrubs, fruit trees, perennial beds, fertilizing, pest & disease control
July 20, 21 SWEET PEA SHOW -sponsored by the Civic Garden Centre Open to public Saturday and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m.
25 Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Soc. meeting 8 p.m.
Aug. 10-11 HORTICULTURAL SHOW - North Toronto Horticultural Society Saturday 2:30 - 9 pm, Sunday 12 noon to 6 pm Admission $1.00
17 IRIS SALE & AUCTION - Can. Iris Society - sale & preview at 1 pm Auction at 2 p.m.
22 Canadian Chrysanthemum Society meeting 8 p.m.
27 Blood Donor Clinic - 2 - 4 p.m. and 5:30 - 8:15 p.m.
The Civic Garden Centre will be mounting educational exhibits for a number of outside events this summer including:
June 19, 20 & 21 The Ont. Horticultural Assoc. Convention, Windsor, Ont
June 23 - 27th World Fed. of Rose Societies Convention, Westin Hotel, Toronto
July 5 & 6 American Gloxinia & Gesneriad Soc. Conv. - Constellation Hotel, Tor.
Aug. 14 - Sept 2
Canadian National Exhibition Horticultural Bldg. Toronto
COMING EVENTS AT THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
Art at the Centre
In the Link Gallery:
May 29 - June 16 Johanna Van Kempen watercolours, oils, landscapes
June 21 - July 2 - Tracy Bowen watercolours, city scapes & florals
July 3 - July 16 - Nancy De Boni oils, flowers & plants
July 17 - July 30 Mary Catherine O Brien mixed media, landscapes, still life and abstracts
Aug 1 - Aug. 13 - Renee Sugar and Lana Kasak watercolours, florals & feather art
Aug. 14 - Aug. 28 - Lisa Figueroa & Ed Ritchie watercolours, florals & landscapes
CGC June Operating Hours
Trellis Shop and Library
Open Mon to Fri 9:30 to 5 pm Sat and Sun 12 noon to 5 pm
SUMMER HOURS
from July 1st to September 3rd
Trellis Shop and Library
Open 7 days a week noon to 5 pm
General Information
Volume 12, No. 5 ISSN 0380-1470
Editor: Gordon D. Wick, Exec. Dir.
Assistant Editor: Grace Tughan
Advertising Inform. (416) 445-1552
Trellis is published ten times per year as a member s newsletter, by the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Ave. East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2 Telephone (416)445-1552
The Centre is located in Edwards Gardens, at Leslie St. and Lawrence Avenue East, at the geographical centre of Metropolitan Toronto. It is a non-profit, volunteer based, gardening and floral arts information organization with open membership. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre.
Printed by Munns Press Ltd., Whitby, Ont.
COURSES STARTING SOON
June 4 New Trends in Flower Arranging - one day workshop to learn the newest techniques for people working for flower shows 10 am to 3 pm
June 13 Nature Gifts - 3 week course at 7:30 pm on cultivated & wild plants as unusual food, beverages, dyes, crafts, etc.
July 9 Basic Flower Arranging5 week course at 1:30 pm a good time of year to take this course when flowers are plentiful.
dJuly 17 Renovating Old Gardensa 3 week course at 7:30 pm which covers gardens in rundown conditions re lawns. trees, shrubs & flowers.
JUST PERENNIALS GARDENS
BY KAY
OLD GARDENS REVIVED
NEW GARDENS DESIGNED AND PLANTED
COLOUR PLAN WITH BLOOMING TIMES
OVER 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH PERENNIALS
ROCK & ALPINE
SHADE & WILDFLOWER...... SMALL OR LARGE PERENNIAL GARDENS
IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CALL 769 2681
CHAIRMAN S ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1984
by Camilla Dalglish, President
Fellow Members, Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
1984 saw greater stability and growth for the Civic Garden Centre. The building became a hive of activity with only the rare quiet evening or empty Studio.
Trellis continued to Editorial content with articles and gardening tips. expand it s interesting
Art Shows in the Link Gallery changed regularly.
The front attractive. lobby displays looked
The Gift Shop received many compliments for its attractive display of books, gifts and gardening supplies. Our Book Buyer, now working full time, also helped organize the shop s involvement in outside shows.
Members Nights were an outstanding success. The topics had great appeal: Jonas - Spence Sales The English Romantic , Ray Desmond s Development of the Gardens of India , Brian Bixley s A Country Garden and Helen Skinner s Gardens of France . It has also been a pleasure to work with many other Societies in having Joint Members Nights.
The Edwards Memorial Lecture brought us John Sales speaking on the Gardens of the National Trust. There was only standing room left as more and more people crowded into the Dunington Grubb Floral Hall. The Edwards Foundation has graciously agreed to continue the funding of this event in 1985.
The lighting changes in the Dunington Grubb Floral Hall were completed. These improvements were financed by The Civic Garden Centre and the Dunington Grubb Foundation. The
cost came out well under Budget. I would like to thank the Dunington Grubb Foundation for their generous donation towards this project.
The Library acquired 194 new books and circulation was up.
February started a busy year of shows and sales when the Civic Garden Centre attended the Garden Festival at the C.N.E. Our Educational Exhibit hosted over fifteen user groups. In April the Garden Club of Toronto held its Spring Flower and Garden Show here - record crowds attended.
In May, the Centre held its Plant Sale.
The remainder of the year was busy: Milne House Garden Club Show, Iris Society Sale, Can. Rose Society and the Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society Shows, and in November our own Autumn Cornucopia. Gerda Ferrington ably organized the willing volunteers, Horticultural Groups and Garden Clubs to work together for the support of the Centre.
Don McLaren reviewed our financial position. The outlook is excellent at present and enables us to hire a full time Horticulturist this year.
We shall all greatly miss the visits and support of our last Executive Director and dear friend, Tommy Thompson. The Civic Garden Centre will carry on the Tommy Thompson walks in his memory.
We must all warmly thank our many dedicated volunteers and superb staff and Executive Director for their hard work over the past year. To see the Centre move ahead, is an exciting and satisfying experience for us all.
GARDENING NOTEBOOK
By Ruta Stancikas
JUNE
The month of June will keep all dedicated gardeners busy with the many chores that must be attended to! Slugs will be plentiful and should be taken care of; staking is essential a high wind or strong rainstorm can cause irreparable damage; pruning and deadheading must be attended to religiously and by the end of the month, weeds are at their lushest and will require spraying.
ANNUALS
Annuals and other bedding plants should be set in place by the second week of the month. Rockery plants can be cut back as soon as blooming is over and divided. Members of the primula family should also be lifted and divided after flowering.
Portulacas love hot weather and full sun locations. Sown in the beginning of the month they ll provide colour in the garden until October if seed heads are kept picked.
Another planting of gladiolus midmonth will extend the blooming season into late September. Control thrip attacks by weekly spraying with Cygon when the leaves are 6 tall.
Some of the loveliest of garden flowers to be had are the biennials. Their seeds should be sown mid-month to start new plants for next spring.
Those grown relatively easily from seed include the sun-loving forget-menots, available in several variations. English daisies prefer semi-shade and will provide a month s worth of blooms starting mid-May in shades of pink, white and a dark red. Foxgloves with their tall erect spikes that bear long tubular white, purple or rosecoloured flowers provide delightful displays in a partially shaded location.
SHRUBS & TREES
Carefully deadhead rhododendron seed heads being sure not to cut the leaves below, where next year s buds will be forming. Mid to late June is the ideal time to take softwood cuttings of spring and early summerflowering shrubs to enlarge your collection.
By the third week in June most woody plants will have achieved good growth and this is the best time to trim most hedges. They ll still make enough new growth to hide unsightly cut ends. Spray birches again for leaf miners if necessary, and continue spraying roses on a bi-weekly basis.
VEGETABLES
Start feeding tomatoes regularly with prepared tomato fertilizer once the bottom truss of fruit has set. They ll also enjoy and benefit from mulching. Stake them as needed. Remember, ties should be firm to the stake but loose around the plant s stem to allow for swelling.
o eountry Squireo @arden"
PERENNIAL PLANT SPECIALISTS
Steeles Ave. W. (2 miles west of Highway 10) R.R. 10 Bramptoh L6V 3N2
Knowledgeable staff
Open 7 days a week from April 13 Oct. 19
Over 2000 different hardy plants, alpines, dwarf conifers and shrubs, Hardy ferns, vines, groundcovers and native wildflowers
Send $1. for a plant list by mail to above address
FRUIT
Keep strawberries mulched, fertilized and well watered, and cut out unhealthy wood from fruit trees.
LAWN
Be sure to keep your lawn wellwatered. This means a thorough soaking not just a sprinkle here and there! A weed and feed application will help keép weeds in check.
HERBS
Chives, parsley and mint will be ready for harvesting by the end of the month and can be easily stored in the freezer in plastic bags for future use.
HOUSEPLANTS
Now that the weather is warm and settled, most houseplants can be set outside. Place in shaded positions and gradually increase light for high light type plants only. Fertilize them regularly and water them well they tend to dry out quickly when outdoors.
The garden is there for your enjoyment. Put your gloves away...sit down....relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Ruta Stancikas is a Toronto journalist.
¢Book Review, ... ..
THE COMPLETE SHADE GARDENER
by George Schenk
published by Houghton Milin, Boston
$24.95
Here s a book that s sheer joy to read if you are a gardener in shade. Well written, funny and obviously based on accurate research and years of experience. The first part tells you all the essentials how to choose the site and prepare the soil, then the planting, pruning, and how to make a fine lawn in shade something really tricky and how to make the vagaries of the seasons work for you.
The second section is an encyclopedia of recommended plants for growing in shade. Unfortunately Schenk only identifies hardiness by vague geographical references. For instance, our area is only indicated by the letters NE, Northeastern quarter of the U.S., including all states touching the Great Lakes and including adjacent Canada .
You should simply consult catalogues of nursery and seed companies who serve our area. If they don t list the plant that interests you, it probably isn t hardy here.
George Schenk after all does live in Seattle and New Zealand, climates somewhat milder than ours.
Here s a quote that will give you an idea of his wit: this from the chapter on Planting. There is one more species of hole to be dug, and I hope it doesn t fall to you to dig it: a planting hole in stony hardpan or in actual stone. The irony is, the less penetrable the ground, the larger the planting hole should be, because the plant s roots will be contained here as in a pot. Dig or blast a hole big enough tg bury a wheelbarrow with dignity and plant the plant instead.
And another: Though shade plants growing in ideal soil won t actually need fertilizer, they ll enjoy it, all right, in the same way a human being will gladly top off an already fine dinner with a thousand-calorie dessert.
A super book for a rainy day, or when your own shade garden needs a tonic. Available to borrow from the Library of the Civic Garden Centre, or to buy from the Book Shop.
Species and Unusual Iris
When you sit down to discuss iris species you are talking about a much broader range of plants than the well known garden irises of the bearded types, in a range of sizes from a few inches to over three feet in height and nearly all the colours of the rainbow.
There are at least 230 distinct iris species found in the wild, along with many varieties of each. The garden hybrids made by man are cultivars; natural hybrids, or variants within a specific range are varieties. All the iris species originated in the northern hemisphere, none have ever been found in the tropics or south of the equator.
Their native habitats range from deserts like Israel, to the artic-like Alaska, with most being found in a Mediterranean like climate.
Canada has only a few native species because the last glacial age wiped out all plant life and iris have only come back slowly from the south, and from i/0n5 the north too, as parts of Zi. Alaska were not glaciated. fon L. setosa has spread from 71y there to naturally cross with 1. virginica,resulting in our wild blue flags (I. versicolour), of swamp lands. I. virginica has been found as far north as London, Ontario. There is a variety of I. setosa found along the shores of the St. Lawrence in Quebec as well as a smaller version found in Newfoundland, known as Iris setosa subspecies canadensis. There are several varieties of I. setosa in Alaska, showing it had been there a long time, in isolated colonies which developed to meet local conditions. I. versicolor is most hardy, perhaps a result of hybrid vigor, and it has spread widely into northern Ontario.
1. versicolour
What you can grow, in a general way, are those that have come from areas that have a climate similar to ours, and this includes 1. missouriensis from Montana and the western plains, 7. pseudacorus from England and central Europe, 1. sibrica, I. apylla, I.variegata, 1. croatica, I. gramina and I. pumila, in many colour forms, all from various parts of central Europe, I. balkana from southern Russia and 1. lactea from all across northern Russia. /1 sibrica does not come from Siberia.
These are all readily grown in southern Ontario and if you also have a warm sandy soil you can grow our native 1. cristata. Others from warmer climates are I. attica from Greece, I. tectorum, (both blue and white forms) from China and Japan and 1. chrysographes from southern China. 1. italic comes from northern Italy and is quite hardy here. Mountain or alpine species are usually hardy here at our lower altitudes. The variants of I. spuria come from the high plains of Turkey, but are quite hardy here.
The above is only a small sampling of what you can do with iris species, growing them for fun, a hobby or a challenge.
1. setosa
IRIS FOR FALL PLANTING
Beardless Irises, which normally have narrower leaves and smaller, fibrous rhizomes, include Siberians, Spurias, Japanese and a number of individually classified plants, (including some of the species).
Spuria Irises are tall (often 4 feet or more) robust plants. They follow the Siberians in bloom season. At planting time, do not let the roots dry out. They need good drainage, are heavy feeders and prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil. A drying off period in July through August is beneficial. Do not replant too often. They resent moving. Every 7 or 8 years is often enough.
drainage. Irrigate freely. Siberian Iris resent transplanting. When you receive them you will notice that they are packed in peat or other moisture retaining materials. Leaves are dry above packing. You can add a little moisture to the bag and set in a lighted (no direct sun - under a tree is good) place and wait until there is evidence of root growth, then plant them carefully. Shake peat or other packing material out of roots before planting. Spread roots over ridge as with bearded Iris. Cover crown with at least 2 inches of soil. Keep moist until established.
Siberian
ACID LOVING IRIS
Siberian Iris are very hardy and once established will grow well for many years. They should be planted in humus filled soil, on the acid side, with a high moisture level but good
JAPANESE IRIS
Japanese Iris - a large flat beardless Iris usually with only 3 or 6 petals blooming in early July. Flower stalks average about 30 inches with large 8 - 10 flowers. The size depends on the amount of moisture and fertility. Plant in mid September in a rich, well prepared spot making sure roots don t dry out. They are heavy feeders and require lots of moisture. They should be planted in damp areas or near water. Work in lots of peat prior to planting and make yearly applications of garden sulphur and iron sulphate. Feed twice yearly with a Rhododendron and Azalea fertilizer. Plants will die back completely after planting but will resume growth in spring.
1. spuria
Iris
Japanese lrises (I.ensata)
CGC SWEET PEA SHOW JULY 20 and 21st.
We have decided to set the show up to allow for maximum participation regardless of previous experience or size of garden.
OPEN CLASSES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Class 1. Snoopy Sweet Pea - 5 to 7 stems to be shown with own foliage all one colour or mixed colours
Class 2. Snoopy Sweet Pea 12 to 15 stems shown with own foliage one colour or mixed
Class 3. Any other variety of Sweet Pea 5 to 7 stems named if possible, exhibit to include some sweet pea foliage, one colour or mixed
Class 4. Any other variety of Sweet Pea 12 to 15 stems (same as above)
Class 5. Decorative Flower Design Class this class will be divided into Novice and advanced Sweet Peas to predominate but any garden type flowers and foliage(s) allowed.
Note: Extra Sweet Pea blooms will be available on Saturday morning for those who are not able to complete the designs so that Sweet Peas predominate
Judging will commence at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 20th.
All entries must remain on exhibit until 5 p.m. Sunday July 21st.
All entries in the specimen classes must have been grown by the entrant.
COMING EVENTS
AMERICAN GLOXINIA AND More than one entry per class will be GESNERIAD SOCIETY INC. allowed provided each entry is of a CONVENTION different cultivar. (Note: not just hosted by different colours of a cultivar).
THE TORONTO GESNERIAD SOC.
Flowers for the design class may be JULY 3 to July 6, 1985 from anyone s garden but the design at the must be prepared by the entrant. Constellation Hotel Only one entry per person in design 900 Dixon Rd., Toronto classes.
FLOWERING
PLANT SHOW AND Mini Rose Nursery EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITS
Collector of Miniature Roses For list and map Write Florence Gahagan
Open to the Public Friday, July 5 from 3:30 to 9:00 pm Saturday July 6 from 10:30 am - 4 pm Free admission
The Trellis Shop
Sunday, June 14th, is Fathers Day and we hope our members will visit our shop for a gift for Father. Popular at this time of year is the Snap-Cut Folding , Saw, a teflon coated saw for pruning and camping, etc. It is knapsack size and folds to hide the teeth, price $17.95. The pocket is a compact lightweight thermos for both hot and cold liquids and is useful for work, picnics and boating, at $16.95.
Also for boating and patio we have acrylic wine glasses for boat and patio dining. These are dishwasher safe and are $17.50 for a set of 4.
For the bird watcher, we have several models of hummingbird feeders from $7.95 as well as the deluxe Big Top Feeder for larger birds as featured in the June issue of City and Country Home magazine.
Visit our Trellis Garden, Gift and Book Shop Toronto area s best source for BOOKS ON GARDENING . Over 900 Titles in stock
As always we have a large selection of beautiful books for gardeners, in our book section.
Many of you will have enjoyed the workshop in May in which instructions were given by Betty Ewens in preserving and drying plant materials. Today it is possible to create a preserved arrangement in the style of a fresh arrangement and we have in the shop all the materials required to do this.
Flora-cure, a special grind of Silicagel prepared exclusively for the Civie Garden Centre is $15.99 for a 4 1b. jar and can be used over and over again. Glycerine for leaves and branches is $9.99. We have a new book in stock called EVERLASTING - The complete book of dried flowers by Patricia Thorpe $24.95.
VOLUNTEER NOTICEBOARD
Dear Volunteer,
Once again you rallied around and made our Spring Plant Sale better than ever. The response this year was incredible, we filled over 200 orders for our members as well as serving the public from Thursday to Monday.
Thanks to you the sale went smoothly, everybody was very pleased with their plants and with the service they received.
Sometimes I wish that I had a great big blue ribbon for you but all I have is a thank you a very big thank you.
Have a terrific summer Dorothy.
CORNUCOPIA VOLUNTEER WORKSHOPS
The workshops begin on May 22nd, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m, at the Civic Garden Centre.
We would like to remind the members we are in need of the following items for our crafts:
Hard pine cones all sizes
Peach, apricot, prune, date, cherry and nectarine pits
Rose hips, poppy seed heads, acorn cups, beechnut husks
Black walnuts
May we add, both your presence and your special talents will be warmly welcomed at the workshops.
In order to keep the workshops running successfully, would you please bring your gatherings to the Centre through-out the summer.
Thank you.
For any further information phone Barbara Burns - 493-7069
Where Great Gardens
At your closest Sheridan Garden Centre you will find the finest selection of nur- sery stock in Canada, including more than 750 varieties of plants and trees grown on Sheridan s own farms.
MISSISSAUGA
606 Southdown Rd., Mississauga L5J 2Y4
NORTH-CENTRAL 2827 Yonge St., Toronto MA4N 2J4 Begin. And Sheridan s nursery stock is guaranteed for one full year. At Sheridan Garden Centres you will also find qualified nurserymen who will be pleased to help you in any way they can.
Tel. 822-0251 Tel. 481-6429
AGINCOURT
3444 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto M1T 3K4 ETOBICOKE 700 Evans Ave,, Etobicoke M9C 1A1
Tel. 293-2493
Tel. 621-9100
UNIONVILLE OSHAWA KITCHENER 4077 Hwy. 7, Unionville 847 King St. W, Oshawa 100 EImsdale Road, Kitchener L3R LS Tel. 728-9429
Tel. 743-4146 Tel. 477-2253
Metropolitan Toronto, Markham, Mississauga and Oakville 822-7575.
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
by David Tomlinson
Man is a very unpredictable creature. He claims to have a close kinsmanship and love of nature yet over the centuries he has spent most of his time trying to destroy or to improve her original creations. As human nature is not supposed to have changed much since the dawn of time it is probable that the first plants man selected for -cultivation were not the beautiful wild flowers, which would have been plentiful round his early dwelling, but selected forms of these plants with odd colours, misshapen or double flowers or plants with extra large fruits or leaves.
If so, then this early trend has continued in an unbroken line to the present day. One only has to read a current nurseryman s seed catalogue, with descriptions of his latest novelties such as whopping bit , a duplication in terms , Jumbo , excellent , extra improved , vigorous , compact , multi-coloured , huge , wild colour combinations , enormous , stunning , all doubles , disease-resistant , brightest and best , heavy cropper , truly the best we have ever grown , can be seen two blocks away . Plant breeders to this day are still obsessed with size and colour, bigger and brighter in their eyes means better. It does not matter to them that in the scramble for size and colour that most modern sweet peas and roses are no longer fragrant, or that the beautiful sculptural form of many of the original species have been lost, or very much down-graded.
To my eyes the unpopular single pink stately flowered hollyhock is far more attractive than the ugly, misshapen, multi-coloured tissue paper blobs of the so called improved Powder Puff hybrids, which look as if its flowers have been snatched off a passing wedding car.
Have you ever stopped to think what the motives of the commercial plant breeder really are? One of the main aims is to exploit your mania for the biggest, brightest and most misshapen by producing a constant stream of expensive new varieties to titulate your eyes and empty your pocket. Where vegetables are concerned it certainly has nothing to do with flavour or real quality, most vegetables are now harvested in bulk by machine. Most of the older varieties of tomato for example cannot be harvested in this way, they are not tough enough to withstand several tons of the same vegetable piled on top of them. So the modern tomato variety must above all else be tough, It is also important that it is evenly sized, ripens at much the same time, looks bright and fresh for long periods after picking, & transports well. This change in harvesting methods has resulted in a completely new range of commercially grown vegetable varieties which now enhance the pages of the seedsman s catalogues.
The needs of the home gardener are just the opposite. He wants firm, flavoursome fruit and vegetables, which ripen and can be picked over a long period of time. He is not particularly concerned about their keeping quality as they normally pass from the garden to the pan or freezer in a few hours. He is certainly not concerned with the fruits or vegetables ability to stand impact and long journeys in a
Lecture and slide presentation available e Dwarf Evergreens e ®Heathers ®Japanese Maples ® Rhododendrons ® VINELAND
(416) 562-4836
P.O. Box 98 ® Martin Road Vineland Station, Ont.
truck. What he wants above all is a tasty, tender variety which looks and tastes well cooked or raw.
These needs are much the same as the requirements were of the old estateemployed Victorian or Edwardian gardener. His kitchen garden had to produce a steady supply of fresh, wholesome and tasty vegetables for the big house. From his catalogue, which carried equally as wide a range of flower and vegetable varieties as today, he carefully selected the varieties which met his needs, above all else they had to have flavour. They also had to be disease resistant and able to produce well under different weather and growing conditions. Some of the best of these varieties, which have stood the test of time can still be found in a few seed catalogues, such varieties as Kentucky Wonder and Scarlet Runner pole beans, Windsor long broad beans, Tendercrop bush beans, Lincoln peas, Golden bantam sweet corn and Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard, but each year a few more of these older varieties vanish from the catalogue and are replaced by modern F1 hybrids which unlike the older, open pollinated varieties have to be reproduced by continually crossing two different parent plants which means that the home gardener cannot save his own seed but must buy it from the seedsman. This applies to both vegetables and flower seed.
Unfortunately the old varieties of seed are dropped without warning. After several years of trial and error with numerous varieties of peas, I found that the old dwarf growing variety of pea called Wando did best on my heavy clay soil. It never failed to produce a heavy crop of sweet tasty peas which my wife and I harvested in huge laundry baskets, regardless of the weather that season. Last year it
vanished from the catalogue, no doubt replaced by a sweeter, improved, heavy cropping variety. As replacement I was sent a pea called Olympia, which on my land proved to be a disaster. Fortunately, last week I was tidying up the sideboard and in an old cardboard box I found a real treasure a nearly full 1 pound packet of Wando peas. I ve now tested them for germination which is still very good and will sow them in Spring and use them to produce more seed, So, due to my inefficient storage I can go back to growing Wando next year. Had Wando been an F1 hybrid, finding the packet would have made no difference.
Recently there had been a revival in the growing of older varieties of both vegetables and flowers which are now referred to as Heritage varieties resistance to the over-production of
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F1 hybrids, which I hope will have the same success as the Real Beer movement in England (which has succeeded in forcing the major brewers to go back to producing some beers in the time honoured way, not by quick chemical brewing methods). Some of these older varieties can still be obtained from specialist organizations such as The Seed Savers Exchange, % Kent Whealy, 203 Rural Avenue, Decorah, Iowa 52101, and Abundant Life Seed Foundation, P.O. Box 772, Port Townsend, Washington 98368, are both dedicated to the preservation of heritage varieties. Recently I heard that the Canadian Organic Growers published a catalogue of heritage seeds and this is available from Alex Caron, R.R.No. 3, King City, Ont. LOG 1KO.
Books on heritage seeds are difficult to locate, but two excellent books on the subject are The Garden Seed Inventory, Kent Whealy 1984, a
seed finder s guide listing all open pollenated vegetables and garden seeds still available with known sources of supply, and the Heirloom Gardener, Carolyn dJabs 1983, a book about collecting and growing old and rare varieties of fruit and vegetables. Both these books are available from the Abundant Life Seed Foundation.
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