445-1552
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE Garden Topics & Events Newsletter
HORT HAPPENINGS
by Anne Marie Van Nest
JUNE
PESTS IN THE GARDEN
The gardeners nightmare Earwigs, reddish-brown insects can be found anywhere in the garden and house and are a frightful nuisance. Earwigs are about 2 ¢cm (3/4 in.) long with a pair of forcep-like pincers at their hind end. These pests are active at night and hide during the day in the soil and under debris and plants. This pest feeds on seedling plants and loves to
climb tall plants to get at the tasty
Another night prowing invisible menflowers. Control of these insects is ace, that does more damage than difficult except when they accumulate possible, is the gray garden slug in areas and can be sprayed or dusted, (Deroceras reticulatum). This night with Sevin (Carbaryl) or eliminated feeder delights in munching on with bait pellets. Spraying should be delicate seedlings, tender shoots and done in June or early July to prevent leaves. Signs of slug attack can be seen an excessive population buildup. in the form of a characteristic slime Good sanitation practices will help trail, as these legless pests slide along with the battle, try to avoid a debris on a path of mucus. Slugs are more filled garden as much as possible. troublesome during wet periods or in
PLEASE TAKE NOTE ADDITION TO THE SWEET PEA SHOW SCHEDULE
In order to make our 2nd Annual Sweet Pea Show, a standard show we have added the following specimen classes:-
Class 4 b 1 spray, floribunda
Class 4 ¢ 1 specimen bloom, Hybrid Tea
Class 4 d 1 specimen bloom, miniature
Class 4 e 1 spray, miniature
Class 4 f 1 specimen bloom or spray of any climber
Please see page 2 of your May Trellis for the original classes
2nd ANNUAL SWEET PEA SHOW THE GOOD OLD DAYS
JULY 5th and 6th from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Admission free
Earwig and damage on chrysanthemum
HORT HAPPENINGS
cont.
highly irrigated gardens and under plants that have a nice protective leafy umbrella. Gardens surrounded by tall weeds or grasses are also more susceptible. Control of these pests involves the use of a molluscide-metaldehyde in the form of a bait that is scattered over the ground in the troublesome areas. Do not put on edible plants. It is recommended to keep dogs away from the treated area and to cover the piles to keep out moisture. Removing any garden debris is helpful to control this pest also. Traps and barriers are effective for small areas to protect valuable seedlings.
/ 7
Sow Bug
Pill Bug
Pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) are little gray crustaceans that will roll up into a ball when they are disturbed. These pests and their relatives the Sowbugs (Porcellio laevis) are found in areas with a lot of moisture and are again active at night. They prefer to hide under boards, rocks and mulches. These two bugs have seven pairs of legs and are about 1 cm long. They seldom harm plants except if they are numerous, when they will feed on roots. Sowbugs are beneficial though because they break down organic material.
Sanitation is very important to control large numbers of these bugs. Remove all hiding places by cleaning up all grass clippings, decaying leaves and moist dark areas. If a chemical treatment is needed use a spray of Diazinon Malathion or Sevin dust and apply to all hiding areas, cracks and crevices.
Aphids
Aphids (Macrosiphum \ry/ rosae) are a very popular garden problem especially on rose
bushes early in the summer, then they migrate to other plants such as Asters, Cosmos, Dahlias, Sweet Peas and Zinnias during the summer. Aphids or plant lice are small soft bodied insects that suck the sap from their host and vary in colour from red to green to gray to black. They are usually found on the newest tender shoots and a sticky Honeydew is left which will turn black and sooty.
Insecticidal soaps are an effective control for this pest. Spray or dust when populations are noticed with Diazinon or Malathion. Do not spray flowers during the day as damage may occur and bees may be present.
Birch Leaf Miner (Fenusa pusilla) has no preference to whick birches they attack. In mid-May and in early July small sawflies lay eggs on the leaves which hatch and soon enter the leaf tissue hidden and protected from nasty sprays. The injury appears as large brown patches on the leaves, especially the new succulent spring growth. Three control methods are available. The easiest is the bark treatment. Paint Cygon 2E undiluted on the bark as the leaf buds break in a band the same width as the tree diameter to a maximum of 15 cm (6 in.). Repeat this after six weeks and do not apply to trees less than 5 c¢m thick. It is better to paint a different area each time.
The foliar spray is done when the first leaves are unfolding and repeated the last week in June. Sevin or Malathion may be used according to the label directions.
A soil drench should be applied in early May with undiluted Cygon 2E when the leaves start to open. Pour the insecticide into shallow holes evenly divided at the drip line of the tree, fill the holes and immediately soak the area with water. One treatment in May is all that is recommended each year, and should not be used for newly transplanted trees.
June 1
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
TORONTO BONSAI SHOW 11:30 - 5 pm in Floral Hall - Adm. $2. Movies on Japanese Bonsai will be shown free in the Auditorium at 12 o clock, 1, 2, 3 and 4 pm
1 TORONTO CACTI & SUCCULENT CLUB SHOW
8th Annual SHOW & SALE 11 am - 4:30 pm - Adm. $1.00
3 Mens Garden Club regular meeting 8 p.m.
Shirley Irvine will give us tips on how to run a garden not it Running you
8 Toronto Gesneriad Society meeting 2 pm Monte Watler will give a presentation on Gardening Under Lights
8 S. Ontario Orchid Society meeting 1 - 5 p.m.
9 Toronto Bonsai Society meeting 7 p.m. General workshop
11 Garden Therapy Group meeting 1:00 pm for handicapped people
14 Green Thumbs (Junior Garden Club) 9:45 am to noon
14 CANADIAN IRIS SOCIETY SHOW 12 noon to 5 pm
17 North Toronto Horticultural Society meeting 8 p.m.
A 60th Anniversary Celebration
19 Beginners Flower Arranging - 5 week course begins at 1:30 pm
22 Tommy Thompson Memorial Walk through Edwards Gardens 2 p.m.
26 Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Soc. meeting 8 p.m.
29 CANADIAN ROSE SOCIETY NATIONAL SHOW hosted by The York Rose and Garden Society from 1 to 5 p.m.
July 5,6 SWEET PEA SHOW -sponsored by the Civic Garden Centre2nd Annual Show - Open to public Sat. & Sun. 12 noon - 5 p.m.
8 Church Flowers - a one day workshop from 10 am - 3 pm
This is especially important for anyone wishing to learn How to do flowers in their church
24 Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Soc. meeting 8 p.m.
Aug. 9,10 NORTH TORONTO HORTICULTURAL SHOW
Saturday 2 pm - 8 pm and Sunday noon - 6 pm
16 CANADIAN IRIS SALE 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
26 Canadian Red Cross Clinic
28 Canadian Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Soc. meeting 8 p.m.
TOMMY THOMPSON MEMORIAL WALK
through Edwards Gardens
SUNDAY, JUNE 22 at 2 p.m. with Anne Marie Van Nest
Light refreshments will be served in the Civic Garden Centre following the walk please wear low heeled shoes and suitable clothing. Children should be supervised for the walk.
ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS
The Centre is preparing to produce new postcards of the Centre and Edwards Gardens. If you have a photograph or slide you think would be suitable and are agreeable to having a reproduction on a postcard, please send it to the Centre by June 30,1986. Print your name and phone number on it. Owners of winning selections to be - awarded $50.00 Gift Certificate for use in the Trellis Shop. Jackie Brisby at 445-1552. Inquiries
Art at the Centre
In the Link Gallery:
May 28 - June 10 - Nancy Converse Towne and country. A joyous exhibition of colour and form vibrations
June 11 - June 24 - Janet Iwaszcenko
Simple compositionspen and ink painting
June 25 - July 8 - Audrey Spendiff
While strolling through the Park botanical art
July 9 - July 22 - Denis Stevens
Impressionistic watercolours, acrylics and oils
July 23 - Aug. 5 - Loretta Pompilio hand painted silk florals and watercolours
Aug. 6 - Aug. 19 - Connie Coon
The Flora & Fauna of Edwards Gardens - photographs
COURSES STARTING SOON
Jun 19 Basic Flower Arranging 5 week course at 1:30 only
July 8 Church Flowers - one day workshop from 10 am to 3 pm to help anyone wishing to do flowers in their church
z A THANK YOU NOTE
98
To the Board of Directors, Members and Staff my most sincere appreciation for your warmth, courtesy and the support you have extended to me since taking over the position of Executive Director.
I commend you all for your dedication and your individual contributions which have brought the Centre to where it is today.
I look forward to the years ahead and the accompanying challenges as we continue to grow.
Sally Sullivan
CGC OPERATING HOURS
JUNE HOURS
Trellis Shop and Library
Open Mon. to Fri. 9:30 to 5 pm Sat. and Sun. 12 noon to 5 pm
SUMMER HOURS
Trellis Shop and Library
Open Mon. to Fri. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. and Sun. 12 noon to § p.m.
General Information
Volume 13 No. 5 ISSN 0380-1470
Editor: Grace Tughan Advertising Inform. (416) 445-1552
Specializes in dried and silk flower arrangements.
Arrangements for sale in The Trellis Shop Workshop will be closed during July and August
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.
CHAIRMAN S ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1985
by Camilla Dalglish, President
Fellow members of the Civic Garden Centre, Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
During 1985 this beautiful stone building, situated in Edwards Gardens, was a hive of activity. The Civic Garden Centre was fulfilling its mandate * to encourage and promote interest in and a study of gardening, conservation, research and horticulture .
Let me take you on a typical October day to visit the Centre. You might have entered the building and found Anne Marie setting up a beautiful display of chrysanthemums in the lobby. In the studios, courses might be in progress: Tree and Bush Fruit for the Garden or Advanced Flower Arranging . You possibly could peek into the office and find the latest Trellis being created. In the Boardroom last minute plans for Cornucopia are being discussed. Chairs are set up in the Floral Hall in preparation for the R.E. Edwards Foundation Memorial Lecture. Fall bulbs are being sold in the shop as are books on horticulture and flower arranging. I think we could proudly say we were certainly fulfilling our mandate.
A Board priority this past year has been to increase membership and develop an active outreach program. Through the combined efforts of Board Members, Staff and Volunteers certain goals were met. The Civic Garden Centre was represented at the Garden Festival as an umbrella organization over our horticultural groups.
Many Public Libraries displayed our books. Leaflets on How to grow various plants were printed and successfully sold for 10 cents each. Our Speakers Panel was revived and has already accepted invitations. Several months ago a most successful booth with displays and speakers went to the Scarboro Town Centre. All
these promotional efforts have given the Civic Garden Centre the very best possible image.
Now, constantly, the expertise of our staff, volunteers and groups is being sought. How can the Executive Director, Staff, Volunteers and Board Members handle the great demands on their time? This year, careful consideration must be given to these manyexciting possibilities. Special Events have brought many new faces to the Centre.
The Spring Plant Sale sold more preorders than ever before. Cornucopia, our autumn craft sale, hosted over 50 crafters and was attended by over 3000 people, a record. Mr. and Mrs. Neville Holmes launched our first Sweet Pea Show in July. There was lively interest generated. One of the year s highlights was undoubtedly the Great Garden Conference convened by Brian Bixley. Lecturers came from England, United States and Canada. The audience included our members, landscape designers, teachers, and other interested gardeners from far and near.
A direct result of these activities has been a rise in membership.
There have been certain changes in staff. In September Anne Marie Van Nest began as our full time horticulturist. Margaret Austin is now a member of the permanent staff assisting Jackie Brisby in the purchasing of books. After three years as Executive Director of the Centre, Gordon Wick recently resigned.
One of the greatest advantages of becoming a member of the Civic Garden Centre is the privilege of being able to attend our stimulating Members Nights. This year topics were delightfully varied: A Perennial Garden by cont. p. 6
CHAIRMAN S ANNUAL REPORT
David Tomlinson, Great Gardens of the World by Les Marsh and Did the Grange Have a Rose Garden by Pleasance Crawford. Some enjoyable afternoon lectures were held in conjunction with the Rose and Rhododendron Societies.
Charles Coffey has given you our Financial position. I would like to add that we are grateful to the R. E. Edwards Foundation for enabling us to bring Roy Lancaster from England to speak on Plant Hunting and for its financing of other activities of the Centre. The W. Garfield Weston Foundation generously enabled us to purchase the Promotional Display Unit and slide projector. We must also remember Milne House Garden Club and the Garden Club of Toronto who make the Civic Garden Centre their home. Both these organizations continue to assist us financially. I would like to express my appreciation to them for their continued loyalty.
Several new courses have been added this year: Balcony Gardening and Designing a Unique Winter Garden.
The library continues to expand with 192 new books and an increased circulation.
A big thank you is sent to all the dedicated volunteers who have come out again and again to help with our many activities. Over the past year the tremendous support of Gordon Wick and our devoted Civic Garden Centre staff has been outstanding.
As President and Chairman for the past two years, I would like to express my appreciation to the extremely hard working Board members who never said no when I called them. It has been a pleasure working with such interesting and cooperative friends.
Now it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, your new President: the most conscientious,well organized, talented, charming and delightful professor and gardener - Brian Bixley.
SHERIDAN LIMITED Where Great
At your closest Sheridan Garden Centre you will find the finest selection of nursery stock in Canada, including more than 750 varieties of plants and trees grown on Sheridan's own farms.
MISSISSAUGA NORTH-CENTRAL 606 Southdown Rd., 2827 Yonge St., Mississauga L5J2v4 Toronto M4N 2J4 Tel. 822-0251
Gardens
BegI n And Sheridan s nursery . Stock is guaranteed for one full year.
At Sheridan Garden Centres you will also find qualified nurserymen who will pleased to help you in any way they can.
AGINCOURT ETOBICOKE 3444 Sheppard Ave. E., 700 Evans Ave Toronto M1T 3K4 Etobicoke M9C 1A1 Tel. 481-6429 Tel. 293-2493 Tel. 621-9100 UNIONVILLE OSHAWA KITCHENER 4077Hwy. 7, Unionville 847 King St. W., Oshawa 100EImsdaleRoad, Kitchener L3R1L5 Tel. 728-9429 Tel. 743-4146 Tel.477-2253
LANDSCAPEDEPARTMENT:Metropolitan Toronto, Markham, Mississauga and Oakville §22-7596 ;
VOLUNTEER NOTICEBOARD
Dear Volunteer,
With so much happening at the moment I hardly know where to start!
Hazel Lyonde has very kindly arranged a tour of 10 gardens for us to visit this summer between May 17 & August 17 (A schedule of these gardens is only $10.00 from our office). If you can help by attending one garden to check tickets, etc. please call as soon as possible. It should be a lovely afternoon.
Our 2nd Annual Sweet Pea Show is July 5 & 6 if you wish to participate please let us know. There are 17 classes (as you have seen on page 2 of your May Trellis and on the front cover of this Trellis), so I 'm sure that there is one for you. We can t wait to see the results of all those sweet peas which Neville Holmes grew for us this spring and, of course, the ones you grew
In order to make crafts for our Autumn Cornucopia we ve come up with a super idea. Several of our members have volunteered to have a one day workshop, teaching a particular craft. These workshops will be free with the expectation of reproducing these crafts for Cornucopia.
Not every workshop has been finalized please do watch for your July/August Trellis for further workshop details. Please call to let us know which workshops you d like to attend.
Several of the workshops have been designed with the cottage in mind so if you re away for the summer you can still help by collecting items for the workshops, milk weed pods, acorns, acorn caps, short and long grasses, cattails, teasles, fruit pits, poppy seed pods, by drying plant material (including miniature straw flowers) which would be suitable for sale in bundles, by pressing flowers - the list is endless, use your imagination and help our Civic Garden Centre.
Autumn Cornucopia is a major fund raising event so please do your best to help in any way you can. Remember, if everyone does a little, we ll all be doing a lot.
If you are interested in giving a workshop please call me. I m always glad to hear from you.
FREE CORNUCOPIA WORKSHOPS
CARROT CAKE WORKSHOP: This workshop will be held in late Sept. or early Oct. Carrot cake baked last year and sold in our tea room raised almost $1000.; we can do this again this year with your help. Workshop leader is Camilla Dalglish, please call her at 923-8628 if you would care to help.
IVY WREATH WORKSHOP: This workshop will be held at Gerda Ferrington s home on JULY 22nd please call her at 231-0362 if you would like to help.
PRESSED FLOWER WORKSHOP:
Workshop leader, Mary French - in this workshop we will be making pressed flower pictures and cards. Please bring tweezers & small scissors, any pressed flowers you may have and your lunch. Call the Centre if you would like to participate on Sept. 24 - from 10 - 3.
EMBROIDERED CUSHION WORK-
SHOP: If you can sew a straight lineby hand or on your machine, you ll enjoy this workshop. Kits will be prepared & instruction given by Daisy Doherty on JUNE 25 at 10 a.m. A great project for the cottage or leisure evenings.
PLEASE WATCH YOUR NEXT JULY/AUGUST TRELLIS for more workshops starting in the fall.
Dorothy
GETTING TO THE ROOTS OF THE MATTER
by David Tomlinson
I must begin by apologizing to a Miss Macdonald, who wrote a letter to me last August commenting on a statement I made about raising the grades around a large silver maple (Acer saccarinum) in an article I wrote on Growing Wild Flowers in the July issue of Trellis. My daughter Beth, in a rare housekeeping episode tidied it away never to be seen again.
During the winter months when my landscape architecture practice is least busy, I try to write ten articles to be used in Trellis throughout the year. I feel that it is a matter of priority that one of these should be devoted to answering Miss Macdonald s legitimate concern which, if my memory serves me right, was that it is an extremely dangerous practise to raise the grades around a mature tree as this frequently results in the death of that tree.
Now what Miss Macdonald said in her letter is basically correct, but like most operations which involve plants there are no hard and fast rules which govern every situation. In this case the final result depended greatly on the tree species involved, the health of the tree and the method used to raise the grades.
I described in the article how I intended to build an 18" raised peat bed around a large silver maple, in which I would then grow wild flowers. Now silver maple happens to be a reasonably safe species to raise grades around it as it has a very shallow root system. Had it been an oak or a pine or some other deep rooted tree raising the grades would prove to be difficult with some danger of killing the tree. My tree is also located on gradually sloping ground so that only the area immediately behind the wall is 18 deep, the rest of the bed gets steadily
shallower as it slopes back towards the tree, and the ground immediately adjoining the trunk is not covered with fresh earth at all. The tree has a very large spread (at least 50 feet) and I covered a very small area of the tree s total root run with additional earth. The remaining area was left completely undisturbed. Another important factor was that the soil I used to raise the grades was a very coarse peat mixed with leaf mould. The main danger is that when you cover tree roots, even just a few inches deep with a clay or silty soil which compacts densely preventing oxygen from getting to the tree roots, the roots die of suffocation. That is why it is advisable if you do have to raise grades round an existing deep-rooted tree to fill most of the area with ideally coarse crushed bricks or stone, covering these with only a few inches of gravelly, sandy topsoil, if you want to grow grass or other plants. It is wise to build an air well round the tree to keep soil and stones away-
As I know from experience just how aggressive the roots of silver maple can be when they find a new area to exploit, I even contemplated covering the bottom of the bed with polythene to prevent the roots penetrating into the peat. In the end I decided not to do this, but I 'm not sure that I made the right decision because when I tried to plant some Dogs tooth violets (Erythronium) in the new bed last fall T could only get the trowel to penetrate the matt of new maple roots with great difficulty. cont. pg. 10-
Catalogue available on request o Dwarf Evergreens e o[{eathers @Japanese Maples ® ® Rhododendrons e
(416) 562-4836
P.O. Box 98 ® Martin Road Vineland Station, Ont. LOR 2E0
THE ELUSIVE, EXCLUSIVE, BLUE POPPY
by David Tomlinson
It is well over hundred years ago since the first Himalayan blue poppy created a sensation in the horticultural world when it flowered for the first time in England at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. But this was not the well-known blue poppy Meconopsis betonicifolia baileyii but the still little-grown M. simplicifolia. Before M. betonicifolia baileyii was discovered in 1913, between 30-40 different species of meconopsis including both blue, yellow and lemon yellow species were tried in cultivation, but all of them, with the exception of M. camberica, the yellow Welsh mountain poppy, proved exceedingly difficult to cultivate. The latter is an interesting survivor of the last ice age and is the only species of Meconopsis to be found outside the Sino Himalaya mountain. This species can still be found growing wild in the mountains of central Wales and I would advise would-be meconopsis addicts to begin with this easily grown, yet beautiful, garden plant which seeds itself down in a cool, moist corner of my garden without becoming a weedy nuisance.
The discover of Meconopsis betonicifolia bayleyii was quite undistinguished, as it was not found by some intrepid plant hunter but was casually picked and then pressed in the pocket note book of a Captain F. M. Bailey when he was travelling with a fellow officer, Captain Morshead, across an unexplored region of southern Tibet. Eventually the pressed flower was given to Sir David Prain, the then Director of Kew Gardens, who recognized it as a new species and gave it the name of Meconopsis baileyii to honour its finder.
Eleven years after Captain Bailey found the plant, Kingdom Ward, a professional plant hunter, and Lord Cawdor following casual references in Captain Bailey s diary had no difficulty in refinding the plant and they diligently collected seed and sent it back to England. It was not long before skilful gardeners in England presented botanists with living flowering plants and the botanist quickly realized that these were almost identical to a meconopsis found in 1886 in Yunnan, China,by Abbe J.M.Delavey, a French Catholic missionary, which he sent to the Paris Museum where a distinguished botanist, A. Franchet, examined the plant in 1889 and described it as a new species. He gave it the name of M. betonicifolia because its basal leaves looked a little like those of betony. As you are no doubt aware under the rules of botanical nomenclature the first Latin name given to a plant has priority over later namings, so the correct name of this plant is M. betonicifolia not M.baileyii as it is still sometimes called.
Later on however, gardeners discovered that when they tried to grow seedlings of these two geographical forms they discovered that the plants found by Abbe Delavey were exceedingly difficult to grow, whereas the plant found by Captain Bailey grew at least in British gardens like a weed, so the name baileyii was added to distinguish his form from the Abbe Delavey s plant.
Kingdom Ward in his book Pilgrimage for Plants says that the remarkable thing about Captain Bailey s plant was that after nearly eighty years of trying to cultivate over 40 species of Himalayan meconopsis they had at last managed to find one which any duffer could grow. I presume that he was referring to gardeners in Britain not Ontario, although I do not think that this plant is as difficult to grow as many Ontario gardeners believe.
cont. p. 11
GETTING TO THE ROOTS OF THE MATTER cont.
One of the problems of writing articles on horticulture is that one cannot explain every aspect of the subject you are describing in great detail, but I do feel that constructive comments made by people like Miss Macdonald do horticulture a great service by drawing attention to matters such as this because writers sometimes forget that the advice they give is often taken literally and most projects are not as simple or as straight forward as they first seem. I suppose that the old maxim that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing is very close to the truth and it is always advisable to find out as much as you can from a wide variety of sources, either by reading up on the subject or picking as many expert brains as you can before you actually start construction on any project.
MEN'S GARDEN CLUB
Some members of the Civic Garden Centre may not be aware that all men are eligible to become members of the Men s Garden Club.
The Club holds its meetings in the evening, usually on the first Tuesday of each month. Both novice gardeners and experts comprise its membership and value the opportunities afforded to exchange useful information and helpful advice.
Howie Nichols - sec.treas. - 244-3059
Bob Saunders - president - 489-2479
ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
Lilac Sunday Concert in the Dell Sun. June 8th approx. 1 & 3 pm Call 527-1158 for specific times _
29th Annual Rose Show Sat. June 28 -1 -5 pm - Sun.10 - 4
Auction of rose bouquets Sun. at 4 pm
Admission $1.50
WEDNESDAYS AT WEALL & CULLEN!
Weall & Cullen will take 10% off the regular price of all annual flowering plants, vegetable plants, hanging baskets and patio pots purchased on Wednesday. Weall & Cullen will endeavour to have a complete range of plants available for these Wednesday Sale Days . The discount will only apply to plants available at the time of purchase. No "Rain Checks" for future purchases will be issued.
*SAVE 10% WEDNESDAYS APPLIES TO BEDDING PLANTS ONLY.
THE ELUSIVE, EXCLUSIVE, BLUE POPPY
cont. from pg. 9
I managed to grow two flowering plants on my second attempt. My first effort ended in failure when my plants provided a gourmet dinner for two slugs who I might add paid the supreme penalty for their audacity.
The method I use to grow this plant is to sow seed in early January into a plastic six pack (the ones used for commercially grown petunias). I fill the pack with moist Promix and firm lightly then sowa little cluster of seeds in the centre of each pack. Cover them very lightly with Promix and water them gently until thoroughly soaked. I then put them in my cold store for four weeks at a temperature of 30-40 deg. F. If you have no cold store you can put them in the bottom of your refrigerator or leave them in the house for a few days in the coolest spot you have then put them outside and cover them with a good layer of snow. During the time they are in the cold store or refrigerator check them periodically to ensure that they do not dry out. After four weeks I remove them from the cold store, cover them with a clear plastic lid, place a thick sheet of newspaper over the top and put them under my plant lights at a temperature of about 60 deg. F. I check them daily they should germinate in 7 - 28 days. As soon as they germinate remove the newspaper but leave them under the plastic cover. As the seedlings grow best in cool conditions I put them on the bottom shelf of my light unit. During this stage be careful not to overwater them as they tend to dry out slowly under the plastic cover. When the seedlings become overcrowded thin out the seedlings retaining the most vigorous plant. Do not try to pick out additional seedlings as they resent disturbance round their roots.
Under lights my plants tend to develop very slowly and I do not move them upstairs to a sunny window until midMay. Ithen gradually harden them off by first removing the plastic cover, then putting them outside in a shady location on warm days, bringing them in at night. By mid-June they are well hardened and are ready to plant out.
You have to be very careful when you select their permanent location, they need to be grown in a cool, moist situation. I flowered my plants on the east side of my house where they only get sun in the early morning. As they also like an acid soil I also added a considerably amount of leaf mould & peat to my clay soil before I planted them. Ideally the best place to grow them would be in semi-shade in an acid woodland soil by a lake in cottage country. Barry Porteous, a member of the Ont. Chapter of the Amer. Rock Garden Soc. grows his plants successfully in this type of habitat at his cottage in Muskoka.
I don t know if I ve reached the duffer stage yet as last year I grew about 30 plants which I planted in a drift at the back of my woodland bed. These are now resting safely - I hopeunder the snow, protected by spruce branches, If they flower next year I will only let half of them develop flowering spikes as if you let them flower they tend to die after flowering. If you have the courage to remove the flowering stem the first year they tend to become true perennials rather than biennials.
I am interested to hear about other methods of raising this plant and I am sure other members of the Garden Centre would like to hear about your successes and failures also. Why not let us know by sending a letter to the Editor of Trellis.
The Trellis Shop
by Jackie Brisby
Something new in the Trellis Shop VIDEO!
Dan Gibson, the award winning film maker who produces the records and cassettes sold in the Shop, has just introduced us to his first visual tape. This is an absolutely beautiful tape with natural sounds only, called Loon Country by Canoe. Wildlife featured include the Common Loon (adult and young), Beaver, Red-winged blackbird, White-throated sparrow, Ruffled Grouse, Timber wolves (young) as well as the songs and calls of many birds, mammals and amphibians on the sound track. This restful, visual experience is in stereo a thoughtful Fathers Day gift for $29.95.
From Marthas Vineyard we have received attractive handscreened canvas bags for storing greens, herbs & mushrooms. Also, in stock, are packaged jelly bags with recipes for jellies. These items are all attractively packaged and reasonably priced for hostess gifts.
A new shipment from England, of interest to flower arrangers includes wrought iron plant stands, marble bases, candle cups, cone spikes, heavy black lead pinholders all for flower arranging, & flower presses in 3 sizes.
And at last, from Japan, the long awaited Ikenobo shears, a fine quality shear with laminated cutting edges for making clean cuts - $24.00.
GOOD NEWS FOR INDOOR PLANT GROWERS!
Now there is a society just for you! The Indoor Gardening Society is planning to start a chapter in the Toronto area to serve gardeners who use an indoor environment. If you specialize in windowsill gardening, growing under lights or greenhouse gardening we would like to hear from you. Any gardeners who have searched extensively for tropical seeds and plants will enjoy participating in an exchange with members.
Monthly meetings are planned ten times a year with a summer recess during July and August, as well as a bimonthly newsletter written by the members on a wide range of subjects from starting seeds to propagating tropical plants to controlling pests. Plant sales and shows will also be part of the activities to be planned.
If you are interested in meeting with fellow indoor gardeners to exchange ideas, plants and information please let me know.
Please contact Anne Marie Van Nest at The Civic Garden Centre, 445-1552 to leave your name and phone number or write to 777 Lawrence Ave. East Don Mills, Ont. M3C 1P2.
Mini Rose Nursery
Collector of Miniature Roses For list and map Write Florence Gahagan
P.O. Box 873, Guelph, Ont. NIH 6M6
The " @ountry Squires Garden
PERENNIAL PLANT SPECIALISTS
Steeles Ave. W. (2 miles west of Highway 10) R.R. 10 Brampton L6V 3N2
Knowledgeable staff
Open 7 days a week from April 12 - 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
FROM THE BOOKSHOP
by Margaret Austin
If you are planning an herb garden this summer, help is at hand. The bookshop has a good selection of books on growing and using herbs several old classics and many newer works, which are beautiful to look at, as well as informative.
Sarah Garland s The Herb Garden (Penguin, 1984; $16.95 paperback) is an attractive book which covers the history, planning, construction and cultivation of an herb garden.
Included are suchtopics as the kitchen garden, the hardy herb border, the dyer s herb garden, the scented herb garden, etc. The writer deals at length with the practical aspects of designing and building the garden. Illustrated with many colour photographs and drawings, this delightful book lives up to the high standard set by the Penguin Garden Handbooks.
A very attractive large-format book, at $16.95, The Herb Book by Arabella Boxer and Philippa Back (Octopus, 1980) focuses more on the use of herbs in cosmetics, in medicine and especially in cooking. The mouthwatering photographs will make you want to grow herbs simply to use in tempting recipes such as Shellfish Salad with Tarragon or Grapefruit and Mint Sorbet.
Recipes are also given for herbal cosmetics and potpourri. There is an extensive catalogue of 50 individual herbs and their many uses.
JUST PERENNIALS GARDENS
by Kay
Specialist in rock, alpine and perennial gardens
NEW NUMBER (705) 748-0511
Herbs: Gardens, Decorations and Recipes by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead (Crown, 1985; $46.00) would make a wonderful gift for the herb enthusiast.
The sections on herb gardening, herbal decorations and herbs in the kitchen are illustrated with stunning photographs of gardens all over the world. The recipes pesto bread, herbed vinegars, steamed mussels with lemon thyme are inspiring.
The section on herbal decorations is filled with fresh ideas for pretty Elizabethan nosegays, wreaths, potpourri and other lovely crafts.
Many other books on growing herbs are available with prices starting at $3.95 for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbook on Culinary Herbs.
SNIPPY TIPS
No. 1 Care of Cut Flowers and Plant Material and No. 2 Drying and Preserving Plant Material . $2.00 each
WONDERLAND OF BULBS
Send $2.00 for our new catalogues, refundable on first order.
The multitude of rare and interesting bulbs listed, over 700 varieties, many difficult to obtain elsewhere, will prove to be a revelation. By far the most complete bulb catalogue in Canada.
C. A. CRUICKSHANK LTD.
Since 1925 Canada's Leading Bulb Specialists
1015 Mount Pleasant Road Toronto M4P 2M1 488-8292
IN PRAISE OF SHADE
by Trevor Cole, Curator Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa
SHRUBS
The number of shrubs that will grow in shade is much greater than that of trees. Shrubs often form the understory in woods and thus are better adapted to lower light intensities.
Many of these shrubs can be grown in ordinary garden soil providing extra care is given during the first year, especially where existing trees give root competition. If it is necessary to alter the soil, do not change the level of the soil excessively, or the existing trees may be put under stress due to a sudden change in the oxygen available to the roots.
There are two species of shrubs that may be used to form the backbone of the shade garden. Both are generally of a good size, both have attractive fruits that bring birds during the winter, both have additional winter effect in bark or buds, but in one the flowers are fairly inconspicuous, in the other often very showy. I refer to Dogwoods and Viburnums.
Having written that, the first Dogwood to come to mind is Cornus mas, the Cornelian Cherry, a shrub grown for its brilliant yellow spring flowers, However, in general, Dogwoods are not thought of as flowering shrubs. They are unique in that the variegated forms, both the white and green Elegantissima and yellow and green Spaethii , retain their variegation in all but the deepest shade, Most variegated shrubs will rapidly become all-green under low light conditions.
Dogwoods are also grown for the winter effect of their twigs. By growing several different species twigs may be found from ox-blood to bright red, and from a pale green to an almost Forsythia yellow.
There are over 100 species of Viburnum, plus many wild & cultivated varieties. It is obviously not possible in a magazine like Trellis to describe all, so the following are some of my favorites.
Wayfaring tree, V. lantana, is a large shrub, reaching almost 5 m with age. The white flowers appear in May & are followed by fruit that turns yellow, red and finally black. All three colors may be present at the same time in a single cluster.
The variety Mohican is a U.S.Department of Agriculture introduction. It retains the red color on the fruit for a longer period & is more attractive.
There is a superior form of the Doublefile Viburnum V. plicatum tomentosum called Mariesii. The branches on all the doublefiles are horizontal, in layers, with the flowers carried on the top of the branches above the foliage. The fruit, in the variety Mariesii, turns a copper color and from a distance the tree seems to be in flower. The foliage on this variety turns red in the fall. It is of borderline hardiness in Toronto, so select a sheltered site, or expect some winter injury.
Another U.S. National Arboretum introduction. is named after the Alleghany Indians. This is a selection of the leatherleaf viburnum V. rhytidophylloides. This shrub has dark green, thick, crinkled leaves which turn a bronzy shade in fall. Creamy white flowers in May give rise to bright red fruit that eventually turns black. Like most viburnum fruit, they are very attractive to birds.
The native Witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana is a very useful shrub for shade. While not as showy as the more tender Chinese and hybrid witchhazels (which can only be grown successfully in the Niagara peninsula), it is still
IN PRAISE OF SHADE cont.
well worth a place in the garden. What other shrub comes into flower in November? Its one drawback is that the brilliant yellow fall color of the leaves often masks the delicate beauty of the matching flowers. An early frost which causes the leaves to drop, reveals the flowers without harming them.
Other well known shrubs that will do well in shaded locations include the Oregon Grape (Mahonia); many forms of Euonymus, including the European Spindle Tree, Burningbush, Wintercreeper & Winged Euonymus. Flowering currants, especially the Golden Currant Ribes aureum and the Buffalo currant R. odoratum are good for providing spring flower and perfume.
One final group of shade-loving shrubs that need consideration are the acidloving Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Kalmias, Pieris, Ericas and Callunas. It will probably be necessary to amend the structure and pH of the soil to
grow these successfully. As mentioned earlier, care must be taken not to smother existing tree roots when adding peat and sand to the soil already in place. The small pH testing kits or a pH probe meter are quite accurate enough to indicate the suitability of your soil to these plants, and to let you know when your soil amendments reach the desired level.
There is a wealth of information on varieties suitable for growing in the Toronto area in the C.G.C. Library. See the bulletins of the Rhododendron Soc. of Can., & the Ont. Rock Garden Soc. for more information.
When seeking sources for any of these plants, you may want to refer to my Woody Plant Source List . This booklet, published about every 5 years, is a listing of trees & shrubs that are available from Can. nurseries. It is being revised this winter and the new edition should be available for reference in the C.G.C. Library by May.
CRAFT AND
NURSERIES
4
Mzr. Brian Bixley vw«f " Ist Vice-President Mrs. Sue Macaulay GARDEN % Treasurer Mr. Charles Coffey
CENTRE
Board of Directors:
For 1986: Mr. Art Drysdale, Mr. Albert Fisher, Mrs. Hazel Lyonde, Mr. David Tomlinson, Mr. Harold Wakefield, Mrs. Joyce Dossal, Mrs. Marion Lawson
For 1986 & 1987: Mr. William Aimers, Mrs. Camilla Dalglish, Mrs. Susan Macaulay, Mr. Andrew Osyany, Mrs. June Punnett, Mr. Bob Saunders, Mr. Peter Thomas
For 1986, 1987 & 1988: Mr. Brian Bixley, Mr. Charles Coffey, Mr. Mark Cullen, Mr. Peter Hand, Mrs. Margaret Killey, Mrs. Susan McCoy, Mr. Phillip S. Tingley, Mr. Robert G. Bundy
Receipts issued for tax deductions for all but the basic annual ! HE 9, $10. members fee (Charitable Registration No.0228114-56-13) | é;m , eyo % i,e(;; ;ggg
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