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November 1981
Volume 8, Number 6
In this issue
Cover photograph: Part of a typical mid-nineteenth century garden planted in St. James Park over a three-year period by the Garden Club of Toronto. Photo R.P. Wright.
A 1910 Ontario Town Garden / 5
Heathers in Ontario / 9
Now is the time / 12
Thank you Clive Goodwin / 16
Boulders and Stones in Home Landscapes / 17
Grow Bulbs Indoors / 23
Horticultural Advisory Committee
Gerda Ferrington, Hal Price, Ken Reeves, Otto Richter, William Rock, Laurie Scullin
Executive Director: Tom Thompson
Editor: Fredrik Kirby
Aduvertising: Shirley Kirby (416) 226-0996
Graphicsand Printing Thorn Press Limited, Toronto
General lnformatlon ISSN 0380-1470
Trellisis publishedin the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November and distributed on or about the 15th of the month previous by the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2. Telephone: (416) 445-1552. The Centreis locatedin Edwards Gardens, at Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue East, the geographical centre of Metropolltan Toronto. Itis a non-profit gardening and floral arts information organization with open membership. Subscriptions to Trellis are only available through Centre membership (10 per year). Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre.
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A 1910 Ontario Town Garden
by Pleasance Crawford
This is a time of year for thinking back on the pleasures of the growing season just past and planning ahead to the next. For home horticulturists in southern Ontario towns and cities of the early 1900 s, thoughts might focus now particularly on the charming results and further possibilities of a newlyestablished English style herbaceous border. Such a border was an unusual, but not an impossible, achievement for Canadian amateur gardeners before World War 1. This article describes the home landscape, the horticultural activities, and the gardening plans of an imaginary family: the Wades. Their landscape is a composite of many home landscapes illustrated in The Canadian Horticulturist around 1910.
Beginning in April and continuing through October, they had used the Kodak to photograph the new border and some of the other fine floral effects they had produced. Last week they sent the best view of the house, taken from the street in June when the larkspur in the border and the Dorothy Perkins rose on the verandah trellis were in bloom, to Mr. Cowan for publication in The Canadian Horticulturist. They had other negatives made into lantern slides to show at a special meeting of the local horticultural society. For their fellow members, they chose the one of Clematis paniculata and Akebia quinata on the rustic pergola they built beyond the kitchen, and the one of the bed of Hyrdangea paniculata grandiflora along the concrete path on the side of the house away from the border. The rose came free with their subscription to The Canadian Horticulturist in 1904. They chose it instead of the XXXX gladiolus which was also offered, because she remembered the bed of Dorothy Perkins roses at the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo in 1901. The pergola climbers two of the most popular climbers of the day were obtained from Stone & Wellington at Fonthill. The first hydrangea came through The Canadian Horticulturist's 1903 plant distribution; but
once it proved hardy, they ordered enough more from Stone & Wellington to fill a bed.
Their neighborhood, mainly of new brick single family detached homes on lots 30 to 50 feet wide and 100 feet deep, is near the end of a streetcar line. Neither the Wades nor most of the other families own automobiles, and few lots have drives or garages. Built on former farmland, the neighborhood has few mature trees but numerous young elms and maples recently planted on the lawns and on the boulevards beyond the concrete sidewalks. The grounds receive almost full sun except in the shadows of the houses themselves; and in many yards verandahs, pergolas, and summer houses have been built to provide shade.
Soon after moving in, the Wades and their neighbors decided on planting shrubbery instead of putting up fences along the common property lines toward the street. Along the back, they put up the popular new wire fencing which allows light and air to circulate and encourages neatlykept yards. (Thanks to the horticultural society s efforts, wire fences are even replacing some of the high board fences that blight the older parts of town.) On part of the fence the Wades grow sweet peas to cut for
bouquets in the house and exhibit at the horticultural society s sweet pea show in August. In that portion of the back yard not needed for the clothes line, the Stratford lawn swing, and the children sgames, they grow vegetables and fruits. A square plot contains raspberries, gooseberries, and currants. Red Astrachan and Jonathan apple trees line the sides. Clumps of Rudbeckia Golden Glow, a new favorite, alternate with rhubarb and asparagus plants at the rear.
Country Life in America and The Garden Magazine, and in Miss Blanchan s The American Flower Garden. They had read What England Can Teach Us About Gardening, in which Wilhelm Miller challenged North Americans to adopt English styles and practices with plants suited to American climates and soils.
For the past several years, some writers in The Canadian Horticulturist have been urging their Canadian readers to use fewer beds of cannas and geraniums, more borders of peonies and iris, lilies and phlox, to produce colorful effects about the house. When they moved here from his parents 19th century frame home with its beds of annuals and its gravel paths cutting up the lawn, the Wades decided to have a border. It would combine just a few choice annuals with many hardy bulbs, biennials, and perennials: all the flowers of grandmother s garden, but in up to date varieties. Speakers at the horticultural society had seen some of the herbaceous borders being promoted in England by Mr. Robinson, Miss Jekyll, and Mr. Cook. The Wades had seen photographs of American ones in E. Byfield gave 1907 Canadian Horticulturist readers a long border designed to ensure harmony of color and continuous bloom .
At first the Wades doubted that such lovely effects could be achieved here. Then articles in The Canadian Horticulturist by Mr. Byfield and Miss Blacklock of Toronto, Mr. C. Ernest Woolverton of Grimsby, and others, suggested that Canadians could hope for bloom from hardy bulbs, biennials, and perennials from April through October. Mrs. Jack, in Chateauguay Basin, Québec, wrote in her book, The Canadian Garden, that there is more pleasure and less trouble in the perennial border than in any other division of the flower garden . Some writers recommended adding annuals to help keep the border in full flower over the long season; and it was that advice that the Wades took with such satisfying results. Their new 50 foot long mixed border was planned to follow the curving lines of the shrubbery on one side of the front lawn. It was laid out five feet deep at its narrowest stretches, but with its front edge winding in and out to form Yards 1 2 3 4 H 6 7 8 LA 30
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¥ The half acre g points and bays with the grass as Mr. Woolverton had suggested. Several species and varieties of flowers of the same color were grouped together as in Mr. Byfield s layout.
Next season the Wades plan to order more varieties of iris and phlox from John Cavers Douglas Gardens in Oakville and to add tulips and Iceland poppies throughout the whole border. Then, when the horticultural society announces its annual contest, with prizes of $1 to $6 for the best
arden of Mr. R.B. Whyte of Ottawa was in Country Life in America in 1911. Metropolitan Toronto Library photo. kept lawns, flower beds, boulevards, and window boxes, they will enter. Since some home grounds are kept by paid help, the society established extra categories a few years ago for gardens where labor is employed. Proudly, the Wades will enter the categories for those who do their own garden work. When their neighbors admire the flowers but wonder at the amount of time the Wades devote their care, the Wades reply simply by quoting Elizabeth and Her German Garden: We love our garden!
Byfield s plan was filled with plants found to winter over successfully in our climate . Metropolitan Toronto Library photos. 11 12 13 14 15 16 AT 18 19 20 . : De\phini l_ 5 B° t0nia B Stenantihium Eupatorium § Phlox Prlox P Phlox £ cabiosa creumy White 8teroidey, cordata Ageratoides.f . heon AQUilon FOPPY Y} cpgriotte Saison chroleuca Oriental Chrysanthemum Delpninium pink 2onY? | v maximum (I;"ylv,- } uh MO o o Pink \ ?\ Tay A K \" \"é\ Delphp: 5 ""'u-u. . ?\\ oo ; - 1t ' O.P nium (/(,, .r . , p P 2 o Stilko; < inen,s, A < boides, e Tectg, Lyceem & ? \z a\ - Campanyl, peony gy ha® Persicifolia alba SyrENTOR Pf l,).'SO_S la & Lychmis 3 W Dianth Cp KB "»\T viscari? NN \\ = us' 4\ * 3 A White Reserve. 5 ethrum Coronilia Achillea 08 Liatris B Sl i Pyenostachy, S Campanul, A B Dianthus § 3 it vant_/ milefolium e S5 = Dian Armeria Eup St e o Suponaria frE Dianthus S & Carpatica. ldrth\xs e = vlumanus £ 3 N \\\\L e iiaiies _Ca:urnoe_ ; Hlox S white Deltoides. s o (2 W invoiucrats Deltoides. subulata White Pink Rose Crimson
Burnside , in Union, Elgin County, Ontario.
Patterned beds of annuals, cut into expansive lawns, were popular in the late 19th century.
Pleasance Crawford is a researcher and collector of turn-of-the-century books on North American garden design. With the assistance of a Wegman Fellowship from the Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Toronto, she recently completed a preliminary study of The Ontario Home Landscape: 1890-1914 . The Canadian Horticulturist, a monthly published in
Ontario Archives photo. the Toronto area from 1878 through 1933, and Annie L. Jack s The Canadian Garden: A Pocket Help for the Amateur (a 1910 edition of which is in the Civic Garden Centre Library) were among the sources used. A report of the study is available at cost through the Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Toronto.
HGUSC
C. Ernest Woolverton advised 1907 Canadian Horticulturist readers to keep an open lawn, with trees shrubs, and flowers grouped away fro m the house. Metropolitan Toronto Library photo.
beathers in Ontarie
by Barbara and Jim Lounsbery
Yes, you can grow heathers in your garden. Associated in many of our minds with the hills of Scotland, these sturdy little evergreen plants have given rise to many colourful cultivars which are now showing up in gardens around the world. Commercial growers in Great Britain publish catalogues boasting several hundred varieties. Many of these will grow in Ontario, not only in the mild Niagara and Windsor areas, but in Toronto and even Ottawa.
As a general rule, if you live in an area where rhododendrons survive, you should be able to grow at least some heather varieties. As a matter of fact, some are a bit less particular than their cousins, (both heathers and rhododendrons are in the family Ericaceae) tolerating colder temperatures, more sun, and poorer soil, and demanding less maintenance. Established plants can even withstand being stepped on.
In Vineland Station (just west of St. Catharines) we have heathers in bloom from mid March to the end of September, with the best showings in early spring and late summer. A solid mat of one variety of heather in flower is an impressive sight, and blooms last for as long as two or three weeks. Flower colours range from pure white, through pinks and mauves, to deep rosy reds. Even when not in flower, many heathers contribute rich and changing shades of foliage, foliage which is usually neat and fine textured.
Ericas and Callunas
Two main groups (genera) of plants are considered as heaths or heathers: the Ericas and the Callunas.
There are several species of Ericas or heaths which will grow here. Perhaps the toughest is Erica carnea or Alpine Heath, a low spreading species. These bloom very early, in March and April, and the long-lasting flowers are not damaged by a late snowfall. Although preferring acid conditions, they will tolerate neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Other Erica species extend the flowering season into June and July, although they tend to be a bit less hardy, and more demanding of an acid soil.
and dwarf evergreens in a sunken garden.
Typical leaves and flowers of Calluna vulgaris (left) and Erica carnea (right).
Heathers
Erica flowers are usually urn-shaped little tubes with green sepals. The flowers appear to be concentrated at the tips of the branches.
There is only one species of Calluna Calluna vulgaris. It is native to northern Europe, and has become naturalized in the Maritime provinces of Canada. White flowering wild heather is considered lucky in Great Britain.
Many cultivars are available, offering a range of flower colours from white to scarlet, and foliage colours from grey, to green, yellow, bronze and red. Bloom dates here are from late July to October.
Calluna flowers have separate petals, which in some varieties are numerous, forming miniature rosettes. The sepals are coloured. The flowers tend to be distributed along the upright branches.
Planting and Maintenance
Both Ericas and Callunas, when planted with care, need little maintenance afterwards. All do best in an acid soil, well drained, and high in organic material. They do not tolerate lime in the soil. If you can obtain natural acid peat, work this into your planting area. Commercial baled peat is also helpful, as are leaf meld, garden compost, or evergreen needles. Do not use manure.
Being plants of open spaces, most heathers grow best in full sun. There are a few types which prefer partial shade, perhaps finding Canadian summers brighter than those in their native northern Europe. Protection from desiccating winter winds is important, especially when there is no snow cover.
Mulching with peat, evergreen needles or bark chips is well worth the trouble. A mulch holds in moisture, discourages weeds, and improves the soil texture.
Heathers have delicate roots, which eventually penetrate deeply, if the soil is not hard. Avoid cultivating around young plants, as you could damage these roots.
During the first season, keep the plants reasonably well watered; established plants can do quite well on their own unless they are on shallow soil.
Do not be tempted to feed your heathers in their first year. Chemical fertilizers or manure can kill young plants. Older plants can be given a natural fertilizer like bonemeal, or a chemical fertilizer low in nitrogen.
The Ericas usually need no trimming or pruning, but the Callunas require attention once a year. After the flowers have faded in the late fall, or else early the next spring, cut the flowering branches back to the green leaves. Otherwise, growth will continue from the tips and you will have unsightly bare stems.
We have had little problem with diseases or insects on our heathers. Mice or rabbits, however, can damage plants over the winter.
Erica carnea King George photographed in September. Note the well-formed buds for next spring s flowers.
Planting Suggestions
Heathers are a natural for the rockgarden because they are low, fine textured and attractive year round. Slow growing dwarf heathers such as Calluna vulgaris Foxii nana , which forms a neat green dome, are best shown off in a rockgarden crevice. Early flowering Erica carneas look pleasing interplanted with dainty spring bulbs such as snow drops or winter aconite. In a large rockgarden, heaths and heathers mix well with dwarf conifers, particularly the small uprights, like Alberta Spruce or Juniperus communis compressa, or with the small round Rheingold cedar.
On a sloped or gently rolling area, heathers make a spectacular ground cover. Fast growing cultivars such as Erica carnea Springwood White , when placed as small plants a foot apart, will form a solid mat in a year or two.
As border plants, heathers have to offer their fine foliage colours as well as masses of long-lasting flowers. Along a garden path or on the edge of a perennial garden, plant areas each consisting of a single variety. In a large border, for example, you could have a mass of Calluna vulgaris Peter Sparkes (pink flowers) and another area of Calluna vulgaris Hammondii (white flowers). Calluna vulgaris Aurea has green-gold foliage in summer, bright red in winter, and Orange Queen has yellow leaves, turning to soft orange.
Along the sunnier edges of a rhododendron garden, fine heather foliage provides a nice contrast to the big dark leaves of the larger plants. Late flowering Callunas add interest to the area long after the last rhododendrons have bloomed. Conveniently, heathers thrive in the same soil conditions as rhododendrons and azaleas.
Sprays of heather can be used for
decorating parcels and in flower arrangements. The long flowering stems of the Callunas lend themselves to cutting, and we understand that they last well when dried.
Some Hardy Varieties
Erica carnea Springwood White . A good hardy variety, which like the other E. carneas can tolerate some alkalinity in the soil. It is low (6 inches) and fast spreading to about 2 feet, with bright green foliage. Flowers are pur: white, blooming here in April. Buds form in late summer of the previous year.
Erica carnea Vivellii . This plant has the same size and shape as Springwood White, being perhaps a little more neat and dense. The foliage is a deep green with dark red highlights. Flowers are vivid rosy red and appear in mid March to early April. Seging it in bloom is a real thrill for a new heather grower.
Erica vagans Mrs. D.F. Maxwell . Erica vagans, the Cornish heath, is not as hardy as the others on this list. This particular cultivar blooms in August, with many small deep pink flowers.
Calluna vulgaris Aurea . This is very hardy here. Gold foliage turns bright red in winter. In August, it produces long sprays of mauve-pink flowers.
Calluna vulgaris Peter Sparkes . The foliage of this cultivar is a drab grey-green in spring, but it's worth the wait for the flowers in August and September: very showy heavy spikes of deep pink double florets.
Calluna vulgaris Foxii nana . This forms a neat dome of closely packed bright green foliage. The pale mauve flowers are infrequent. A very dwarf,
|.unusual looking heather. Jim and Barbara Lounsbery operate a
nursery specializing in dwarf evergreens at Vineland Station.
Now isthetime
byErnestPope
November 1st - December 31st, 1981
WINTER KILL 1981
The past winter proved to be the most severe temperaturewise, in over 100 years.
In Metro Toronto readings exceeded 20°F below zero, whereas in our plant hardiness zone 6A, the normal maximum lows are about 12°F below. This meant that trees, shrubs and vines, hardy only to this area, were either killed outright or have suffered sufficient damage to make it unlikely that they will survive another even normal winter.
This includes such trees as Japanese flowering cherry, laburnum, rose of sharon and fruit bearing peach trees. The full extent of the damage may not be known for another two years.
Fortunately, many hardier shrubs and vines, whose branches were badly damaged, have responded to severe pruning and have re-grown vigorously from their bases. They may not bloom much next year but should be back to normal thereafter.
NOVEMBER CLEANUP
It is important to clean up the lawn and garden before the onset of winter. This includes raking up all the leaves and sticks and pulling out the dead annuals, as well as cutting down the perennial stems.
The preparation enables one to start off in the spring, when time is of the essence, with a tidy orderly garden. Leaving this type of work until the end of winter can cause damage to the emerging shoots of plants that are starting to break through the ground.
COMPOST PILE
This is the best time of the year to spread the matured compost on the surface of the flower and vegetable beds. It can be dug in now, or first thing in the spring.
If you put the compost on the beds earlier in the season (July 1st - October 30th) you may stimulate late soft growth, that will suffer damage during the winter. If you wait until spring you may find that your compost pile remains frozen much longer than the rest of the garden.
DECEMBER SEEDING
This is the month to start the seed of tuberous begonias, geraniums, pansies and violas.
They require a long growing season before they flower. Until the advent of fluorescent lights it was necessary to start violas and pansies in July of the previous year and winter them over outdoors for bloom the following spring. They can now also be started under lights and planted outside in early April, providing the indoor temperature is not higher than 65°F ({16°C).
AMARYLLIS
November is the month that these bulbs arrive from overseas. If purchased and planted before November 15th they can be brought into bloom by Christmas. No bulb is more spectacular or easier to bloom the first season. If planted in a good potting soil, they can be placed directly on a sunny window sill.
All that is required is the occasional watering and a daily turning of the pot, as soon as the flower stem breaks out of the bulb.
This will keep it from bending too much to the light and eventually becoming crooked. The largest bulbs usually have at least two flower stems and sometimes as many as four. This helps to extend the blooming period over several weeks, making them the best value for the money of any flowering bulb.
Watching them grow and come into bloom is fascinating for shut-ins.
Unless you are prepared to spend considerable time and effort, it is probably best to discard the bulb after it has ceased blooming. If you want to try to get bloom the second year, you must be prepared to feed heavily every ten days, from the cessation of flowering until early September. Keep the pot in a sunny window, or in
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summer on the patio, as they are sun loving plants. Probably the best food is fish emulsion at the rate of one teaspoon to a quart of water.
On or about September 15th the water should be withheld and the leaves allowed to die down. The bulb should be rested until December 15th. Then it should be either repotted carefully, without breaking the fleshy roots, or left in the same soil with the top inch being replaced with new soil. Then place the pot in a sunny area to repeat the cycle. It is very difficult to prevent the bulb from shrinking in size often as much as 50%. If this happens you are likely only to get one flower stalk the secondyear with smaller flowers than previously.
GARDEN VISITING
One of the best ways of getting new ideas to improve our gardens is through visits to other gardens. It is equivalent to taking a refresher course in horticulture and helps us get away from too repetitive planning of our own.
Seldom has the writer failed to gain at least one new idea by visiting someone else s place. It may not necessarily be a new kind of flower, but a new colour or plant combination, or an attractive garden design.
WINTER PROTECTION OF ROSES
On or about November 15th is the time to hill up roses unless the weather is unusually mild. Soil or mushroom compost make good mediums for this. Tall stems that would whip around in the wind should be shortened.
Then after the ground has started to freeze a covering of twelve inches of leaves (preferably oak) should be piled over the bed and bushes for further protection. Growers who do this find that they have little or no winter kill even in severe winters.
PAPERWHITE NARCISSUS
Don' t start to force your bulbs before December 1st. Earlier plantings will often be slow and erratic both as to growth and bloom. Being a tender bulb they are usually shipped to this continent before they are fully cured. An early December planting will give you bloom at Christmas, a most desirable season.
IMPATIENS
This annual is rapidly becoming the most popular of garden plants. If it were not for the fact that it prefers shady areas, in the writer s opinion, it would soon become more favoured than petunias, the current favourite. Hybridizers are doing something about this and the new Gem series have been especially bred to be grown in full sun. In addition the 1981 All America winner Blitz will take considerable sunshine. It is a bright orange scarlet with 2 to 21/2
blooms. It is the finest impatiens to date, and a standout to brighten up shady corners.
So far impatiens has no known diseases and for some reason is not affected outdoors by insects or slugs. No staking is required or removal of old flowers. Another real advantage is that they withstand overhead watering including rain with limited shedding of flower petals.
The colour range is probably wider than any other annual except petunias. A bed of mixed impatiens gives a colour effect over the complete summer which few other plants do. The disadvantages are, that it cannot be used as a cutflower and it does not have any perfume. Also it is sometimes subject to spider mites when grown indoors as a houseplant.
Ernest Pope is on the Advisory Committee of the Civic Garden Centre and an active member of the Men s Garden Club and North Toronto Horticultural Society.
A unique shopping experience, one you won t want to miss. Weall & Cullen Nursery Garden Centres, transform into a spectacle oflight, sound, christmasdecor and animatedfigures. It's a stupendous display oftinsel, garland, lightsets, ornaments, trees (artificial & real), gifts andstockingstuffers. Somethingforeveryone. Be sure to visit our worldof Christmas at these 4 fantasylandlocations: Willowdale 225-7705 Scarborough 438-6931 Markham 297-4477 Woodbridge 743-9177
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE CENTRE
Horticultural and Centre events in November & December
November In the Gallery Willowdale Group continues to Nov. 14;
Landscapes by Jim Shortt (starts Nov. 19, to Pec. "13)
In the Studios Flower Photographs by Burkhard Nowak (starts Nov. 11, to Dec. 13).
November 2 Winter Bouquet Workshop Il Pressed Flowers. November 7-8 Doll Show Under the auspices of the Canadian Heritage Guild for the International Year of the Disabled.
November 9 Intermediate Needlepoint Course starts.
November 9 Bonsai Night: Beginning with Bonsai a special night with the Toronto Bonsai Society. 8:00 p.m.
November 9 Winter Bouquet Workshop IV Corn Husk Crafts.
November 10 Red Cross Blood Donor Clinic.
November 15 Ontario Porcelain Artists Guild.
November 25 Greenhouse Night Mr. George Dalby, Niagara Parks Commissioner. (Joint meeting with the Hobby Greenhouse Group) 8:00 p.m.
November Christmas Greens and Sparkle Show and Sale 272829 daily, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sunday 1 - 4
COURSES IN THE NEW YEAR
Underlisted are the Courses scheduled to start early in the New Year. Please mark these dates on your calendar now if you are interested.
January 8 Rug Hooking 8 week course on Fridays.
January 11 Needlepoint for Beginners 5 week course on Mondays.
January 11 Botanical Art 6 week course on Mondays.
January 13 Japanese Flower Arranging 3 week course on Wednesdays.
January 18 Chinese Brush Painting 10 week course on Mondays.
PRIZE WINNERS
Winners of the prizes offered for responding to the questionnaire in the May 1981 issue are:
® Mrs. E.J. Gillespie
® Mrs. A. Careless
® Miss E. Joan Williams
® Mrs. Thérese Strutt
The full schedule of activities in the New Year will appear in the January TRELLIS as usual, with application forms for all courses.
Thank you Clive Goodwin
AOn August 15 Clive Goodwin left the Centre after four years as Executive Director. When Clive came to us in August 1977 we had been struggling without a Director for six months, our new building was still untried and we faced many serious problems. His guidance brought a period of stability and steady progress. Our programme was expanded, operating systems were introduced or strengthened, and the new look Centre began to function smoothly as a unit.
From the first Botanical Art exhibition early in 1978 we now have exhibitions of art and photography featured in all suitable
areas of the building. Cooperative programmes with the horticultural groups were organized, and there was increased emphasis on the Centre s educational role, with free how to workshops, and the introduction of horticultural displays. A permanent horticultural exhibit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food was organized and the number of courses doubled.
Although funding was outside his responsibility he initiated progress there as well: Wintario Funding was obtained for the Canadian Nature Art exhibition, a recent grant from the Atkinson Foundation provides for improving the building signage. Art sales and expanded courses generated new revenue, with the result that the Centre s financial health over the period improved enormously.
Clive and his wife Joy plan to free-lance in their first-love, as a naturalist team. He'll be giving a birding course here at the Centre this fall, and will be leading trips and doing photography and writing currently the new Bird Finding Guide to Ontario.
We all wish him continued success in their new endeavour.
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Boulders and Large Stones in Home Landscapes
by Frank E. Kershaw
It is unfortunate that Canadian garden designs have not as a rule given significant attention to the role and importance that large boulders and stones can play ini the home landscape. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to visit Japan, where rock and stone are the cornerstone of many designs, can appreciate that we here in Canada have a lot to learn about this fascinating subject.
Large stones and boulders as a design element give weight and stability to the landscape, and a sense of permanence far exceeding that of any other garden feature. Observing a wide variety of residential landscapes in Southern Ontario reveals that larger accent stones are most often used on their own or in combination with one or two other stones as a focal point for the landscape composition. Large stones of irregular outline or deeply weathered character may be used on their own as a sculpture or garden ornament. Low profile, sprawling, ranch-type houses commonly rely on such character stones to provide focus and attention. However, with most residential lots 5,000 to 8,000 square
feet in size, and front lawns seldom exceeding 1,600 square feet, groupings of two to three smaller boulders or stones are commonly employed.
Large accent stones can be used to provide a setting for lamp posts, signs and plants. When placed at the corner of the driveway/roadway they help to confine cars to the driveway thereby avoiding unsightly tire marks and compacted soil on front lawns. Because of their weight and volume, large boulders and rocks can be used to assist in giving weight to fragile architecture or to divide the garden up into separate spatial areas. Variable rock shapes, sizes, colours and textures, when combined with plant material can imply different moods low profile, smooth rocks
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suggesting tranquility and repose while more jagged, erect rocks suggest power and unrest.
The suitability of any large rock or boulder composition depends to a great extent on its relationship to the site and other landscape elements. If you are extremely lucky you may have purchased a lot with rock outcroppings already present and all that's required is some judicious clearing. Unfortunately, such a condition is rare with smaller, builder-developed urban lots, and even when present on estate lots they may not be where you want them.
If you have decided to incorporate several large rocks in your home landscape, remember to include them on your conceptual and detailed landscape plans. Far too often people lay out their landscaping and then decide to try to fit in boulders; this after the fact tactic seldom works as space is just not available. Of primary importance in the location of accent stones is to attempt to develop what looks like a naturally occurring group of boulders which is in place with the remainder of the home landscape. Rock placement will have to be studied from all angles for best results.
A position on the flanks of the residential lot is often recommended that will not compete unduly with the house for attention. As most houses are man-made brick or block construction, the separation of natural stone from this man-made feature is a must .
Even where houses have a natural stone facade, accent stones will benefit by being separated from the house if the effect is not to be too overpowering. With most stone facades of granite rock, associated stones and boulders should also be of the granite type. Plantings associated directly with the stones can serve as a backdrop or be utilized to soften the appearance of an overly robust rock composition. Because of their large
size, boulders and quarried blocks more than any other element of garden design, set the scale of the design. It goes without saying that large lots can accommodate larger rocks than smaller-sized lots. Mass more than height determines these scale relationships because of the volume relationships.
Without doubt one of the most frequent questions raised by homeowners contemplating the use oflarge stones is how big a rock should be used. As noted earlier, this will depend to a great extent on the size of the lot, its topography and attendant plantings. While a 1500-lb. rock may sound formidable, it really is not because of the weight per unit volume. Rocks in the 18 cu. ft. to 27 cu. ft. range, weighing in at 1500 to 3000 Ibs. have been used extensively with many average or slightly above average sized residential lots.
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A well-designed rock garden blends into the surroundings, so it looks like a natural part of the
landscape.
(Photo by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food)
Industrial, commercial and apartment properties may use large boulders weighing in at seven tons or more. A sloping terrain is better able to take a large rock than a smaller one, as there is likely to be several ideal sites for blending the rock into the contours and the sloping landscape will better foil the vertical height of the rock. Where flat land only exists, placing the rocks on an artificially-created berm or framed by a crescent-shaped berm will serve to increase its importance.
With any rock or boulder placement should always respect gravity by placing the rock on its largest surface. Boulders should appear as though they are growing naturally out of the land, as though surface erosion had recently exposed them. To achieve this result with man-made placement, the boulder or rocks are generally buried from one-quarter to one-third of their height into the ground. This is one reason why most accent rocks are at least 3 x 3 x 3 so they are
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large enough to stand out. Rock stability is also ensured by following such a procedure.
Where it is not possible to bury the rock in situ soil can be built up around the rock sides to achieve the same result. Soil mounding is also used to deflect drainage away from the stones where eddies and undercutting could result.
Soil mounding further provides an ideal location for growing plants such as the various varieties of horizontal junipers (i.e. Compact Pfitzer, Tamarix, Andora, etc.) and various prostrate forms of Cotoneasters. Bulbs can also be planted around and between accent rocks for a pleasing spring effect; however, keep to subtle colours. Make sure that surrounding plant growth just covers the edges of the rocks and does not cover or mask the rock itself.
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Remember you are only trying to soften the effect of the rock and tie it into the landscape. Unfortunately, too many examples exist where upright spreading junipers and yews have gone unpruned and now cover the rocks to be displayed. Trees can also be planted in association with accent rocks or boulders to create a scene reminiscent of the Canadian Shield or of a desert landscape. For these effects, pines, spruce and white birch are used for the Northern Ontario look with yuccas used where a drier desert-like scene is desired. Large trees are also used to give weight and balance to a rock composition where it is lacking.
Now getting onto the specifics of individual stones or groupings of stones to use. Rugged, weathered fieldstone, either granite or limestone, is preferred as the local indigenous rock of this area. Stones with openjointed ends which are subject to exfoliation with winter frosts will pose problems. Moss or lichen covered rocks or boulders will impart a real sense of permanency when transplanted to a residential lot. Unfortunately, it is difficult to avoid dislodgment in transhipment. Protective burlap or tarps can be used to try and preserve the moss and lichen. Moss covered rocks do of course require a cool, moist shady place in your garden if they are to survive. Avoid overly round shapes as these are seldom experienced in nature, or highly coloured rocks that would detract from other elements of garden design. Rocks with mineral veins can be used effectively, provided they are positioned so the veins run horizontal as originally laid down. Irregularlyshaped rocks having strong character and a number of good faces that could be put forward are the easiest to work with.
In making a rock composition of three to five rocks, place the rocks at
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unequal distances and depths of burial to creating a pleasing, asymmetrical design. The common practice is to use three substantive rocks, one of which has a strong, vertical axis accompanied by two slightly smaller rocks of horizontal disposition. This will create a sense of dominance with contrast and tension established through the point-counterpoint emphasis of variable stone sizes and masses. Each rock or boulder has its own character but to be in harmony with other rocks it must be studied in the context of the complete rock composition.
One of the most commonly observed shortcomings with do-ityourself rock groupings is the use of rocks of unlike type, texture and colour in the same group. For example, porous sandstone used with solid granite boulders, or quarried, angular limestone blocks combined with round
granite fieldstones. As far as colour goes, earthy browns, greys and terra cotta look most natural, and will blend well with other garden colours. A dull-looking, dry fieldstone in a farmer s field may reveal exciting colours when moist and placed in the intimate scale of a front yard.
Because most people dislike grasstrimming, the placement of smaller stones around boulder groupings is commonly employed. Alternatively, a soil sterilant like simazine could be used but this may create unsightly effects, particularly with leaching through the soil. Where smaller stones are used, they can be placed on top of a 4 to 6 mil. thick plastic sheet to inhibit weeds and grasses emerging through the stones.
In order that visual harmony exists between accent rocks and edging stones, use round gravels of like colour and material if rounded boulders are used, and crushed, angular gravel prefer to have the large rocks set out mon fault is to place dark granite boulders in a bed of white dolomitic chips where the contrast is harsh and unsettling. For those individuals who prefer to have the large rocks set out on their own purchase a monofilament cord-type trimmer for grassclipping next to the rocks.
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Before leaving this fascinating subject, a few words are warranted about purchasing rocks and their placement. Any rock larger than one foot in diameter will be about the largest you want to handle on your own with crowbar, board and muscle power. With most accent rocks being in the 1500 to 3000-Ib. range, it is easiest by far to make a deal with the supplier or a landscape contractor possessing a crane or front end loader to move the rocks into place.
Some people have had success with renting a tree cart to move stones up to a ton but this will require skill and a number of able-bodied helpers. Many rock suppliers simply deliver to the job site but refrain from crossing the property and moving the rocks into place.
Granite fieldstone varies in price from $37.00 to $45.00 a ton delivered, with quarried limestone (from the Georgetown area) slightly more expensive at $43.00 - $53.00 a ton. You can probably figure on at least $35.00 - $45.00 a ton to have a landscape contractor move it into place. If you are lucky and have a land developer friend, you may be able to pick up a large boulder or two for free. However, most of these individuals are integrating boulders into their landscape plans.
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Some farmers will be glad to let you take a large boulder from a field on the condition that you lift and transport it. It goes without saying that most homeowners would be far better off to buy direct from a local rock supplier where you can select from a number of different stones and make arrangements for delivery and stone placement. In any case, the degree of variability of arrangement is infinite and the enjoyment derived from experimenting with a rock composition well worth the effort.
Frank E. Kershaw is Manager of Planning and Development with the Metropolitan Toronto Parks and Property Department.
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GROW BULBS INDOORS
You don t have to spend a lot of money to have flowering plants in your home this winter. An investment of only a few dollars this fall will ensure a good supply of flowering plants.
Many types of spring flowering bulbs can be grown indoors easily by simulating outside growing conditions in a shorter time span. Bulbs started in late October will be ready in late January.
Several varieties of tulips, narcissus, crocuses, hyacinths, and daffodils can be forced indoors. Be sure to buy the varieties recommended for indoor forcing.
Bulbs can be planted in either clay or plastic pots. However, clay pots are preferable because they facilitate soil aeration.
Begin by placing a layer of small stones or broken crockery at the bottom of the pot to ensure good drainage. Then half-fill the pot with a mixture of equal parts loam, sand, and peat moss.
To achieve the best display, put as many bulbs in the pot as possible. They can be planted up to one-half inch apart. A 15-centimetre pot (6 inches) will hold five tulip bulbs. Cover the bulbs with soil until just the tips of the bulb show. Don t pack the soil too tightly. Water throughly so that the soil settles around the bulbs about 1 cm (1/2 in.) below the pot rim.
If you don t want to bother with soil, you can grow bulbs in gravel.
Place the bulbs on top of the gravel in a dish or pot. Keep the gravel wet. When the bulbs begin to grow, they will send their roots down into the gravel for moisture.
Once the bulbs are planted in the soil or gravel, store them in a cool, dark place (4 to 7°C or 40 to 45°F) for six to 10 weeks. Length of storage depends on how quickly shoots develop. If you live in an apartment, pots can be stored in the refrigerator for this period.
Young plants should be moved to a warmer spot (16 to 18°C or 60 to 65°F), with indirect light, when the shoots are 5 cm (2 in.) long. Move the plants into direct light when the shoots reach a length of 15 centimetres (6 in.). Once the buds appear, return plants to indirect light. The flowers will last longer if they are kept in a cool location during the blooming period.
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Plants for an Eastern Exposure, which receive direct morning sun from sunrise to near midday, upper left: a. Dizygotheca elegantissima (False Aralia); b. Nephrolepis exaltata bosteniensis (Boston Fern); c. Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig); d. Dracaena reflexa; e. Begonia rex cultivar (Rex Begonia); f. Dryopteris (Fern); g. Cordyline terminalis (Hawaiian Ti); h. Tolmeia menziesii (Piggyback); i. Saintpaulia lonantha (African Violet); j. Polyscias (Ming Aralia); k. Aeschynanthus radicans (Lipstick Vine); I. Sinningia speciosa (Gloxinia); and m. Tradescantia (Wandering Jew).
Plants for a Northern Exposure, which receive the least light, top left: a. Spathiphyllum Clevelandii (Spathe Flower); b. Cissus rhombifolia (Grape lvy); c. Adiantum (Maidenhair Fern); d. Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen); e. Philodendron panduiforme (Fiddle-leaf Philodendron); f. Dracaena massangeana (Corn Plant); g. Chamaedorea elegans (Dwarf Parlor Palm); h. Scindapsus aureus (Pothosy); i. Dieffenbachia amoena (Dumb Cane); and . Ficus pumila (Creeping Fig).
Pictures courtesy of Chevron Chemical (Canada) Ltd.
