Toronto Botanical Garden Trellis magazine - Summer 2015

super summer 2015 • Volume 42 • Number 2

The Magazine of the Toronto Botanical Garden

tbg Expansion Plans Page 8

Program Guide inside!

The Largest Ravine System in the World Page 22

Paul’s Plant Sale Picks!

Page 26

Gorgeous Gardens of Lawrence Park Page 20

Wildly

Muskoka Gardening in cottage country Page 14

welcome to

super summer From the TBG

Harry Jongerden • Executive Director

A stake in the future

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ear flower lovers, plant lovers, garden lovers and nature lovers. There.

I think I’ve hit every category of TBG lover. You’re a member of our little botanical garden because we present and support, to the best of our ability, things you care about and love. There are very few botanical gardens that receive less “official” support than the TBG. So, in the absence of that support, you are the community of members, volunteers and donors that have kept alive the flame of horticultural and botanical excellence the TBG promotes to our community.

Thank you! We couldn’t do it without you.

You’ve made our Hearts and Flowers annual campaign a success once again. As we approach the city with balanced books, the TBG can tell a story of community support for a botanical garden vision that is capable of transforming Toronto. Your continuing support will spur “official” support.

We have been offering the City of Toronto comparisons with other cities, comparisons that jog my gardening clogs, and hopefully theirs.

New York City has five botanical gardens, while we’re struggling to keep North America’s smallest one going. Why is it a struggle? Compare Toronto to Montreal. The city of Montreal gives its botanical garden $20 million per year, while the city of Toronto gives its botanical garden $25,000 per year (no, these are not typos) plus heat, hydro and phones.

On page 8 of this issue, I’ve written about our exciting expansion plans.

The City of Toronto’s support for these plans will launch a transformative process that will significantly benefit Toronto socially, culturally, environmentally and economically. Because that’s what botanical gardens do, and that’s why cities elsewhere support them.

The Toronto Botanical Garden is beginning an internal transformative process to ready itself for the future. Changes in our fundraising and rentals departments are producing much-needed new revenues. Changes in marketing and communications are getting the word out better than ever. One of those changes involves Trellis. We would like the opportunity to connect with you with more in-depth articles. After all, we have BIG plans to communicate. As a result, Trellis will change from four 16-page issues per year to three “supersized” issues. Summer will be 32 pages, while the Fall/Winter and Early Spring issues will be 24 pages each.

I hope you like the new format, and I really hope you’ll like the messaging.

We count on you flower, plant, garden and nature lovers to cheer on the TBG as we advance the things you love. When the board of the Civic Garden Centre decided to change its name to the Toronto Botanical Garden, it was both a promise and a challenge to our city. Ten years after that promise and challenge, it’s time to deliver!

Toronto Botanical Garden’s 28th annual tour of private gardens

THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE Lawrence Park Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14, 2015 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ttgg

Complimentary shuttle buses along tour route Master Gardeners at each garden For more information or to purchase tickets contact 416-397-1341 tickets@torontobotanicalgarden.ca

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT SUPPORT TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN CHARITABLE NO. BN119227486RR0001

Presenting sponsors

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23/03/2015 16:20

contents news

Super summer 2015 Editor Lorraine Flanigan

Design June Anderson

Trellis Committee Lorraine Hunter (Chair) Lorraine Flanigan (Editor) Carol Gardner Liz Hood Marion Magee Jenny Rhodenizer Paul Zammit

Volunteer Editorial Assistant M. Magee

Volunteer Proofreaders J. Campbell, L. Hickey, M. Magee, J. McCluskey, L. Uyeno

416-397-4145

Trellis is published as a members’ magazine by the Toronto Botanical Garden at Edwards Gardens 777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto Ontario, M3C 1P2 416-397-1340 Trellis welcomes queries for story ideas, which should be submitted to the editor for consideration by the Trellis Committee at least four months in advance of publication dates.

Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the TBG. Submissions may be edited for style and clarity.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

Charitable business number 119227486RR0001 Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40013928

ABOUT THE TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN The Toronto Botanical Garden connects people, plants and the natural world through education, inspiration and leadership. The TBG encourages, stimulates and teaches countless adults and children with its innovative urban-scale garden plantings, nature-centred educational programs and environmentally friendly practices. We look beyond our borders to create strategic alliances that support our mission, extend our reach and strengthen our influence within the community.

777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, Canada 416-397-1340 fax: 416-397-1354 info@torontobotanicalgarden.ca torontobotanicalgarden.ca

Hort Happenings Natural pools, Muwi mowers and plant hunter George Forrest Blogwatch: Plant watch

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Green Community Plant sales galore TBGKids: Pollinator play

ISSN 0380-1470 Cover photo: Janet Davis

Printed by Harmony Printing

Cert no. SW-COC-002063

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8 Expansion: The big reveal 10 Hort Society

By TTC: Exit the Yonge subway line at the Eglinton station and take the 51, 54 or 54A bus to Lawrence Avenue. The TBG is on the southwest corner. torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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Woman to Woman and the season’s Social Calendar

PHOTOs (THIS PAGE): Toronto botanical Garden, Liz Hood, Sweetest Photos (opposite, clockwise from top): Janet Davis, Paul Zammit, Spindletree Gardens, Matt Forsythe

Advertising

stories

in season

Volume 42 Number 2

25 Good Bugs, Bad Bugs

Searching for insect eggs In Our Gardens The roots of our food Garden Gear Safariology life cycles

26 Container Crazy

Rootbound Paul’s Plant Sale Picks

Happenings

27 In Your Garden: Jobs To Do

14 Wildly Muskoka

Gardening in cottage country

20 From Disaster to

Gorgeous! Through the

Garden Gate & the

gardens of Lawrence Park

28 Who’s Talking

22 Green Grows the City

29 Mark Your Calendar 30 Membership Matters

The potential of Toronto’s ravine system torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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5 questions for Paul Hervey-Brookes

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Checkmark Investingtm

Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.

news TBGNews Announcements

Developments

hort happenings

Special Events

—Compiled by Liz Hood, Director of Education

Let Muwi mow your lawn

Swimming, naturally Country gardeners can indulge everybody’s passion for a natural swimming pool. An underwater wall divides the shallow growing zone to allow for a lush collection of aquatic plants in your new swimming hole. Pumps draw untreated pool water down through the root zone allowing the plants to filter out unwanted algae, keeping your pool clean—naturally! Find out how to do it at landscapeontario.com/a-dip-in-the-pond.

George Forrest: Plant Hunter The Weston Family Library is featuring a generous new donation to our collection. George Forrest: Plant Hunter documents one of Britain’s legendary plant hunters from the early twentieth century.

Taking dangerous forays through the Sino-Himalayas, Forrest discovered and described hundreds of species, bringing more than 31,000 specimens by mule through China and back to Britain. Ask one of our library volunteers to show you where to find it in the reference section of the library, then settle into one of our comfy chairs and take a trip through botanical history.

Blogwatch: First blooms

Avid garden-gazers can turn their personal perambulations into public do-goodism by becoming citizen scientists. Gardeners log observations with PlantWatch, a project that monitors changes in Canada’s biodiversity, climate and natural environment. Watching is easy—city folk track the first blooms of forsythia or lilac while our northerly neighbours can track trilliums and bunchberry. Register and start tracking at naturewatch.ca/plantwatch.

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PHOTOS (THIS PAGE, FROM TOP): TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN, BRIAN SLEMMING COURTESY LANDSCAPE ONTARIO, MUWI, TBG (OPPOSITE, FROM TOP): HELEN BATTERSBY, LIZ HOOD

What city gardener hasn’t wished for a compact, time-saving and fun solution to mowing that postage stamp-sized lawn?

Meet Muwi, a concept mower design that “mows and goes”. Muwi’s Korean designers are working on a mower that automatically measures and cuts your lawn, leaving cleverly compressed grass discs or balls in its wake.

Green Community

—Compiled by Marion Magee

Plant sales galore!

Many of the horticultural societies that meet regularly at the TBG have some exciting plant shows and sales.

Watch for these upcoming sales.

• Toronto Region Rhododendron Society, April 26, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Garden Hall • Ontario Rock Garden & Hardy Plant Society, May 3, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Garden Hall • Geranium, Pelargonium & Fuchsia Society, May 3, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Westview Terrace • TBG Plant Sale, May 8 to 10, Floral Hall • Toronto Bonsai Society, May 16 to 17, Floral Hall • Ontario Iris Society, August 9, 1 to 3 p.m., Studio 1

Pollinator play

Pollination is an important process in the garden, and it’s a great way to teach children about the interaction between plants and insects and other pollinators.

Here are three quick ways to teach young ones all about it.

1. Experiment Glitter is a great stand-in for pollen. Dust some on a paper flower and touch the glitter with your fingertip. Then, touch some things around you—the glitter will “pollinate” everything you touch.

2. Observe Visit the Teaching Garden where you can watch the hummingbirds drinking from the blue and black salvia, the white cabbage butterflies circling the coneflowers or the TBG honeybees buzzing the bee balm.

3. Investigate Pick up a butterfly net and bug box at the TBG Garden Shop and take it with you to the Teaching Garden. Wait for a butterfly to land on the ground, and then quickly and gently cover it with the net. Keeping the rim of the net on the ground, gently pinch the end of the netting and wait for the butterfly to fly up.

Gently slip the bug box into the net just under the

butterfly and turn the net, butterfly and bug box upside down so the box is on top. When the butterfly flies into the box let the net fall away and quickly put the cover on the box. Make sure you let the butterfly out again— releasing it can be the most exciting part!

torontobotanicalgarden.ca

TBGKids Summer Camps introduce city kids to gardening, bugs, wildlife and the wonders of nature found right in our own backyards.

goTo

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torontobotanicalgarden.ca/learn/kids/ tbg-summer-nature-day-camps to register!

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news:expansion TBGNews The Big Reveal

HARRY JONGERDEN • Executive Director

or those who missed history being made back on November 6, 2014, this article is for you. That was the night of “The Big Reveal” when the botanical garden of our dreams was unveiled. The TBG’s master planner, Gary Smith, and I took to the Floral Hall stage to report on 16 months of conceptual work devoted to inventing a new future for the TBG, momentous to be sure, but downright exciting too.

What’s being proposed is a visionary antidote to inherent difficulties. We are small; we lack official support; we struggle financially. And so to survive we must grow. Our strategic planning, since I arrived here in July of 2013, has begun with this premise of inherent weakness and obvious remedy.

As a result, we’re moving full speed ahead to achieve the growth we require.

Some of the garden world’s best minds have been engaged on our behalf. The conversation began a year ago when John Brookes visited to deliver a design master class and two lectures. Brookes challenged us to think beyond the standard botanical garden paradigm with its focus on plant collections.

My background is precisely that, so I had to be nudged to see the possibility of a garden that would appeal more to the interests of its visitors while still adhering to a mandate that includes education and conservation science.

John Brookes sees the capability of a landscape, much as Capability Brown, his famous eighteenth-century predecessor, did. Edwards Gardens contains a beautiful and varied topography that has long been seen as ripe for botanical garden development. We came up with a unique organizing principle that divides the 30-acre landscape roughly into thirds: City, Country and Wild. These three experiences of life and of nature reflect the experiences of Torontonians as well as those of many North Americans who, in their travels, move from cities through country landscapes and eventually to “the wild” (or what’s left of wilderness). It will allow the new botanical garden to reflect as much of nature as we can pack into it.

With these unique and original organizing principles in hand, we called upon Gary Smith whose landscape architecture practice is devoted mainly to serving botanical gardens; he has prepared master plans for gardens throughout

the United States. For someone who makes his home in Toronto, Gary was long overdue for a Canadian commission.

We particularly appreciate Gary’s collaborative approach and his ability to communicate with staff, volunteers, media, donors and government stakeholders.

The final document presented by Gary contains both significant detail and high-level proposals. Much more detail will be fleshed out in a future phase of master planning, but first we needed to understand drainage, circulation, intrinsic problems and obvious opportunity—obvious to Gary at least. That’s why we hired him! We required some conceptual proposals to help convince all stakeholders that we have a viable project.

In assembling Gary’s work into one document, we came up with the term “Integrated Conceptual Proposals”. The City of Toronto and other key stakeholders have this document.

They also have the TBG’s business plan and relevant studies from the tourism world that demonstrate the validity of our economic arguments. City Council will make the ultimate decision on a managemnet model for 30+ acres of parkland transformed into a botanical garden. Ultimately, they would own it, but the TGB is offering its expertise in managing it.

It’s a model found all over North America.

We’re still going to be among the smaller botanical gardens, but growing from four to 30+ acres gives us the chance to create an experience that’s more attractive to visitors. Locals will no longer ask: “TBG, where’s that?” Nature-based educational opportunities will expand tremendously, and the social, cultural and environmental benefits to the community will transform our city. And tourists will know that a true botanical garden experience awaits them in Toronto.

Gary Smith, and the rest of us too, have our work cut out. Much planning remains to be done, and the resources to make it all happen must be found as well. It’s a tremendously exciting time for our intrepid community of plant and garden lovers. You will find pages devoted to the TBG’s expansion plans in future editions of Trellis, so stay tuned! Let us know your thoughts, and please let us know how you’d like to get involved. We won’t be able to do it without you!

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Illustrations: Gary Smith

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With Your Hearts and Our Flowers

When I was introduced to the new plans for the Toronto Botanical Garden I realized that we have an opportunity to finally showcase this fabulous property and create an experience that will be second to none on the planet. The new TBG strikes me as a great educational opportunity as well as a valuable environmental and economic asset in our city. The landscape plan, when implemented, will inspire us all. The business plan will seamlessly provide a jewel in the geographic heart of the city at no ongoing expense to taxpayers. What’s the downside?

B ui ldi n g B l o c k s

–Mark Cullen

We’re still going to be among the smaller botanical gardens, but growing from four to 30+ acres gives us the chance to create an experience that’s more attractive to visitors.

—Harry Jongerden

torontobotanicalgarden.ca

Gary Smith City, Country, Wild!

It’s going to be great fun giving life to John Brookes’ “City, Country, Wild” idea for the hoped for expansion of the TBG gardens.

The Country section, located on the western tablelands, will include strolling gardens, spaces for outdoor gatherings and an expanded Teaching Garden. A major new destination in this sector will be the Story of Food which focuses on Canada’s food production system.

The Wild area encompasses the ravine’s slopes and flood plain. Ecologically resilient woodlands will be established on the slopes, with a viewing platform looking down into the ravine. The flood plain will provide extensive new wildflower and wildlife meadows, with a flyover pedestrian bridge that offers dramatic vistas.

The densest aggregation of garden experiences will be in the City space. The historic rock garden and Moriyama Pavilion need restoration, along with the rolling greensward that connects them. The existing barn will become a centre for educational activities and exhibitions. Horticultural display gardens will be enriched, including a dramatic new winter garden.

One of my favourite new destinations will be a two-storey parking garage, complete with an ecological roof garden that can set a new standard for all of Toronto.

I am thrilled to be involved in the Toronto Botanical Garden’s evolution into a world-class destination.

Take a deep breath—here we go!

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news:hort TBGNewssociety the event social Calendar Plant Sale Preview

TBG Friends (and a guest) are invited to an exclusive preview breakfast on Thursday, May 7 at 9 a.m. followed by Paul Zammit’s Plant Sale Picks presentation at 9:45 a.m. Sale open to Friends from 10 a.m. to noon. Please RSVP and provide your guest’s name by Thursday, April 30 to Christine Lawrance at spevents@torontobotanical garden.ca or 416.397-1321.

Woman to Woman

Wear your most fabulous hat or fascinator to the 5th annual Woman to Woman luncheon in the garden. Presented by RBC. Tuesday, May 26, noon to 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $125 available online at toronto botanicalgarden.ca/w2w or call 416-397-1483.

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Woman to Woman

oman to Woman, the Toronto Botanical Garden’s signature spring fundraising event, is turning five! This lively celebration of women’s passion for gardening, fashion and good company ushers in the long awaited Canadian summer with a great party in the TBG gardens. This year, Woman to Woman will dazzle and entertain with special features, such as a social media concierge, silent auction valets and much more. All this and the elements that have made Woman to Woman the event so many love to attend: an elegant luncheon, a hat and fascinator competition and the irresistible dessert lounge—what more could a glamorous woman ask for?

Lilliput Hats returns with chapeaux to cherish!

Vivian Greenberg with Executive Director Harry Jongerden

Salon Dinner Series Charlie Dobbin (left), Colomba Fuller and Kathy Dembroski

Elizabeth Bartzis and James Hickman

Lindsay Dale-Harris

take a shot!

Carol Gardner (left) and Lorraine Hunter

Tweet a pic at Woman to Woman using #W2W and you may find it on the Hort Society page of Trellis! torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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PHOTOS: sweetest photos

Meet featured speaker Dan Euser, the Canadian landscape designer who created the 9/11 Memorial water feature in New York City. Join us for dinner, a salon-style presentation and discussion. Sponsored

by RBC. Tuesday, May 26, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $200 each or $350 for two.

To order call 416-397-1321.

Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants

Canada’s Newest Mail Order Nursery After a decade as Vancouver’s destination nursery for hot new plants, garden stalwarts and the rare & unusual, Phoenix Perennials now offers mail order across Canada!

Shop in person at our retail nursery or now shop online!

Wildflowers and Fynbos of South Africa — Uncap FlavoUr — Burt’s Bees Body lotions, lip Balms and Hand creams now available in our Garden Shop.

Join Gary Lewis, owner of Phoenix Perennials, on tour to South Africa Aug. 25 - Sept. 8, 2015

Phoenix Perennials Richmond, BC

www.phoenixperennials.com info@phoenixperennials.com

classifieds GARDEN TOURS with Margaret From VICTORIA (May 2nd to 10th) to NEWFOUNDLAND (July 7th to 17th) we offer garden tours that exceed your expectations: Quebec tours to both QUATRE VENTS and REFORD; Gardens of Grey & Bruce Counties (Owen Sound) plus Buffalo Garden Festival and Garden Day Trips. Call for detailed info booklets on each tour 416-746-7199 or 1-877-672-3030 or e-mail margaret@hnatravels.com Heatherington & Assoc. www. hnatravels.com TICO #50017223.

TORONTO ISLAND 2015 GARDEN TOUR June 6th and June 7th 12 to 5 p.m. Please join us as island gardens are blooming. Enjoy touring artists’ and plant lovers’ private gardens showcasing inspiring diversity of garden styles and plant life. Take the Ward’s Island ferry from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Bay Street & Queen’s Quay. Ferry times and ticket prices: www.toronto. ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm.

Tour ticket prices: adults $10, seniors $8, children $2. Funds raised are used for community landscaping projects.

Volunteers are responsible for the event. For more information please contact: www.torontoisland.org or dpeace0968@rogers.com or annekotyk@yahoo.ca. It’s cooler by the Lake!

Leaside Garden Society announces the Magical Gardens of Leaside garden tour, Saturday, June 20, 2015, 11 AM to 4 PM. Tour delivers an exciting mix of plants and styles, particularly shady urban gardens. Meet our friendly gardeners. Tickets on sale day of tour at Leaside Public Library. www.leasidegardensociety.org for information Make use of vertical space in your garden. Obelisks are superb structures to showcase vines or vegetables! Powder-coated steel ensures these 6-foot obelisks remain smart and durable for many years.

Locally made by Eastern Precision Machining exclusively for TBG. Get yours now at the Garden Shop, $65.

416.971.4068

JOIN Ontario Nature

A charity protecting wild species and wild spaces through education, conservation and public engagement since 1931.

ontarionature.org

Photo by: Tom Spencer

stories

cottage

country

p. 14

PHOTOS (from top): Janet Davis, mary whittall, matt forsythe

gorgeous in the

city

p. 20

about ravines wild

p. 22

wildly Muskoka

In cottage country, Janet Davis rebels against city-slicker lawns and trim-and-tidy borders to create a naturalistic landscape for songbirds and butterflies, chipmunks and groundhogs—and for family and friends, too.

T e x t a n d photos by Ja n e t Dav i s

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ardening in cottage country. Ah, the whispering white pines, the towering red oaks and sugar maples, the lacy hemlocks, the shimmering trilliums ... and the pee-gee hydrangeas?

It is a strange paradox that when people head to their summer retreats in Muskoka, Georgian Bay or the Kawartha Lakes, they often recreate the type of manicured city landscape they left behind—one that fails to capture the unique sense of place inherent in the spectacular rugged terrain of cottage country. After all, don’t we escape to a granite island

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or forested shoreline in order to appreciate nature in the wild, not to subdue it with urban decorum?

And when that decorum includes a Kentucky bluegrass lawn sweeping down to the lake’s edge, one that needs fertilizing to stay green and mowing and edging to stay neat, it seems that we have not only turned our backs on the notion of wildness, but we have threatened it as well.

Fertilizer runoff has a harmful effect on water quality, increasing the phosphorus levels, encouraging the growth of algae and adversely affecting the

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shoreline habitat for fish. But apart from the environmental effect of a lakeside lawn, the idea of having to replicate the humdrum chores of an urban backyard at a place where you should be snoozing in a hammock and reading the latest bestseller just seems wrong.

The ideal cottage landscape is the one that’s been altered the least, the one that retains the native low-bush blueberries, black huckleberry, black chokeberry, wild raspberry and bearberry. It’s the landscape that respects the bush honeysuckle, the creeping dogbane, white meadowsweet, staghorn sumac and common juniper while rejoicing in the wild red columbine, mayflower, wild strawberry, violet, Solomon’s seal, trout lily and red and white trilliums. It appreciates the bracken and marginal shield ferns in the dry places, the cinnamon and royal ferns in the damp spots and the sensitive fern and lady fern in the shady forest. It’s the one where children and grandchildren run down paths carpeted with pine needles, where the shore is edged with white turtlehead and blue flag iris, where goldenrod and asters offer up an easy bouquet for the Thanksgiving table. And it does all this under trees that grow in familiar communities—red oak, red maple, white pine, beech, paper birch, hemlock, moose maple and trembling aspen— while giving shelter to songbirds, woodpeckers, chattering jays, chickadees and barred owls.

But leaving the cottage landscape au naturel isn’t always an option.

Sometimes a cottage property has been “tamed” by the people who owned it before you, or construction alters the land. What then? For me, it was necessary to come up quickly with a landscape plan after building our Lake Muskoka home in 2002, a construction project that left the sloping bedrock exposed and barren. Our south-facing property was the driest, hottest patch of land on a little peninsula jutting out into a small bay on the southeast part of Lake Muskoka.

Except for a row of towering white pines at the shore, the vegetation was scrubby, its growth constrained by shallow, acidic, sandy soil formed

I wanted to return our land to a richer, more complex diversity than it possessed before we began to build. from the granite and grey gneiss rock underlying much of the region. Sloping on a moderate angle to the lake, it was a challenging site for construction of a four-season house big enough to accommodate children, friends and far-flung relatives for family reunions.

When all was finished, we were delighted with the cottage; the views were spectacular from all sides, and a screened porch extended the hours we

erty long before we built, and stairs lead to the lake and dock.

Beyond these structural changes, I wanted to return our land to a richer, more complex diversity than it possessed before we began to build.

The pines and oaks would eventually re-colonize the property, along with blueberries, junipers and sumacs. In the meantime, there would be years of vibrant sunshine to nourish whatever

could be outdoors. But our ecological footprint had not been light. Much of the bedrock on either side of the site had been scraped bare of vegetation by tractors and line-trenchers. Worse, the front of the cottage dropped away sharply onto sloping granite, making it treacherous to reach the lake from the doors on the lower level.

My objective was not simply to regreen the site, but to re-shape the contour of the land, adding a front plateau to let us access the hillside safely. A new woodchip path now replaces the path that meandered across the prop-

I chose for my plant palette. And even as I transplanted tiny pine saplings, I began to dream about the wild, flowerspangled meadows I had grown up with as a child in Victoria. It wasn’t just a desire to naturalize an already natural site that appealed to me. I was also pushing back against the way I’d been gardening in the city, rebelling against the need for constraint and order that comes with beds and borders and neatly mown lawns. It made no sense to think that way about a cottage landscape; not only would it be out of step with the natural environ-

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The only work required is to use a trimmer twice each season to keep the path across the property clear.

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Great Cottage Perennials for Bees & Butterflies

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1 Biennial black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) 2 Blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora) 3 Blazing star (Liatris spp.)

4 Blue false indigo (Baptisia australis) 5 Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) 6 Catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’) 7 Culver’s root ‘Fascination’ (Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’)

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8 Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) 9 False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) 10 Foxglove penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)

ment, it would be out of synch with how I had changed, physically and philosophically, as a gardener. More and more, I wanted a landscape that was not just for me and my kind, but one that would appeal to other species: the bees, katydids, butterflies, birds and chipmunks that would soon call the meadows home. I also wanted that sense of aesthetic pleasure that comes from observing a changing canvas with a roster of plants to provide a shifting tapestry from April to October. Most of all, I wanted my meadows to be low maintenance.

After the last of the construction equipment was removed from the site, a barge arrived loaded with separate piles of soil. For the most conventional garden beds, located in the spaces between the four doors on the lower level, I chose rich triple mix consist-

11 Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) 12 Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) 13 Meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa)

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14 New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) 15 Perennial wild bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) 16 Perennial wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) 17 Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) 18 Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) 19 Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) 20 Sweet black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)

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ing of equal parts of loam, peat and manure. For the open meadows on either side of the cottage and the sunny hillsides in front of them, I settled for a local, low-grade, sandy soil, emulating the environment found in natural sand prairies. On the steep bank dropping from the newly shaped path under the old white pines in front of the cottage, I spread a locally sourced forest soil called “trimmings” that contained the roots and seeds of whatever might be found naturally growing in similar conditions nearby.

My objective that first summer was to prevent the new soil from washing down the slope. Using a fast-germinating cover crop, I seeded the meadows and hillsides with a combination of creeping red fescue grass (Festuca rubra) and biennial black-eyed Susans, mixing about 100 grams of the wildflowers into 4.5 kilos of grass seed. A few weeks and many hours of handwatering later, the first blades of grass emerged, followed closely by the tiny leaves of countless black-eyed Susans.

This biennial makes a rosette of foliage

in its first season, sending up flower stems the following summer, before setting seed and dying. Into the rich soil of the doorway garden beds went big golden yarrow (Achillea filipendulina ‘Gold Plate’), Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). At the base of the richest meadow, I planted an assortment of prairie grasses, including big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans).

And over the next few years, I made an autumn sowing of a roster of tallgrass prairie perennials that would become the flowery backbone of the meadows: foxglove penstemon, false sunflower, bee balm, blanket flower, sweet blackeyed Susan, gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), asters and showy goldenrod to add to the goldenrods already on the property. That plants were native was not as important to me as their drought tolerance, a vital attribute for a landscape that would rely on rainwater.

Twelve years later, my meadows and garden beds provide a bounty of flowers (and beautiful bouquets) from the first daffodils of April to the last goldenrod and asters of autumn.

Monarch butterflies lay eggs on the butterfly milkweed; myriad pollinating insects and hummingbirds visit the flowers; and goldfinches, chipping sparrows and ruffed grouse appear regularly to eat the seeds. Though

More and more, I wanted a landscape that was not just for me and my kind, but one that would appeal to other species. torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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Lupine Love

Transforming bare, sandy earth into wild lupine meadows might count as my biggest gardening triumph. Here’s how I grew them:

• Wild lupine requires full sun and well-drained, sandy soil with a low pH (acidic); it will not tolerate clay.

• First, I soaked the large seeds overnight in water to soften them.

there are a few deer on the peninsula, they seem to prefer the young sumac shoots to my perennials, but from time to time, groundhogs enjoy purple coneflower and coreopsis. In truth, the meadows are so profuse that I am happy to share a few plants. Yes, there are exotics some might call “weeds”— for example, oxeye daisy, buttercup, birdsfoot trefoil, musk mallow, cow vetch, hawkweed and quackgrass—but they are kept in check by the vigorous prairie plants. The only work required is to use a trimmer twice each season to keep the path across the property clear; in November, I cut down the meadows to reduce the thatch that builds up and to keep things neat for the daffodils that emerge each April.

And, to prevent the meadow from transitioning naturally to bush, it’s necessary to keep out any blackberries and sumacs that might want to jump the path from the steep slope to the lake.

My cottage neighbours know where to find a bouquet of fragrant daffodils in springtime. The monarch butterflies know where to find patches of butterfly milkweed on which to lay their eggs. The goldfinches and chipping sparrows know where to find the tasty bee balm seed heads. And I know where to find inspiration and beauty all season long.

Janet Davis is a garden writer and photographer and Friend of the Toronto Botanical Garden.

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• Then I carefully pressed each seed just under the soil surface in what I call my “lupine mud”—a patch of rich, damp, sandy soil behind the house that never dries out. Because it lies in part shade at the bottom of a hill, it retains the moisture that wild lupine seeds need to germinate.

• A month or so later, when the little plants had several leaves and a small root system, I carefully scooped them up with a large spoon and transplanted them into my dry, sunny hillside meadows.

• I kept the young plants well watered the first summer as they put down their tap roots.

Those that survived the first winter seemed indestructible and completely drought tolerant thereafter, though some took three or four years to bloom.

F ro m

D i s a s t e r

to gorgeous!

Every year I think Through the Garden Gate couldn’t possibly get better, and every year I’m wrong.

Lawrence Park is one of the loveliest neighbourhoods in the city. It is particularly of interest for gardeners because the neighbourhood was conceived as a garden suburb. The boulevards, green spaces and some of the original gardens were designed by landscape architects Lorrie and Howard Dunington-Grubb.

Howard was a tall, elegant and gracious man perversely called “Grubbie” by his friends; Lorrie was a feisty young woman who refused to be limited by her gender. They were a determined pair. When they couldn’t find the plants they wanted for Lawrence Park, they started their own nursery— Sheridan Nurseries.

Although they are long gone, the Dunington-Grubbs seem to have sown some of their DNA into the soil of Lawrence Park. Many of the present homeowners are also dedicated gardeners who have designed, planted and maintained their gardens themselves.

They aren’t deterred by challenges and they will hunt high and low for the plants they want. I suspect that the Dunington-Grubbs would be proud.

Bringing symmetry to an irregular lot

A splendid example is a garden owned by a couple who have the perfect combination of skills for gardening: she is an experienced and enthusiastic gardener and he is a talented builder of garden structures. However, when they moved to their home 22 years ago, they were faced with a challenge:

an unusually shaped lot that was the result of a severance that had happened some years before. The property had originally been a part of a family estate, but when it was broken up, the house was left with large front and side gardens but nothing in the back; that part of the lot is owned by the neighbours.

The house had an address on the intersecting street, but that changed too, and then the front door became the back and the back became the front.

As a result, “there were paths that no longer led anywhere,” they said.

The owners decided not to rush into anything, but rather to let their ideas evolve until they knew what they wanted—a very tough thing to do for most enthusiastic gardeners! However, it turned out to be the right decision.

They embarked on a series of garden trips, visiting famous and not-so-famous gardens in England, the United States and Canada. Although their ideas developed as they went, their real influences turned out to be the gardens

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of Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Kingsbrae Garden in St Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick.

The couple found that, although they are not formal people, they loved the drama and the symmetry of the formal gardens they saw in Georgia and South Carolina, but they also wanted the lushness of the English and New Brunswick gardens, or, as the owner puts it “I wanted all bloom all the time!” But how could they combine these elements on this challenging piece of land?

They decided that the diverse parts of their vision could be only realized by creating different garden rooms.

They enlisted the help of Jack’s Gardens in Gormley to help them redesign and build the hardscaping so that the garden spaces could be united by new paths, and the old paths were removed. Once that was done, they called in Sheridan Nurseries to help them design a formal garden in the large side yard. The area is com-

super summer 2015

Photo (this Page): paul zammit (opposite): J. Elendt

Many of the homeowners on this year’s Through the Garden Gate tour are dedicated gardeners who aren’t deterred by challenges, says Carol Gardner.

pletely bordered by bridalwreath spirea which was a remnant from the previous garden. The owner doesn’t love it, but feels that it’s too healthy to cut down and it’s beautiful when it blooms.

Rather than removing an existing patio bordering the side garden, they made it an entrance to the formal garden, decorating it with bright Mexican pottery. The less formal front and side gardens are planted with a plethora of colourful perennials supplemented by annuals that guarantee a long blooming season. The brilliant thing about this garden is that, although it contains some diverse styles and elements, some old and some new, it all works together beautifully and perfectly represents the spirit of the owners.

Discovering the gardener in the garden

Just down the road is another wellloved garden, started 40 years ago and still going strong. This couple had had gardens before, the previous one featuring a garden of roses named after famous people. When they moved to this house, they found 40 different roses in the front garden. But the back garden was something of a disaster—overrun by violets and with no shape or design.

A sixth-generation gardener, she has an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and their origins. Forty years ago, she didn’t know as much, so she educated herself using books and advice from knowledgeable neighbours. She is also a talented genealogist who has written

a number of books on the topic, so she wanted her garden to reflect her interest in both family and history as well as demonstrating her love of bright, beautiful and unusual plants.

The owners began by consulting with some nurseries about design, but ultimately decided to do it themselves, guided by the conditions of each garden space—sun (or lack thereof), soil and the surrounding area. She did all the digging and planting, breaking three shovels in the process! It took time, but the time allowed her to make wellthought-out decisions and to view the space at different times of the day. In the end, that helped her know what would thrive where.

Because the front garden is all sun, she chose joyous colours—vivid shades of orange, pink and yellow. This required removing some of the original roses, which had been planted without regard to colour. She continued the colour scheme with daylilies, peonies, rose campions and a profusion of other plants, many of which are unusual.

The back garden, with its surrounding trees and shrubs, would of necessity be less colourful than the front. There, she created a naturalistic setting, designing a number of smaller beds in a gentle circular pattern and planting them with bulbs and native plants combined with hostas and ferns.

The odd place where the sun peeks through is home to pots of brightly coloured annuals. Overseeing that garden is a sculpture of a dolphin, a gift from her sister.

An early believer in organic gardening, the owner decided to learn to look after the garden by natural means.

By reading and experimenting, she came up with a number of recipes for plant health. Just looking at her garden will tell you that her regime is wildly successful.

The gardens contain plants handed down by family and friends, and each has an entrancing story. Walking with her through her garden is a study in both gardening and history with both the plants and the people coming radiantly alive. These plants are supplemented by a collection of rare and unusual shrubs, trees and perennials, planted with an artist’s eye for shape and colour. She is a master at underplanting, so her borders have layers that add texture to the mix. By now, it’s hard to separate the garden from the gardener; each is an accurate and joyful representative of the other.

These are just two examples of the rich and varied gardens in Lawrence Park.

You will come away from this tour with more inspiration than you can imagine (bring a large notebook!) as well as that contented feeling you get when you’re surrounded by fellow gardeners.

Lawrence Park tops any list of the Canada’s wealthier neighbourhoods and is home to many of Toronto’s highprofile residents. Still, that’s not the first thing on your mind as you drive through its meandering streets. What strikes you is how gracious the area is, and how lovely it would be to return to after a frenetic day in the city.

Carol Gardner is an award-winning garden writer and member of the Trellis Committee.

Follow Paul Zammit Through the Garden Gate In an exclusive video, Paul Zammit offers a sneak peek into some of the private gardens of Lawrence Park featured in this year’s annual tour.

goTo

torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ enjoy/special-events/through-thegarden-gate for a preview of this year’s gardens.

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Green grows the city

Lorraine Hunter talks with Geoff Cape and Harry Jongerden about the potential of Toronto’s ravine system.

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P

ortrayed in books, movies and TV series as an integral part of the city’s character, Toronto’s extensive ravine system has the potential to put us on the map, ecologically speaking, and the TBG is poised to play a significant role in turning that possibility into reality.

The largest ravine system in the world is one of Toronto’s most distinctive geographical features, winding through its many neighbourhoods, providing some 26,000 acres of wilderness, native plant and wildlife habitat, recreational hiking, cycling and even boating and canoeing right in the middle of the city. The ravines have been here for some 12,000 years, formed after the end of the last ice age. The largest ravines are home to the rivers running south from the Oak Ridges Moraine north of the city to Lake Ontario: the Humber River in the west, the Don River in the centre and the Rouge River to the east. Many smaller creeks and streams appear from rain and melt water.

Entrepreneur Geoff Cape, founder of the Evergreen Brick Works restoration project in the Don Valley Ravine, wants Toronto to celebrate its ravines and promote them as a destination for residents and tourists, but he is adamant that such an undertaking has to be a city-led process with government and other organizations partnering to make the proposal, tentatively known as the Ribbon Project, happen. This is where the TBG comes in, explains its executive director, Harry Jongerden.

“The Ribbon (or whatever it ends up being called) would benefit from our expertise regarding plants and healthy ecosystems. We can assist with nature interpretation along the route. As an educational institution, this is what we are already doing. It could be signage or smart phone applications, modern or high tech. There are more and more options,” he said.

“At the moment we do not connect with the ravine but if our plan to expand the TBG to take in Edwards Gardens goes through, one of our first goals will be to raise funds to restore the ravine and flood plain. We

will become a showcase for ecological restoration of the degraded trails if we can bring focus to the ravine’s health. By removing invasive species and identifying native ones, the TBG will become a demonstration to the city of what can be achieved. The TBG already has a $1-million pledge from an anonymous donor to help us get started,” said Jongerden.

“We’ve had some positive conversations with Geoff Cape and with the city. I think Geoff ’s idea is working.

It has our support and as a botanical garden, we will play the appropriate role.”

Encouraged by the fact that John Tory talked about a strategy of opening the ravines for more general access during his mayoralty campaign, Cape has outlined his view of four basic steps needed to successfully develop such a strategy. “This is an initiative of the city of Toronto, TRCA (Toronto and Region Conservation Authority), Evergreen and other interested partners in putting together a proposal for developing a city-wide ravine initiative,” he said. The steps include creating a master plan, developing an identity, forming partnerships and determining a timeline.

It was Cape’s hope, when this article was being written, that a small group meeting early in the year to discuss the four key ideas would result in an announcement of a coordinated master plan for Toronto’s ravine lands later this spring or early summer. “The declaration of a commitment to developing a master plan could reference flood risk mitigation, economic development and transportation opportunities as well as environmental commitments and the importance of public space for all of us living in Toronto. The announcement could be as simple as declaring the need for a master plan and an identity,” said Cape.

What can TBG members do to speed this up? “Speak to your local councillor and get behind it,” he says. “Voice your support.”

Lorraine Hunter is Chair of the Trellis Committee and a Toronto Master Gardener.

Photo: Jason Van Bruggen/dotdotdash.ca

Stepping up To make this green vision a reality involves four major steps, says Geoff Cape.

1. Master Plan To align city departments, including Parks, Transportation, Water, Waterfront, Economic Development, Planning and their respective ambitions for the future use of the valley lands, in the form of a single master plan.

This would likely be a series of related documents developed over the short and medium term.

The objective is to define the key elements to be represented in the master plan, the geography of the plan, the phasing of the work and who will take the lead in developing the plan.

2. Identity Strategy

To consider the best way forward in developing an identity for the ravine lands across Toronto and to feed into the Mayor’s One Toronto agenda. This should involve considering the Ribbon idea among others. The objective is to deliver a ravine identity to inspire our Toronto identity and create the first public announcement this spring—before the Pan Am & Parapan Am Games.

3. Partnership Strategy To identify primary, secondary and tertiary partners to help support a cross-sector, city-wide campaign and citizen engagement strategy

that defines the partnership architecture, principles, leadership and accountability as well as openings for the necessary range of partnerships for the One Toronto program.

4. Phasing Strategy To shape the sequencing of the work.

At the broadest level, Phase 1 will be the Lower Don and the waterfront where the promise for a big idea can be demonstrated. Phase 2 will be a City of Toronto rollout in various communities to be determined. And Phase 3 will be a regional rollout to engage the watershed region and all adjacent municipalities.

GARDENS of SONG

NEW FEATURE AT PLANT SALE (MAY 7-10) SHOP EARLY FOR THE BEST SELECTION

The Edwards Summer Music Series

Dreaming of a

PHOTO: PAUL ZAMMIT

Donate your gently used garden tools and pots in support of our garden equipment fundraising efforts.

Drop off donations at reception between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Tues. to Thurs. and Sat.) between April 7 and May 2.

Thursdays 7 to 8:30 p.m.

June 25 through August 27, 2015 FREE ADMISSION LOCATION TBD

Toronto Botanical Garden 777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto M3C 1P2 torontobotanicalgarden.ca

We Accept Outdoor containers (concrete, metal, ceramic and terra cotta), gently used garden tools, vintage garden tools, garden ornaments, clean bird houses, bird feeders, bird baths, fountains and small garden furniture.

No Thanks Anything cracked, broken or not working, plastic grower pots and hanging baskets, vases, anything electrical, fertilizers or chemicals.

Questions?

Please contact Trudy (Volunteer Coordinator) at 416-694-4460 or check the website for more details. torontobotanicalgarden.ca

TBG_GardensofSong2015_Trellis_ad_STG1.indd 1

12/03/2015 16:36

Garden Wedding?

WE HAVE THE PERFECT LOCATION To book your personal tour or obtain a wedding package contact: Patricia, 416-397-1324 rentals@torontobotanicalgarden.ca

Photo: Rythm Photography

information

techniques

Advice

To Do

in season

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs

Gardens

Searching for insect eggs

By Bug Lady Jean Godawa

The roots of our food This season, the Kitchen Garden will feature edible plants grown and used by Aboriginal peoples of North and South America. Take a tour and discover the origins of many of our favourite foods, such as tomatoes, peppers, corn and peanuts.

And please, no sampling; all produce is donated weekly to the North York Harvest Food Bank.

Colorado PotatoBeetle

Photos (Clockwise from top left): Whitney cranshaw/colorado State University Bugworld.com, W.C., Bruce Watt/ University of Maine Bugworld.com, Paul Zammit

Lacewing

A female robin carefully tends her eggs, rarely leaving the nest for more than a few minutes. While this is common practice among birds, such parental instincts are rare among insects. Often the extent of their maternal care is to deposit eggs where the larvae will have easy access to food when they hatch.

Monarch butterflies lay eggs on milkweed plants, ensuring ample food for their hungry caterpillars. The destructive emerald ash borer lays its eggs in crevices of tree bark so that the larvae can chew their way into the wood. And many creatures, such as grasshoppers, Japanese beetles, earwigs, snails and slugs deposit eggs in the soil where they are well protected from both adverse weather and predators.

Finding a clump of insect eggs on your plants could indicate a potential pest problem, but don’t be too quick to wipe or wash them off. Those eggs might belong to a beneficial insect.

Ladybugs lay clusters of yellow or orange, elongated oval eggs on the underside of leaves, preferably on plants with aphids or scale insects. Their eggs, however, closely resemble those of the Colorado potato beetle, a pest of plants in the Solanaceae family including potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. Both

In our

Garden Gear

LilyLeaf

Safariology Life Cycles

insects start laying eggs in the spring and can have three or more generations per season.

Other eggs you might find early in the growing season include those of the beneficial lacewing. These distinctive eggs sit at the end of silken stalks attached to the leaves or stems of a variety of plants. So leave them be. However, if you notice bright red, oval eggs on the leaves of emerging lily plants, these belong to the destructive lily leaf beetle and should be pinched off immediately.

Otherwise, they will hatch into larvae that cover themselves with their own excrement and defoliate your lilies.

You can minimize future pests by turning garden soil to expose eggs to predators and by inspecting young plants regularly for pest insect eggs.

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Before the monarch butterfly or the luna moth emerges from its cocoon, a caterpillar must hatch from its tiny egg, feed on garden plants, and then grow to form its distinctive chrysalis.

The Safariology kit is a perfect way to teach young gardeners about the life cycle of these welcome insects. $13.99 each in the TBG Garden Shop.

in season:plant it!

Paul’s Plant Sale Picks We have been working with growers across southern Ontario for months and months to source and bring you new and choice plant material for the 2015 Plant Sale. Here are some of the varieties that I’m most excited about. Please shop early for the best selection!

container

crazy

1

Plenty of Perennials

Are tree roots competing with your garden plants—and winning?

Paul Zammit has some solutions.

Heavy root competition from trees can make it almost impossible to dig a hole for planting perennials. Tree roots will also quickly rob the soil of available moisture. And roots often grow back to fill in newly cultivated ground. My recommendation? Don’t fight it!

One solution is to garden in containers placed above the ground. If the problem area is also shady, create a dramatic focal point using colourful plants or containers.

Be sure to place containers carefully: avoid resting them directly on top of the soil. Tree roots seeking moisture and nutrients will often grow up through the drainage holes into the planters. To avoid this, use pot feet to elevate them.

—Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture

This white vintage iron urn brightens up a shady backyard. White is repeated in the bold foliage of the Caladium, and the fine lacy green leaves of the asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’) add textural contrast.

The pop of colour provided by the container and the careful choice of foliage plants is echoed again in both the antique fern bench and the white of the bark of the towering birch tree.

More root zone solutions • Garden art can also be used to create an eye-catching focal point. Mulch the ground around the tree and then position a piece of garden art on the mulch. Illuminate the sculpture from beneath or behind to add an element of evening drama.

• Create a quiet shaded seating area. Be sure to arrange large pieces of flagstone beneath the bench. Leave plenty of space between the stones to allow moisture to penetrate into the ground.

• In densely shaded areas, pruning trees will open up the canopy to allow more sunlight to fall on the ground below. Consult an arborist to raise the canopy or open it up without compromising the natural form of the tree.

torontobotanicalgarden.ca

1. ‘Anna’s Red’ hellebore (Helleborus (Rodney Davey Marbled Group) ‘Anna’s Red’). This is another advance in the world of hellebore breeding. Imagine a hellebore with beautiful long-lasting burgundy to red blossoms and two-toned foliage. The leaves emerge in spring with pink-coloured veins that mature to a cream colour. Hellebores provide months of perennial eye candy in light to partial shade. As a group, hellebores have long been underrated for the rich, bold and dramatic foliage they display from late summer until winter. Several other choice hellebores will be available at the sale, too.

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2. Wild Swan anemone (Anemone ‘Macane 001’). We are pleased to add the 2011 winner of the prestigious 3 Chelsea Plant of the Year Award to the TBG collection. The rich green basal foliage is topped with fresh white blooms that have a unique purplish blush on the back side of the petal. Last year, this eye-catching hybrid bloomed from summer to fall in the TBG gardens. Wild Swan prefers a moist, loam-rich soil and should be planted in full sun to part shade. It grows to just under 60 centimetres tall.

3. ‘Millennium’ ornamental onion (Allium ‘Millennium’). For those who want to attract butterflies to their gardens, Allium ‘Millennium’ is a must. This recent introduction to the TBG’s Entry Garden has attracted much attention from a variety of pollinators and garden visitors alike. It’s a prolific and long-blooming ornamental onion with sturdy stems that grow to about 60 centimetres—and no flopping! It produces round clusters of purple- to rose-coloured flowers from mid- to late summer. Plant in full sun. Also watch for Allium senescens ‘Blue Eddy’ another low-growing, late-blooming perennial that has been a terrific new addition to the TBG gardens.

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PHOTOS: PAUL ZAMMIT, (number 3: walters gardens)

Rootbound

5

6

Tempting tropicals and quasi-annuals

5. Euphorbia platyclada. Yes, brown is a colour—a beautiful colour both inside the home and out in the garden. This plant may not be for everyone (although it has long been a favourite of mine). It’s a unique, unusual, slow-growing tropical. Although it is not new and has long been in cultivation, it’s available only occasionally, and I am thrilled to have a few specimens as part of this year’s plant sale. Euphorbia platyclada is endemic to Madagascar where so many distinct plants and animals have evolved in isolation over time. (Sadly the wild native populations are threatened as a result of habitat loss.)

I invite you to at least have a look at this unique plant. From personal experience, I can say that it will grow on you!

tion. Released in Ontario for the first time last season, it quickly sold out within the first few hours at last year’s TBG Plant Sale.

Digiplexis is a breakthrough in plant breeding that is the result of a cross between Digitalis purpurea and Isoplexis canariensis (reclassified as Digitalis canariensis). The unique and colourful flower spikes of tubular flowers are produced freely from summer until fall. It blooms and blooms and blooms! The verdict is still out on whether this new plant will overwinter in our Ontario gardens. Considering the flower power I have observed, it’s worth growing, even as an annual. Fingers crossed—we may also have a few of the new Digiplexis Illumination ‘Berry Canary’! —Paul Zammit,Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture

6. ‘Illumination Flame’ foxglove (Digitalis ‘Illumination Flame’ syn.

Digiplexis ‘Illumination Flame’). Winner of several new plant awards, this hybrid foxglove has recently received much atten-

Note: Despite the most careful and best of plans, we have no control over Mother Nature.

As a result, we are at the mercy of the weather and cannot guarantee that all of these selections will be ready for the Plant Sale.

Bring your wish list to the Plant Sale!

Friends Breakfast and Shopping: Thursday, May 7, 9 a.m. to noon. For details see page 10.

Members Preview and Sale: Thursday, May 7, noon to 8 p.m.

Open to the public: Friday, May 8, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Garden Jobs To Do Hose off and scrub garden ornaments and tools, using steel wool to rub off any rust. After drying them in the sun, rub metal with vegetable oil and polish wood with beeswax.

Cut off and recycle any hangers from ready-made white plastic hanging pots, which look best hidden inside a decorative container.

Recycle unwanted plastic pots at nurseries, such as Sheridan and Loblaw Garden Centres, that have dedicated bins.

Garden societies may also accept used pots.

Save plastic labels collected from garden beds; punch holes in the top and then string them through plastic cable ties or binder rings. Hang them up as a record of your plant inventory.

Place supportive rings around herbaceous peonies before they grow too high.

Prune ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas down to 25 or 30 centimetres in height.

goTo

Ch eck L ist

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4. Kosmic Kale (Brassica oleracea (Acephala Group)).

Just when you thought kale could not get any better, here’s an exciting addition to this very popular green. It’s both beautiful and edible! The upright green-blue foliage is edged with irregular, creamy white margins. Plant it in the veggie garden, the perennial border or in mixed planters. Last year I trialled a few plants and I was most impressed with both the vigorous growth and the long-lasting display. Although I enjoy kale and know it is very nutritious, I did not harvest any of the leaves—they looked too great! Very limited supply.

✄

Edible feast

In Your

torontomaster gardeners.ca for more seasonal gardening tips.

happenings TBG Lectures are generously supported

by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and The J.P. Bickell Foundation

5Questions Where do you find your inspiration?

It often comes from a diverse range of sources. With the past two gardens that I designed at Chelsea, it was Renaissance Italy and the 2012 spring collection of fashion designers Viktor & Rolf. And I once created a garden based on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Who’s Talking

My garden is a place to experiment.

Overall it’s a thinking ground where I can privately explore concepts and ideas. I love the English style but I hanker after a Mediterranean scree, so that’s a new project this year.

Love it

What are some favourite plants that you’re working with right now?

There are simply too many! Often it’s not so much which plants are my current “must haves” but the combination of the specific location and which plants fit in seamlessly to create something unique.

Paul

Hervey-Brookes A rarity in the world of horticulture, Paul has both a botanical pedigree and an award-winning career in garden and landscape design.

Eighteenth-century roses

Leave it

Creating Identity in a Design-Led World Thursday, May 14, 2015 7:30 p.m.

Pre-lecture light dinner available from 5:30 p.m. Floral Hall doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Public $25, students (with valid ID) $15, TBG members FREE (bring a friend for $10).

What is the single most important element in any garden?

Passion! You can spend a vast amount of money creating a garden and it can feel soulless, or spend only £100 and have something truly remarkable.

The passion that goes into the creation of a garden puts love into its soul.

What single message do you hope to convey at your upcoming talk?

Stop worrying about design and glossy images. It’s your garden; if you love it, who cares what anyone else thinks?

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Gardens are about creating personal spaces—one size doesn’t fit all and one style certainly doesn’t. Feel good about embracing your own personal style. It makes for a far more fulfilling garden!

super summer 2015

PHOTOS, FROM TOP): COURTESY PAUL HERVEY-BROOKES, FOREST & KIM STARR/FLICKR, LORRAINE FLANIGAN

Tell us about your personal garden and what makes it special.

Mark your Calendar Spindle Tree Gardens was a highlight of last year’s summer tours with Frank Kershaw.

TBG Clubs & Groups

HortiCULTURE Lecture Series

Doors Open Toronto Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Public $28; members $22; includes light refreshments

Woman to Woman: Lunch in the Garden

Dr. Dirk Steinke The Silent Takeover: Invasive Species Thursday, May 21, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The Great Plant Restoration Stefan Weber Thursday, June 18, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Special Events

Through the Garden Gate: Lawrence Park Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets: 1 day, members $40, public $45; both days, members $55, public $60; students $25 (1 day only with valid ID). Available at the Garden Shop, online at torontobotanical garden.ca/ttgg or 416-397-1341.

Garden Days Canada’s Celebration of Gardens Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21 For details, see gardendays.ca

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Photos: Courtesy Spindle tree Gardens

Plant Sale • TBG Friends Breakfast and Shopping: Thursday, May 7, 9 a.m. to noon • TBG Members Preview and Shopping: Thursday, May 7, noon to 8 p.m.

• Open to the public: Friday, May 8, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday, May 26, noon to 2:30 p.m.

Tickets: $125 at torontobotanical garden.ca/w2w or 416-397-1483.

Book Club: Last Wednesday of every month, 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the Weston Family Library. Open to TBG and Book-Lovers members only. To register, and for more info, contact Jan Neuman: janneuman@rogers. com or 416-656-8246. FREE Library Story Time: Weekly nature stories and songs for children, ages 1 to 3. Mondays, 11:20 to 11:40 a.m. FREE Poetry Group: Monthly meetings in the Weston Family Library. For more information and to register, contact Joanne Sedlacek at j.sedlacek@rogers.com or Kirk Davis at kirk.davis@hotmail.com. FREE

TBG Lecture Series

Creating Identity in a Design-Led World

Thursday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.

Paul Hervey-Brookes

Tours and Day Trips

Join Frank Kershaw on these in-andaround-town summer tours.

• Return to Niagara, Thursday, May 28 • Garden Lovers Tour of Waterdown, Greensville and Flamborough, Thursday, June 18 • City and Country Gardens of Peel, Thursday, July 16 To reserve seats in advance contact Sue Hills at tourguides@ torontobotanicalgarden.ca

Top Quality Flower Bulbs • Bulk Pricing Top Quality Flower Bulbs • Bulk Pricing Top Order Quality

by August Flower31st Bulbs and • Bulk savePricing 10% Order by August 31st and save 10% Order by August 31st and save 10%

torontobotanicalgarden.ca

29

super summer 2015

membership matters good news

your benefits

Claudia Zuccato Ria Director of Development

Travel and Save

Welcome to a new section in Trellis devoted to members and Friends of the Toronto Botanical Garden. This is where we will shed light on everything you always wanted to know about the TBG’s fundraising work. We look forward to discussing issues and sharing news about membership, giving opportunities, special events and fundraising campaigns.

We’ll start with a question that we are often asked: what is the difference between TBG members and Friends? The short answer is $100 or more. The Friends program is nothing more than a different level of membership. Members are a distinct group of contributors who are affiliated with the TBG by way of an annual fee that affords them access to exclusive benefits, including Trellis. Once you become a member, you have an opportunity to donate beyond the cost of membership fees to the Friends level of $100 or more.

This may be done at any time, and in recognition of this special status, you will be listed in Trellis as a Friend at the appropriate level—Friend, Sustaining Member, Benefactor, President’s Circle or Director’s Circle.

Contributions to the Friends program are usually made annually and are allocated to general operating funds, which is the lifeline of the TBG. Your regular Friends gifts enable the TBG to forecast income and help support a sustainable cash flow.

It has been said that “membership is a benefit burdened by conditions”. In the case of TBG membership, we’d like to think it is also an opportunity to make a significant improvement to the stability of this organization. And for this, we thank you.

- TREE & SHRUB PRUNING -INSECT & DISEASE CONTROL - PLANTING & TRANSPLANTING - TREE & STUMP REMOVAL - DEEP ROOT FERTILIZING

300 gardens and arboreta affiliated with the American Public Garden Association (APGA).

You could save more than $1,500!

Are you travelling south of the border this year? Here are some gardens you can visit for free:

goTo

?

• •

• •

•

Bloedel Reserve (WA) Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens (CA) Columbus Botanical Garden (GA) Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens (IN) Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center (TX)

torontobotanicalgarden.ca/development/ membership-benefits/to see the complete list.

Did you know

In 2014 the TBG organized a whopping 11 fundraising events, including the popular Through the Garden Gate; the exciting Aster Awards; Garden Open, for garden and tea enthusiasts; and the fun and fabulous Woman to Woman, now in its fifth year (see page 10 for exciting details of this year’s event).

tbg works

Spread the word about the Toronto Botanical Garden: bring a friend to one of the TBG’s special events and support your favourite hub of horticultural and environmental information. Bring a friend to any TBG Lecture and pay only $10, a discount of $15 off the public rate of $25.

Derek W Welsh President

I.S.A. Certified Arborist #ON-0129A

AUTHENTIC

TREE CARE INC. Phone : 905.449.5906 E-mail: cindydeutekom@gmail.com Web: www.goldenbrookhostas.com

Photos (From Top): Toronto Botanical garden, Paul Zammit

Member or Friend?

Your TBG membership gets you in FREE to nearly

About The Toronto Botanical Garden

Let’s Talk The friendly staff in the Development and Membership Department are happy to answer your questions and hear your suggestions. To talk about membership, donations, including Friends donations and receipts, contact Sharon Rashid, Development Officer. For special events, see Christine Lawrance, Special Events Coordinator.

For any other inquiry, contact Claudia Zuccato Ria, Director of Development. See Staff Directory for contact details.

FRIENDS OF THE TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN The Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is deeply grateful to its Friends for providing continued and generous support towards programs and services. Our Friends enable the TBG to educate and provide the community with information on horticulture, gardening and environmental issues through lectures, courses and events. The following individuals made a contribution to the Friends program between October 21, 2014, and January 21, 2015.

BENEFACTORS Friends Janet Davis Lorraine Flanigan Irene Gish Valerie Grant Susan Loube Mary Janigan SUSTAINING MEMBERS Susan Leask Susan Lipchak Nancy Bowslaugh Susan & Michael Dolby Janette MacDonald Peter & Eleanor Heinz Marion Magee Margaret Runcie Mundy McLaughlin Aldona Satterthwaite Jane Wright Loretta E. Skinner Eleanor Ward

The Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is a volunteer-based, charitable organization whose purpose is to inspire passion, respect and understanding of gardening, horticulture, the natural landscape and a healthy environment.

The TBG raises more than 95 per cent of its operating funds through membership, facility rentals, retail enterprises, program fees and donations. The organization relies on the generosity and financial commitment of individuals foundations and corporations to help maintain the gardens and support the many horticultural and environmental services we provide to our community.

Charitable business number 119227486RR001.

GENERAL HOURS AND ADMISSION

Gardens: Free admission, dawn to dusk Administrative Offices: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Weston Family Library: Call 416-397-1343 or check torontobotanicalgarden.ca for hours of operation.

Garden Shop: Call 416-397-1357 shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Master Gardeners’ Info Line: 416-397-1345, noon to 3 p.m.

(April & July, Monday to Thursday, Saturday; May & June, daily; August through March, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday).

Visit torontomastergardeners.ca and Ask a Master Gardener

Membership: $45 single, $65 family. Call 416-397-1483 or sign up online at torontobotanicalgarden.ca/join

SIGN UP FOR BIWEEKLY GARDEN ENEWS! Receive the latest horticultural news and information on events, workshops, lectures and other horticultural happenings.

Free registration at torontobotanicalgarden.ca

PATRONS

Honorary Patron: Adrienne Clarkson

Brian Bixley, Mark Cullen, Camilla Dalglish, Sondra Gotlieb, Marjorie Harris, Lorraine Johnson, Michele Landsberg, Susan Macaulay, Helen Skinner

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Allan Kling. Co-Chairs: Allan Kling and Rebecca Golding. Tim Bermingham, Mark Bonham, Heather Cullen, Colomba B. Fuller, Patrisha Galiana, Ryan Glenn, Joyce Johnson, Cathy Kozma, Elaine M. Le Feuvre, Shelagh Meagher, Vaughn Miller, Penny Richards, Judy Shirriff, Barbara Yager

STAFF DIRECTORY Executive Director Harry Jongerden director@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1346 BUSINESS AND FINANCE Director of Business and Finance Margaret Chasins business@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1484 Accounting, Nadesu Manikkavasagam accounting@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1352 Database & Technology Administrator Paul Galvez database@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1371 Marketing & Communications Department Marketing & Communications Director Jenny Rhodenizer communication@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Trellis Editor editor@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Development Department Director of Development Claudia Zuccato Ria development@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1372 Development Officer, Sharon Rashid annualgiving@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1483 Special Events Coordinator Christine Lawrance spevents@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1321 Rentals & Events Department Rentals Supervisor, Patricia Chevers rentals@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1324 Rental Sales Coordinator, Katie Pfisterer rentalsales@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1349 Rentals Accounting, Christine Adamus rentalaccounting@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1359

goTo

torontobotanicalgarden.ca to learn about the TBG!

777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, Canada 416-397-1340; fax: 416-397-1354 info@torontobotanicalgarden.ca torontobotanicalgarden.ca • @TBG_Canada

By TTC: From Eglinton subway station take the 51, 54 or 54A bus to Lawrence Avenue East and Leslie Street. The TBG is on the southwest corner.

Find us on... torontobotanicalgarden.ca

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Education Department Director of Education, Liz Hood education@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1355 Children’s Education Supervisor, Diana Wilson childrensed@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1288 Children’s Education Coordinator, Jennifer Casciani tbgkids@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-5209 Adult Education Coordinator, Rebecca Lamb adulted@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1362 Tour Guide Coordinator, Sue Hills tourguides@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145 Weston Family Library librarian@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1375 Horticulture Department Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture Paul Zammit horticulture@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1358 Head Gardener, Sandra Pella gardener@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1316 Seasonal Gardener, Fabio Dos Santos Taxonomic Assistant, Toni Vella taxonomy@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Garden Shop Supervisor, Heidi Hobday shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1357 Head, Volunteer Services Sue Hills volunteers@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145 Maintenance Maintenance Manager, Walter Morassutti Maintenance Officers, Alvin Allen, Renata Farkas, Jonas Kweko-Teye, maintenance@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1344

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