Posts tagged helleborus

What a Difference a Year Makes

April 27, 2012 · Filed under bulbs, perennials, shrubs · Tagged , , , , , ,

When I was looking at my photos from last April, I realized there was quite a difference (approx 3 weeks) between where the garden was in April 2011 and April 2112.  So I thought that I would share a few with you.

The Allee

The Allee 2011

The Allee 2012

You can see how much larger the helleborus are this year, finally bulking up, and I found a few seedlings when I was weeding, yay!

Flora Glade

Flora Glade 2011

Flora Glade 2012

Usually I coppice these willows, but they (obviously) started leafing out really early this spring. I think I might leave them alone this year and see how they look in the fall.

Flora Glade 2011

Flora Glade 2012

Hmmm, do not know what to say, but the big difference (to me) is the path. You can see where I filled it in on the left hand side ,and (hopefully) you can see a bit of an opening on the right hand side now. Last fall I moved all the shrubs/perennials that were in the way. I was just waiting for the bulbs to come up, and they will be moved on this visit, and (hopefully) the path gravelled.

Flora Glade 2011

Flora Glade 2012

This is the bed where my mums memorial tree is, last year was the first time the Cornus kousa flowered, hopefully it will again this year.

Lime Walk

Lime Walk 2011

Well other than the muscari are all flowering earlier this year, I think you can see the other change here, lol.

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Holy Helleborus

April 28, 2011 · Filed under perennials · Tagged , , ,

I have a multitude. Not as many as I would like, I am a greedy girl, but 45 helleborus. Fortunately (from a design point of view) I have 3 different varieties. Unfortunately (from a collector point of view) I have only 3 different varieties.

And to make to even worse, I have mixed up the tags, so I am not sure which plant belongs to which name. If any one knows, please let me know, and this mystery can be solved.

From work (I love the free plants that are ’garbage’ when the flowering finishes) I received Helleborus Gold Collection ‘Green Corsican’, HGC  ‘Jacob’, and HGC ’SilverMoon’.

This Helleborus is the very first to flower. The white flowers, that age to green, appear on green stems.

This is the next. Again, white flowers, but they turn blush pink with age, and they appear on red stems.

This (obviously) is the last. It flowers differently, instead of each flower bud arising from the soil, it has stems that are above ground all winter, and they are multiflowered.

Can you tell the difference, I can’t tell the difference?

P.S. They have now been identified as #1- Green Corsican, #2-Jacob and #3- SilverMoon. Thank you everyone for all your help.

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How Does She Do It? The multitalented Marion Jarvie

April 29, 2010 · Filed under garden visits · Tagged , ,

Can you ever visit the same garden too many times? Not when they are as clever a garden designer as Marion Jarvie.  It is always interesting to see a garden at different seasons, you can pick up so many ideas for keeping a succession of bloom. She opens her garden four weekends a year, April, May, July and September. My last visit was to her garden in May 2009, you can read about it here. I had taken a course with Marion titled “Early Spring Bloomers” back in February, I wanted to see some of the plants that she mentioned in her lecture in real life. But spring is so advanced this year, they had all finished (always next year), but there was certainly lots to see.

Even with not a lot of flowers, there is so much colour here, a lesson for me to learn. Get more coloured foliage into the garden, not just green.

It seems like so much space between the plants, hard to believe it will be cheek to cheek later in the year.

Marion has quite a number of hellebores in the garden, some of which she was selling. I arrived early I thought, shortly after 10, and she was almost sold out at that time!

The long view towards the back of the garden. In the summer, you can hardly see this path.

Japanese maples are so colourful, she has a number of them in her garden, love this orange.

The long view on the opposite side of the garden, look at how much colour, but not a lot flowering, a great lesson.

This statue wasn’t there last year on my visit.

But this one was. Art in the garden really adds another dimension to it, any time of year.

This massive pot is in her front garden, she changes it a number of times during the year.

Out shopping and brought home some yummy plants, just drop them in some pots while you are waiting to plant them, an instant display like this euphorbia and phormium,

 

T

same plants, phormium and euphorbia, just another colour scheme.

Marian had hundreds of hellebore in flower but this one caught my eye.

I’m sure you wanted a closer look!

This plant also caught my eye, I know that I have seen it before, but do you think that I can remember the name. I am sure that someone will let me know, at least I hope so!

A well deserved award!

You can get another perspective on Marion’s garden by reading Barry’s post on his visit (and his photographs are a hundred times better then mine, so please visit him).

The next time her garden is open is the weekend of May 29/30 from 10 to 4, rain or shine.  The garden is located at 37 Thornheights Road, Thornhill, which is located near Yonge and the 407.  Be sure and bring some money, Marion and Alex sell some amazing plants, a lot of which are sourced in Quebec and not commonly available in Ontario.

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Spring Forward

April 19, 2010 · Filed under bulbs, perennials, shrubs, trees · Tagged , , , , , ,

It has been an amazing March and the first two weeks  of April. When I check my 2009 garden journal, I am finding the garden is 3 weeks ahead from last year. And in 2008, there was still snow on the ground the first weekend in April.

However, Kilbourne Grove still looks a bit blah. I need so many more bulbs, (and to win the lottery)! Carpets of them!

This is the only bulb that was here when we bought the house. Does anyone know what it is?

But next year I should have some more colour, these are all “free” forced dafs that I planted in the Kitchen Garden to recuperate. I will move them out after they are finished flowering.

These Tete A Tetes were from three years ago, they are now very happy flowering in the Flora Glade.

A few perennials are coming up, but nothing is as beautiful as this Polemonium “Touch of Class”, the leaves are purple and turquoise.

But it is the Serviceberry Allee that is the most showy this time of year. The helleborus have been joined by hyacinths.

And it looks like the Serviceberry will be in flower soon.

Helleborus “Green Corsican”(at least, I hope it is, the problem with free plants is sometimes the names get mixed up a bit), has been flowering since March  13th (at least that was the first date I saw it, it could have been flowering longer),

while Helleborus “Jacob” started two weeks ago.

What great plants these are, flowering for 6-8 weeks, maybe even longer. I do not think there are any other perennials that have that longevity. I am definitely going to get more for my garden. Hellebore mania, here I come!

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Toronto Botanical Gardens-Spring

April 5, 2010 · Filed under bulbs, garden visits, perennials, shrubs, trees · Tagged , , ,

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where all the flowers is!

I was hoping I would find out.  A garden lecture that I was attending with Helen from Toronto Gardens, was being held at the Toronto Botanical Gardens and I thought I would visit a little early and see what was happening in the garden. Luckily with daylight savings time, it is light in the evening, the last lecture that I heard there, Heathcliff of the Hedgerow, was in winter, and it was too dark to take pictures.

The first plant I found as I walked towards the front door was Hamamelis x intermedia  ‘Primavera’. She is much paler than Arnie, and I couldn’t get close enough to have a whiff(darn), there was a wide flower bed under her.

In the small floral courtyard was a large collection of Helleborus “Blue Lady“.

At least that is what they were labelled, although quite a variety of shades.

Isn’t she lovely,

And she is very fertile, I could not believe how many babys were scattered around.

In the large courtyard, heaths were flowering. I have never grown these, although I was smitten by a gorgeous display of them at Holland Park, in London.

 Galanthus was rising out of the heath, not nearly enough for my liking. 

Actually, I thought there should be a lot more small bulbs on display at the TBG. It could really extend the season for them, maybe they could even have “snowdrop parties” like in the UK. I wonder if there is a suggestion box inside.

But they did have eranthis. I am hoping that mine will be in flower when I visit Kilbourne Grove next time.

I love these sunny little flowers, again, big drifts are needed.

These crocus, (don’t know the variety) were a good match with Euphorbia myrsinites.

Another patch of helleborus, this is Helleborus niger “Maximus”.

But, look at the magnolia above them. This is a sunny, warm, protected corner, and she is certainly taking advantage of that.

More helleborus, this time Helleborus foetidus.

I grew this in Kingston, but it never did this well, it keeps its flower bud above ground all winter. I wonder if the massive snow cover at Kilbourne Grove would make it happy.

Because, it is gorgeous.

They only had one urn, potted up so far, right at the entrance.

Can you see the lettuce in it? Toronto Botanical Gardens theme this year is “Edible Summer” and they are starting here.

But an urn does not have to be planted to be beautiful.

At least, that is what I think.

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