Archive for March, 2010

Bloomin Canada

March 19, 2010 · Filed under garden visits · Tagged

Finally, Toronto has their garden show. I have been reading (and drooling over) about all the other garden shows that have been on for the last couple of months. From Philadelphia, to Seattle to Kingston, I have been dizzy with delight. When, oh when, would it be my turn.

It seems like Canada Blooms is one of the last garden shows before spring really happens.  Started 14 years ago, it has been in two different locations, with another new one this year. And this location is the best! The light coming into the building (at the entrance at least) makes all the difference, both for the plants and for the people.  Everything is on one level this year which makes it a lot easier to get around.

I am not going to waste a lot of time on words, I know, hard to believe, I am such a motormouth, but here, I think the pictures speak for themselves, (mostly)!

Big is always better, lol.

For all those people wondering what to do with a blank wall.

Sea urchins, all the way here  from Les Jardins de Metis.

and I thought we had a lot of orchids at the shop,

This would be lovely to mark an altar at a wedding.

I love this!

I am fantasizing about having this in my garden, so I had to show you  2 pictures.

Cob house, I do not think that it would be hardy in most of Canada over the winter.

OK, I loved this too.

It would be a real focal point in my a garden.

Still love all white.

The students at Humber  College built this, do you think if I invite them up to Owen Sound, they could replicate it?

But how would you water them?

This is the Canadian Cancer Society’s booth, I love big oversized statements, and I really love three of them.

 

 

Pretty, love the colour echo of the white trunks and the white hyacinths.

I know, we have seen it before, but I still love it.

A curly willow hedge will hide the Deliverance house from me!

Not quite sure why you would want a periwinkle mountain, but if you so, here you go.

Serene, nothing like a Japanese garden.

To be continued…

 

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Snowdrops by Post

March 17, 2010 · Filed under bulbs · Tagged

I love Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams, there I have said it. Pushed out of the closet! She has made (some of)  my dreams come true.

What did she do you ask?  This, I reply,

Oh, what can it be?

 

 

Look at them, how glorious  they are.  A couple of weeks ago I asked if anyone knew a place in Canada, (or the States) to purchase snowdrops “in the green“.  I do not want to keep harping on it, but in the green is the best way to transplant snowdrops or galanthus. They just settle in so much better as they do not like drying out, and that is what can happen when you buy them in the fall.

Imagine my surprise, when no one knew of any. All my British garden buddies were sending me commiserating e-mails how they couldn’t believe it, and North Americans (mostly) did not even know what in the green was.

But Jen came through for me, she dug up some snowdrops from her own garden and posted them to me, and Liisa has a plan as well, shhh, it is a secret.

A couple of people have suggested to me that maybe there is a potential business here, and I should ask all of you, who would be interested in purchasing snowdrops in the green.  If there is enough interest, maybe a larger bulb company would either import them from the UK, or grow them themselves.

So far, I have only heard of Hitch Lyman of The Temple Nursery who does it this way, and he does not ship to Canada.  If anyone knows of anyone else, I would love to hear about them. Or if you are interested, let me know, I will keep track of the number of us who are interested.

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I’m So Excited!

March 15, 2010 · Filed under perennials · Tagged

And I just can’t hide it!

I had a wonderful weekend at Kilbourne Grove. Arrived to see snow on the ground, but while doing my walkabout, I noticed something in the distance.

Could it be?

Yes, it is!!!!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this, certainly did not expect this to be the first flower in my garden. I had noticed buds in November on the helleborus, but I wasn’t sure that they would be ok in the spring, a few marks, but looking lovely.

By the end of the day, the snow was all melted.

There are a few more coming up.

These are all free plants, yay, from work. We used them in a clients lobby, and then I took them home afterwards and planted them in the Kitchen Garden. Last June a couple of them even flowered. You can read about that here.

The snowdrops are just coming up.

By the end of the weekend, 90% of the snow was gone. Is it going to stay warm, are we going to have an early spring?

Fingers crossed!

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Courthouse Square

March 11, 2010 · Filed under garden visits · Tagged ,

When I was studying Landscape Architecture at Ryerson University (ok, I only took the one course, how was I to know that Ian would get transferred the next year), my course instructor took the class to see this small park. It is behind the old Adelaide Street courthouse, and the small street behind it is called Court House Lane.   It was designed by Janet Rosenberg, who is a very famous landscape architect in Toronto.

The course I was taking  was called Landscape Building and Materials, and the instructor wanted us to see all the different materials that were used.

These pictures were taken last summer, when Toronto was in the middle of a strike, so excuse the weeds, long grass and garbage. We are not always like that.

I love the polished granite, window.

Love the contrast between the shrub and the yew, the play of light and dark.

But what I love the most about this tiny, tucked away garden is this, look at the gorgeous espalier on the metal structure.

It looks great, summer or winter. Ignore the snow, I took this picture after one of our rare snowfall, back in February.

A close up of the espalier. These would be such a great feature to give your garden some privacy, and takes up very little room.

This was taken in January, just after they pruned the espalier for the year.

 

A closeup of the branch after pruning. You can see the fruiting spurs that have been kept. At least, I assume that is what they are, never having pruned a fruit tree or espalier in my life.

These lovely iron obelisks run the length of the street. In summer they support roses and clematis,

and are very sculptural in winter.

This is the  spot where I found the snowdrops in flower, I told you about in Mondays post. I do not know why more public gardens do not plant these, they are not any trouble.

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But What To My Wondering Eyes Should Appear

March 8, 2010 · Filed under bulbs · Tagged

No, not a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. That is so last year.

Finally, we have got them. After reading about snowdrops for 2 months on peoples blogs, I finally spotted some. No they are not mine, I am sure that Kilbourne Grove still has 2 feet of snow, although it has been a warm week.

 

These were spotted in a park in downtown Toronto. They are just starting to come out, I was at the park two weeks ago and they were still hidden. This is a gorgeous little hidden away spot, that my landscape design teacher took me to see a few years ago. I will be posting on it later in the week.

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