|
|
|
|
|
CityGardening A Monthly Newsletter for Toronto
Gardeners WEATHER BLOWS HOT & COLD
Great for the Grass, Not so for Tender Annuals, Herbs & Vegetables
Gardeners can only hope the
summer that arrives June 21st is not as soggy as the past spring.
The fickle promises of high temperatures at April’s end did nothing to
prepare the horticultural fraternity for May’s menacing downpours.
Even frost threatened the past few days, causing basil to blacken, along
with some tender plants.
Only lawns have been truly happy, rivaling those of Ireland in their
emerald intensity. Better yet, many a patch left by marauding white grubs
rapidly filled in its own accord. The
menaces themselves are presently pupating, having done all the damage they are
likely to for a few weeks. Then,
later this month, they will emerge as adult beetles, mate, and the female lays
eggs to start the entire cycle once again.
It is useless then to attempt any chemical controls at this time.
Delay such until late July or August, when the grubs are small and
vulnerable. Meanwhile, the signs of
something digging in the lawn will disappear as visiting raccoons and skunks no
longer can locate such succulent snacks.
Another pest encouraged by the damp are slugs.
Delphiniums and tomatoes are favourite targets.
So are hostas, as many a fancier of that wonderful perennial can vouch
for. When looking over new
selections at the local garden centre, choose those with waxy, heavily ribbed
foliage, as these tend to discourage that menacing mollusc’s munching. Many of the “blue” forms of hosta fall into this
category. Elsewhere, our old
friends at Safers have the environmentally friendly answer in a bait based on
phosphate of iron. Formulated as
granules, it only kills slugs and snails. It
is harmless to pets, children and other wildlife.
True gardeners are, of course, ever optimistic.
One might add that they have to be, given pour climate here in the true
north, bold and free – and frigid. Still,
all is forgiven as June welcomes the last of the annual and vegetable plantings
and seeding, along with new perennials, shrubs, vines … well, you get the
pictures. This pattern was
established many years ago. So it
was something of a shock when a Vesey’s catalogue plopped through the mail
slot. Yes, Veseys the seed people
from Prince Edward Island famed for their extra hardy seeds. Only this wasn’t a seed catalogue. It was for fall bulbs. A
very interesting selection also at equally attractive prices.
Thus great break from spring gardening is available from P.O. Box 9000,
Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 8K6, or visit them at www.vesets.com.
Less enchanting is the news of an oak disease that has been threatening
coastal species of those trees in California.
Caused by an as yet unidentified species of Phytophtora fungus, it
also has been found on Rhododendrons in the Netherlands and Germany.
This has caused immediate import restrictions of such plant material into
Canada from infected areas, as well as shudders throughout the ornamental plant
and forestry industries. More for
those technically inclined at www.cfia-acia.agr.ca/English/plaveg/protect/dir/d-01-1e.shtml.
Problems elsewhere in the garden can be greatly reduced by removing weeds
before seed or grow aggressive. Sturdy,
well-cultivated plants by and large, discourage pests.
Blandishments by fertilizer companies notwithstanding, a light hand with
their products will make for less lush growth and a corresponding dirth of
pathogens. City Gardening
A monthly newsletter for Toronto Gardeners Published
by Wes Porter, Horticultural Consultant Distributed
free to those enrolled in gardening Courses
and seminars; faxed to dedicated fax lines And
machines or mailed to those supplying self- Addressed,
stamped number ten envelopes More
gardening at “Magazine” address
all correspondence to: 714-255
main St., Toronto, Ontario M4c 4X2 Gardeners Bookshelf Hot hits from Firefly Books Seven sizzling books for this season await gardeners thanks to Canadian publisher Firefly Books. It is heartening to see a Canadian publisher taking gardening not only seriously, but with enough belief to indulge those of the horticultural habit with no less then seven volumes. These are lavishly illustrated in full colour, written to be informative and interesting to amateur and professional alike. They will find a prominent place on any gardener’s bookshelf or, for that matter, on year-around gifts lists. One can only hope that Firefly will find the notoriously fickle Canadian market worthwhile to continue supplying with yet more titles of a similar nature.
Available now, and highly recommended, are:
Clematis for All Seasons: John Feltwell
Geraniums & Perlargoniums: John Feltwell
Hibiscus: Jacqueline Walker
Hydrangeas: Glyn Church
Irises: Pamela McGeorge and Alison Nicoll
Orchids: I. D. James
Rhododendrons and Azaleas: Geoff Bryant
The first two are $19.95 each, and the remainder are $16.95 each. Summer Courses at Seneca
Since these cover topics so often in the minds of gardeners, the barest outlines are listed. The King Summer Institute is located at the King Campus of Seneca College, the magnificent 770-acre former estate of Lady Eaton, 13390 Dufferin St northeast of King City close to Hwy 400. For more information call (905) 833-3333 ext. 5031 or email at kingsummerinstitute.senecac.on.ca.
Gardening Courses § Xeriscaping, June 23rd – $95.00 § Planning Your Herb Garden, July 4th – $50.00 (Plus material – $15.00) § Garden Design, July 5th – $95.00 (Plus materials – $10.00) § Basic Landscapers Design Part Two, July 11th – $95.00 (Plus material – $10.00) § A Day in the Country, July 12th – $110.00 (Plus material – $10.00) § Landscaping with Perennials July 18th – $50.00 (Plus materials – $5.00) § Growing and Propagating Perennials, August 9th – $95.00 (Plus materials – $5.00) § Harvesting, Drying, Storing and Processing Your Herbs, August 15th – $50.00 (Plus materials – $15.00) § Pot Pourri, Sachets & Dream Pillows, August 15th – $45.00 (Plus materials – $15.00) Dinner
Talks at Eaton Hall $65.00 each, starting at 6 p.m. on dates noted: § Xeriscaping, June 14th § Herbs Beyond the Garden, June 19th § The woodland Garden: a pleasure to be in! July 3rd § Hot New Gardening Topics for a New Century, July 11th § For the Love of Lavender, July 17th § Feng Shui, July 24th § Edible Flowers, July 31st § Ornamental Grasses, August 7th A Survival Guide for Your Local Garden Centre “Where can I find the peony ‘Sarah Berhardt’?” Enquired a garden centre patron. Back came the reply from an obvious theatre historian: “Look for the peonies with wooden legs.” Garden centre are usually wonderful places to visit, looking for the new, unusual and different. Happiness and humour abound, culture combines with quite literal down-to-earth knowledge, secure in the assumption that a friendly future awaits our country. Unfortunately, as the disclaimer on the label says, “some exceptions may apply.” One of the most infuriation is attempting to locate the new, much touted plants highly recommended in newspapers or other publications. Why are gardens centres not carrying them? The answers are many varied. All to often, newspapers attempting to cash in on the blooming interest in gardening produce poorly researched articles. In contrast, such magazines as Garden Life and Canadian Gardening include a “resources” section. This is invariably extremely well researched – they even contact wholesale growers to make sure the plants they list are available in quantity. Understandably, perhaps, foreign magazines are less thorough in their Canadian sources, if they list any at all. Certainly they have not the incentive that native productions have. Or, it would seem, even two self-proclaimed national newspapers amongst far too many others. Then again, and quite frankly, the time and trouble of stocking new introductions is rarely worthwhile for anything but specialist outlets. The average garden centre knows all too well the customer who assures them she return for some rare treasure, never to be heard from again. This leaves operators fuming as they are stuck with the stock. Meanwhile no other customers are interested in it and potential profit vanishes, as employees have to maintain it Unfortunately then many, if not most garden centre evince a total lack of interest in “special orders.” In a business where the spring rush creates working days fourteen hours long as the norm, seven days a week and often even longer, there is seldom time – or desire – to track down an hard to find item. Looking for service? Any garden centre worthy of the name has at least one horticulturist on the staff. In smaller centres, this is frequently the owner. Many college horticultural students also find employment in garden centre in late spring and summer, often having excellent if basic knowledge. All these are likely to be very popular people. Even at off-peak times expect to line up to see them. If it is a plant or pathogen to be identified, arrive with a fresh sample including, if possible, the blooms. And don’t stretch the truth. These are experts who have heard it before and have an uncanny knack for determining those deep in the bovine by-product. Don’t expect to be exactly over-popular if your turn up just before closing time on a Sunday evening, demanding a full landscape plan or equally extensive advice. As for those who want the “weird and unusual,” all to often flower children of a past era who have gone to seed, the less said of commercial viewers the better. Likewise the customers, who believe it is the right of their progeny to pull labels from pots, pick flowers and play with the nursery carts. But then these are merely wannabees rather then happy horticulturists, amateur or professional. Guarantees and requests to hold stock for later pick-up or delivery are other sources of contention. Before purchasing, make sure of sale conditions. Some garden centres are shying away from the familiar one-year or even seasonal guarantee as purchasers are, they claim, using it as an excuse to neglect the most basic care and then expect them to replace the plant or plants. Garden centre operators also know that holding stock all too often results in missed sales as the customer fails to show up. On the other side of the coin, not all garden centres even deserve such designation, while their staff would be a disgrace to any retail outlet. By far the garden majority though are happy, helpful places. Owners and staff alike ask only to be treated with a little consideration. Perhaps that is your neighbour’s real secret: she know the local garden centre and they know her to their mutual benefit, along with her garden. Horticultural Happenings Farmers’
Markets in Toronto Titillate the taste buds with fresh Ontario produce: § Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto City Hall – 10am to 2:30pm, Wednesdays June 6th to October 3rd § East York Civic Centre – 10am to 2pm, Mondays June 11th to October 1st § Mel Lastman Square, North York Civic Centre – 10am to 2pm, Thursdays June 14th to October 25th § Etobicoke Civic Centre – 8am to 2pm Sundays June 6th to October 20th Spadina
House Gardens § Music in the Orchard – Sundays June 3rd, 10th & 17th, from 1:30 to 2:30pm; free admission to grounds § June 24th – Strawberry Social, noon to 4pm, $2; besides strawberry treats enjoy tours of Spadina and family activities. 285 Spadina Rd, for more information call (416) 392-6910. Toronto
Field Naturalist Outings & Talks Free guided walks; children welcome but please no pets; all TTC accessible; dress according to weather; bring beverage, camera, notebook and binoculars; for more information on walks call (416) 593-2656.
§
June 5th
– Taylor Creek evening ramble, meet at 6:45pm Stan Wadlow Clubhouse, 373
Cedarvale Ave. §
June 12th
– James Gardens nature walk, meet at 10am at park entrance on Edenbridge Dr;
bring a lunch §
June 13th
– High Park evening rumble, meet at 6:45pm at park entrance, south side of
Bloor West. §
June 21st
– Col. Sam Smith Park evening rumble, meet at 6:45pm foot of Kipling Ave. at
Lakeshore Blvd. West. §
June 27th
– Earl Bales Park nature walk, meet at 10am community centre at north end of
park, east side of Bathurst, south of Sheppard; bring a lunch. High
Park Walking Tours § June 12th – 6:45pm nature arts (bring pad, pencils) § June 26th – 6:45pm faerie lore (great for kids too), meet at Grenadier Café, each walk is about 2 hours. For more information call (416) 392-1748. Guelph
Garden Tours § June 1st – Guelph Gardenscapers ’01-9th self-guided tour of seven private Guelph gardens includes a stop at the McDonald Stewart Art Centre, Adults are $10.00. For more information call (519) 837-0010. Through
the Garden Gate § June 16th & 17th – features tours of some of Toronto finest private gardens, always very well attended. For more information call (416) 397-1340. Richters
Free Seminars § Sunday at 2pm 1 km east of Goodwood on south side of Hwy 47 (Bloomington Rd at Hwy 404). For more information call (905) 649-6677 or visit www.richters.com § June 10th – Fresh Herb Arrangements. § June 17th – World Vegetarian Entrees with Healthful Herbs. Also… June 24th – Herbs and Health Day, 9am to 5pm with six experts, a kid’s corner, herbal product vendors: § Herbal nutrition, healthy eating demystified § Therapeutic benefits of essential oils § Herb garden walk and talk § Kids, herbs and health § Herbs and heavy meals § Native ceremonial herbs, the use and history § Naturopathic medicine Allan
Gardens and Centennial Park Conservatory Floral Displays § Summer Show – June through till August § Allan Gardens opens Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday, Sunday, and Holiday’s 10:00am to 5:00pm. For more information call 392-7288 National
Rose Show §
June 24th
– The Canadian Rose Society at the South Shore Community Centre, 205 Lakeshore
Dr., Barrie 12:30 to 4:30pm. For
more information call (705) 721-0484. The
Magicians’ Garden, Montreal § June 22nd to October 8th – Floral Sculptures, some 10 metres tall, daily, 9am – sunset in the Old Port of Montreal at the foot of McGill St. Stowe
Garden festival § June 29th till July 1st – Stoew, Veromont: Sponsored by the Trapp Family Lodge of The Sound of Music fame with garden tours and seminars. A day pass is just $8.00US. For more information call 1-800 247-8693 or visit www.gostowe.com. And
Finally for the record … §
June 5th
– World Environment Day §
June 6th
– Clear Air Day §
June 8th
– Oceans Day §
June 17th
– Father’s Day §
June 21st
– First Day of Summer News from a Gardener’s View Point City
Gardening
peers at the past month’s news from Canada elsewhere Landscaping À British pop star Robbie Williams plans to improve his garden by building a Buddhist temple in it, reports tabloid The Star. À Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, which includes a world-class arboretum, makes it to the pages of Canada’s registry of places of National Historic Significance, announces Heritage Minister Sheila Copps. Trees À
Researchers establish that, contrary to popular
belief, trees increase the plant’s temperature, rather than reducing it by
carbon dioxide. À
Tofino, B.C.’s cedar gains a petition signed
by 800 people protesting its impending destruction while two tree-preachers
relinquish their position after 35 days on being assured the tree will not face
the axe for at least 45 days. À
A newly planted crab apple tree in a Montreal
park close to the former home of the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau receives
immediate and very liquid attention from the local canine population,
threatening its survival. À
A 50-year-old wannabe lumberjack died when a
tree he was attempting to fell near Coburg, Ontario, fell on him. Lawns À Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) proposes a “Healthy Lawns Strategy” to reduce pesticide use, which the lawn care industry embraces under their own Integrated Pest Management (IPM) process. À A Durham, Ontario, police force officer is suspended from duty after gasoline was poured on his former neighbour’s lawn, a somewhat ineffective method of weed control at the very least. Flowers À “I have just come back and this in my first day of work and I want to report to the member (Deborah Grey) that there are crocuses on Parliament Hill, the snow has melted and Canadians are really very tired of these questions.” – Brian Tobin, Liberal Minister of Industry, House of Commons, April 23rd, 2001. À A jewelled daffodil is among the items that the former butler to the late Princess of Wales is accused of stealing. À Tulip flowers and buds enter fine cuisine at the Fairmont Waterford Hotel, Vancouver for those looking to titillate their taste buds. À An employee of Valleybrook Gardens, Abbotsford, BC, decides it is humorous to mislabel pots of the deadly Autumn Monkshood with a label “all parts of this plant are tasty in soup,” causing a massive recall campaign and the employee’s suspension. À An Orillia, Ontario, man is charged after a 10 year old boy is assaulted for plucking a tulip from the man’s garden. Down
in the Vegetables À As Canada’s guest in Quebec City, U.S. President George W. Bush is fed P.E.I. twice with no ill effects, although they remain banned at such time from his country. À U.S. finally lifts import ban on Prince Edward Island potatoes. Spuds again flow across the Maine border. 72 diseased tubers caused the multi-million dollar loss to Island farmers. À Biotech giant Monsanto decides to withdraw its genetically modified potato ‘Naturemark’ from the market, citing business reasons. À Broccoli haters, amongst whom is numbered President George W. Bush’s father, will be happy that they can now take the cancer fighting substances contained in broccoli and brussel sprouts in pill form, thanks to inventive Australian scientists. À The U.S. International Trade Commission agrees to investigate accusations that dastardly Canadian hothouse tomato growers are dumping their product onto the U.S. market. À The Plant-a-Row and Grow-a-Row campaign to raise vegetables in backyards for the needy kicks off in Toronto. For more information call (416) 203-0050. À According to the Weekend Post, two-thirds of the world’s eggplants are grown in New Jersey. Fruit
& Nuts À B.C.’s Okanogan Valley apple growers to the new provincial government to help them through the worst price collapse in years À The proposed listing of an Australian fruit bat as endangered threatens the US$77-million a year stone fruit production in New South Wales concerned farmers claim. Herbs À A “garlic war” is averted between South Korea and China, as the former agrees to honour a prior import agreement with China when the latter threatens to ban imports of South Korean mobile phones and polyethylene. Indoor
Gardening À The journal Science reports that the blooms of Philodendron selloum, a common indoor plant create “as much heat as would a 3-kilogram cat,” to attract pollinating scarab beetles. À Toronto City Councillor Rob Ford proposed that the city’s politicians and staff care for office plants themselves, instead of using outside contractors, is shot down as a cost-cutter. Bugs
and Gardeners À Busy beavers bug Calgary city officials by damaging trees so the bureaucrats order them to be shot since trapping is ineffective – like bureaucrats, they just keep coming back. À Two fatal attacks by killer bees are recorded in Guyana À A survey by the manufacturer of Off insect repellent and Raid insecticide revels 63% of Canadian say that black flies and mosquitoes are the main deterrent to their gardening activities, followed by nosy neighbours (21%) and weeds (4%). À Martha Stewart’s Manhattan corporate offices are overrun by cockroaches À Dry conditions in Alberta threaten to encourage a major locust infestation. Weeds À Scientists in Alberta’s agricultural department commence a weed survey of more than 1,000 of the province’s fields. Gardening in the City À Singer Sarah McLachland has built a greenhouse in the garden of her Vancouver home; the better to exercise her green thumb reports the National Posy’s Shinan Govani, who adds she has filled it “with magnolias and their such flowers.” À Communities in Bloom, the Canadian version of Europe’s Entente Florale, commenced in 1995. This year it will involve over 300 communities … and acting as advisor to the newly formed U.S. counterpart, “America in Bloom,” reports Netherlands News. Corporations interested in sponsorship, contact Brian Burton at (905) 271-7881. À Toronto’s Humber Arboretum, maintained by students in the colleges School of Horticulture, receives a $100,000 grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. À Baffle local birds with your cell phone announcing incoming calls by bird songs, or at least those of Finnish species, thanks to the Birdlife Finland association at www.birdlife.fi. Compost À The flowers left as a tribute to Trudeau are composted at the Governor General’s Rideau Hall facility, then sent to Montreal to be used a planting a tree dedicated to the former prime minister. À A compost maker is cleared by a Nova Scotia court judge of sludge problems connected with his company, Twin Mountain Composting. Science
and the Gardener À Frode Odegaard of the Norwegian Institute for Nature research in Trondheim proposes that rainforest biodiversity estimates must be reduced by two-thirds as most beetles have much broader taste than previously believed. À NASA sends up an unmanned, solar-powered aircraft to monitor coffee plantations in Hawaii to determine the peak time to harvest beans for best brew. Weather À While central southern Ontario revels in an unexpected spring heat wave Alberta farmers are desperate for rain. À The European Union raises concerns that Canada is likely to join United State’s allies Australia and Japan in rejecting the Kyoto protocol while a concerned New Zealand government considers taxing the flatulence of farm sheep and cows. Travel À Chris Smith, British high honcho for tourism, pays a hasty visit to Toronto to make sure we are aware that his country’s gardens, along with the countryside, seaside, golf courses, zoos and the like are all open, or so he claims. Law
and Gardeners À A West Vancouver millionaire and his son are charged with perpetrating a three year crime spree, robbing neighbours of gardens ornaments, planters, furniture, hoses, blue boxes and even doormats and holding it in their backyard. Business À Monsanto orders about 10% of its GM canola ‘Quest,” to be recalled owing to contamination with another variety. À Potato farmers from 10 nations unite to fight their perceived declining share of the vast profits they claim the fast food industry enjoys by selling their ubiquitous french fries. À Coffee and chocolate raised in the West African nation of Ivory Coast is produced by child slave labour, says UNICEF. Environment À York County sets asides almost $4 million to buy green spaces and woods. À Ontario’s ministry of Natural Resources adds some 250 hectares of southern Ontario park systems including 40 ha to the Terra Cotta Conservation Area in Hamilton. À Canada and the United States tell a United Nations conference on GM labelling held in Ottawa that they disagree with mandatory labelling, while in Montreal an environmental zealot who stickered supermarket stock with his own labels is hauled into court and fines $75 dollars. À Goose excrement in parks is a “fact of life,” rules an Ontario judge, rejecting a Hamilton man’s claim of $675,000 for injuries suffered from slipping on a patch of poo during a baseball game. Health À Crow carcasses will be relied upon instead of caged chickens this year as indicators of the West Nile virus say federal disease control officials. À A pool shows that the British are coming to accept eating GM food. À South Korea donates 200,000 tonnes of fertilizer to North Korea so they can grow more food. À Pigeon excrement in cities is a major threat to child health, as well as to adults with damaged immune systems, according to a study reported in the journal Pediatrics. À Root bark extracts of Combretum caffrum, a Zulu spear and arrow poison proves effective against cancer tumours reports Dr. Gordon Rustin of Mount Vernon Hospital, London, England. À Suzanne Somers reveals she is treating her breast cancer with the unproven iscador, an extract of mistletoe. À Black tea may help reduce cavities, says a study funded by – surprise – the Tea Trade research Association.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Current Issue