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March 2002
SPRING ARRIVES WITH ‘CANADA BLOOMS’ The gardener’s show of shows awaits but prepare the garden for this season Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney
Phil saw his groundhog shadow on 2nd February and so believes folks
thereabouts are doomed to six more weeks of winter. Canadian groundhogs are a
more optimistic bunch. From Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam to Ontario’s
Wiarton Willie and on out west to Nanaimo Ned on Vancouver Island, none could
see their shadow. Spring, they say, is but a short time away. And so right they
are. Canada Blooms Flower Show
arrives mid-month to dispel winter blues and confirm our furry friends are right
on the nose. Look for our complete review below. Meanwhile, there is work to be
done. Choosing a sunny day, trim back all the summer grasses to stubs an inch or
two high. However, don’t be in a rush to pull back the mulches that are
protecting the rest of the perennials. March is the month when the frost comes
out of the ground but it is seldom in a hurry to do so. Likely there will be
several false starts before it quits. This will cause the ground to rise and
subside again in the phenomenon known as frost heaving. Perennials unprotected
by the mulch are likely to be pulled up and have their crowns exposed with fatal
results. In Toronto, leaving to the third week even in the event of several days
deceptively mild weather is wise. Wait even a week or so longer over most of the
rest of southern Ontario. Even earlier though, weeds are
likely thanks to this season’s unusual weather. St..Catharines, Ontario,
boasted of dandelions in January, as reported in last month’s City
Gardening. George Bryant reports in the March issue The Toronto
Field Naturalists Newsletter finding pennycress Thlapsi arvense,
flixweed Decurainia sophia, creeping yellowcress Rorippa sylvestris,
and common groundsel Senecio vulgaris all in bloom on 26 January in
Toronto just to the east of Humber Bay near the Waterfront Trail. Not to be
outdone, TFN Newsletter editor Helen Juhola reported about the
same time ice pansies and primulas at Riverdale Farm; periwinkle; Vinca in
nearby Cabbagetown; over at Court
House Park, snowdrops, Nivalis; while
on streets in downtown Toronto chickweed and groundsel were blooming; and up in
a garden in Bayview Village, Christmas Rose Helleborus. The same TFN
Newsletter’s front cover shows drawings of the Hairy Galinsoga, with
most informative articles within. See Horticultural Happenings below for
the TFN’s March meeting, attend and pick up your copy. It will enable you to
put off for at least another day using the hoe. Not City Gardening
though: as this is being written in Toronto, chives and daylilies are gingerly
poking forth green shoots outside the office window. This is a hint at least to check
on the garden sprayer in preparation for administering a dormant spray.. The
ubiquitous hose-end version is too common to need any description but does have
a couple of drawbacks. First, it obviously requires the hose be hauled out from
hibernation and outside faucet turned on then, when finished, everything drained
again to avoid damage from freezing. Secondly, when in operation, hose-end
sprayers may be satisfactory for the rest of the garden, but reaching high into
trees and even large shrubs is not one of their attributes. And that is exactly
where a mixture of dormant oil and lime sulphur requires to be administered.
This has long been recommended as a safe, effective means of controlling many
overwintering pests and diseases before they can commence their annual
onslaught. As we wrote last month, a “trombone sprayer” is the implement to
deliver this spray up into branches. Don’t delay though. A few consecutive
days of above freezing weather indicates the time is on hand, This spray must be
applied before the buds start opening up. A good time when rain prevents
any outdoor activity is to sit in the garage or garden shed cleaning sharpening
tools. Old toothbrushes are useful when it comes to removing debris from
crevices. Sand down any rough spots or splinters on wood handles the treat the
wood to a coat of linseed oil which should be rubbed in. Next, sharpen the
blades of hoes, spades and turf edgers with a flat file. A wipe over with an
oily rag will complete the job. Older gardeners probably hang their tools from
nails, saving money otherwise spent on ready-made racks and other fancy gizmos
for what gardening is all about: plants. Hence the saying that old gardeners
never die, they just spade away – unless, of course, they throw in the trowel,
racked or otherwise.
Days of Note National
Procrastination Week First Week
March Procrastinators’ Club, 111
Broad-Locust Building, Philadelphia, PA 19102. We would like to tell you more,
but have received no further information . . . Ides
of March,
15 March Julius Caesar assassinated 44
B.C. at about 11 a.m. St.
Patrick’s Day,
17 March Although
we do appreciate the tale on the Irish Canadian botanist who crossed a shamrock
with poison ivy and got a rash of good luck, it is a tip of the gardening hat to
that way with words all inhabitants of the Emerald Isle seem born with. Madge
Mandy, wife of a geologist who accompanied her husband over much of B.C. and the
Yukon in the first half of the 20th-century, encountered one such,
Billy Burke, on the Queen Charlotte Islands. “May
you always have the luck of the Irish and your trail be bordered with
flowers,” she records him wishing her. First
Day of Spring,
20 March It was E.B. White who once
observed: “The first day of spring was once a time for taking young virgins
into the fields, there in dalliance to set an example of fertility for Nature to
follow. Now we just set the clock an hour ahead and change the oil in the
crankcase.” Us? We’ll be recovering from Canada Blooms and St.
Patrick’s Day. Palm
Sunday,
24 March Good
Friday,
29 March Easter
Sunday,
31 March Birthdays 6 March 1716 Pehr Kalm, from
Sweden, early botanist in Canada (died 16 November 1779 in Finland) 7 March 1849 Luther Burbank,
American plant hybridizer (died 4 April 1924) 15 March 1858 Liberty Hyde
Bailey, American botanist, horticulturalist (died 25 December 1954) 23 March 1699 John Bartram,
American botanist (died 22 September 1777) 28 March 1852 James Fletcher,
English botanist and entomologist in Canada (died 1908 in Montreal) New Heuchera and Tiarella for
Your Garden Long known to discerning
gardeners, the North American cousins Heuchera and Tierella are Commercial plant breeders have
not been slow either to assist in popularizing these perennials. More and more
new offerings arrive on the scene each spring, as demonstrated by our listings
below. Everybody appears to be getting in on the act from the British Blooms of
Bressingham (www.bobna.com)
through Proven Winners (www.provenwinners.com),
to Terra Nova Nurseries (www.terranovanurseries.com
) and Darwin Plants (www.darwinplants.com).
Their offerings are apparently vegetatively propagated and, even with
modern in vitro techniques,
tend to be higher priced than many older offerings. Indeed, the Heuchrea with
purple or bronze foliage never seem to lose their fascination for even
experience d gardeners. Planted in a bed receiving morning sun, backed with
Siberian Iris and bordered by ‘Silver Mound’ Artemisia, is guaranteed
to stop the most jaded passerby. Those
will busy lives seeking instant gratification will delight in specimen plants of
such, as well as other Those of more limited means who,
however, seek that occasional bottle of champagne, it may come as surprise to
learn that many of these delightful plants are available as seed. Gardens
North (www.gardensnorth.com)
in particular, offer a superb selection, including H. micrantha ‘Palace
Purple’ and H. americana ‘Dale’s Strain’, the latter exhibiting
pink-, bronze- and pewter-shades in the foliage. Seed from the same source is
also available for the lovely woodland native Tiarella cordifolia or
Foamflower, as well as T. wherryi. Price is dependent on choice, but some
run to as many as 50 seeds for just $3. New Heuchera Plants:
Heuchera
'Green Spice' 'Green Spice' has rich and
brilliant lime-green foliage with deep maroon veins; its colour intensifies with
cool temperatures. Proven Winners' 'Green Spice' has a fine textured form
compared to other Heucheras and it flowers well into the spring.
From the Fall Magic Collection of Proven Winners Heuchera
'Purple Petticoats' 'Purple Petticoats' has
iridescent silvery-purple leaves with softer, dusty-purple backs; its leaf
colour intensifies as the temperature drops in fall. The frilly texture of the
leaves makes it especially showy in combinations in perennial borders.
From the Fall Magic Collection of Proven Winners Heuchera
'Raspberry Ice' A sibling of 'Silver Lode',
'Raspberry Ice' features numerous stems of pink and darker pink two-toned
blooms. The foliage is an eye-catcher, with its intriguing mesh of dark veins
over a background of raspberry and frosty silver with burgundy undersides,
making an attractive mound shape. 'Raspberry Ice' flowers from late spring into
August, with a mounding habit that grows 12-in. high and 24-in wide. Zone 5. -
Blooms of Bressingham Heuchera
'Sashay' Terra Nova Nurseries' 'Purple
Petticoat' had a small accident. She forgot where she put the purple gene for
the top of her leaves and has given us this wonderful sport with contrasting bi-coloured
leaves, which are dark green on the top and lusty burgundy on the bottom.
'Sashay' is as ruffled as her sister, with the purple peeking out from the edges
as you sashay by her. This variety grows 16-in wide and 8-in. high, and is hardy
to Zone 5. - Terra Nova Nurseries Heuchera
'Silver Lode' 'Silver Lode' is a striking new
large form, very different from anything on the market. The leaves are almost
complete matte silver on the upper side, with the main veins outlined in dark
bronze green. The undersides of the leaves are red purple. The long wand-like
blooms are superb for cutting and continue to flower from June to mid-July.
Growth is vigorous and mature symmetrical plants produce a mound, which fills
out an area 20-in. by 20-in. in the second year. 'Silver Lode' has a mounding
habit that grows 12-in. high and 30-in. wide. Hardy to Zone 5.
- Blooms of Bressingham Heuchera
'Swirling Fantasy' Representing a colour
breakthrough in Heucheras, 'Swirling Fantasy' is the first to combine red
flowers with purple-red foliage. The pewter-red leaves are attractively marbled
with dark-purple veins, so this groundbreaker loses none of its charm even when
not in bloom. This is a stunning combination of colourful blooms and foliage,
which is guaranteed to enthrall both plant experts and novices alike. Zone 5. -
Darwin Plants New Tiarella Plants:
Tiarella
'Black Velvet' A common complaint about species
Tiarella is its lack of hybrid vigour. This where 'Back Magic' comes in. Terra
Nova reports that while most of their trial plants were shifted to four-inch
pots, 'Black Magic' was in one-gallon containers, ready to move into twos. The
foliage is cut, profuse, black-centred and velveteen in appearance. Flowers re
white, kissed by pink. The plants fill out very well, growing 15-in. wide and
14-in. high. Zone 5. Terra Nova Nurseries Tiarella
'Pink Brushes' In May, clusters of small
delicate pink flowers rise 12 to 14-in., gradually to white above basal clumps
of deeply lobed leaves. The foliage colour deepens through the season, saving
the best for last. After frost, the entire plant becomes a gorgeous medley of
autumn colours, bronze and dark greens edged in bright red. Beautiful flowers
combined with an extended flowering season and long-lasting keeping quality make
'Pink Brushes' and excellent companion for Tiarella 'Pink Pearls.' Exhibits a
mounding habit that grows 8-in. high and 14-in. wide. Zone 4. Blooms of
Bressingham Tiarella
'Pink Pearls' Hybrids generally have an
extended bloom period and 'Pink Pearls' has bloomed from mid-spring and well
into summer. Mature clump maintains about 20 to 30 flower stalks through most of
the season with sprays of pink buds opening to very light pink, starry flowers.
This selection has a dense growth habit and forms a mound of medium green,
maple-shaped foliage. Exhibits a mounding habit that grows 8-in. high and 14-in.
wide. Zone 4. - Blooms of Bressingham Tiarella
'Sea Foam' A sister to 'Pink Skyrocket,'
'Sea Foam' captivates all who view it. The beautifully cut and marked leaves are
secondary to the massive display of creamy white flowers, which virtually hide
the foliage for weeks. Terra Nova offers no other Tiarella that is so
floriferous. Offering a nice bronze colour in fall, 'Sea Foam' grows 14-in. wide
and 6-in. high. Zone 3.- Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Heuchera and Tiarella from Seed: Available from Gardens North www.gardensnorth.com Descriptions are from the current catalogue Heuchera
americana ‘Dale’s
Strain’ 60-90 cm, summer flowering with
foliage interest. This is a wonderful Heuchera grown for its foliage,
Plants exhibit wonderful variation on top of the medium green foliage, many with
silver bronze and pewter colouring, some with the addition of pink and purple
tones. Long spikes of cream flowers. Stunning massed. Easy from seed. Heuchera.
micrantha ‘Palace
Purple’ 45 cm mid-summer flowering with
foliage interest. Bronze-red maple-like leaves. A superb foliage plant selected
by the RBG, Kew, with white flower sprays late in the season. Seedlings emerge
“green” and turn purple as growth progresses. 100% of our seedlings have
produced purple plants over the years; rogue out the deepest colours. Easy from
seed. Heuchera
villosa 45-60 cm. Late summer to early
fall flowering. A favourite and native of northeastern North America. The
foliage seems, at first blush, uncharacteristic of a Heuchera; bearing
fresh, light green triangular shaped leaves in an upright, very open habit. The
foliage mass is quite substantial and makes a statement in the garden.
Beautiful, airy sprays of white flowers appear late in the season. Particularly
wonderful in sun, massed as a foliage plant. High recommended.
Easy from seed. Heuchera
villosa v.
macrorrhiza 45 cm Late summer to early fall
flowering. It generally looks and behaves like the species (see above). However,
this variety has intense light green foliage and leaves that are very hairy,
possessing almost the same quality as a lamb’s ear. Easy from seed. Tiarella
cordifolia
Foamflower 30 cm flower mid-to late-spring.
Native of E. North America. Green foliage and racemes of delicate white flowers.
For shaded site in good moist soil. A wonderful groundcover. Germinates readily
and quickly when fresh. Dry storage fatal in as little as six months. Tiarella
wherryi 30 cm flowers spring through
summer. Native to USA with emerald green foliage, turning red in the fall.
Showy flowers in a raceme, white blushed pink and fragrant. Excellent
groundcover for shade, flowering for most of the gardening season. We often have
plants still flowering in late fall. Germinates readily when fresh. Dry storage
fatal in as little as six months. A Pruning Primer Pruning was an ancient practice,
certainly known as far back as Classical Greece: “It's out of the question to
prune the vines today or dig around them while the ground is damp,” asserts
the old soldier in Aristophanes’ Peace. Sound advice even today.
Pruning many plants is best done when the weather is cold rather than wet and
there is less chance of spreading disease. Playwrights seem to have been well
aware of this, and not only Aristophanes but the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon as
well: “I a vine, whose weakness, married to thy stronger state, makes me with
thy strength to communicate: if aught possess thee from me, it is dross,
usurping ivy, brier, or idle moss; Who, all for want of pruning, with intrusion,
infect thy sap and live on thy confusion.” [The Comedy of Errors Act
III sc I]. Nowadays it is regarded as a
happy blend of art and science. But it is neither the black art nor obtuse
science that novice gardeners might regard it. In fact, the reasons for pruning
are simple: §
To control the shape and size §
To control diseases and pests §
To create more or better foliage, flowers, fruit or wood.
Good tools are essential for this
work. Certainly a well-made hand pruners, preferable with by-pass cutting
blades, which cut with a clean scissor action rather than the anvil type which
tend to crush. A pruning saw also will be required. If the garden contains much
shrubbery and small trees, long-handled pruners and pole or, as they are
sometimes called, extension pruners will also be required. Pruning paint has
long been proven to have no use whatsoever, other than to enrich manufacturer
and retailer. What to remove? Any time dead,
dying or diseased branches are observed, remove immediately, leaving no “coat
hangers,” or short stubs of dead wood. Few things are a more certain
indication of someone with something of less than a knowledge or pruning has
been let loose. Likewise anytime suckers are seen at the base of trees and
shrubs, they too may be cut away. The term ‘sucker’ is used here in the
pruning sense; to garden center staff it has different connotations. At the
correct time, of which more shortly, remove any branches crossing each other or
growing too thickly. Cut away any branches growing downwards when they should
not be, which excludes all “weeping” shrubs and trees. The newcomer to pruning tends to
be overly shy when it comes vigorous action with the pruners and saw. The golden
rule of pruning might be stated as “the more cut off, the more growth is
created.” Go too with a will then, especially as many, if not most a gardens
suffer from a lack of pruning attention. When can you prune? This month of
March, look to grape vines (cf. Aristophanes, Shakespeare), fruit trees and
bushes, summer flowering shrubs such as Potentilla, and many trees.
Notable exceptions here are maples, birches, poplars and willows, all of which
are “bleeders.” In other words, they have such a powerful flow of sap in
spring that, cut back, the resulting wounds will bleed excessive sap and so
weaken the patient. These trees are best left until later in the season. Anything
that cannot be reached from the ground should be considered off limits and left
to professional arborists. Remember the old saw about the tree surgeon who fell
out of his patient. The fall is apt to be a long one and demonstrative of the
advantages of carrying life insurance. Besides, City Gardening
would like to keep you as a reader. Spring-flowering
shrubs are best left until after they have bloomed, then taken care of in
late spring or early summer. They, and evergreen shrubs will be the tackled over
the next few weeks in City Gardening. Those impatient or wanting
to know more, an excellent source of information is David Joyce’s Pruning
and Training Plants: A Complete Guide (Firefly, 2001; 225 pages, full
colour, ISBN 1552975347, $25.95). There may possibly still be spaces at The
Art and Practice of Pruning at the University of Guelph Arboretum,
$25 for a half-day on %, 6 or 7 Marsh; check with 519-824-4120, ext.4110 The
Garden Web The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website is at www.gov.on.ca/omafra. However, professionals in the horticultural industry logs onto an extension which allows them access to a wealth of information on plant production, fertility and, especially, pest management. Since many retail outlets do not offer similar services. You might want to follow the professionals to www.gov.on.ca./OMAFRA/english/crops/hort/nursery.html Stuck for a quick answer to such
problems as how long you can expect the ladybugs you just purchased to live? Answerline
is a service offered by the Toronto Public Library at www.tpl.toronto.on.ca
(or
416-393-7131). Some 25 staff members with expertise in a staggering range of
subjects have access ot more than 1,600 volumes of quick reference material,
dictionaries and the like, plus the Toronto Reference Library’s 1.3
million books and 500,000 periodicals.. While they cannot handle requests
for in-depth answers, if it’s a quick fix, however quirky, this is the site
for you . . . and you don’t have to be a resident. Fifty percent of e-mails
received last year were from outside the city. One catch is that this is not a
24-hour service but is available on Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.,
Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 – 5 p.m. The appalling danger posed by Sudden
Oak Death (SOD) to trees other than the California oaks, In a useful article on Plants
Poisonous to Dogs, the magazine Horticulture suggests three
useful web sites for further information on the subject, including lists of such
plants. Given the frequent requests for such, these should prove invaluable.
They are: http://cal.nbc.upenn.edu/poison
An Invitation to Walk in the
Park: Preview to Canada Blooms 2002 More than 115,000 visitors are
expected to visit this year’s Canada Blooms in the five days of this
glorious gardening extravaganza, 13-17 March. There is nothing else like it in
Canada and, indeed, less than a handful in the entire continent that can match
this show. Been there; seen it? Don’t you believe it. This March, expect
everything to have changed at Canada Blooms. “This year there are lots of
changes,” according to Executive Director Ted Johnston. “Our artistic
designer, Colomba Fuller, has created a new design reflecting this year’s
theme: ‘A Walk in the Park.’ Our indoor park includes more
than 30 gardens, 170 market [place vendors, hours of demonstrations, seminars,
lectures and workshops and endless inspiration. The Garden Club of Toronto has
incorporated a large amusement park complete with a carousel.” A newcomer this year is Canadian
Tire, whose garden centers are becoming increasing familiar across the nation.
And they have just the thing for children who, under age 12, are admitted free
to Canada Blooms. Look for the Canadian Tire Children’s Workshop, were
kids are invited to try their hands at sorting seeds, learning about plants and
making botanical crafts. The very thing for those budding green thumbers! Meanwhile, you’ve got specific
questions that need answers? Visit the experts from the Royal Botanical Gardens
and their Master Gardeners on level 800 Check with the show guide for timetables
of the talks and demonstrations, as well as a floor plan of the show and a
Gardener’s Source Guide. But take it easy – there’s 350,000 square feet to
cover. This includes the Crystal Springs
Market Place where the vendors gather in all their glory. Look for an Australian
Squash Hat made from amazing fresh water hyacinths, handmade clay pots, Japanese
Wonder Flowers and certified organic heirloom tomato seeds that produce purple
and white tomatoes as well as the familiar red ones. Vendors came not only from
south o’ the border but also from the Antipodes, Australia and New Zealand.
Then there are all those familiar names from across Canada: Sheridan, Weall
& Cullen, Loblaws, Garden Import, Richters and many, many more. And whether you are a new visitor
logging on to City Gardening or one of our established friends,
you’ll want to visit the display by your website hosts, Rittenhouse to see
what Mark and his merry men and maidens have in store for you. Flip over to the
catalogue by all means but, when at the show, drop by and say “Hi.” Canada
Blooms is
sponsored by Loblaws, Canadian Gardening Magazine, EZ Rock 97.3FM, National
Post, HGTV and Global Television. It is organized by a happy combination of the
professional Landscape Ontario and the amateur Garden Club of Toronto. What a
pair! Proceeds from the Canada
Blooms go to “support educational and civic projects that promote
horticulture and nurture and enhance our landscapes,” as they say. Over a
dozen and a half projects have received funding in past seasons from the
Communities in Bloom Beautification across Canada, to the Humber Arboretum in
Toronto, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden in Ottawa, the Ontario Heritage
Foundation’s Garden Conservancy Fund and the Gardens at Langdon Bay in
Brockville, to name but a few. Canada Blooms
at a Glance Venue:
Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building, next to the CN
Tower 13 through 17 March Show
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 9
p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Individual
Ticket Prices: Adult $15 Seniors (65 and over)
$12 Students $12 Children under 12
free Groups, 20 or more $12 2-Day Pass $20 Early Morning (8:15)
sold in advance only
$30 Opening Night Gala $125 Further
Information: Tel: 416-447-8655 or toll free
1-800-730-1020 Fax. 416-447-1567 Horticultural Happenings Toronto Field Naturalist Outings Free guided walks; children
welcome but please no pets; all are TTC accessible; dress according to weather,
bring beverage, camera, notebook and binoculars. 2 March: Urban Natural History
meet 1:30 p.m. northwest corner Bathurst and Davenport 9 March: Mimico Creek Nature
Walk meet 10:30 a.m. south side Lake Shore Blvd opposite Park Lawn Rd; bring
lunch 17 March: Yellow Creek Urban
Ecology meet 2 p.m. southwest corner Bathurst and Glengrove; joint meeting
with the North Toronto Green Community. 19 March: Ashbridges Bay
Nature Walk meet 10 a.m. south side Lake Shore Blvd at foot of Coxwell;
morning only 23 March East Point Nature
Walk meet 10 a.m. foot of Morningside and east end of Guildwood Parkway;
this is an all-day walk, so bring lunch and water. 3 March: TFN Meeting:
commences 2 p.m. in the Northrop Frye Hall, Victoria University, 73 Queen’s
Park Crescent East, Toronto; talk commences 2:30 p.m. ‘The Rouge Valley
System’ High Park Sunday Walks 10 March: Colborne Lodge 24 March: Lost Waterways of the
park and vicinity Meet 1:15 p.m. south of Grenadier
Café in the park; $2 donation; more 416-392-1748 Nashville Lawn & Garden Show 28 February – 3 March,
Nashville, Tennessee, for those that just can’t wait; more: 615-352-3863 Seedy Saturday 2 March: one of a series of
cross-Canada seed exchange events sponsored by Seeds of Diversity Canada; in
Toronto at the Scadding Court Community Center 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. further details
www.seeds.ca Philadelphia Flower Show 3 – 10 March at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center with 10 acres devoted to this year’s theme
“Gardens of the Senses.” More at 215-988-8899 or 800-611-5960 or visit www.theflowershow.com The Stratford Garden Festival 7 through 10 March at The
Stratford Coliseum celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stratford
Shakespearean Festival. Very thorough program, with some Shakespearean theme
gardens; more information 519-271-7500 Rouge Valley Nature Photography 10 March. Rouge Valley
Conservation center guided theme walk 1 to 3 p.m., commencing and ending at
Pearse House on east side of Meadowvale Rd. north of Sheppard; more 416-282-8265 Canada Blooms 2002 13 - 17 March. 'A Walk in the
Park' is the theme year; one of the four or five greatest gardening shows in
North America, this is the event on the gardener's calendar; at the South
Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre; more 416-447-8655 or
1-800-730-1020 or www.candablooms.com
[see
column above] The International Home and Garden Show & Success with
Gardening Show 14 to 17 March at International
Centre, Airport Rd, Mississauga; features over six acres of home and garden
products and services; 416-512-1305 or visit their website at www.home-show.net Historic Charleston 14 March – 13 April: the 55th
Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens, Charleston, South Carolina; more from
843-723-1623 or at www.charleston.org International Cherry Blossom Festival 15 –25 March, Macon, Georgia
with over a quarter-million trees of Yonshino cherry blossom. An awe-inspiring
up to 10,000 cherry trees are donated to citizens each year. Apart from the
spectacular sight of these, there are also sporting events, fireworks, hot air
balloon rides, street parties, tours, crafts, dances and much more. Find out
more by visiting www.cherryblossom.com
Buzzard Sunday 17 March, Hinkley, Ohio,
celebrates the annual return of the Turkey Vultures that nest on cliffs there.
They call them “Buzzards,” we call them “Turkey Vultures.” Don’t be a
smart Canuck; just enjoy the event and catch some early spring Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano 19 March Old Spanish Mission, San
Juan Capistrano, California, if you are still restless and cannot pack away the
birding binoculars. But this tends to be a zoo, with 20,000 or more people
turning out to see the swallows return as they have done on this day, the Feast
of St. Joseph, every year since the mission was built in 1778 Pond & Woodland Gardening Workshop 21 March, University of Guelph
Arboretum; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. cost: $32, registration required prior to 7 March;
more from 519-824-4120 ext. 4110 15th Canadian Orchid Congress Show 22 – 24 March: “Orchids:
Romance and Mystery’ st Saskatoon Prairieland Park; more: www.saskco.com/sos Gardens of Eastern Cuba 22 –29 March Based on Santiago
de Cuba with day tours to coffee and banana plantations, orange groves, a cactus
garden, orchid laboratory and more; information from Kate Daley 416-921-4012 or www.realcubaonline.com Toronto Entomologists Association 23 March in Room N306 of the Ross
Building, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto; more 416-222-5736 The Canadian Rose Society Annual Meeting 24 March, commencing 2 p.m. at
the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Ave E. at Leslie, Toronto; free admission;
talk by Joel Schraven of Pickering Nurseies: “Getting the Dirt on Roses.”
More: www.mirror,org./groups/crs Toronto Wildflower Society 27 March Beaches Recreation
Centre, Williamson Rd. commencing 7:30 p.m.: Naturalizing Your Garden; more
416-222-5736 or emailcking@yorku.ca The Ontario Garden Show 31 March through 2 April at the
Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton. Smithsonian Study Tours 16 - 24 and also 23 – 31 March:
The Greatest Adventure in Natural History: aboard the 27-passenger La Turmaline,
explore the secluded headwaters of the Amazon For more information,
1-877-338-8687 or visit www.smithsonianstudytours.org Horticulture Magazine Garden Program March: Spring in Southern
Portugal and the Garden Island of Madeira; The Gardens of Historic Charleston Details and free brochure from 1-800-395-1901 or write Horticulture,
98 North Washington St., Boston, MA 02114 Catalogues Received Gardenimport Inc. P.O. Box 760, Thornhill, Ontario
L3T 4A5 Tel. 905-731-1950 Fax.
905-881-3499 e-mail:
flower@gardenimport.com Dugald
Cameron’s company seems to go from strength to strength. Where the late and
lamented Canadian institution of Cruickshank’s faltered and fell under
Heather Reisman’s Indigo empire, Gardenimport grows by leaps and
bounds. Two decades after the start, Dugald offers no les than 80 new
introductions for the 2002 gardening season. Along with bulbs, expect to find
shrubs, vines and perennials along with Sutton Seeds from England. “This
Spring our emphasis is on the 3 F’s, Flowers, Fragrance, and Foliage,”
Dugald says adding, byway of example that “Sambcus Black Beauty is a
happy combination of all three with its near-black foliage and lemon-scented
rich pink flowers.” The black berries which follow the fragrant bloom are
‘very popular’ with birds, the catalogue mentions. To which we add: Also
certain garden communicators. Definitely
not edible but a delight to see now so easily available is the Hart’s Tongue
Fern, Asplenium scolopendrium. These used to flourish in the old mortar
of north-facing flint stone walls at the foot of England’s South Downs, recall
but to the casual observer is rather non-fernlike. Two
pages of new hostas will please devout collectors. Where do the developers find
their names though? ‘Blue Angel’ we’ll go along with; likewise ‘Fire
& Ice,’ ‘June,’ ‘Little Sunspot,’ ‘Blue Ice’ and even
‘Wolverine.’ But what to make of ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd” or ‘Night
Before Christmas?’ There is even (gulp!) something called ‘Pineapple Upside
Down Cake.’ As for a hosta called ‘Striptease’ we’ll pass on that one,
this newsletter supposedly being family reading. As
usual, there is an excellent selection of Clematis, for some reason inclined to
be overlooked by most garden centers except for the commonest summer bloomers.
Look also for Clethra barbinervis, Japanese Sumersweet shrub from Japan
and Korea, ‘Midwinter Fire’ Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) and another
outstanding collection of Arisaema, the exotic relatives of our native
Jack-in-the-Pulpit an the British Cuckoopint. If
you must have a ‘hard’ copy Gardenimport catalogues for the next two
years, send in $5 for which, with the first issue, you will receive a credit
coupon in the same amount to sue with the first order placed. Loewen’s
Garden Plants PO
Box 1150, Ridgetown, Ontario N0P
2C0 Tel:
519-674-3635 Fax:
519-674-5784 [no
e-mail or website] This
small, free catalogue of a dozen pages replaces that old favorite from Stirling
Perennials down in the same part of the world in southwestern Ontario. Jim
Stirling unfortunately had to drop out of business but from Ridegtown College
Steven Loewen has taken on a growing business. And that is exactly the way his
catalogue is progressing, with a growing selection of highly desirable
perennials for sale by mail only. Given
the prices being asked by many garden centres and nurseries, to say nothing of
corner stores horning in on the act, Steven Loewen’s prices are highly
competitive. And these are plants that have seen at least one year’s growth in
the field, not the hastily potted miserable specimens displayed at premium
prices in urban areas. Over much of Ontario and Quebec, shipping is a flat $8.30
for any sized order. It would cost more in time, gas and bother to shop
locally for the same. The
Hosta selection is particularly impressive, originating from Bloomfield Gardens,
a specialist grower. These include ‘Fragrant Bouquet’ which is exactly what
the name claims. It is always surprising that the scented forms of Hostas are
not more in demand. Has everybody fallen for the rose hybridizers absurd
breeding out of flower perfume? ‘Honeybells’ is another sweetly scented
offering to be found in the same section of the catalogue, as are ‘Royal
Standard’ and ‘So Sweet.’ Like
another favourite catalogue, that of Gardens North seeds near Ottawa, don’t
look for illustrations in this modest listing. However, the descriptions and
cultural note will be much appreciated and, anyway, there are enough illustrated
perennial books available to fill the gardener’s bookshelf. New Products - A Review for You The horticultural
professionals’ year kicked off as it always does with Landscape Ontario’s
Trade Show. Each succeeding one seems to outperform that of the previous year.
So it was this January. One predominant theme was increasingly noticeable
though: Promotion of chemical products is declining while their competitors
formulated from natural sources are in the ascent. So are more gadgets, gizmos
and general gunk as more and more entrepreneurs seek to cash in on the
ever-booming garden phenomena. The following are our initial selection. More
will follow in the coming months. Please note, however, that many of these
companies are wholesale only. Visit their web sites by all means but, if
they do not sell direct to the public, bug your local retailer or garden center
to contact them. And, as Joey
Slinger once wrote in connection with another new product: “Disclaimer: The
author has no financial interest in Gore-Tex or any of its licensed
merchandisers, sadly.” [Down & Dirty Birding (Toronto: Key Porter;
1996)] DecorHouse
Inc.
Time
and time again we see magnificent cast stone garden ornaments, architectural
stonework, fountains, statues and similar items. Rarely do we recommend them
since long experience has shown far too many of the companies concerned are
merely importing, appearing like toadstools on the lawn and disappearing equally
uncannily. DecorHouse are manufacturers in Brampton, Ontario who sell to garden
centres, landscapers and various other specialized retail outlets. DecorHouse
should be able to advise you of a conveniently situated supplier near to you
although we would recommend you check several such outlets as prices may vary. NiC Natural
Insect Control e-mail
nic@niagara.com RR#
2 Stevensville, Ontario L0S 1S0 This
has to be one of the most thorough catalogues for non-chemical insect control we
have ever encountered, Excellent indexes point you on your way to solving
problems from alfalfa weevil to wireworm and more than 120 other pests between.
And if you don not find the solution to your pest problem, they invite you to
“give us a call” at 905-382-2904 or fax 905-382-4418. Also books on natural
pest control, bird houses, including gourds both artificial and real and
separate traps for those wretched house sparrows and starlings. Perfectly
Natural The
pressure is on from all sides to reduce or even eliminate chemical applications
to lawns and gardens. The Ceres Corporation (Canadian Ecological Research
and Environmental Sciences) has developed a line of
environmentally positive fertilizers and soil conditioners that can achieve
weed-free healthy lawns. These are offered to professional lawn care companies
as franchise operations. How reliable are they? The Royal Botanical Gardens,
Hamilton is convinced and they are the sixth-largest garden of its kind in the
world. Hydro Quebec commences to use Perfectly Natural products this season,
joining 200,000 Quebec consumers. Seems Ceres has something going for them Todd Valley
Farms e-mail wayne@toddvalleyfarms.com A
few season back, professionals and amateurs alike enthused over the news from
the west of a new, low-maintenance turf grass. Now the news is a reality with
‘Legacy’ (R), a
turf-type Buffalo grass grown exclusively by Todd Valley Farms in Mead,
Nebraska. A dark blue-green colour, this low-growing grass requires only a
quarter-inch of water a week and has half the fertilizer requirements of
bluegrass. It is also, says Todd Valley farms, resistant to grubs, billbugs and
more. Check for local suppliers
through Wayne Thorson at the above or phone 402-624-6385 (fax 402-624-2003) Gardening in the Headlines A round
up of the past few weeks news of interest to gardeners
§
Alert to all fanciers of that American icon, the pink
flamingo: your treasured garden decoration may be a fake. The pink flamingos
have the reproduced signature of their creator, Don Featherstone, on their butt,
added in 1987 by Union Products of Leominister, Massachusetts. This has been
removed from the moulds since Featherstone retired last year, 44 years after
inventing the bird décor. Join the boycott on these imitations. Contact www.improbable.com/projects/mingo/famingo-protest.html.
City Gardening is horrified by this desecration
of an American symbol. §
Birds who have the fastest song tempos perch higher in
trees to sing, reports The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
leading another journal, New Scientist, to suggest that if these
faster songs distresses one, you could try moving to a neighbourhood with
shorter trees. §
Perhaps patio stones coated with pebbles are not such a
good idea, at least if you own a springer spaniel of English origin. According
to The Guardian one ‘Belle’ was operated on to remove 427 such
pebbles weighing over a kilo. §
Canadian pressure-treated lumber will finally carry
labels warning that is has been treated with chromated copper arsenic (CCA).
Much of such lumber is sold for landscaping use in fences and decks.
§
The St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA) of the
Virgin Islands plants 21,000 red and black mangrove tree seedlings to replace
those devastated during Hurricane Hugo in 1989. §
Confusion reigns in Nova Scotia’s Kaiser Forest as
environmentalists claim the trees there to be some of the last remnants of old
growth forest in the province, but he company with cutting rights, Bowater
Mersey paper Co., says in fact are mostly less than 90 years old. §
Special cedar from Siberia’s Altai is selected by the Russian Orthodox Church for a chapel to be
shipped to Antarctica, ready to assemble..
§
Many cut flowers for the North American market come from
Latin America. For Europe, a major and growing source is Kenya but, recently,
accusations have been heard that workers exposed to pesticides are causing
health problems.
§
Mr. Potato Head turns 50 years old §
Inspecting a truck load of Palestinian vegetables,
Israelis discover they hide eight Qassam-2 missiles §
A few days after reports indicate that Canadian kids are
obese, the H.J. Heinz Co. announces that coming this
May they will offer five new varieties of Ore-Ida frozen potatoes in
20-ounce bags. Funky Fries include Cinna-Sticks, flavoured with cinnamon and
sugar, chocolaty-flavoured Cocoa Crispers, round Crunchy Rings, blue-hued Kool
Blue, along with sour-cream and chive-tasting Sour Cream and Jive §
Heinz also announced to the thrill of Canadians that
their E-Zee Squirt Green ketchup has been joined by a purple version. §
Environmentalists
are staggered with the news that China is now second only to the U.S. in
planting GM crops. Worse still, a report shows that pesticide poisonings have
drastically increased, and poorer farmers are making more money. While rice and
cotton are the main GM crops, GM tomatoes and sweet peppers are also grown,
while just round the corner are cabbages, canola, chilli peppers, melons,
papaya, peanuts, potatoes and even wheat. §
But in
New Zealand somebody breaks into glasshouses of the New Zealand Institute for Crop
& Food Research (CFR) complex at Lincoln
and destroys GM potato plants, setting back research at least a year.
§
The U.S. Department of Agriculture develop new hamburger
patties they call “prune burgers.” Recently it was reported in these pages
that the California producers of prune shad spent US$10-million to change the
image of their product and have the name changed to “dried plums.” Alas, the
message has yet to reach the USDA. §
Israeli
scientists claim to have found the world’s oldest nut crackers, basalt stones
780,000 years old, they say were sued by Homo erectus to wallop wild
pistachios, almonds, water chestnuts and other nuts in what is now northern
Israel close to the Jordan River §
A pair of
scientists from the Malaysian University in Sabah devise a way of using at least
some of their country’s annual 9 million tonnes of waste oil palm nut shells
by combining with cement to make a concrete for low-rise buildings and roads. §
Despite
harvesting of over 90% of all Brazil nuts from the Amazonian tree Bertholletia
excelsa, this sustainable with sapling populations remaining
high enough to replace lost trees, as reported in the Journal of Tropical
Ecology §
A report
from Kansas State University shows that extracts of dried plums added to ground
beef and pork kills of dangerous pathogens such as E.
coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, proving to older
Canadians that there was some use for the famed “CP strawberries.”
§
The press
acts with amazement that the clove-scented cigarettes from Indonesia known as
‘kretecks’ are back in fashion. City Gardening’s files are
extensive and deep: Kretecks were the in thing in Haight Ashbury decades ago.
§
Visiting London, England for the annual RHS extravaganza?
If mosquitoes while riding the famed Underground bite you, you can seek solace
in the fact that these are a unique species, Culex molestus that has
evolved from its upstairs cousin, C. pipiens, according to research by
two local geneticists. §
Perhaps there is something to be said for entomology, or
at least one of its commercial forms, silkworm breeding. The Guinness Book of
records has declared the oldest living man to be 112-year-old Yukishi Chuganii
of Ogori, Japan, now retired from the business.
§
Citing Harrowsmith Country Life and
the University of Wisconsin, The Globe and Mail’s Michael
Kesterton notes that the ceasing to feed wild birds in winter does not cause a
drop in their survival rate, contrary to popular beliefs, including City
Gardening §
The roof gardens atop the podium at Toronto’s City Hall
are a resounding success, reducing heat loss in winter and cooling in summer,
says Brad Bass, of the University of Toronto’s Institute for Environmental
Studies, who is in charge of the study financed, Toronto tax payers will be
relieved to learn, by Environment Canada. They will be open this spring to
public viewing and Mayor Mel to relax in. Tools §
Nine
years ago, reticent editors elsewhere decided not to run news from Milwaukee
who, according to an item in last month’s The Globe and Mail,
“was fooling around with his lawn mower” and suffered an unkind cut.
§
The 13
terrorists arrested recently in Singapore had planned to use 21 tonnes of the
fertilizer ammonium nitrate as the basis for bomb attacks on the city §
Back in
Biology 101 you learnt the Nitrogen Cycle. Now you can forget it – the experts
were depending on faulty data, says Nico van Breeman, a Dutch soil
scientist at Wageningen Agricultural University. What has been recorded are the
effects of human pollution, including artificial fertilizers.
§
A Canadian agricultural scientist, seconded to Columbia
by the Ottawa-based International Development Research Centre, dies in the crash
of an Ecuadorian airliner. §
Threatened species lists drawn up by the World
Conservation Union and the CITES secretariat are questioned for their scientific
impartiality §
Australia’s recent bushfires has left scientists,
farmers and environmentalists raging at each other in heated arguments based on
whether controlled burns should be permitted. Scientists, cite fires raging
naturally across Australia long before man came on the scene, but
environmentalists say imitating these would destroy threatened species. Farmers
say they’ll sue if fires break loose again. §
Greenpeace Canada and the Canadian Health Coalition
protest the federal government’s dastardly habit of keeping citizens informed
via mass mailings and other means of the facts behind genetically modified (GM)
food. §
Fortuitously-named Australian zookeeper Kristen Bird
discovers that his feathered chums that sing the lower notes are better at
mating and proposes threatened wild species be given lessons via recordings. §
The USDA
gives the go-ahead to field testing transgenic glow-in-the-dark pink bollworm
moths, a serious pest of cotton. The beasts will be under observation in cages
near Phoenix, Arizona, where USDA scientist Thomas tells the journal Science:
“Their
job is to have a good night. We check up on the them in the morning to see how
it went.”
§
Biosphere 2
in Oracle, Arizona a few weeks ago commenced public tours through its biodomes
with a trail leading through various habitats. Further information phone
520-896-6200 or visit www.bio2.edu
§
Trees felled by winds blowing at up to 200 k/h kill
several people in Europe as experts say to expect worse storms and flooding as
the century continues, say scientists in the journal Nature. §
Winter finally arrives for Toronto and the surrounding
area on the last day of January with some 15 cm of snow, ice pellets, sleet and
rain §
Grapes intended for Ontario’s famed icewine finally
freeze in early February, thus assuring oenophiles of the premium vintage §
The
cyclical weather phenomenon El Nino is expected to severely affect Western
Canada this year, returning after four years to create drier and warmer
conditions
§
“The UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is not a
roadblock to medical marijuana,” writes NOW correspondent Chuck
Beyer of Victoria, B.C., who castigates the dreaded “feds” for daring to
delay allowing Canada to go to pot, at least for perceived medicinal purposes.
§
Almost 100 houses are raided by police in the GTA, and
about 50 more elsewhere in Canada during a special takedown of high-tech
hydroponic marijuana raising operations, with the majority of product originally
destined for export to the United States §
Monica Nassif of Caldrea Co. in the United States sees
boom times for her very upscale household cleaners scented with such exotic oils
as basil, lavender and ylang ylang essential oils, the latter usually available
at your local health food store for considerably less. §
China introduces new import rulings on the importation of
genetically modified foods, contrary to the World Trade Organization to which
they were recently admitted, and threatening $2-billion annual exports of
Canadian canola. §
Despite much wailing and hand wringing, last season’s
prairie droughts had minimal effects on western farmers, who actually saw income
increase dramatically. Overall, our sons of the soil saw increased income of
$2-billion with a “dramatic” boom in exports. Environment Canada is now busy
thinking up excuses for their claim that crop losses would amount to $5-billion. §
Canada is reported as having 70 per cent of the world’s
birdseed production, and 90 per cent of that is from Saskatchewan §
Canadian
Tire advertises a wall fountain, which, they generously note, comes “with
pump.”
§
Several environmental groups go to court in an attempt to
derail what would have been the largest sale of timber by the U.S. federal
government, when Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey orders “salvage
logging” of the 1,200 square kilometre area of the Bitterroot National Forest
burnt in the summer of 2000. §
The U.S. National Wildlife Foundation releases a report: The
American Prairies: Going, Going, Gone? That claims that only one per cent of
the original tallgrass American prairie remains. See www.nwf.org/grasslands/americanprairie.htmil §
Another report by the same organization, Population,
Water and Wildlife: Finding a Balance, states that people already use 54 per
cent of all accessible water and that this could rise by 2025 to 70 per cent,
threatening not only human health but also wildlife and their habitats already
under pressure. See www.nwf.org/population. §
The feds in Ottawa, already to sign the Kyoto Treaty,
tells the United States that it wants to be involved in the U.S. program to
develop reduction in greenhouse gases. §
The World Wildlife Fund announces that Canada’s Arctic
regions are threatened by global warming, especially the low tundra and boreal
forests near Slave Lake. §
U.S. President George W. Bush presents his plan to offset
global warming which is tied to his country’s economic growth and offers
incentives to voluntary reduction. §
Kyoto conniptions erupt as nine of Canada’s provincial
premiers blast Prime Minister Chretien for his pledge on the now infamous
protocol without having any idea what it will cost Canada and Canadians.
Predictably, environmentalists erupt in their turn, urging the P.M. to sign and
sign fast. §
New Scientist
magazine notes that an advertisement in Vegan magazine offers to
assist with “Green/DIY Funerals,” presumably for those who wish to go the
politically correct way by ‘doing it yourself.’ §
Special
ramps are installed to help toads cross a road in Shaldon, England, thus
preventing them from becoming toad-in-the hole (request British friends to
explain)
§
After much argument by everybody except red wine
drinkers, a study by Corder et al. in the journal Nature appears
to establish that polyphenols found in red wine made from cabernet sauvignon
grapes may help to prevent coronary heart disease. §
“As far as we know, growth hormones (banned in Europe)
and pesticides in food, as well as GM food, are not responsible for any
deaths,” writes Britain’s John Krebs, chairman of the UK Food Standards
Agency in the journal Nature, whereas “dietary contributions to
cardiovascular disease and to cancer . . . probably account for more than
100,000 deaths per year in Britain.” More at the fascinating site www.food.gov.uk §
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reported to
be removing restrictions on selling genetically-modified low-nicotine tobacco.
They’re your lungs, as actor Roger Moore once said. §
The
Canadian Food Inspection Agency announces that they will test all honey imported
from China for antibiotic residues after widespread overuse of antibiotics on
bees were reported there. By strange coincidence this follows Chinese attempts
to block imports of Canadian canola on the excuse of tightening up on
genetically modified crops.
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