A shade garden in Toronto

Why I love Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra "Aureola")

It's been a topsy-turvy kind of summer so far in Toronto. We're experiencing cooler temperatures now, mercifully, after being blasted with humidex readings of over 40 over most of a week. Not very comfortable working conditions!

So when you're able to work in the shade during a heatwave and the scene looks like this below, it's really not too bad.

I first posted about this shade garden in a post titled "Green is a colour too, in dappled shade" and work here once a month. It just gets better and prettier as time moves on.

This client absolutely loves H.m "Aureola" and why not? I'm using it more in my designs and there are more than few cultivars to choose from like "All Gold", "Albostriata", "Nicolas" and "Sunny Delight." 

Criticisms? Mild ones at best:  this grass is slow to form substantial clumps, a little pricey (but then again, didn't you blow a wad of cash buying all those annuals back in May?) and does best in part-sun (gets bleached-out, I find, in full sun) but the form always is a winner. 

Want to soften a hard line of interlocking paving or really make a garden bed curve more curvey? Try massing Hakonechloa.

The site is under some majestic red oaks so the shade is light and dappled. Soil is "clayey" with some amendments over the years.

Hakonechloa macra "Albostriata" on the left, "Aureola" on the right

"Annabelle" smooth hydrangea and Hakone Japanese Forest Grass in a Toronto shade garden.

Hakonechloa macra "Aureola" Japanese Forest Grass flanking a "Paul's Glory" hosta.

Let's go off on a design tangent. When planting, try to think of the primary view the audience (homeowner, visitor, you) is looking from and think of creating layers. The picture below shows such a technique. From the foreground working back, we have the Hakone grass, "Halcyon" hosta, Japanese Painted ferns, Rodgersia with the palmate leaves, to the left a witchhazel, a patch of red daylilies and a lacecap hydrangea in the back.

This view is from the patio table near the fountain.

Not too shabby, I'd say.

Layers of shade-tolerant perennials and shrubs

Mid-summer Toronto garden cleanup in Riverdale

Greektown, Toronto front garden clean up

This small front garden, located just north of Danforth Ave., receives full sun which the perennials and, unfortunately, the weeds just love. Here are some before and after pictures of the clean up. A 2"-3" layer of mulch was applied after to reduce the amount of weeds re-appearing and lower watering needs.

Toronto Greektown garden cleanup before

Toronto Greektown garden cleanup after

Toronto Greektown front garden cleanup before

Toronto Greektown front garden cleanup 

A Toronto garden clean up in the Victoria Village neighbourhood

Victoria Village, Toronto backyard and side yard garden clean up

Here are some before and after pictures of a garden clean up near the Lawrence and Victoria Park Ave. area. The back and side garden areas were infested with creeping bellflower, thistles, quack grass and lawn seedlings.

I dug out all the weeds to re-establish some new areas for new perennials and/or mulch. (I suggested to the client to remove the black plastic edging and trench edge for a cleaner look as well.)

Scarborough back yard 
garden clean up before

Scarborough back yard 
garden clean up after

Scarborough back yard 
garden clean up before

Scarborough back yard 
garden clean up after

Here's looking down the side of the house. A thick layer of cedar mulch would really reduce the amount of weeding in this unseen and unused area.

Scarborough Toronto side yard
garden clean up before 

Scarborough Toronto side yard
 garden clean up after

The Naples Botanical Garden: Some Like It Hot!

A Toronto gardener's visit to a Florida botanical garden (in the summer!)

My family and I recently spent a much-deserved week's vacation in Bonita Springs, Florida which is located on the Gulf Coast side of Florida between Fort Myers to the north and Naples to the south. We did the silly touristy things like outlet mall shopping, getting used to larger restaurant portions and collecting shells on the beach. 

(By the way, "Happy Fourth" seems to be the way of wishing someone a Happy Fourth of July around here. Something tells me that if I wished a fellow Canadian a "Happy First" on Canada Day, I'd likely get a blank look.)

Anyway, back to gardening...

Of course, being on vacation, I didn't do any but I managed to find a few hours to visit a near botanical garden in Naples called, well, the Naples Botanical Garden. 

Here are some pictures on the way from the parking lot and outside the admissions office to give you a taste of things to come:

What "houseplants" do you recognize?

From the parking lot, love this colour combination!

Linda and I got there right at opening time (8 a.m.) because we knew how darn hot and humid the weather would get later. Thunderstorms were also predicted the same day so on this muggy and buggy morning, we started first at the Brazilian Garden which pays tribute to that country's renowned plantsman and landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx.

Looking towards the Roberto Burle Marx Plaza. That's a ceramic mural showcased behind the waterfall.

Massing using Neoregelia, Aechmea, Porta and Caladium

Early morning dew on these seedheads (or flower buds?)

The magic of massing using what I consider "tropical" plants.

The infinity pool/waterfall with huge water lily pads.

Detail of  Nymphae "Panama Pacific" tropical  waterlily

Another closeup of a tropical waterlily, forgot to note the cultivar but so beautiful!

A grouping of Red Button Ginger (Costus woodsonii)

More massing of silver-leaved Caladium and pineapple

Detail of Pink Powder Puff bloom (Calliandra surinamensis "Pink")

We then ambled over to the Caribbean Garden and took these photos among many others:

Bridal bouquet plumeria (Plumeria pudica)

Reminds me so much of our trip to the Turks and Caicos

Stone pillars and wood beams covered by Queen's Wreath (Petrea volubilis)

Onwards to the Asian Garden, with few pesky visitors to disrupt our photo opportunities but many pesky mosquitoes and gnats to torment those who didn't bring bug repellent.

Pale cream coloured lotus flowers and seedhead

Balinese Shrine at the Lea Asian Garden

Thai Riverside Pavillion surrounded by lotus

Statue detail from the Garden's Candi Suka Ruins (well, not from the real ruins)

Good job replicating  Candi Suka Javanese Ruins

We also visited the four other gardens: the Childrens', Florida  and Water Gardens and "The Preserve." By the two hour mark we were getting hungry and getting bitten and decided to call it a morning. All in all, it was an enjoyable and educational outing for this zone 5 gardener. We saw many plants we consider houseplants and annuals growing very vigorously in situ like cannas, taro, bromeliads, and bananas.

I don't know if many of the plants on exhibit experience any dormancy and/or change the colour of their leaves so, off the top of my head, I guess the plants look the same all year round (?). 

It was a nice, short diversion away from the endless shopping and eating we endured over the week!

By Paul Jung, author of "garden muses: a Toronto gardening blog"

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