"Garden muses" is 3 years old!

Thank you for reading this

Well, not only this post but perhaps some of the other 100 or so entries I've written over  the past three years about gardening (most of the times) in and about Toronto and other places.

Getting older, not necessarily wiser...

I'll strive to write/muse more about "gardeny" related topics.

Maybe, just maybe, even one post about urban veggie farming.

No guarantees though!

Onward and upward in 2014-2015, my fellow garden muses!

Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa var. chinensis): garden muses plant profile

Chinese dogwood: why you need to plant it

Looking for a medium sized deciduous tree that offers interest throughout the seasons? Look no further than Kousa (aka Chinese) dogwood! Hardy in zones 5-8, Cornus kousa var. chinensis is not native to North America (originally from China, Japan and Korea) but offers the following ornamental characteristics:

a) White/cream coloured bracts that can cover the tree. It's a wonderful sight to see a Kousa dogwood laden with these white bracts in May-June. Here's my tree covered with bracts in spring:

Cornus kousa (Chinese dogwood) bract 

Cornus kousa (Chinese dogwood) blooms 

Cornus kousa var chinensis (Chinese dogwood) bracts 

Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa var chinensis)  bracts 

Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa var chinensis) bracts 

Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa var chinensis) berries 

Flowers often produce these warty and somewhat edible fruits (berries) by autumn. I profiled these soft fruits that have a mealy consistency in a post titled "Maybe you do need a scoop of vanilla ice cream... Fresh Toronto Cornus kousa fruits in the raw!" Likely the squirrels and birds will eat them before you can harvest them.

I tried eating one and, while edible, wasn't an amazing gourmet experience!

Cornus kousa var chinensis 
(Chinese dogwood) autumn foliage 

Cornus kousa's fall foliage is very ornamental as shown above. Colours range from plums, wines, russets, oranges and golds on the same tree.

Common cultivars we see in Toronto include "Satomi" with pink bracts and "Wolf Eyes" which has wavy variegated leaves. They can be planted as small-medium sized trees, shrubs and standards and can fit into most landscape garden styles.

Cornus kousa prefers full sun (6 hours of direct sun) with ample watering in the first several years after transplanting. My tree takes care of itself more or less, no fertilizing required and is pest free. Just leave it alone to achieve its natural vase shape and don't prune them into meatballs!

The Royal Botanical Gardens: a spring visit

Tulips, peonies, and wisteria from a warmer time...

Well, not this spring (yet) but from 2009. Going through my archives, I realized I never posted about my visit with Linda (my better half) to the RBG about five years ago. For the currently flower-deprived readers out there, I'm sure you'll appreciate the following pictures of spring blooms from warmer days in the past. (Who knows, we might even see similar sights around town in May but I wouldn't bet the farm on this given the severity of winter 2013-2014.)

Royal Botanical Gardens pale pink tulips 

The Royal Botanical Gardens is the

 "largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and registered charitable organization with a mandate to bring together people, plants and nature" and "located at the western tip of Lake Ontario. Four distinct formal gardens are contained with 1100 hectares of nature reserve, nestled into the slopes of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve." 

(Sources: http://www.rbg.ca/aboutus and http://www.rbg.ca/gardensandtrails respectively)

My visit didn't cover the entire 110 hectares--just a quiet afternoon on a pleasant May day. The RBG is only about 30-45 minutes from Toronto located near Burlington. It's very well-known for its herbaceous perennials display (especially peonies), tulips at the Rock Garden and the mature specimens in the Arboretum.

I think a visit is long overdue!

(p.s. I apologize in advance for not providing the correct cultivars for the peonies and tulips. If you can help, just send me an e-mail. Thanks!)

Royal Botanical Gardens
dark purple wine tree peony 

Royal Botanical Gardens pink tree peony

Royal Botanical Gardens purple tree peony 

Royal Botanical Gardens massed tulips 

Royal Botanical Gardens orange tulips 

Royal Botanical Gardens pale orange tulips

Royal Botanical Gardens
Japanese wisteria
(Wisteria floribunda "Lawrence")

Royal Botanical Gardens
doublefile Viburnum plicatum "Lanarth"

Royal Botanical Gardens
doublefile Viburnum plicatum "Lanarth" blooms 

Royal Botanical Gardens
 purple lilac Syringa vulgaris

Royal Botanical Gardens
Syringa vulgaris purple lilac 

Royal Botanical Gardens
tulips in Rock garden 

Royal Botanical Gardens
pink and red tulips in the Rock Garden

Royal Botanical Gardens red tulips 

Royal Botanical Gardens yellow tulips red streaks

Royal Botanical Gardens
 clipped boxwoods Laking  knot garden 

Royal Botanical Gardens
clipped boxwood knot garden at
the Laking Garden 

Royal Botanical Gardens
Laking Garden knot garden
 with topiary and thyme

Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2014: primulas, cinerarias, grape hyacinths

Toronto blooms (without the distracting home renovation booths)

Canada Blooms, I guess our country's national flower show, kicked off yesterday. I may join the hordes of flower-deprived gardeners but given the garden show simultaneously shares the same facilities with the "National Home Show", I haven't enjoyed myself. I found previous visits very commercial and there are only so many ways you can look at concrete pavers and retaining walls as aesthetically pleasing.

But I've been promised free tickets so we'll see...

My previous two posts displayed spring blooms at a local public conservatory's Spring flower show. With very few visitors during my visit (before last week's student spring break!), it was a quiet and peaceful experience.

I can guarantee that the same adjectives won't apply to Canada Blooms this weekend!

Muscari armeniacum  and
blue and pink cineraria
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 

Primula malacoides
Allan Gardens Conservatory
  Spring Flower Show 2014 

Primula malacoides and P. aculis
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show

Primula malacoides (Fairy primrose) detail
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show

Primula polyanthus
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014

"Royale Red" Salpiglossis sinuata 
(Painted Tongue)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014

Yellow crocus
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014

Yellow crocus and Florist's cineraria
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014

Florist's cineraria
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 

Fairy primrose (Primula malacoides)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 

Pale blue grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) Florist's cineraria and Variegated Leopard plant
Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show

Allan Gardens Conservatory 
Spring Flower Show 
purple tulips, cineraria and foxglove

Purple tulips and schizanthus 
Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show  





Allan Gardens Conservatory
 Spring Flower Show 
narcissus and primula container 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2014: part two

It's official: This Toronto winter sucks!

Well, as official as can be (and since I'm writing this post, that makes it very official!) I mean, going into four months of continuously sub-zero weather is maddening. Maybe a few readers like you are going a wee stir-crazy dealing with the snow, wind-chill and our fair city's mayor. Some "floricultural therapy" is in order. As I promised in an earlier post, here are more updated pictures from the Conservatory's Spring Flower Show. (I'll break up the close to 30 pictures in two posts to keep the colour flowing.)

Warning: heavy primula and cineraria content to follow, but there you have it.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 container 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
 Spring Flower Show 2014 Fairy primrose

Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower
Show 2014 florist's cineraria 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 hyacinths on topiary 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 Pink Charm daffodils 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 pond

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014 Primula polyanthus

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014
red azalea Pink Charm daffodils

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014
yellow daffodils purple pansies

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show 2014
 yellow freesia 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Spring Flower Show
pale blue Fairy primrose 

Cineraria at Allan Gardens Conservatory
 Spring Flower Show 2014

Allan Gardens Conservatory
 Spring Flower Show 2014
blue purple hyacinths

The Spring Show runs until Easter when the, um, Easter Flower Show starts. Who knows? By then, maybe it will stop snowing.

Maybe.