Impending death and decay at a public Toronto garden
Is the post's title gloomy enough for you? Autumn is a time for contradictions with big swings in temperatures. One day it's pleasant and sunny and then blustery and cold the next. We know what's around the corner and given how absolutely brutal it was last winter (my gas bills prove this), there's good reason to be gloomy.
But when I visited the Toronto Botanical Garden ("TBG") recently, the weather was anything but gloomy. It was a relatively warm and humid day, for October, as I meandered through the paved and mulched paths. While there were certainly blooms to admire, especially in the containers, my overall impression was "man, I see a lot of brown." But isn't this to be expected in the garden at this time of the year?
With the emphasis less on flowers (compared to the fireworks occurring in May-July), a garden's weaknesses will soon be exposed if hardscaping (industry jargon for paving, retaining wall, etc.) and plant structure aren't considered. If your gardens consist of a monoculture of annuals, well, I can understand if you're not out there pottering around until late May 2015!
It's a good lesson to learn after a visit to the TBG in autumn: think plant structure (forms) to get you through a Toronto winter, garden-wise. (When I design gardens occasionally, I try to to imagine what the garden will look like in the dead of winter. Winter for a Toronto gardener lasts about 6 months.)
The shapes and forms I picked up on were spires, fountains, umbrellas, and spikes among the ornamental grasses, shrubs and other fall blooming perennials. It's a good garden design practice to include a few of these forms into the mix to break up the monotony and create a bit of contrast.
Well, enough lecturing on my part. You're here for the flowers and foliage so let's go!
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| Pink asters at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Symphyotrichum novae-anglicae (New England aster) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena) and ornamental grass at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Hamamelis × intermedia 'Diane' witch hazel fall foliage at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Golden Full Moon Maple (Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum') at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Toronto Botanical Garden's Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’ (grapeleaf anemone) |
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| Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’ (grapeleaf anemone) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' (Anise-scented sage) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Ilex verticillata "Nana" (Winterberry) at theToronto Botanical Garden |
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| Euonymus phellomanus (corktree or spindletree) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Toronto Botanical Garden's Euonymus phellomanus (corktree or spindletree) |
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| "Cardinal Candy" Linden Viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum "Henneke") berries at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Yellow yarrow at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Gaillardia aristata "Gallo Dark Bicolor" Blanketflower at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Rosa bonica "Meidomonac" at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Nipponanthemum nipponicum (Nippon daisy) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Nippon daisy and purple asters at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Tricyrtis formosana ‘Samurai’ toad lily at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| ‘Samurai’ toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana "Samurai") at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Anemone hupehensis ‘Pretty Lady Susan’ Japanese anemone at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Toronto Botanical Garden's Entry Walk with Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena) |
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| 'Pretty Lady Susan’ Japanese anemone (Anemone hupehensis "Pretty Lady Susan") at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena) at the Toronto Botanical Garden's Entry Walk |
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| Toronto Botanical Garden's Entry Walk with Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena) |
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| Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas blue star) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Toronto Botanical Garden's Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) |
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| Colchicum autumnale (Autumn crocus) at Toronto Botanical Garden |
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| Giant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) at the Toronto Botanical Garden |
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