Spring blooms at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Crocus, tulips, daffodils and more blooming at the TBG

Spring has sprung in Toronto (although as I'm writing this, the weather is cold, wet and miserable) and many flowering shrubs and bulbs are blooming magnificently. I had an opportunity to visit the Toronto Botanical Garden several weeks ago to see what was in bloom and while most of the tulips (at the time) had not emerged yet, there were plenty other spring stars on display.

(I took many pictures of hellebores at the TBG so if you missed a previous post showcasing them, go to this post titled "Hella Good Looking Hellebores!")

I hope you're enjoying your spring (or fall)!

Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) spring flowers 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Crocus luteus spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Crocus spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Crocus tommasinianus "Ruby Giant" 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Crocus tommasinianus "Ruby Giant" spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata "Katharine Hodgkin") 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Erica carnea "Myretoun Ruby" Heather 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Hearts Delight" Waterlily tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Iris reticulata (Dwarf Iris) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Katharine Hodgkin" Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata) 
at theToronto Botanical Garden 

Narcissus and Chionodoxa spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Narcissus "Jetfire" daffodils 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Narcissus "Rijnveld's Early Sensation" daffodils 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Pushkinia scilloides (Striped Squill) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Toronto Botanical Garden daffodils and 
hellebores spring container

Toronto Botanical Garden 
Helleborus x hybridus "Berry Swirl" hellebore 

Tulipa kaufmanniana "Hearts Delight" Waterlily tulip 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Viburnum farreri "Nanum" (Dwarf Fragrant Viburnum) 
spring blooms at the Toronto Botanical Garden

White Crocus spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Summerhill Toronto Spring Garden Clean Up

And the Spring Cleanups Just Keep Coming...

Toronto's weather in April  has been fantastic compared to last year with many warm and sunny days so far.  The yellow blaze of Forsythia is seen over the city and is a welcome sight after many dreary winter months. Even the magnolias and flowering cherries are currently blooming and this normally occurs in May. 

Below are some photos from a recent cleanup for a client in the Summerhill neighbourhood of Toronto showing some "before" and "after" pictures. All the leaves and stems are from last autumn so I filled about 8 "yard waste" bags (which are collected and composted by the city.)

Summerhill Toronto spring backyard
 garden cleanup before 

Summerhill Toronto spring backyard
garden cleanup after 

Summerhill Toronto spring backyard
garden clean up before 

Summerhill Toronto spring backyard
garden clean up after 

Toronto Summerhill spring backyard
garden clean up before 

Toronto Summerhill spring backyard
garden clean up after 

Summerhill Toronto spring front yard
garden clean up before 

Summerhill Toronto spring front yard
garden clean up after 

Summerhill Toronto spring front yard
garden cleanup before 

Summerhill Toronto spring front yard
garden cleanup after 

Toronto Summerhill spring front yard
garden clean up before 

Toronto Summerhill spring front yard
garden clean up after 

If you made it this far past these boring shots, here's your reward:

 A beautiful double flowering hellebore was in fine form in this garden. My best guess for the cultivar name is "Harvington Double White" which has brilliant white flowers (sepals?) shining brightly against glossy fresh green leaves. Very classy!

"Harvington Double White" hellebore 
(Helleborus x hybridus)

Helleborus x hybridus 
"Harvington Double White" hellebore 

Hella Good Looking Hellebores!

Plant It and Forget It: Hellebore Hybrids

Chalk it up to Toronto gardeners having an early case of spring fever as I'm seeing Hellebores popping up in more and more gardens. These Christmas Roses (Helleborus niger) and Lenten Roses (Helleborus orientalis and the many hybrids under H. x hybridus) give us late winter or early spring blooms and look fantastic around daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses and early season tulips. They also don't expect much fussing about from their caregivers either: plant them in soil with rich organic matter, provide average moisture and allow for full to part sun. In many ways, hellebores are like peonies: just plant them, leave them alone and they should be long lasting. In terms of ongoing maintenance, I spend a couple minutes a year cutting off the previous year's old and often diseased leaves in early spring. That's it.

(A great reference for the hellebore care and propagation is Hellebores: Winter Hardy Shade Perennials for the Woodland Garden from Plant Delights Nursery.)

Hellebores and crocuses at 
the Toronto Botanical Garden 

I had an afternoon off last week and with April's weather being so nice (with above average temperatures), I visited the Toronto Botanical Garden to see what was flowering. Among the early flowering bulbs and shrubs, of course, were many hellebores in fine form so I went a little crazy with the camera in capturing these beauties.

Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) at 
the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Don't let the common name dissuade you from planting Helleborus foetidus (there are cultivars too.) The leaves do have strong musky (skunky?) scent but if you avoid rubbing them all over your body. it shouldn't be an issue.

Helleborus x ericsmithii "Pirouette" hellebore 
and "Jetfire" daffodils 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Helleborus x ericsmithii "Pirouette" and
 "Jetfire" daffodils make up this spring container 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Helleborus x ericsmithii "Pirouette" hellebores 
and "Jetfire" daffodils detail as part of this 
Toronto Botanical Garden spring container

Helleborus x hybridus "Anna's Red" hellebore 
spring bloom in my backyard

I have a few hellebores in my backyard which received full sun until noon. "Anna's Red" is finally slowly becoming a nice clump after a few years of just sitting. Hellebores are slow growing but if you're patient (almost to the point of negligent) with them, they'll reward you every late winter to early spring.

Helleborus x hybridus "Berry Swirl" hellebore 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Helleborus x hybridus "Berry Swirl" hellebore blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Helleborus × nigersmithii "Ivory Prince" Hellebore 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Ivory Prince" seems to be the hottest hellebore cultivar on the market for several years now (I didn't think it would be possible to describe hellebores as trendy) as I see it in many flowers shows, garden centres and spring containers in tonier parts of Toronto.

Helleborus × nigersmithii "Ivory Prince" 
Hellebore spring flowers 

"Ivory Prince" Hellebore (Helleborus × nigersmithii) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Ivory Prince" Hellebore spring blooms 

"Ivory Prince" Hellebore spring flowers 

Lenten Rose/ Hellebore flowers detail 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Toronto Botanical Garden 
Helleborus (hellebore) blooms 

Toronto Botanical Garden 
Helleborus x hybridus "Berry Swirl" 
hellebore blooms 

The sepals' veins and overall flower shape above remind me of the human heart!

If you're a hellebore lover like myself, you know how useful these "lower-maintenance" perennials are. If you haven't discovered them yet, well, now you know!