A (Final) Toronto Fall Garden Cleanup in Bedford Park

Saying Goodbye to the 2018 Work Season!

It's been another fantastic work season for me as I've met many new (and old) clients, designed and installed interesting gardens across Toronto and made a bit of money along the way. But truth be told, I'm ready to take a break from gardening.

But before that happens, I'll subject you to another post showing a fall cleanup. This should be the last one this year so enjoy!

My client here, named Shirin, hires me twice a year (in May and November) to weed and tidy up the front and back gardens of her rental property in Toronto's Bedford Park neighbourhood. Her tenants, unsurprisingly, do nothing when it comes to looking after the gardens so the beds are very weedy when I arrive.

In the fall, I cut down the soon-to-be dormant perennials and rake leaves from the garden beds around the pool in the backyard and from the parking area in the front. For this visit, Shirin asked me to spread some more topsoil and mulch as well.

Bedford Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Before

Tired hosta foliage removed and
some cedar mulch laid down 

Bedford Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

I usually try to persuade a client to leave ornamental grasses alone over winter but since the tenants don't care, the owner asked me to cut them down. It's just one less task I have to look after next spring.

Bedford Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Bedford Park Toronto Fall Cleanup After 

Toronto Fall Cleanup Before in Bedford Park

Toronto Fall Cleanup After in Bedford Park 

Toronto Fall Cleanup Before in Bedford Park

Toronto Fall Cleanup After in Bedford Park

This narrow bed contains many herbaceous peonies.
Their foliage were cut down as they present no winter interest.

Toronto Fall Cleanup After in Bedford Park 

Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Garden After in Bedford Park

Thank you, dear reader, for putting up with all the "before" and "after" pictures. It'll start again, to warn you, next April when the spring cleanups get going but I promise to post pictures of actual flowers and non-work related topics over the next five months. So you get a reprieve!

A St. Clair West Village, Toronto Fall Cleanup (in the Snow)

Raking Leaves, Raking Ice 

Working outside in Toronto in late November as a gardener has few charms. It's cold and often wet but thank heavens it doesn't usually snow. But when it does snow, doing a fall garden cleanup (or more accurately an early winter garden cleanup) is a true test of endurance. 

Another week of this nonsense of working in sub-zero temperatures and I'm done for the work season! But first I'll show you some pictures of my latest fall garden cleanup in the St. Clair West Village area of Toronto.

My client Shirine's backyard is composed of all rectangles: the deck, the paths and garden beds. From a garden design viewpoint, it's a very efficient way of maximizing the use of a narrow and long area.

Toronto St. Clair West Village Fall
Backyard Cleanup Before

Toronto St. Clair West Village
Fall Backyard Cleanup After 

St. Clair West Village Fall
Backyard Cleanup Before 

I left the "P.G." Hydrangea 
(Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora') 
standard alone for the winter and 
will prune the spent brown panicles 
(flowers) next spring.

Ooops, I forgot to shut the shed door

Not much I could do with the ice 

Several clumps of wilted "Jack Frost"
Siberian Bugloss which, ironically,
didn't respond well to Jack Frost visiting
Toronto. I'll cut these down...

and leave the "Ice Dance" Sedge
(Carex) and Sweet Woodruff alone

Flash frozen hostas

St. Clair West Village
Toronto Fall Cleanup After 

The front has two garden beds which seem to collect all the Linden tree leaves coming from the left side and face the prevailing north/north-west wind. The perennial lavender could use a light trim next spring but it's a low maintenance affair at curbside.

St. Clair West Village Toronto
Front Yard Fall Cleanup Before 

St. Clair West Village Toronto
Front Yard Fall Cleanup After 

Toronto St. Clair West Village
Front Yard Fall Cleanup Before

Toronto St. Clair West Village
Front Yard Fall Cleanup After 

Got Leaves?

A Fall Cleanup in Toronto's Greenwood-Coxwell Neighbourhood

What happens when your backyard is surrounded by several huge mature Silver Maples (Acer saccharinum) and you go away on vacation for most of the autumn? Well, you likely will see this upon your return:

Monarch Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

The homeowners scheduled me for a fall cleanup many weeks ago in anticipation of these leaves. I worked for them last year and profiled that autumn visit in a blog post titled "Another Toronto Fall Garden Cleanup in the Coxwell-Danforth Area; Putting A Garden To Rest (With This Gardener To Follow!)" so I knew what to expect, more or less, of the amount of work involved. Still, I marvelled at the amount of leaves covering their small east end Toronto backyard when I arrived and took these pictures:

Coxwell-Danforth Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Coxwell-Danforth Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Monarch Park Backyard Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Monarch Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Before

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup Before

The small front yard wasn't covered by nearly as many leaves as the back but required some tidying up like cutting off the old Siberian Iris and herbaceous peony leaves:

Coxwell-Danforth Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Yard Before

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Yard Before 

Monarch Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Yard Before

And afterwards, with the excellent help of an electric leaf blower...

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup After

Coxwell-Danforth Toronto Fall Cleanup After 

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup Before 

Coxwell-Danforth Toronto Fall Cleanup After 

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup After

Monarch Park Backyard Toronto Fall Cleanup 

Monarch Park Toronto Fall Cleanup After 

Monarch Park Toronto Fall Cleanup After 

And to the front...

Coxwell-Danforth Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Yard After 

Greenwood-Coxwell Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Yard After 

Monarch Park Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Yard After 

A Fall Front Garden Cleanup in Riverdale

Toronto Gardening Before the Snow Falls

The fall cleanup jobs are coming fast and furious with another two weeks before I close up shop.

This post brings us back to the east end Toronto neighbourhood of Riverdale, in which many of my clients reside. Christine is one such client and I tend to her very small front garden about three times a season. 

Riverdale Fall Cleanup Front Garden Before

The small front yard has several mature shrubs and a small weeping "Crimson Queen" Japanese maple so, from a garden maintenance aspect, it's lower maintenance. At this time of the year, I look after raking leaves out of the garden and off the sidewalk and some light pruning where needed. Nothing drastic, just tidying up the front for the winter.

Riverdale Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Garden Before 

Toronto Fall Cleanup Riverdale Front Garden Before 

Toronto Fall Cleanup Riverdale Front Garden Before 

Riverdale Fall Cleanup Front Garden Before 

Toronto Fall Cleanup Riverdale Front Garden Before

Afterwards....

Riverdale Fall Cleanup Front Garden After 

Riverdale Toronto Fall Cleanup Front Garden After

Toronto Fall Cleanup Riverdale Front Garden After

Toronto Fall Cleanup Riverdale Front Garden After

Riverdale Fall Cleanup Front Garden After

Toronto Fall Cleanup Riverdale Front Garden After

It snowed a few inches last night but the snow will melt in a day or so. Raking leaves mixed with snow isn't "effective" and the leaves are darn heavy! The joys of gardening in November in Toronto...