Leslieville front garden weeding and summer cleanup

The "Satomi" Chinese Dogwood is Beautiful, the Rest of Garden, Not So Much

There are some gardens that I visit yearly and they always fill me with intrigue and, frankly, more than a little anxiety. Now a little mystery or intrigue in the garden is usually a good thing ( hmmm, I see the bodies of garden gnomes scattered throughout, implying a situation gone sideways.)

But anxiety? Angst? Dread?

Not the emotions that come to mind when experiencing landscapes but....

Leslieville front garden 
cleanup weeding before 

To provide some background, the owner of this Leslieville garden is a friend so her name won't be revealed to prevent further discomfort. She will be the first to admit that looking after plants is not "her thing" and after inheriting the garden when she bought the house several years ago, her idea of garden maintenance is to call me every summer.

And when I get that call or e-mail, I always wonder "how bad are the weeds?"

So by late June, as you can tell from the "before" pictures above and below, yep, they're bad.

Leslieville front garden weeding 
cleanup before 

Well, not all is bad. The "Satomi" Chinese dogwood ( Cornus kousa "Satomi" ) is blooming ("bracting"?) the best I've ever seen and from my travels across town and in my own backyard, Cornus kousas everywhere are outstanding. It must be all that rain we've been having making them and all sorts of plants very happy.

Especially the weeds....

Leslieville Toronto front garden 
clean up weeding before 

This cleanup should be a textbook example of how the "lazy landscaper/house flipper/cheap homeowner" technique of covering a swath of garden with that ubiquitous landscape fabric and then dumping a tonne or two of some sort of rock (can be limestone screening, pea gravel or river rock) with the false promise that a "low maintenance" solution is at hand is, inevitably, completely ineffective.

Why? In urban settings with lots of tree and weed seeds blowing around and if the ground was not completely weed-free before the fabric was laid, it is only a matter of time before seeds germinate on top of the rock "mulch"or aggressive weed roots spread below the fabric and emerge up and through the fabric and rocks (Creeping bellflower, anybody?)

Leslieville Toronto front garden cleanup weeding before 

And so you often get this situation above. In the past, I've had to deal with extracting thistle, burdock and dandelions from this extremely weedy area next to the sidewalk. And the garbage! This year's version included some sort of crazy Malva genus member thinking it's some sort of groundcover.

After the cleanup....

Leslieville front garden 
cleanup weeding after 

The homeowner has had enough of the pea gravel and landscape fabric "solution" and asked me to come up with a new design. As you can see below, the Chinese dogwood flowering in front of the yew hedge is quite attractive. I'd get rid of the 5 cinquefoils (Potentilla fruticosa) and the lone surviving Lavender and mass plant some "lower maintenance" ornamental grasses as the client, realistically, will not do any gardening on her own. 

Leslieville front garden weeding 
cleanup after

Leslieville Toronto front garden 
clean up weeding after

Leslieville Toronto front garden cleanup weeding after

The great thing about doing all these "cleanups" is that occasionally I see some beauty in the midst of disorder and disarray. 

Aren't these dogwood blooms below wonderful?

So if you're considering a small tree to act as a specimen or focal point in a sunny area of your garden, Cornus kousa "Satomi" could fit the bill (there are many other excellent cultivars.)

Cornus kousa "Satomi" 
Chinese Dogwood blooms 

Cornus kousa "Satomi" 
Chinese Dogwood flower 

"Satomi" Chinese Dogwood 
(Cornus kousa) bracts

Just promise me that you'll weed the ground below it more than once a year!

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!

My beloved children

Father's Day in the garden: reflections

I always grumble and mumble that Father's Day is given short shrift compared to Mother's Day. Now, before you mothers (mine included) send me a gift of variegated goutweed, this thought disappears quickly when my kids give me their annual recognition of the work and effort I've expended in raising them to be good responsible Canadian citizens: the proverbial hand-crafted Father's Day card made in school.

I do love them! (Kids and cards.)

They are at such a wonderful age (10 and 13), expressing beauty and attitude...which, naturally, brings me to our garden.

Fellow southern Ontario garden blogger, Barry, always talks about his cherished plants as his "kids" and you can really tell how proud a papa he is, detailing their strengths and accomplishments, never their weaknesses and failures (all our kids are special, no?)

I suppose it would be bad parenting to favour one child over the other/s (although my mother never learned about this!) but human nature being what it is, it's tempting and sometimes inevitable. I don't consider the perennials, shrubs and trees in our backyard as "kids" but I do have a strong emotional bond with certain "members" of the family.

(I do understand why it's so very hard for some of my elderly clients to accept my recommendation that it's time to prune their prized Bridal Wreath spiraea. You know, the one that hasn't been touched in over 20 years and is threatening to hide the house?) 

Sure, we're anthropomorphisizing  (big word) these silly garden plants but as far as erratic human behaviours go, it's normally harmless.

I freely admit that I have some favourites in the garden. Some have been profiled before, like my beloved "Arnold Promise" witch hazel and my "Popcorn" doublefile viburnum. 

Let me introduce you to my other favourite garden child (now a teen) showing her (always a her!) beauty. 

Say hello to my Chinese Dogwood or Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa var. chinensis): 

My kousa dogwood absolutely loaded with bracts

If you have the space for a mid-sized tree, please consider  me!

After a few years of growing moderately (but with no/few flowers), the kousa has taken off and giving my neighbours a spectacular show. I'm seeing plain old kousa blooming gloriously right now in nicer gardens over the city, along with pink hybrids like "Satomi" used as standards. C. kousa does get to be a mid-sized tree or multi-stemmed shrub but is pest free with beautiful fall colour and can be loaded with fruit.

Another of my favourite garden children you should consider growing in dappled shade is Acer palmatum "Ukigumo" or Floating Cloud Japanese maple. 

You can see, hopefully, why this cultivar is called Floating  Cloud.

If I was to plant this specimen again, I would site it in front of a very dark backdrop like painted/stained black fence or maybe a yew hedge to really make the leaves stand out. But this baby ain't moving! 

Underneath a big Japanese Tree lilac, my Ukigumo seems to be thriving.

I think dappled shade in a protected zone 5 (better with 6) site is ideal for Ukigumo. Growing it in an exposed site in full sun, with these variegated leaves, likely wouldn't work, unless you're aiming for Acer palmatum "Crispy".

Summer foliage of "Ukigumo", turning a creamy yellow in the fall

So if you have "kids" in your gardens, it's ok to have favourites.

 I hope you celebrate Father's Day in your own way.

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

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It's all about the foliage, baby!

Reasons why autumn is my favourite season as a Toronto gardener:

• I was born in September
• My wife was born in October
• We were married in September
• It's the best time to work outside
• no bugs, no humidity, deals at the garden centres

and....

• fall foliage!

"Arnold Promise" witchhazel on fire, figuratively

Detail of Hamamelis x intermedia "Arnold Promise" witchhazel leaf in autumn

This witchhazel at my clients, A & M's, has a different colouring than mine at home which has no red margin. Unusual and beautiful nevertheless. Another reason why you need a witchhazel in your garden and not another purple leaf sandcherry from a big box store!

Fall leaf colour and pome (fruit) of  Cotoneaster lucidis (Hedge cotoneaster)

Oranges and russets of Cotoneaster lucidis  (Hedge cotoneaster) in autumn

You're likely more aware of "Coral Beauty" cotoneaster or Cranberry cotoneaster (C. dammeri and horizontalis cultivars)  with their vivid red berries but I came across a hedge type which I think has superior fall colouring. I don't see C. lucidis that often in nurseries. Maybe a good alternative to privet if you're considering putting in a hedge next year.

Acer ginnala (Amur maple) fall colour

Acer ginnala (Amur maple) fall colour with a halo effect

Here are some shots of the Amur maple doing its autumn thing in my backyard. The leaves will only be on for about a week so I had to take some photos before they all drop. Acer ginnala is one tough and hardy maple. It's often sold multi-stemmed and shrubby. I prune mine as a tree form. My plant i.d. prof at Humber College called it a "poor man's Japanese maple" which I think is a bit unkind!

Cornus kousa var. chinensis
(Chinese dogwood) brilliant autumn foliage

Yet another reason to plant Cornus kousa (there are many wonderful cultivars to choose from) is the outstanding fall foliage. Chinese dogwood is one of the best plants I know with multi-seasonal interest.

Happy birthday to my wife today. 

As I tell her, gardening in the fall is all about the foliage, baby!

By Paul Jung, author of "garden muses: a Toronto gardening blog"Google Google Find us on Google+ Find us on Google+

Maybe you do need a scoop of vanilla ice cream...

Fresh Toronto Cornus kousa fruits in the raw!

As my mama used to say, "life's not a bowl of cherries" or a Chinese variation like "you can't always expect to eat the last haw gow." Life's not always smooth and plentiful but occasionally you do and should enjoy nature's bounty. The warty looking fruit in the bowl are some ripe Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa) berries I picked surreptiously as the shrubs were, technically, on private property. I find plant junkies like myself often play fast and loose with concepts like trespassing and vandalism. I even had a reply ready if someone stopped and asked me what I was doing: helping myself to the urban harvest!

Mmmm, but what about those warts?

Now, I wasn't going to eat them although they are edible in a quasi custardy-mealy way.  (Ice cream would go a long way.)  I didn't collect them for a reason as transient as consumption but rather to germinate the seeds. After mashing the pulpy fruits in my fingers, extracting the seeds and scrubbing off the pulp, I planted them in small pots so they can stratify over winter in the garage. According to a trusted source, C. kousa seeds are relatively easy to germinate and don't go through double dormancy like the viburnums I try to propagate via seeds. I'll let you know next spring how things progress.