They Really Do Sleep, Creep, and Leap! Perennials in a Toronto Garden

Occasionally, a gardening cliché is true

If you've been gardening long enough, you've come across your share of horticultural rules of thumb, proverbs, observations, truisms, etc.. Nuggets of horticultural wisdom like "choose the right plant for the right space", "feed the soil, not the plant" and "plant a fifty-five cent plant in a five dollar hole" (amen) are good pieces of advice. I wish I'd listen to these adages as a new gardener many years ago--it would have saved me a ton of heartache (and cash) by preventing many of the plants I bought from inexplicably perishing or taking over the entire bed. But this is just tuition paid by a newbie gardener so "chin up", to use another idiom.

New Danforth Greektown perennial garden

Speaking of idioms. another horticultural saying came to my mind when I last visited a garden I designed about three years ago in Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood (a.k.a. "The Danforth" area).

(The installation is profiled in my blog post titled A new garden in the Danforth/Greektown area of Toronto: a case study.)

I usually tidy up this backyard garden in the spring and fall so it's interesting to see if the original plants I planted have thrived or not. Even after researching what the "correct" plant should be based on existing site conditions and the garden owner's preferences, whether the newly transplanted perennial, shrub or tree actually lives is a bit of crap shoot. Things just fade away, occasionally, even with adequate cultural conditions and plant care. The plant warranty honoured by the garden centre is there for such tragedies.

Transplanting not only involves the "right plant, right place" adage but also, when spacing out the proposed holes, imaging how the mature size of whatever you're plopping in (remember, "five dollar hole") will look in five years and beyond (this is especially true for trees but some homeowners ignore this, to the future benefit of tree trimming companies.) For herbaceous perennials, it's been said, one should expect them to "sleep" during the first year after transplanting. "creep" during year two and, fingers crossed, "leap!" in year three and beyond.

But what does this saying mean?

It's not unusual for newly planted perennials to simply "sit" in the garden. They've likely experienced some transplant shock from being displaced out of the cozy confines of the greenhouse straight into your garden but I also suspect they're using more food energy (carbohydrates) in establishing new roots and not necessarily concerned about pumping out new leaves or flowers for our enjoyment.

That's my best guess anyway.

Nevertheless, I'm delighted to report that sleeping, creeping and leaping definitely have occurred in this perennial garden over the past three years!

East view:

I've broken up the "garden in progress" pictures into three views to make things easier to follow.

Below is the set looking east showing how the newly transplanted perennials and "Seiryu" cut-leaf Japanese maple are doing since 2014. (The two two columnar European Hornbeams (Carpinus betulus "Columnaris" ) were planted in 2015.)

The Danforth new garden design after

"Honorine Jobert" Japanese Anemone
(Anemone x hybrida) and friends

New Greektown Toronto perennial garden 

If you're wondering out loud "holy cow, that's a lot of green!", you're absolutely right. The client wanted perennials and trees with green foliage and white flowers. That's it. Whether the monochromatic colour scheme is tranquil or boring is, of course, determined through the eyes of the beholder. I personally find it calming and quasi-formal without the need for boxwoods, yews and other evergreens clipped within an inch of their lives. The different foliage shapes give enough contrasting visual interest to prevent one from falling asleep in the garden (although there are worse experiences in life.)

North view:

The Danforth garden design before 

The Danforth garden design after 

New Danforth backyard year two

Greektown Toronto garden design after 

North-east view:

The Danforth Toronto garden design before  

The Danforth Toronto garden design after  

Monochromatic green garden design Danforth backyard 

Greektown Toronto new perennial garden 

I find the "sleep, creep and leap" rhyme is useful to manage the expectations of impatient gardeners and, importantly for me, impatient clients. On the other hand, "sleep, creep and weep" is just as educational to the gardener. I'll readily admit I've planted trendy and "must-have" (i.e., expensive) perennials and shrubs as dictated by some marketing guy or gal only to experience the silly plant sulking and disappearing after a few years.

As I mentioned earlier, gardening is a bit of a crap shoot at times but we still dig, hope and smile if we're successful.

Cabbagetown shade garden makeover

Massing as a design principle in a shady Toronto backyard garden

A case of "been there, done that" for many gardeners, myself included. During my horticultural novice and "newbie" days. I went plant shopping much like grocery shopping: I picked up one of this plant, one of that plant, another one of a different perennial, etc. This makes sense when picking up a loaf of bread or a bag of milk (milk comes in bags for us in Ontario, which is a bizarre concept for many out of province visitors) but doesn't work too well when it comes to garden design.

This came to mind when I first visited this client's backyard Toronto garden in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood  last fall. As a new gardener, she made some common "rookie mistakes" like planting shrubs that needed full sun in her shady yard, placing a redbud tree in a very narrow bed close to the fence, and buying three of one variety of perennial but planting them separately in different beds. (For the record, we all have done variations of the above, including all too many "professional" landscapers and gardeners.)

It's very apparent how disparate the plantings were. You had one perennial here, the same variety by itself somewhere else and the third in the trio in another bed. Repeat this several times and you can see how there wasn't unity in the plantings.

Here are some "before" examples:

Toronto Cabbagetown garden makeover before

Cabbagetown garden makeover before

These aren't the best pictures as the perennials are either going into dormancy or are hidden by leaves but perhaps you can make out one ornamental grass sitting beside one Heuchera sitting beside one hosta....

Yes, in the picture immediately above, this small bed contained one smokebush, one ninebark and the trunk you see is a redbud. Not ideal plant placement, shall we say, given their mature sizes and present location.

Fast forward to this spring and I came up with a list of new perennials and shrubs that fit in better with the shady surroundings. I also simply grouped all the same type of perennials that were already in the gardens but seemed to be lost when planted by themselves. Here are "after" pictures of the two views above.

Cabbagetown Toronto garden makeover after

Cabbagetown garden makeover after 

Massing the same plants together goes a long way to create unity in the garden and nothing rests the eye and brain more than unity, cohesion and congruence (if these goals are what you intentionally aim for.)

I removed two ninebarks, two smokebushes, one small redbud tree (all were donated)  and added three dwarf Fothergilla gardenii, three Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia "Ruby Spice") , one "Rainbow Pillar" serviceberry, and the garden's focal point was a very lovely (you sense my envy?) Acer palmatum "Orangeola" Japanese maple.

New perennials added included "Jack Frost" brunnera and "Ivory Prince" hellebores. Many existing hostas were divided and/or simply grouped together. They seemed much happier!


Nothing sells a plant faster than its flowers and this "Mt. Airy" Fothergilla and his/her nursery relatives were likely snapped up. It's a delightful shrub which I've profiled in a blog post before:

I need to get this plant: Dwarf fothergilla. Horticultural lust for Fothergilla gardenii

The fall colour in this garden should be outstanding!

Dwarf Fothergilla gardenii "Mt. Airy"
in a Cabbagetown Toronto garden 

Once the transplanting was finished, I kidded with the client that "it's actually looking like a garden now!"

I think you'd agree too.

More "before" and "after" pictures of the various beds from different viewpoints. The width of the entire backyard is only 25-30 feet in shade, typical for a downtown Toronto backyard.

Cabbagetown garden makeover before 

Cabbagetown garden makeover after 

Cabbagetown garden makeover before

Cabbagetown garden makeover after 

Toronto Cabbagetown garden makeover before

Toronto Cabbagetown garden makeover after

Toronto Cabbagetown garden makeover before

Toronto Cabbagetown garden makeover after 

Cabbagetown Toronto garden makeover before

Cabbagetown Toronto garden makeover after

"Waterfall" Japanese maple? I'll be dammed!

Another example of bad pruning in a Toronto garden

I don't maintain lawns so my clients either pay for another company to cut, fertilize and spray herbicides on their turf, do it themselves or simply don't have grass. Landscape maintenance companies also get involved with pruning and I'm sure you've seen many examples of meatballs as "foundation plantings" where you live. (I like the term "landscape management" better because it more accurately reflects the business philosophy of looking after a large block of clients with big areas of turf on their properties). "Meatballs" are especially popular around commercial establishments like gas stations and coffee shops, as profiled in another post titled "Trust Me: I'm a Professional Landscaper When did yews become checker pieces?"

I felt compelled; however, to show you a recent example of a questionable, to be extremely charitable, pruning job at one of my client's front garden. I did not do this!

Acer palmatum "Waterfall" Japanese maple
without the waterfall

To give you some context, this weeping-form  Japanese maple is normally a wonderful lace-leaf green variety that is called at times "Waterfall" or "Viridis." The specimen above didn't invoke images of water tumbling over anything. To be honest, I see a somewhat flattened green macaroon.

Although it did make me weep a little.

Here's the view from the front porch looking down. Tell me what you see! It will be kind of like a horticultural Rorschach test.

Kind of cool how this green disc seems to be hovering!

Bad pruning example of
a "Waterfall"  Japanese maple

What to make of all this? I don't have an axe to grind with these "mow-blow-go" guys (and it's almost always men who wield the gas-powered clippers) who can't/don't/won't distinguish between a shrub versus a small tree (!) They don't have an incentive to prune properly because, likely, their pay reflects being a "labourer" and they have to haul their butts to the next job site (or to grab a coffee or a smoke, etc.)

You really do get what you pay for in life, though, and if/when a potential client states that "you're too expensive" or variations of "you want me to pay you what to pull a few weeds?!", I'll send them this blog link to perhaps enlighten and illuminate the true cost of things.

By the way, this is what a "Waterfall" Japanese maple, in the fall, should look like, unbutchered:

Laceleaf Japanese maple
(Acer palmatum dissectum "Viridis")  autumn foliage 

A great reminder that autumn is around the corner. I hope you had a wonderful summer and thank you for continuing to read "garden muses", the dozen of you guys and gals out there!

Falling for Japanese maples in the fall

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's Japanese maples

While there isn't a horticultural version of the Ten Commandments (that I'm aware of), more than a few gardeners every late autumn across Toronto feel pangs of envy and covetousness while peering at another's Japanese maple.

Well, I do.

(On a side note, I've heard reports of specimen Japanese maples stolen from front gardens (and a cemetery!) in our fair city. Obviously, a different Commandment is being broken here.)

You likely walk past more than a few small landscape trees  on your way to work or the store, not really giving much thought to the dark red (wine?) or green leaves. Then, starting in late October for us, it seems that these maples flip a switch and start glowing.

Acer palmatum "Mikawa Yatsubusa" 
Japanese maple autumn foliage 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

It's mid November now and the Japanese maple show is starting to wind down a little but I was able to capture these photos over the past few weeks showing some unusual Acer palmatum cultivars showing their fall finery at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

I've had mixed success with Japanese maples in my backyard as I've lost two to verticillum wilt: a very nice and expensive "Seiryu" and a very nice and expensive "Osakazuki" (you see the pertinent adjectives?) Of course the Viburnum plicatum Japanese snowballs are growing madly so these spots have been filled nicely.

Acer palmatum "Coonara Pygmy"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum "Crimson Queen"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
 at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Acer palmatum var. dissectum "Waterfall"
 laceleaf Japanese maple autumn foliage

Acer palmatum "Kagiri Nishiki"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Acer palmatum "Kamagata"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
 at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Acer palmatum "Kiyo-hime"
  Japanese maple fall foliage
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum "Kiyo-hime"
  Japanese maple fall foliage detail
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum "Linearlobum"
Japanese maple fall foliage
 at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum "Mikawa Yatsubusa"
 Japanese maple autumn foliage
 at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum "Mikawa Yatsubusa"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
at theToronto Botanical Garden

Acer palmatum "Osakazuki"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
 at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Acer palmatum "Trompenburg"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum var. dissectum "Green Hornet"
 Japanese maple fall foliage
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Acer palmatum var. dissectum "Waterfall"
 Japanese maple foliage 

Fall foliage of Acer palmatum 
"Linearlobum"Japanese maple
 at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Laceleaf Japanese maple
 (Acer palmatum var. dissectum "Waterfall")
 autumn foliage on display at a client's garden

Oh, by the way, my neighbours don't have a Japanese maple but rather a plastic lawn (artificial turf) installed. No coveting here...

The fleeting beauty of autumn Japanese maples

Some Acer palmatum cultivars I love (there are so many!)

Lovers of Japanese maples notice when the foliage just switches in autumn to almost electric colours: crimson, scarlet, gold, and tangerine, among others. The fall foliage doesn't last too long before strong November winds here in zone 5/6 Toronto strip them off branches.

Acer palmatum  "Bloodgood" is the most commonly found cultivar in many gardens, almost to the point of being overused. When you see dozens of 3 or 5 gallon containers of these plants stranded at big box stores, half-dead by August, you kind of weep. (But some deals were amazing.)

I'm still busy with fall garden work so I took the following pictures to, at and from work. I'll try to add more but it's getting very late in the season!

Acer palmatum "Bloodgood" Japanese maple's autumn colour 

Acer palmatum "Bloodgood" Japanese maple
 autumn leaves against a brilliant blue sky 

Acer palmatum "Butterfly" Japanese maple's autumn colour. 

Notice the variegated margin which is much more pronounced 

in the spring when the new foliage emerges. 

I planted this specimen in my sister's garden (what a good brother I am!)

Acer palmatum Crimson Queen Japanese maple's autumn colour.
This maple is located at the perimeter of  my client's rain garden.

Acer palmatum "Seiryu" Japanese maple's autumn colour.
I have two Seiryus in my backyard and recommend that you have at least one!

Acer palmatum "Shishigashira" ("Lion's Head") Japanese maple's autumn colour. 

Acer palmatum "Shishigashira" ("Lion's Head")Japanese maple's autumn leaf colour.
The curly leaves are quite unusual!

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

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