A Riverdale Spring Cleanup in Preparation for New Plantings

An Old Boxwood Facing Its Final Days...

The spring cleanups are in full force and several homeowners are hiring me to prepare the garden areas with the aim of designing with and transplanting new perennials and shrubs. But to get to the "finished" garden, a little tidying up is needed for me to even see the blank canvas we're working with.

This Riverdale, Toronto back garden is very small (and may be one of the smallest I've dealt with) and peculiar. Although the pictures immediately below don't suggest it, the garden will be in shade once the neighbouring maple trees leaf out in a month or so. There's also a very tall spruce tree in the garden that blocks out most of the southern exposure. 

I describe the light conditions "peculiar" because the raised deck between the garden and house is in full sun for most of the day. I can only imagine how hot things get during the middle of the day up there while only a few feet away below the stairs, the garden will be in part to full shade.

From a functional perspective, the garden simply connects the house (via the deck) to the parking area. There's a great place to put a bench but my feeling is that the homeowners simply want to get to and from the house and their car quickly with something half decent to look at.

Currently, two forlorn Euonymus and one ancient, unpruned and decrepit boxwood greet the homeowners to and from work. They'll have to go but first, let's tidy up things!

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Backyard Before 

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Backyard After 

Yes, that's a boxwood in the picture 
above on the left side. 
Not what I call an ideal focal point. 

Toronto Riverdale Backyard Spring Cleanup After

Toronto Riverdale Backyard Spring Cleanup Before

Under the spruce, only some 
Lily of the Valley manage 
to eke out an existence. 

Ideally, a bench or a small lounge chair 
could be placed to the right in 
the above picture. You can see how 
shady this lower garden is at 
noon while the deck above is in 
full sun all morning and most of the afternoon.

Riverdale Toronto Spring Cleanup Back Yard After 

And in the Front Yard...

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Front Raised Bed Before 

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Front Raised Bed After

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Front Yard Before

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Front Yard After

Riverdale Toronto Spring Cleanup Front Raised Bed Before 

Riverdale Toronto Spring Cleanup Front Raised Bed After 

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Front Raised Bed Before 

Riverdale Spring Cleanup Front Raised Bed After 

I'm finalizing the new plant choices with the homeowner so stay tuned for an update about the new 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 

A summer garden cleanup in Leslieville

Weeding in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood

It's summertime, the living is easy but the work is still busy as weeds of all kinds love the heat and rain. I recently completed this back and front yard garden clean up for a typical-sized Leslieville property in Toronto's east end. (Sorry, pictures are over-exposed but I think you get the idea.)

Yes, it's a little weedy in the back!

Leslieville garden cleanup before weeding 
by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville garden cleanup before weeding 
by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville Toronto garden cleanup before weeding 
by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Leslieville Toronto garden cleanup after weeding 
by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Toronto Leslieville garden cleanup before weeding 
by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Toronto Leslieville garden cleanup after weeding
 by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Leslieville garden cleanup before weeding
 by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville garden cleanup after weeding
 by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

And here are some "before" and "after"  pictures from the front:

Leslieville front garden cleanup before weeding
by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville front garden cleanup after weeding
by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville front garden cleanup before
by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville front garden cleanup after
by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville front garden cleanup before weeding
Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville front garden cleanup after weeding
Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Stay cool and try to weed in the shade during the rest of summer 2016!

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