Showing posts with label peonies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peonies. Show all posts

17.6.14

Peonies Envy at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Bigger is better


When it comes to peonies, there's no point being subtle. You want big and heavy flowers for those two magical weeks of the year (the leaves and woody stems aren't exactly ornamental.) 

The timing was right for me and my lovely family to visit the Toronto Botanical Garden on Father's Day for an impromptu picnic. The weather was fabulous and the peonies were in full force when I took these pictures. 

Love them or hate them, the gaudy blooms can't be ignored. And when the flowers disintegrate, they'll be a fleeting memory.

I'm envious of those who have the full sun and space to grow peonies. My backyard is way too shady for their liking and, anyway, I don't want to bother with hoops and stakes. Better to admire them without any of the care!


Paeonia Kopper Kettle Hybrid Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Kopper Kettle" Hybrid Itoh Peony
 Toronto Botanical Garden 







Sea Shell Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Sea Shell" Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia Cora Louise Hybrid Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Cora Louise" Hybrid Itoh Peony
Toronto Botanical Garden

Paeonia Sequestered Sunshine Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Sequestered Sunshine" Itoh Peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia Sequestered Sunshine Hybrid Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Sequestered Sunshine" Hybrid Itoh Peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia Bartzella Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Bartzella" Itoh Peony
 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia Bartzella Hybrid Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Bartzella" Hybrid Itoh Peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia lactiflora Celebrity herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia lactiflora "Celebrity" herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden

Paeonia lactiflora Krinkled White herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia lactiflora "Krinkled White" herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia lactiflora Sea Shell herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia lactiflora "Sea Shell" herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden

Paeonia Kopper Kettle Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Kopper Kettle" Itoh Peony
 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia Cora Louise Itoh Hybrid Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Cora Louise" Itoh Hybrid Peony
Toronto Botanical Garden

Paeonia lactiflora Festiva Maxima herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia lactiflora "Festiva Maxima" herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden

Festiva Maxima  Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Festiva Maxima"  Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia lactiflora Flame herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia lactiflora "Flame" herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Flame Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Flame" Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Paeonia Yankee Doodle Dandy Hybrid Itoh Peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia "Yankee Doodle Dandy" Hybrid Itoh Peony
Toronto Botanical Garden



Peonies Envy at the Toronto Botanical Garden: Bigger is better

When it comes to peonies, there's no point being subtle. You want big and heavy flowers for those two magical weeks of the year (the leaves and woody stems aren't exactly ornamental.) The timing was right for me and my lovely family to visit the Toronto Botanical Garden on Father's Day for an impromptu picnic. The weather was fabulous and the peonies were in full force when I took these pictures. Love them or hate them, the gaudy blooms can't be ignored. And when the flowers disintegrate, they'll be a fleeting memory. I'm envious of those who have the full sun and space to grow peonies. My backyard is way too shady for their liking and, anyway, I don't want to bother with hoops and stakes. Better to admire them without any of the care!

9.4.14

Toronto Botanical Garden spring blooms

Crocus, tulips, narcissus and others at the TBG


I took advantage of the beginning of a stretch of warmer than average days (about time!) in Toronto and visited the TBG for the first time this season. Only the crocuses were blooming but the tulips and narcissus are emerging quickly so photos for these bloomers will follow.

If you're like me, you're starved for colour outside so enjoy the crocus for now, along with a shrubby friend (can you guess the genus?)



Pale blue crocus spring blooms Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Pale blue crocus spring blooms
Toronto Botanical Garden
 


Pale blue crocus spring bloom Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Pale blue crocus spring bloom
Toronto Botanical Garden




White crocus spring blooms Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
White crocus spring blooms
Toronto Botanical Garden 



Yellow crocus spring bloom Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Yellow crocus spring bloom
Toronto Botanical Garden 



Pale blue crocus spring bloom detail Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Pale blue crocus spring bloom
detail Toronto Botanical Garden 




Yellow crocus spring blooms Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Yellow crocus spring blooms
Toronto Botanical Garden
 



Hamamelis x intermedia Primavera witch hazel Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Hamamelis x intermedia "Primavera"
witch hazel Toronto Botanical Garden 


(Update: April 21, 2014)



Katharine Hodgkin Iris reticulata Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Katharine Hodgkin" Iris
(Iris reticulata "Katharine Hodgkin")
  spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Golden Yellow Crocus x luteus at Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Golden Yellow" Crocus x luteus  spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 



Helleborus x hybridus dark purple double hellebore Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Helleborus x hybridus
dark purple double hellebore
 spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 



Tulipa kaufmanniana Waterlily tulip Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Tulipa kaufmanniana (Waterlily tulip)
spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Eranthis hyemalis winter aconite Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite)
spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 


Mauve Crocus vernus Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Mauve Crocus vernus spring
2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Danford Iris Danfordiae Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Danford Iris (Iris danfordiae)
spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden
 

Dutch crocus vernus Pickwick Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Dutch crocus (Crocus vernus "Pickwick")
 2014 spring Toronto Botanical Garden 

Chionodoxa forbesii 'Pink Giant' Glory of the Snow Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Chionodoxa forbesii 'Pink Giant'
 (Glory of the Snow)
 spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

White purple yellow crocus spring blooms Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
White, purple and yellow crocus
spring blooms Toronto Botanical Garden




I couldn't help but to sneak these in (they'll be on display late in May and June).



Bartzella Intersectional Itoh Peony Paeonia x Bartzella Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Bartzella" Intersectional Itoh Peony
(Paeonia x Bartzella




Paeonia ostii 'Feng Dan Bai' Phoenix white tree peony Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Paeonia ostii 'Feng Dan Bai'
 ("Phoenix White") tree peony 




Paeonia lactiflora herbaceous peony Buckeye Belle Toronto Botanical Garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
"Buckeye Belle" Paeonia lactiflora
(
"Buckeye Belle" herbaceous peony) 


21.3.14

The Royal Botanical Gardens: a spring visit

Tulips, peonies, and wisteria from a warmer time...



Well, not this spring (yet) but from 2009. Going through my archives, I realized I never posted about my visit with Linda (my better half) to the RBG about five years ago. For the currently flower-deprived readers out there, I'm sure you'll appreciate the following pictures of spring blooms from warmer days in the past. (Who knows, we might even see similar sights around town in May but I wouldn't bet the farm on this given the severity of winter 2013-2014.)



Royal Botanical Gardens pale pink tulips by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens pale pink tulips 





The Royal Botanical Gardens is the
 "largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and registered charitable organization with a mandate to bring together people, plants and nature" and "located at the western tip of Lake Ontario. Four distinct formal gardens are contained with 1100 hectares of nature reserve, nestled into the slopes of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve." 


My visit didn't cover the entire 110 hectares--just a quiet afternoon on a pleasant May day. The RBG is only about 30-45 minutes from Toronto located near Burlington. It's very well-known for its herbaceous perennials display (especially peonies), tulips at the Rock Garden and the mature specimens in the Arboretum.

I think a visit is long overdue!

(p.s. I apologize in advance for not providing the correct cultivars for the peonies and tulips. If you can help, just send me an e-mail. Thanks!)



Royal Botanical Gardens dark purple wine tree peony by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
dark purple wine tree peony 



Royal Botanical Gardens pink tree peony by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens pink tree peony


Royal Botanical Gardens purple peony by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens purple tree peony 



Royal Botanical Gardens massed tulips by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens massed tulips 



Royal Botanical Gardens orange tulips by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens orange tulips 



Royal Botanical Gardens pale orange tulips by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens pale orange tulips



Royal Botanical Gardens Japanese wisteria floribunda Lawrence by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog.JPG
Royal Botanical Gardens
Japanese wisteria
(Wisteria floribunda "Lawrence")

Royal Botanical Gardens doublefile viburnum plicatum lanarth by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
doublefile Viburnum plicatum "Lanarth"


Royal Botanical Gardens doublefile viburnum plicatum lanarth blooms by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
doublefile Viburnum plicatum "Lanarth" blooms 


Royal Botanical Gardens purple lilac syringa vulgaris by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
 purple lilac Syringa vulgaris

Royal Botanical Gardens syringa vulgaris purple lilac by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
Syringa vulgaris purple lilac 

Royal Botanical Gardens tulips Rock garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
tulips in Rock garden 

Royal Botanical Gardens pink tulips by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
pink and red tulips in the Rock Garden

Royal Botanical Gardens red tulips by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens red tulips 

Royal Botanical Gardens yellow tulips red streaks by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens yellow tulips red streaks

Royal Botanical Gardens clipped boxwoods Laking  knot garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
 clipped boxwoods Laking  knot garden 

Royal Botanical Gardens clipped boxwood knot Laking  garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
clipped boxwood knot garden at
the Laking Garden 

Royal Botanical Gardens Laking  knot garden by garden muses-not another Toronto gardening blog
Royal Botanical Gardens
Laking Garden knot garden
 with topiary and thyme


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