You Can Keep Your Lilacs...

Fragrant shrubs we should see more in Toronto gardens

I can't think of too many fragrant flowering shrubs that are blooming now in Toronto. Yes, I know, lilacs will be doing their thing in another month but we need spring to smell heady and overpowering right now! Since I love hyacinths but can't grow them due to the presence of those beady-eyed devils that inevitably nip off blooms the day before they are set to open, a woody substitute is a fragrant viburnum.

My wife worked at Mount Pleasant Cemetery this past weekend and before meeting her after work, I strolled/stalked around looking at tree and flower buds which are just about to open. As an aside, if you are a tree "nut" (bad pun absolutely intended), the cemetery has a selection that rivals any arboretum in Toronto. Not expecting to smell anything besides that distinctive earthy/wet odour heightened by a month of solid rain (it seems), I was smacked nasally with a clove-y, sweet and sharp waft of viburnum pungency remarkably akin to vanilla Coke! (Other viburnums like V. dentatum and lantana smell of dirty socks, wet dog, or cat urine according to some sensitive noses!)

I followed my nose to this shrub....

Farrer's viburnum in bloom

Lucky for me there was a label nearby as I was not familiar with this species. I have a Fragrant Snowball (Viburnum x carlcephalum) in my back garden but the leaves are different from those on this shrub that drew me in. This is Farrer's viburnum, named after the early 20th century plant explorer Reginald Farrer. The plant's height and width was around 8' by 8' or so with a loose and leggy structure. Like most viburnums, I suspect it doesn't need coddling with respect to soil and moisture needs. It's thriving in a cemetery after all!

After walking some more and clearing my head a little, I saw some pink-white blooms in the distance down-wind from me (the air flow direction will be pertinent in a moment.) Maybe Saucer Magnolia blooms? But with the slow spring and the fact that Star Magnolias are blooming now, the bigger and later blooming x soulangiana flowers were unlikely to be the answer. Purple leaf Sandcherries or a cherry in general? A little too early as well.

Getting closer...

Bodnant viburnum blooms



That remarkable smell again but with pink flowers! No label to help me this time but with leaves very similar to V. farreri, I think this is a specimen of Bodnant Viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense "Dawn".)  The grouping of three of these viburnums amongst a grove of serviceberries produce a great show through most of the year in this part of the cemetery. The fall colour should be outstanding, I'll need to revisit.  The viburnum's fruits ("drupes") will turn from red to purple-black and last much longer than those devoured from the serviceberry. Additional winter interest from the berries makes viburnums make the genus a multi-season choice.

Space permitting, consider placing a fragrant viburnum down-wind near a deck or patio to enjoy. Or right near a path so that you can stick your nose right into the blooms, inhale, and bliss out for a few moments!

No More Forsythia Balls! Choose Cornus mas Instead.

Toronto gardeners have an alternative: Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas)

In a "parkette" nearby which doubles as a dog run (watch out while treading!),  the City of Toronto has planted some more "unusual" shrubs and perennials. I use this adjective because I constantly see the "classic" run of the mill selection like yews, euonymus, and forsythia in private foundation plantings instead of public spaces. You know there's a disconnect when the city's park planners are more progressive than many landscape contractors.

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) in bloom

Anyway, off my soap box, here's a shot of some Cornelian cherry or Cornus mas blooming right now in downtown Toronto. The bright yellow flowers cluster along tan branches and are welcome at this time of the year.
 



A closer image of Cornus mas flower buds yet to open


A closer look at some buds which will open within a few days. One can expect red oval fruits the size of...cherries...by late July and August. The shrub doesn't have a noteworthy form or structure but the fall colour is a nice purple/red/violet mix so we have at least 3 seasons worth of interest. Cornus mas is also very hardy here in zone 5/6 so one doesn't have to baby it through the winter. And you get rewarded with a bright shot of colour in these still early days of spring. Can't you tell I love this plant?

Three Cornus mas shrubs in full  sun

Here's a grove of several Cornelian cherries facing south and west and getting full sun (8 hours plus.) These plants are about 15' tall by 10' wide or so each and should be given the proper spacing. They shouldn't be pruned/tortured into cubes, balls, or other odd shapes, which leads me to...forsythia!

We will be seeing forsythia blooming in about another month and, to be sure, the shrub will be ablaze with yellow...for about two weeks. Afterwards, it will revert to a green blob or a huge tangled mess. No appreciable fall colour, no wildlife interest, prone to galls and anthracnose, the choice is obvious: choose Cornus mas instead!

  

Allan Gardens Conservatory 2011 Spring Flower Show

In need of some colour, quick!

After I visited a potential client this morning, I had some time to fill before picking up my kids. Allan Gardens Conservatory is nearby so I hopped in for a short visit. You can't beat the price of admission--free--and the greenhouse complex is easily reached by public transit.
  

What we want our garden bed to look like right now

Upon entering, I'm always hit by a smell of, I think, dormant oil spray. (I guess I'll always associate the place with this odour.) Does anyone else have this experience?

One section has rotating themes throughout the year and right now there are spring bulbs and perennials in bloom. To the right, this section of a bed presents a complementary contrast between the purple tulips and yellow pansies. (Sorry, there were no name tags detailing the cultivars so enjoy the pictures for now, there's no plant i.d. test at the end!) Spilling over the top is a variegated English Ivy tying the purple and yellow together. The daffodils bring up the rear while the phorium crashes the party and makes its presence known!

Could you not see this combination in a spring container?

Look at me, darn you!

I couldn't resist taking this shot of this primrose. She/he/it was among the gaudier of the others. The markings seem almost fluorescent and that halo is just...I love it! This little guy jumped at me from about 20 feet away it seemed. (Magenta and yellow tend to cause this or a migrane I guess.)

Another section of the Conservatory holds all the tender tropical plants that need high humidity and warmer temperatures.  I snapped this shot of Strongylodon macrobotrys or jade vine, a tropical vine native to the Phillipines.

Strongylodon macrobotrys (Jade Vine) 

My lousy pic during overcast conditions doesn't do justice to the flowers' glow. It's really a colour you don't expect to see walking through the greenhouse, your eyes drawn to the vibrant reds and yellows of the croton, alternanthera, and coleus. Then the blue says hello. And you smile.

Hamamelis X intermedia 'Arnold Promise' Witch Hazel Blooming in My Toronto Garden

Hamamelis X intermedia 'Arnold Promise' Witch Hazel in My Toronto Garden

My first post, it's kind of exciting. Aside from last week's snow blip, we should be warming up. The sunshine today certainly is welcome.



"Arnold Promise" witch hazel bloom detail

 The 'Arnold Promise' witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise')  in the backyard blooms so reliably every March that it is, to me, the true harbinger of warmer days. Besides, what few snowdrops and crocuses I had have been destroyed gradually by the squirrels over the years.

 I've seen witch hazels occasionally around the city but more often than not they are the fall-blooming common witch hazel Hamemelis virginiana. There are several groves of fall-blooming H. virginiana in the gardens near the front entrance of Allans Gardens Conservatory.

Backlit, the flowers really glow a clean yellow and provide the only colour, flower-wise, at this time. They have a faint but sweet fragrance too, if you are curious. Visually, they appear to be "spiders" resting on branches, waiting to be reviewed up close.



A single flower in detail; strangely beautiful and preposterous

Sometimes I cut a few errant branches in late February or early March and put them in water. This process, called forcing, is also done with other shrubs like forsythia where the flowers "bloom" indoors.

My only quibble with my witch hazel is that the leaves persist all winter. But this is so minor! I try to incorporate this shrub in my landscape designs due to its multi-season interest and pest resistance.

"Arnold Promise" witchhazel
(Hamemelis x intermedia) blooms

Hamamelis x intermedia
"Arnold Promise" witchhhazel blooms