Another Toronto Fall Garden Cleanup in the Coxwell-Danforth Area

Putting A Garden To Rest (With This Gardener To Follow!)

Just another week or so left in my work season and a few more fall cleanups to complete for my clients. It will be too cold for me to work outside by the beginning of December and who knows, it may even snow! 

My previous post titled "A Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Garden Cleanup: Saying "Goodbye" to "Annabelle" for the Season" covered the "pros" and "cons" of pruning Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') hard in the fall versus doing so the following spring. I was faced with the same scenario with another fall garden cleanup in Toronto's east end neighbourhood called "Coxwell-Danforth." 

There are three groups of Smooth Hydrangea in this garden and, previously this summer, I staked and "corseted" the leaning stems and flowers with twine. In the picture below, you may notice how upright the brown stems and "pom-poms" are but that's only because of the twine encircling everything.

The client's backyard is small, which is typical for this area, and surrounded by two massive Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) trees which means the garden is in shade for most of the summer and by the time autumn rolls around, a ton (not literally) of leaves collect in the yard.

As instructed by my clients, the tasks for the backyard were to prune the hydrangeas "hard" to about 6" above the ground and collect all the leaves from the beds and patio. They didn't find snow-covered shrubs particularly interesting so down went the stems. (In case you're wondering, all garden clippings and leaves can be collected by the city to be composted.)

And here are the results from this straight-forward cleanup:

At times like this, my electric cordless
leaf blower is indispensable.

I didn't know the statute was there either!

You can see more closely how the
fences accommodate the trees.

Not much "winter interest" with these
stubs but the clients don't care so...

Already for the impending blanket of snow.

A Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Garden Cleanup

Saying "Goodbye" to "Annabelle" for the Season

I think it's safe to say that most Toronto gardeners recognize Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens "Annabelle") since this shrub is so commonly used in our local gardens. Why? Likely because it's relatively cheap to buy, easy to maintain and, I guess, many homeowners have a thing for white pom poms.

By late autumn, however, as the picture below shows, "Annabelle" often looks tired and wants to nod off for her winter slumber.

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup

If applicable during a fall cleanup, I always ask the homeowner (my client) whether she or he wants me to cut down "Annabelle"s floppy stems or leave the shrub alone in the hope that snow falling and collecting on the spent flower heads produces "winter interest" for the viewer. Now if the stems were sturdy and the old blooms were upright, I would say "let's not touch them until next spring" but in most cases, the shrub hasn't been pruned for several seasons, many central stems are dead and existing stems tend to be "leggy" and prone to bend. 

In other words, the client instructed me to cut them down to about 6 inches off the ground with the result below:

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup

Instead of seeing a bent mound of dead and dormant stems and blooms, my client will see such stubs until snow covers them. This isn't a good or bad thing in my opinion. Many clients believe that this will save work next April or May (it will) and since I'm here raking up leaves and cutting down the other perennials, "I might as well look after the hydrangeas" in their minds.

I could argue with my client about the advantages of not pruning "Annabelle" hydrangeas in the fall but it's not good business sense to argue with a client when the plant's health isn't compromised by pruning hard now. (It's not smart to argue with your client for whatever reason because even if you "win", you lose.)

Smooth hydrangeas bloom on new stems anyway so cutting stems hard now or 5 months later isn't an issue with me. It's not like I'm "meatballing" a Japanese maple or anything egregious like that.
 

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup before

Here's the view looking towards the back fence before and after the cleanup. Besides pruning the hydrangeas, I cut back the old mushy hosta foliage and flower stalks and tattered lily of the valley leaves while not touching the lavender (foreground right) and the sole Fothergilla shrub (background left).

 

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Backyard Garden Clean up

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Backyard Garden Clean up

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup before

Here are the views looking from the back fence towards the house. It was a very gusty day so leaves fell as soon as I raked them up. Notice the smooth hydrangea stubs. Which look do you prefer: stubs or no stubs?

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup after

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Front Yard Garden Cleanup  before

I also tidied up the front yard and the pictures above and below show the view from the front door down the path leading to the sidewalk.The gardens are mulched so I didn't go crazy with the leaf blower. As long as the path was cleared of slippery wet leaves (a lawsuit waiting to happen otherwise), a few leaves in the beds were acceptable.

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Front Yard Garden Cleanup after

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Front Yard Garden Clean up before

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Front Yard Garden Clean up  after

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Front Yard Garden Clean up  before

As I have often been doing during 2017's fall cleanups, I had cut down old peony and phlox stalks. The mophead hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is not pruned since next year flower buds are on the stalks now.

Cabbagetown Toronto Fall Front Yard Garden Clean up after

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Front Yard Garden Cleanup before

And lastly, here are the views of the front path leading to the front door. The spirea just behind the gate needs to be pruned next spring as it's getting too wide and encroaching on to the path. Why this shrub was planted in a 12" wide bed is another story....

Toronto Cabbagetown Fall Front Yard Garden Cleanup after

A Toronto Fall Garden Cleanup in the Greektown-Danforth neighbourhood

A Few More Leaves, A Few More Weeks....

Half decent days for working outside are fewer as we enter in late November here in Toronto. While it was just above freezing yesterday, working conditions were dry at least. This makes a fall cleanup so much easier and almost enjoyable!

I visit Brian, my client, about three times a year and tidy up the back and front yards. The property located in the Greektown-Danforth area isn't large but being surrounded by trees, the area receives more than its fair share of leaves.

Toronto Greektown on the Danforth Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup before

"Cut down hostas, cut down hostas...." 

is my mantra every November. You can see the yellow 

collapsed hosta mess to the right.

These lilac leaves dropped overnight after 

last week's "flash freeze"; hence, there was 

no appreciable fall colour for this shrub.

 Lots of maple leaves to greet me on this sunny and brisk November morning.

Toronto Greektown on the Danforth Fall Front Garden Cleanup before 

Toronto Greektown on the Danforth Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup after

Greektown on the Danforth Toronto Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup after

Greektown on the Danforth Fall Backyard Garden Cleanup after 

You can actually see the sidwalk and path to the house again!
 

Toronto Greektown on the Danforth Fall Front Garden Cleanup after

I've planted many dozens of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and crocus in the front bed shown above over the years so we should get another nice show next early spring.

A few more fall cleanups to show so bear with me, dear reader!

!Hasta La Vista, Hostas!

A Fall Garden Cleanup in Toronto's Oakwood Village 

Hostas are perennials found in many Toronto gardens (to the point of being overused) so more often than not, I deal with removing their collapsed foliage during a fall cleanup. The picture below shows the typical "fall hosta flop" as these perennials are entering into dormancy. You could leave the foliage alone over the winter as the plants will send up new shoots faithfully next spring but most of my clients want to remove this type of mushy mess now.

Oakwood Village Toronto Fall Backyard Cleanup before

Oakwood Village Toronto Backyard Fall Cleanup before 

This burning bush above still has decent fall foliage. I'll remove the faded flowers from the Hydrangea paniculata "Grandiflora" standard since the client doesn't see this shrub from the house. If it was my shrub, I'd leave it alone until next spring as the flowers do collect the snow, providing some "winter interest".

Oakwood Village Toronto Fall Backyard Cleanup before

The shrub on the right side of the picture above is a ubiquitous Rose of Sharon. I'm not in love with this plant but the client wanted to keep it during this garden's makeover which I profiled in this post titled "Establishing Proportion in a Toronto Shade Garden ("Yes, these junipers will get big!") I find the Rose of Sharon just self-seeds everywhere so as a preventive measure, I cut off as many seedheads right now but it's guaranteed that I'll also pull out a dozen seedlings by next summer.

Oakwood Village Backyard Fall Cleanup before 

The side bed has faded Astilbe, Brunnera and Chelone (turtlehead) stalks and stems, which I'll cut down. At the front of the border, the row of sweet woodruff is filling in nicely, except for one spot to the right where it died. I'll need to replace it next spring!

And here are the corresponding pictures afterwards:

Goobye hostas until next May....

Oakwood Village Toronto Backyard Fall Cleanup after

Oakwood Village Toronto Fall Backyard Cleanup after

Oakwood Village Backyard Fall Cleanup after 

A perennial that hasn't collapsed (and won't) is a very useful sedge (Carex) shown below called "Ice Dance". Toronto had two nights of very atypical and extremely cold temperatures in the minus 10-15 Celsius range last week but these sedges didn't care.

They are not touched at all right now as they will keep their form all winter. By next spring, yes, they'll look a little beat up with many of the leaves turned brown. I just grab the old leaves "by their hair" if you can imagine and clip down to 6 inches or so. New and fresh-looking shoots will emerge by May. 

Carex morrowii  'Ice Dance' Japanese Sedge 

A Bedford Park, Toronto Backyard Garden Fall Cleanup

Tidy Up Quickly, Winter's Coming (er, it Actually Arrived!)

Another couple of weeks before this work season is finished and the fall cleanups just keep coming! Working in the cold is tough enough but add a bit of rain/sleet/snow and it really becomes hard slogging.

We had a "flash freeze" last week where several nights had temperatures plummet to -15 Celsius. It's rare to have such low temperatures in November here in Toronto. I worked the morning after the storm rolled in and I can safely say, it sucked. Perennials I'm cutting down have turned to mush and containers I'm trying to empty now hold solid blocks of soil and ice.

Today's post covers a fall cleanup in the Bedford Park neighbourhood of Toronto. I visit the property in the spring and fall to keep things looking halfway decent. It's a rental property so the gardens are left to their own devices so I never really know what to expect in terms of maintenance.

The backyard has a pool so I'm responsible for weeding and pruning the perennials and shrubs in the narrow side beds as shown below.

More peonies and hydrangeas to cut down in this narrow bed

I don't mind leaving these "Annabelle" smooth hydrangea 
flowers alone for the winter but the client said, 
more or less, "off with their heads!"

These mophead hydrangeas (Hortensia) normally 
still keep their leaves in early November but the 
freezing temperatures have turned them almost black

The back corner is simply covered in mulch

If you can help it, just leave these ornamental grasses alone over winter. 
But the client wanted all the perennials cut down, so....

Frozen and thawed hosta leaves. It's a shame that 
this blue leaved variety ("Halcyon"?) never had a chance 
to turn a mellow yellow colour.  It's all a mess of mushy leaves and stems.

And afterwards....

Toronto Gardening Services Bedford Park
Garden Fall Clean up after 

Bedford Park Toronto Garden 
Fall Clean up after

Bedford Park Toronto Garden 
Fall Cleanup after

Bedford Park Backyard Fall Clean up after 

Bedford Park Backyard Fall Cleanup after 

Fall Cleanup Bedford Park Toronto after 

I bid this garden adieu until next spring. I'm sure there will be many weeds to greet me then!