Destructive Beetles

These beetles are singing "all you need is love" right now and they are eating and copulating like the world is ending. Which of course it is for them right now - their life cycle is about up.
Meanwhile they have caused destruction to my climbing hydrangea.  The good news is that they are leaving my roses alone, and the hydrangea is a tough plant that can withstand the devastation.

Brown holey leaves show the effect of the Japanese beeltes voracious appetite. 

They are beautiful with their coppery brown body and green jeweled head.

badly eaten leaves have a lacey quality

Almost every leaf of this large vine hosts a beetle

Perennial Mid summer gardens

Perennial gardens are a challenge. Mid summer gardens can be bereft of flowers, if you don't know your zone and don't plan for changing seasons of colour. There is a reason most gardens tours are in late Spring when things are fresh and green and not eaten by bugs.
Of course you can always take the easy way out and put in annuals which will carry you through this time of year.
Every year I plant morning glories for this time of year and they never fail to impress.

Morning glories and hibiscus

Daylily

Phlox

My favourite phlox

Monkshood, tall and stately, but need to be staked - you don't find this colour of blue on many flowers.

Clematis

What could be prettier - clematis and roses

Clematis with a Cherokee Chief Dogwood in the background

This time of year the clematis are spectactular. Mine is just coming into bloom, but some early blooming ones have already finished. Each week int he garden reveals some new plant coming into it's own. Isn't that what gardening is all about?

Tell tale signs

Finally the snowdrops are appearing.  After having the coldest March on record for 100 years I think the worst is over.  I removed the layer of leaves that covered the garden so I could appreciate the snowdrops all the better.
The winter was beautiful with a layer of white snow covering the garden debris and making everything look sparkly and new. But once we reach the brown stage of spring I can't hlep being impatient for the flowers of Spring. I even made an urn with artificial flowers.

Now is a good time to rake the garden.  The ground is still frozen and you don't damage the tender plants.

Canada Blooms

These flower creations look like real cakes!

Sometimes the stars align and things just fall into place.  Imagine our joy when we arrived at Canada Blooms show and found out today was free parking.  It doesn't take much to make our hearts glad.
There were some very unusual displays this year.
My favourite exhibit was the Garfield Thompson Landscape Limited. His use of natural settings and water features are incredibly original.

Such detail!

Water comes out of the stone fountain, across the table, and falls into a recirculating pool. 

Incredible flower dresses.

Loved the use of natural stone.

My favourite exhibit had a fountain which tracks across a table slab. 

Chinese Lanterns

Once you get this plant from seed or seedlings, you have it for life.

Nothing says Fall like Chinese Lanterns,  Physalis alkekengi. The book says: "Plant where they have lots of room to grow." They will wander all over your garden and each year will emerge in a new spot.  It will drive you crazy if you believe in law and order with your plants.  Gardens must really match our personalities or its a battle you can't win.  I have them in a 'wild' section with ferns and don't mind where they emerge.
My trick to make them stand out is to pinch off the leaves that block the lanterns after they develop so that they are seen more easily.
Next year I'm going to put some seedlings in a pot in the Spring and then move them where I want them in the Fall.

Morning glorious

Grown from seed.  Every year I fill this planter with morning glories.

 I tried the new grafter tomato plants this year.  I choose cherry tomatoes one yellow and one red variety.  The grafted tomatoes are grown on heirloom root stock which makes them vigorous but has the superior taste of the newer varietials.  I was apprehensive about the final size of this plant. It is supposed to grow to 8 ft! While the red variety was not as juicy as I would have liked.  The tomatoes matured earlier and started bearing fruit very early in the summer.  Worth growing for that alone! I have a very shady location and the tomatoes probably only get 4 hours a day max. but they managed to produce a fair number of tomatoes.  At between $8. - 12 a plant.  You need a few salads to make it worthwhile!

The red varietal., firm flesh, like small plum tomatoes.

Yellow miniature tomatoes. Delicious!

Fabulous Phlox

When people ask me what plant to add to the garden for Fall colour I have to mention phlox as one of the mainstays in the garden.

Don't know the name of this phlox, but  blooms first and furious.  It starts blooming in July and just keeps on going. 

 Not only is phlox a great scrabble word, but it fills in a provides a great background in the garden. The main problem with phlox is mildew. Phlox paniculata cultivars are very susceptible. Various home remedies (1 tsp baking soda to 1 liter of water) help in the early stages, but eventually the leaves just need to be removed. Local climate and soil conditions affect the fungus, but wet summers like this one, help keep the fungus at bay. Some phlox become more susceptible with age, so it is best to pull then out and start anew.
You can also reduce the chance of infection by providing lots of moisture, good air circulation and by thinning the clumps. So, thin mature plants every Spring.
But before the mildew sets in, enjoy the glorious beauty of this garden joy.  My favourite is the phlox above, but I don't know it's name.  It was a division from my sister-in-law and I have watched for it ever since.  It is usually finished blooming by the time mildew sets in, so you can cut it down and let something else take over.
My recommendation is that you plant phlox in spite of the mildew problem.  The plump greenery of this plant is a great backdrop in Spring and Summer to your other garden choices.

This phlox is a very old variety.  I received it from my mother-in-law.  It is probably from the 1940's or 50's. It opens next in my garden.  

Love the colour of this 'Starfire' phlox.  It has the added feature of emerging in Spring with a wonderful red hue to the leaves and then going green as Summer progresses.

This white phlox is has a almost indicernible pink star in the centre.  I gets badly mildewed as the season progresses.  But for now it is beautiful!

It's for the Birds

Snowdrops and crocuses are the only flowers in the garden right now.  Note the clever use of a branch in the base to provide cover for the birdhouse. 

I can't get over the ingenuity and creativity of some people.  They have gifts that the rest of us can only appreciate. I bought this bird house at a craft sale and just hope some wrens move in for the season. I love watching birds and have my feeder positioned so that I can see it from every part of my kitchen.  The orioles are visiting now so we started putting seed in the feeder earlier than usual. The orioles are just starting to put on their richer yellow colour.  But the bright white bars on their wings are a dead give-away to identifying them.  

Grosbeaks, purple finches and yellow orioles in addition to our resident cardinals, are visiting right now. Of course we always have chickadees, nuthatches and  sparrows.

I love the fact that these bird houses look so natural and hope the birds will too.  I have many 'pretty' bird houses that remain vacant all year, so hopefully something will move into these homes. 

Signs of Spring

The crocus are up and very encouraging.  Especially since I heard more snow is on the way. Everyone is getting a little tired of winter this year. Last year Spring came so early that we are finding it doubly hard to wait for the earth to warm up this year.

 I went to Canada Blooms and got myself a new baby for the garden.
 I have wanted a helleborus for a long time and  this new variety called "Pink Frost" has upward facing blooms.  By the time time I get to plant it outdoors I know it will no longer be in bloom, but it will have lots of time to settle in and spread for next year. It gets to be 30 - 45 cm tall and up to 60 cm wide and blooms in early Spring. I am taking a chance in this area, because it is only rated for zone 5 and I am strictly speaking zone 4, but I will chance it and let you know how it goes. Anticipation in the garden is a fine thing, and so a little tredipation over whether or not this plant will survive will make me anticipate Spring even more.

Winter Snow

View over the back fence

Gotta keep the deck  clear for winter grilling!

Well, the storm hit and we have more snow than we have had for a long time.   We got 25 cm over Feb. 8 and 9.  It's more snow than the Toronto area has had in one day for 5 years.  It sure looks pretty today, though. This is the kind of winter I remember from my childhood.  Lots of bright sunny days with lots of snow.  We played outside for hours. Of course, that was in Montreal.  I even enjoyed shovelling today. (It does help that the Handyman had the snowblower out to do the driveway and the heavy plug of snow pushed in the end of the driveway by the snowplows.) Here in the GTA, Lake Ontario seems to cast a grey pall over the landscape for most of the winter.  Rain is on the way over the next 2 days, so it will all melt away, and be back to blah. 

Grasses

Miscanthus sinensis "Huron Sunset" planted at Riverwood Conservancy, Mississauga

I took these shoots this morning after an 8 AM meeting. Even in winter this grass shows its colour. You can see the faint reddish colour of the three grasses in the forground.  I believe it is Karl Foerster  beside it.  I was really anxious to see this grass 'in the flesh' so to speak. In the fall it had beautiful colour - almost purple at the base. It is one of the taller grasses and clumps up, so I am eager to see its development over the seasons.  

Pennistum alopecuroides 'Little Bunny" planted in the Enabling Garden at Riverwood conservancy. Mississauga

This grass in on the opposite side of the path at Riverwood. You can see how effective the planting is. I've forgotten the name of the Landscape Architect to credit.  I will try to get the information. This little grass is relatively new cultivar and I haven't seen either of these in the nursery near me.  It is a member of the fountain grass family. This "little Bunny' grass had such beautiful, plump flower head in Fall that looked great for months.  It grows into small clumps, so I will be anxious to watch it mature. It is only about 20 cm  (8 inches) high and 45 cm (18 inches) wide.

I'll keep you posted with pictures through the seasons!

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's hawk, photo by Sophie Matta

Caught with the kill!

What a surprise to see this Cooper's Hawk in the backyard!

Unbelievably a Cooper's Hawk landed in our back yard after catching a bird.  While we do have 100 year old trees in our neighbourhood, the bird book lists these hawks as 'uncommon' and I have never seen in our yard before! The bird has a large head, rounded tail and a white terminial tailband. The Handyman was so excited that the pictures are slightly out of focus.
Goodness knows he had time to focus.  He said the hawk stay for about an hour eating and digesting the bird it had caught. Maybe it's time to take down the bird feeder!

Our Christmas Workshop

Displays from Sheridan

I didn't remember in time to get pictures of all the urns we created at the RWTO Gardening  workshop at my house, but here are a few of the results.  They turned out really well, and I heard from the members that they received many compliments on their urns from visitors to their homes.
Thanks to Mary who brought greenery and boughs with berries for all the extra supplies.
We should do it again!

Finally!!!

I bought this Shishigashira Japanese Maple with the promise that the Fall colour was outstanding.  I have waited 3 years for this little tree to change colour and finally I can say I am glad.  The colour is spectacular. It is a limey green all summer, and then in late Fall it shows its colours.  The leaf is yellow with red and orange tones.  It grows to 200 cm by 200 cm.  So it is not a big tree. Perfect for the spot I have it, because I have a Crimson Queen Japanese Maple close by.  It has already shed its leaves, but the Fall red colour was very deep and vivid.  I saw one in someone else's garden with black mulch around it and the combination was very striking.

Christmas Urns: Balls and Bows

Great colour if it works with your house, but red is still the all time favourite!

Fall Urns

Carefully selected, your fall container can transition to a winter container with a little thought.

No one seems tired of of birch logs yet.  They are still a going concern in containers Spring, Summer Winter and Fall in this area.  I sometimes wonder and worry about all the birches cut down for the branches.  Maybe it will spawn an industry of 'birch tree farms' in addition to the Christmas tree farms. Most of these Fall containers can easily transition to winter containers with the addition of some ornaments and bows.  The nice thing about evergreens it that they last for a very long time. So if you are interested in  having a container done for your entrance or balcony, email margaret@perennialgardener.ca

What Colour!

The Handyman proudly displays the flag year round.  You've got to admit the light shining on the trees is magnificent.

The view out my kitchen window, gladdens my heart each day, even in rainy weather. 

I love the colour of hostas in Fall. (I also love birdhouses!)