TBG Garden Tour June 25th

I can report that the June 25th TBG fundraiser garden tour was outstanding. It was hosted by Frank Kershaw and sponsored by the Toronto Botanical Gardens.  My friend, Sue and I got on the big bus and were happily transported from garden to garden.  Frank had hand-chosen the gardens for variety and breadth of landscape design, plantings, plantsmanship and general style.  There were private gardens that have not been accessible to the public or part of other garden events.  There was so much to take in that day.  One of the highlights was the one-of-a-kind collection at the end.  A marvel of knowledge and skill!  

We started in the west end of Toronto in my neighbourhood and made our way through towards the Old Mill, where we had lunch.  The afternoon was spent in the central/east part of the city, with a return top TBG at the end of the day.  TBG's gardens are a delight to see right now as well.

Garden Days

The Open Gardens Toronto 2009 (opengardenstoronto.com) is a program in Toronto that opens private gardens to the public over the months of May, June and July and then again in September and October.  It raises funds for the Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF), and is modeled on the National Gardens Scheme in Britain which raises money for worthwhile causes by opening private gardens to the public.  This year there are 24 gardens grouped in different areas of the city.  Very happily, there are many in the west end where I live.  

I'll be highlighting the gardens over the next while, and will start with a photo of one of the gardens on the June 17th tour - Shari Ezyk's.  I hope you enjoy this serene view of her back shade garden.  

Cosmos Wedding Dress

June is the month of weddings and flowers and I've taken on the challenge of creating dresses out of flowers.  This is a close-up of a white cosmos, and with the pleats and billowing lines, it seems to be right in line with the monthly theme!

Bleeding Hearts

I went to Plantworld (Royal York and Eglinton in Toronto) on the weekend and came home with a new hybrid Bleeding Heart.  You can see from the photo that it's striking in its colour combination of the deep pink and white, and that it's not down-facing but out-facing.  Makes the poor grandma bleeding hearts turn their heads even further down!  I looked the plant up in Wikipedia and it was brought to the west from Japan by Robert Fortune for the Royal Horticultural Society in 1846.   

Enjoy this new hybrid of an antique and ancient plant!

Magnolia Sieboldiana

The house at the corner has a very large Magnolia Sieboldiana.  This member of the Magnolia family is typically not hardy here (zone 6 in Toronto).  The hardy varieties, e.g. Star and Saucer, bloom before their leaves are out.  The Sieboldiana blooms in June, after the leaves are out, and over a long period of time - about a month.  The scent of these blooms is somewhat different than the other magnolias.  Their scent is a combination of melon and lemon - wonderfully refreshing.  The Sieboldiana has an additional floral element of lilac and jasmine. It is quite divine, so worth searching out!

Here's a portrait I did earlier in the week.

Dogwood Kousa Blooming

Blooming right now is the lovely and delicate Kousa Dogwood (Cornus Kousa).  It blooms later than the Florida type varieties which bloom before the leaves come out. My brother Brian Bergman (lily hybridizer) and Frank Kershaw (horticulturalist) have trees in bloom right now. The fruit that sets from these blooms is itself an interesting sight, and is edible. 

I hope you get to see this delicate flower!

Fringe Tree

I live in Toronto near Royal York and Bloor Street.  Just south on Royal York at Meadowcrest is a magnificent Fringe Tree in bloom - it looks like it is more than 50 years old.  In the Sweet Olive family, the flowers are distinctively scented.  It is worth a drive by to see this lovely small tree in bloom - it's just 2 doors in from Royal York on the south side of the street.