A Sense of Place

Just in time for Christmas , the first of my species Narcissus opened today!

I've just returned from a couple of days in Montreal. It was generally five or six degrees colder there and so when I got back to Toronto, it was good to be reminded of the gentler climate we have here. One result of this balmy weather ( relatively speaking) is that many stores and green grocers in particular, have produce outside. You don't see this in Montreal, but here there is always a bountiful display enlivening the street-scape. And especially now at Christmas time when the sidewalks turn into gardens of trees, greenery, flowers and berries.

Just under the wire, I've remembered that there is one thing still in bloom in the garden. A lovely Helleborus niger 'Praecox' a gift from Anna Leggat a few years ago.

This weekend I insulated the north facing wall of my greenhouse. It has two jalousie windows which are wonderful ventilation in the warmer months, but in the cold of winter they leak cold drafty air into the greenhouse, particularly when then frigid winds from the North are blowing. I managed to find 4' wide rolls of bubble wrap and with the use of duct tape( what could be more Canadian!)I covered the whole northern side. It may be my imagination, but it immediately seemed warmer inside.

This is my fifth winter with a greenhouse and now I can't imagine being without one; it extends my gardening season and allows me to grow plants that would otherwise be too tender or difficult to the climate here in Southern Ontario. Right now I am anxiously awaiting the species Narcissus to bloom, as they will around the Holiday season; Although I've planted many of my Hardy Cyclamen seedlings outside this year I've have reserved a number of selected plants as specimens in the greenhouse.

I have a collection of large Agave and Aloe which spends it's Summer on the deck on third floor of my house. This faces directly South and gives them a lot of bright light for a greater part of the day. In the Summer months, when at ground level the garden has fallen into shade, the evening sun shines brightly on the deck unaffected by the shadows of tall trees and neighbouring buildings. As Winter approaches, I'm fortunate, again, when I can carry these heavy pots a short distance into the window-well that leads out to the deck. This provides a perfect Winter haven for these plants,this location provides lots of light and is relatively cool. I water them sparingly during these months and last year I was rewarded numerous blooms on my Aloe plicatilis.

I wouldn't call myself a "fair-weather gardener", but I have to admit that the cold winds and the serious sub-zero weather have turned my attention to my indoor garden activities. All my tender plants spend as much time outdoors as possible this can be as much as from April to November. In fact I've only in the last two weeks moved some Pelargoniums indoors ( although they have spent the late Fall close to the house against a south facing wall). I have three ways of wintering this group of plants. The first is under lights in my basement. Usually these are the smaller succulents that can fit close to the lights and benefit from maximum exposure. I also plan to create a taller space under lights for Pelargoniums, that are perhaps, a little too tender for the greenhouse.

Recently my good neighbour and friend Gayla Trail collaborated with me on a new project which documents the phenomenon of storefront gardens. The main inspiration came from a Variety Store that had the most interesting collection of plants in the window. Some of the plants are unusual, if not rare, such as a lovely flowering Pinguicula. Most touching is the hand written sign saying "This is our Garden. Plants not for Sale"

I wish I could claim to have grown this Lithops, in fact I photographed it at Kew last month.

I grew this group of Lithops from seed. As instructed, I watered them frequently in the first year and now that they are maturing, I'm not sure how to proceed. I'd like to get them to bloom but I've not had much luck bringing the plants I've grown in the past to flower. Any Suggestions?

I Just wanted to round off my earlier posts by including a picture of one of the other Geraniaceae cousin, Erodium corsicum. It is presently blooming away in the greenhouse. It is planted in a blue bonsai dish along with a number of other erodiums and small geraniums. I'm also posting an image of a new introduction Erodium 'Freedom'. It looks very promising, having the foliage of E. corsicum as well as the veined and spotted flowers of other Erodium forms.

Geraniums are often referred to as 'Hardy Geraniums' to distinguish them from their cousins the rather tender Pelargoniums. The truth is, that not all geraniums are hardy( i.e. cold hardy) and not all Pelargoniums are tender. G. Maderense is from Madeira and in zone 6 has to be wintered over in the greenhouse.. I only wish I could get it to bloom, as this is a wonderful sight in early Spring, however it is worth growing as it is a wonderful foliage plant. Pelargonium endlicherianum has proven to be hardy, but a bit tricky to get through the winter. I've tried several times without success, but my last plant has survived the winter of 2008-09. It is planted in a trough devoted to small Geraniums and Erodiums, all of which seem happily coexisting as happy family unit. I will try to document the over-wintering of this little plant and hope to show it in bloom next Summer.

Helen of Toronto Gardens recent post on Fall colour on Geraniums, has brought out in me the dormant geraniaphile. I love Geraniums, Pelargoniums and Erodiums, but I have taken them for granted lately and they have become wallpaper in my garden (horticulturally speaking). So even though it's late in the season, I decided to look at this group again. My choice for outstanding Fall colour is Geranium sanguineum, this plant I grew from seed from package marked G.sanguineum 'mixed colours'. I got a number of plants from this source, and the colours certainly did vary, but very subtlety.

My last posting may have left the impression that I am cruel and uncaring to my Agaves. Here is a picture of the majority of my collection. The lucky ones spending their Winter in a sunny south facing window.

I wonder what Edwin Lutyens would think of this picture? His garden bench designed originally for Gertrude Jekyll and copied by him for Sissinghurst Castle, has now been copied by everyone else. Here it's pictured in the window of Wilkinsons, a UK discount store, and priced at 65 Pounds! 

I'm sure I'm not alone in fretting about tender plants that are still outside. I still have Pelargoniums and Kalanchoe sitting right next to the back door, but just haven't gotten around to bringing them in. Perhaps subconsciously I want to rid myself of the plants that I can no longer  handle?Last year I had the same problem with four large Agave, bringing them in seemed so daunting as they really are a problem indoors once they pass a certain size. I tried to ignore them for the longest time, and then it snowed, and they remained in the snow for several days. Finally I felt guilty enough to drag them inside, and I have to say that three of the four survived. Of course if they had been subjected to prolonged sub-zero weather it would not have been such a happy ending.

  While they are in good health and able to get around, even the most senior find time to see what's on the other side of the fence. On intrepid trips to the Alps, Asia and Africa we hope to see plants familiar to us in our gardens, greenhouses and windowsills growing in their native environment; but also we see ways in which other cultures cultivate the plant-life around them.   I've travelled great distances, mostly connected with work ( and not very intrepid I have to admit) and always find time to checkout the nearest Botanical Garden. But most often , I seems to find gardens just wandering around as I explore a new destination.   These images are of gardens created in the entry-way of Chinese Shop-houses in the city of Malacca in Malaysia.

The low light typical of November, does illuminate the garden in the most dramatic way. Grasses in particular seem to glow under these Autumn rays of sun.

I didn't know in advance about Bloom Day. It was great to see what's still in other peoples gardens, but wished I could have participated. So please excuse this belated record of my finds. I'm also including a few foliage shots as so many plants are taking advantage of the mild weather we are still experiencing in this region.

My garden is enclosed in a 7 ft fence. Basically a garden in wooden box. It allows me to grow some of my favourite plants, which also are climbing, Clematis mostly , but also Ivies and Honeysuckles.