I’m currently on a mission to find as many conservatories and greenhouses that are open to the public year round that will help be able to get me over the winter hump.  I know, I said the W word but now that the heat wave has snapped (does a week actually count as a wave?) and the nights are getting cooler ( yes 12 degrees can be considered cool) it’s time for me to find my ‘green’ havens to keep me happy over the long, dreary winter season.

Centennial Pak Conservatory is located in Etobicoke just off Rathburn Road near Mill Road.  It’s 2000 square meters consist of 6 growing houses, a potting shed and bulb center that supplies the surrounding park with plants and an 8 ½ meter tropical house with 2 display wings on opposite sides of the main house that are open everyday from 10-5pm free of charge.

The south wing of the Conservatory consists of all varieties of cacti, while the main center house displays unusual plants like banana trees, birds of paradise and palms.  The North wing changes each season with the well-known ‘Christmas at the Conservatory” being an extremely popular annual event with huge floral displays and festive choral singers.

The day I visited, the North wing was displaying all different colors and varieties of Coleus which was an awesome example how great these annuals can look in any garden.

To the front of the building were several annual flower beds and a pond garden though both needed a fair bit of weeding and tidying up.  It’s not a very large place, having only taken about ½ hour to see everything, it does however have some interesting specimen on display that some might never have seen before.

I look forward to coming back when all is cold and dark this winter and I definitely plan on checking out the Christmas displays.

Summer is my favourite time of the growing season because I’m a huge fan of bright and beautiful perennial gardens.  Yesterday I spent the day at the Toronto Botanical Gardens and want to share some pictures from their gorgeous grounds. Enjoy!

I always appreciate when cities and towns participate in programs that continue to beautify their green space.  Communities in Bloom is one such program that nationally promotes the importance of trees, shrubs, flowers and green spaces in urban settings while fostering environmental responsibility and civic mindedness. 

I recently stopped at Garnetwood Park in Mississauga, which is one of the many beautiful garden displays that are part of their Communities in Bloom initiative.  Check out the website for this wonderful program and discover if your town participates. The next time you are enjoying a local park or green space take a moment to appreciate the fact that it may have been developed especially for bettering your community.

Garnetwood Park

People ask me all the time what is a good shrub to use for a hedge. I’ve noticed that the first things they mention are cedars and by the looks of the first shrubs out in the garden centres, many others agree.

Cedars are great for creating a wall for privacy since they grow tall and dense. However they are my last choice as a hedge. For one they seem to be a haven for mosquitoes and spiders. But the most unfavourable thing about them is that once they start to get overcrowded and turn brown and twiggy the best solution is to completely replace them. Once they become an eyesore they can’t be fixed. And replacing them can be expensive.

I prefer a little adventure in my yard. Planting a hedge of lilacs or forsythias will give a beautiful burst of spring colour.

Forsythia in full bloom.

High Bush Cranberries will give a season of flowers, berries and seeds that will attract a variety of birds. Privets and Boxwood are great for sculpting a clean and tidy squared off hedge.

But the best thing about all those choices is that if they start to get out of hand or scraggly looking you can cut them right back and start again.

So why not try something different.

What do you have for a hedge?

A friend of mine recently moved into their first home, an older one, this past winter. One morning after a recent thaw I was looking out her back window and commented on certain things she had growing in her gardens. I think then and there I sealed my fate as her personal consultant for the upcoming year. She and her husband know very little about gardening so they hadn’t a clue what was in each bed or even how to start.

This made me wonder if many other people also had this problem. When buying an older, established home people are usually sold on the layout and design of the interior and can usually get a floor plan containing room dimensions and placement in the home. Somewhere in all that consideration the exterior gets ignored. Hard structures like fences, decks and walkways are obvious but what about what kind of trees and shrubs are there and what plants are in the flowerbeds. Even a moderate gardener can feel daunted when trying to figure out what is what. I can only imagine how a beginner would feel. I think Real estate agents could do a great service to their customers by providing basic landscape designs to the new owners.

Luckily my friend is still friendly with the previous owner so she has a reference point. But not everyone is that lucky.

Hmmmmmmmm………

Has anyone had similar problems?