Daffodils Fri April 29

Narcissus 'Tete a Tete' (Miniature Daffodil) Show Garden; This mini daffodil has yellow petals with an even deeper yellow cup.

Narcissus 'Toto' (Miniature Daffodil) Entry Garden; This miniature narcissus has white petals with a straight cup opening yellow, then fading to creamy white.

Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' (Trumpet Daffodil) Entry Garden; This classic yellow trumpet-type daffodil is one of the earliest blooming, tolerating snow & cold.

Narcissus minor var. pumilus 'Rip Van Winkle' (Miniature Daffodil) Demo Garden; This Irish Victorian selection has been around since 1884 featuring double yellow flowers on 6" stems.

Narcissus 'Tamar Fire' (Double Daffodil) Demo Garden; A double-petaled selection with bright yellow petals highlighted by red-orange accents.

Narcissus 'Ice Follies' (Daffodil) Demo Garden; This large-cupped selection has white petals and a yellow corona, reaching up to 18" in spring.

March 22 - 29

In the Demonstration Garden this week you will find:
Galanthus Collection (Snowdrops). A variety of snowdrops are beginning to naturalize in this section of the garden. Look for them at the west end of the Entry Garden at the Lawrence Ave. entrance


















In the Arrival Courtyard:
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Primavera' (Witch Hazel); x Intermedia hybrids are large deciduous shrubs preferring organically rich, acidic soils. Primavera is upright and vase-shaped, eventually reaching 15 feet and flowering later than most cultivars.
























In the West View Terrace corner bed:
Crocus vernus 'Jeanne d'Arc (Dutch crocus); this early riser has glistening white petals with purple striations from the top of the stem to the flower's base


















In the Garden Hall Courtyard:
Crocus flavus (Crocus luteus; Dutch yellow crocus); this bright orange-yellow crocus is known for its smaller, richly coloured flowers during early spring in March and April

March 1

Today on March 1st, we went looking for signs of spring and found some!

In the Nature Garden, you will find:
Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill' (Loebner magnolia) As we await the star-like blossoms of Merrill magnolia, we can admire the buds as they form on this very hardy tree which will eventually mature to some 40ft.

In the Westview Terrace:

Helleborus niger 'Maximus' (Christmas rose); these ever-popular semi-evergreen perennials are must have's for any late winter garden. For weeks now Maximus has pushed its head through the frozen ground, waiting to unfurl its pink-flushed white flowers.

In the Garden Hall Courtyard - Bank:
Erica carnea 'Golden Starlet' (Spring heath) New buds are forming on Golden Starlet heath, one of many varieties in the TBG collection.

Feb. 1-8

This weeks picks highlight "winter interest" in the garden as snow provides a dramatic backdrop for many plants.

In the Show Garden- South you will find:

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aureovariegata' (Sawara false cypress); this variegated thread-leaf form of Sawara cypress has excellent green and golden yellow foliage making it an an instant eye-catcher in the winter garden

In the Show Garden- South:
Pinus mugo 'Aurea Fastigiata' (Mountain pine); this cultivar of mugo pine is distinguished by its relatively upright growth and golden-yellow winter foliage.

In the Knot Garden:

Fagus sylvatica forma purpurea 'Cuprea' (Purple/Copper beech); these beautiful slow-growing trees with attractive ,smooth silver bark will hold their leaves through the winter.

In the Entry Garden:

Sedum spectabile (now Hylotelephium spectabile) (Stonecrop); this clump forming perennial known for its succulent-like fleshy leaves and stems, holds up well in Canadian winters with flattened flower heads held until chopped down in spring

In the Entry Garden:

Liatris spicata (Blazing star) with Echinacea 'Sunrise' (Big Sky series) (Purple coneflower); Liatris is a native prairie flower, here with the hybrid coneflower Sunrise; these two plants will hold their seed heads up under a blanket of snow until we gardeners cut them back in spring

In the Entry Garden:

Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' (Switch grass); valued for its red-tipped foliage in summer, turning deep burgundy by fall, this native prairie grass stands up well through winter - bring on the snow!

Jan 10-17, 2011

In the Nature Garden you will find:
Pennisetum with Echinacea purpurea (Fountain Grass with Purple Coneflower); both these plants hold up well under snow and winter conditions and make for long-lasting winter interest in any garden.

In the Nature Garden:
Amelanchier laevis (Allegheny Serviceberry); this small tree or shrub is native to Ontario and eastward, reaching to 10metres. Iit is an excellent choice for city gardens! In this winter shot, one side of its bark is thawed by the sun while the other is frozen with ice crystals.

The Knot Garden:
The Knot Garden is hard to resist in winter when snowfall highlights the many architecturally pruned forms of this garden, in particular the evergreen yew and boxwood hedges, as well as the deciduous privet
















In the South Show Garden:
Berberis thunbergii forma atropurpurea 'Concorde' (Japanese Barberry); this dense thorny shrub is popular for its colouring, and produces berries which are carried through the winter, Here it is seen with a glistening of frost on its arching branches.

In the South Show Garden:
Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' (Winterberry); this wetland holly loses its leaves each year and bears an abundance of bright red fruit which is carried through the winter. Here they stand out brilliantly against the snow.

A friendly reminder regarding Winter Garden Etiquette: Even though they are now under a blanket of snow, please respect the garden beds and stay on the groomed paths! It is very tempting to walk in to have a closer look at sites like the rich red berries above - but remember you are stepping on plants to improve your view!

December 2-31

Winter may be moving in to the TBG but some stalwart plants are still showing their brightest colours and others are blooming!


In the Nature Garden you will find:
Cornus sericea Flaviramea (Golden Twig or Dogwood) ; Also known as Yellowtwig dogwood, this shrub displays its best twig colour when planted in full-sun and pruned regularly.
















In the Nature Garden:
Cotoneaster horizontalis (Rockspray); this semi-evergreen, multi-stemmed shrub has purplish winter foliage and attractive red fruit which covers much of the branches and is held through winter.
















In the Show Garden South:
Chamaecyparis pisifera Sungold Show (Japanese false cypress) ; this dwarf golden cultivar of Japanese false cypress has semi-weeping branches. Like many conifers, its colour changes with the seasons, and here shows good winter yellow due to its sunny location.

In the West View Terrace:

Helleborus niger Maximus (Christmas Rose); Hellebores are long-lived, drought and heat tolerant semi-evergreen perennials. In recent years they have most deservedly grown in popularity, thriving in shady gardens . But here at the TBG, a few selections are remarkably suited to the sun. Here H. niger Maximus is poking through in very early winter.

In the Show Garden South:

Crocus speciosus (Autumn Crocus); One of the first of the autumn crocuses to flower, this one has particularly clear bsky blue flowers on bare stems. The leaves are produced in spring.

Nov. 15-25

In the Nature Garden you will find:

Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' (Bloodtwig dogwood); aptly named, this bloodtwig dogwood is noted for its orange-yellow winter stems tipped with red and for its golden fall foliage; its berries are not showy but attract birds.

In the Garden hall Courtyard:

Pinus strobus (Weeping white pine/Eastern white pine); this white pine generally tolerates urban conditions well and is the only species of pine to have five needles per bundle. This cultivar is a semi-dwarf whose weeping branches may trail the ground. This year it is boasting beautiful cones.
















In the West View Terrace:

Viburnum carlesii 'Diana' (Koreanspice Viburnum); this rounded, multi-stemmed shrub is very hardy, tolerating a wide range of soil conditions except very wet. It is invaluable for winter interest, here displaying great fall colour.

















In the Entry Garden:

Molinea caerulea ssp. arundinacea Transparent (Purple Moor Grass); the flowers of this deciduous clump-forming grass reach well over a meter tall with an open and airy habit, thus the name 'Transparent'. The foliage turns a fine yellow in late fall.
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In the Entry Garden:

Bergenia purpurascens (Winter-red Bergenia); True to its name, this bergenia species has excellent fall and winter red colour. Bergenias are incredibly hardy and reliably evergreen.