Rhododendron Garden Tour, New Rhodos Bed in Port Credit Ontario

2011 Annual Garden Tour Sunday May 29, 1p.m. to 4 p.m. FREE!

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What's new? A large new rhodo bed and the annual Rhododendron Gardens tour in Port Credit (Mississauga, Ontario). Sunday, May 24, 2009, 2-4 p.m., drop by BRG (Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens) and volunteers will conduct tours and answer your questions.

New Rhododendron bed at BRG

Last week, the garden's head gardener and crew were working to plant the new rhodos in a large bed on the slope just southwest of the main parking lot off Lakeshore Road West at Shawnmarr.

Scrub brush and weeds were hauled away, and fresh topsoil laid in preparation for bringing in the large rhodos from their former home in a private garden in Mississauga.

Rhododendrons in New Garden Bed

The evergreens, fencing and new leaves on the deciduous trees combine to provide shade for the sun-shy rhodos. Para is optimistic that these large plants will handle the move to their new location in the Gardens.

Soil has been placed in such a way around each plant to collect and hold rain water to keep the plants happy.

Top Soil Around Transplanted Rhododendrons

Closer look in the picture above shows the soft, fluffy topsoil and the hilly contours of the new rhodos bed. Most of these rhodos are already blooming, which brings us to the Garden Tour scheduled for next weekend: May 24.

Gardeners will know that plants don't bloom on schedule, but do follow a general time line. So it is with our garden's rhodos.

Last year, the tour took place on nearly the same date (see my blog post rhodo garden tour), and the rhodos were at about the same stage of blooming, and continued to so do for several weeks well into June, thanks to a cool, rainy spring.

The cherry and apple trees, too, should be in full bloom by then. A few hot days this week could pop them out earlier, but there should still be an amazing show.

Many apples along the creek bordering the Waterfront Trail have been in full bloom for a week now, but other varieties are still opening.


Update June 2, 2009
The annuals are being planted this week in the beds along Lakeshore Road and the ones near the parking lot. The cool stormy weather has taken its toll this spring.

On the past weekend, a few bridal parties looked decidedly chilly and windblown, but at least the sun was shining for them.

That's the thing about a garden: Each season, each year, each day it is different. Makes you appreaciate a glorious show when you see one!