More Fall Winter Garden Prep - Planting, Watering, Weeding, Mulching, Snow Fencing

Planting, watering, weeding, and mulching at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens are well underway as park staff and volunteers take advantage of warm Autumn days to prepare the gardens for fall and winter.

All the tulips have been planted and covered with wire mesh, and the snow fencing will be placed over the next week or so.(Click on photo to enlarge, then click Back button to return to this page.)

 Rhododendrons Pruned Late Spring 

Several of the leggier, spindly rhododendrons were hard pruned last Spring, and over the summer, grew back bushier and healthier, and are now full of new buds that will bloom next Spring.

Volunteers Planting Shrubs at BRG

Many hands make fast work of planting shrubs near the Waterfront Trail. Volunteer gardeners are a great help in keeping the flower and shrub beds tidy and weed-free.

Head gardener Para reminds us that October is a really good time to plant shrubs and trees. Dig the planting hole almost twice as large as the pot/ root ball, and fill with good compost, then settle the shrub into position.

New Shrub Pieris Japonica  - Japanese Andromeda

Several new Japanese Andromeda (Karenoma, Mountainfire) and viburnum Burkwoodi shrubs have been planted in various Gardens beds; Both varities are good companion plants for rhododendrons and peonies.

Watering Newly Planted Azaleas

Newly planted shrubs, like the azalea in the above photo, should be given a good drink of water to settle the soil around the root ball. Don't count on fall rains to do the job.

Weed, Edge Rose Garden - Flower Beds

The rose garden beds are also getting a good late fall, pre winter weeding and edging. The volunteers made fast work of tidying up this large bed of Iceberg roses. Over the next few days, all the rose beds will be weeded and edged, and topped up with compost.

Bring on the Snow Fence

Rolls of snow fencing are trucked into the Garden along the Waterfront Trail (info at waterfronttrail.org). The snow fences will be placed along the trails and at the edges of garden beds and plantings to help protect the plants, especially the rhododendrons and roses, from damage by trail maintenance machines and ice melters, dogs, and snow sledders.

Snow fencing also helps show flower beds locations when they are covered with snow, and prone to accidental trompings.

Take advantage of good fall weather to get your own garden ready for winter. Plant those spring flowering bulbs, shrubs and do a little maintenance. And if you're in the Port Credit, Lorne Park area in Mississauga and want to help keep the BRG beautiful, then come be a volunteer.