Bioswale, Roses, Rhododendrons, Tree Stump Removal, Mulch - Getting Gardens Ready for Ontario Winter

 It's been a busy few weeks at the Gardens in Port Credit: The new bioswale is in place to improve the drainage in the east garden; The tree stump removal specialist came with a remote controlled grinder to remove tree stumps (video below); and volunteers and staff continued preparing the rhododendron and azalea beds for winter.

Warm fall weather in south Mississauga made for pleasant November days along Lake Ontario, and a few late bloomer roses cheered all that came to visit.

Bioswale Created East Garden BRG

The gardens area east of Tecumseh Creek at the middle bridge are prepped to create a bioswale -- basically a shallow ditch -- to receive runoff and improve the drainage.

Bioswale to be Naturalized

With the bioswale in place, the shallow ditch will be naturalized -- planted with wildflowers and other native species.

Bioswale Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens

The near end (bottom of photo) of the bioswale slopes towards Tecumseh Creek.

Here's a short video of the bioswale :

BRG Lake Ontario Waterfront

Warm sunny days made more pleasant the task of placing pine needle mulch around rhodos, azaleas, and hydrangeas, and the benches overlooking Lake Ontario were a great spot to take a break.

Front End Loader at BRG

Mississauga staff used the front end loader to shift larger amounts of needles to the rhodo beds where volunteers made fast work of spreading among the acid-loving plants.

Young Rhododendrons Get Winter Prep

These newer-planted rhodos are nicely tucked in behind snow fencing faced with burlap and snuggled under a blanket of mulch, ready for cold winter weather.

Wild Cucumber Gourd

Underneath one of the large evergreeens shading the rhodos, I found this delicate, dried gourd like shell. New to me, but David, who really knows his wildflowers, identified it as wild cucumber, the fruit of a  vine. See the complete life cycle on this page.

Late Blooming Roses

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the roses still blooming in the Rose Garden but is showing signs of black spot. This late in the season, black spot is to be expected.

And a week or so ago, the tree stumps dotting the Gardens were removed -- well, chewed up and spit out --  with help of a technician and a self propelled, remote controlled grinder. The  remaining small roots left underground are not a problem.

See video self propelled tree stump grinder remover or view below:


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While the warm fall weather holds, volunteers and staff will continue to prepare the rhododendron and azalea beds for winter. The lily garden also needs a few good days of weeding and mulching, so if you have any free time, do give David a call. See  Volunteer link in right menu.