What's Blooming at BRG Port Credit Mississauga

Forsythia, Rhododendrons, Scilla, Snowdrops, Violets, Primroses Early Spring Bloomers at BRG

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Even with the unusually cool and rainy weather, Spring is starting to bloom at the BRG in Port Credit. Here's a look at some of the flowers and shrubs you can see on a walk through the Garden now, with more blooms arriving with each burst of warm sunny weather.

Deep Pink Rhododendron South Garden Near Lake Ontario

 This rhododendron is one of the first to bloom each spring. Look for the splash of color in the bed close to the lake viewpoint with benches in the south garden, walking straight south of the parking lot.

Rhododendron Mucronolatum 'Cornell Pink"

 Very excited to see the first blooms on this early blooming R. Mucronolatum in the new bed just north of the garden office building and east of the parking lot at the Waterfront Trail. This is a new bed, and the last one planted last fall. How nice to see about a dozen of these low growing rhodos all in bud with blooms opening daily.

Pieris Japonica - Japanese Andromeda

A companion plant to rhododendrons, Japanese Andromeda is also in bloom, in the Heritage beds on the west side of the BRG behind the split rail fence. See this post for more on this shrub.

Scilla Siberica - Wood Squill - Siberian Squill

Scilla is also known as Siberian Squill or Wood Squill is a welcome early spring bloomer in the Garden. Look for these plants along the Waterfront Trail west of Tecumseh Creek (the small creek that bisects the BRG). This large clump surrounds the base of a large tree.

Siberian Squill - Scilla Sibericus Close Up

Close up look at Scilla: Click on image to enlarge, click Back button to return to this post. See also Wikipedia Squill page.

Purple Wood Violets Blooming at BRG

There are not a lot of them but these tiny purple blooms are indeed a welcome harbinger of spring in Port Credit. Once you see them in bloom, you know the trilliums are about to open, too. BRG has only a few trilliums, the wildflower emblem of Ontario, though it's hoped more will be planted in the garden. These violets may be found along the Waterfront Trail, near the peony bed just south of the BRG office building.

Snowdrops in Bloom Around Interim Place Plaque at BRG

Enter the Garden by the parking area at Lakeshore and Shawnmarr in Port Credit, and look east: There's a seating area marking the site of the first Interim Place women's shelter, surrounded by snowdrops in a mass of white.

Yellow Primroses along Tecumseh Creek at BRG

Fat yellow buds were set to open a few days ago when I took these pictures. By now, despite the cold rain, they should be flashing yellow from their locations along Tecumseh Creek near the north bridge closest to the Garden office building. Stand on the bridge, and scan the creek banks in both directions. Another clump is located a bit further south, where the wire mesh safety fencing ends.

Forsythia Finally Beginning to Bloom

Bright yellow forsythia should be well in bloom by Mother's Day this weekend. There are several plantings in the BRG from near the nursery at Godfreys Lane to the viewpoint area overlooking Lake Ontario.

With the cool, wet spring, the azaleas and rhododendrons as well as the usual spring blooming plants are flowering a little later in the season. Here are pictures of the rhodos in bloom the end of May 2010, and May 12 2009.