Summer time and early fall are busy times at Brueckner Rhododendron Garden, and with much work to do to get the Garden ready for next year, there's not much time for taking pictures.
And so, it's with special thanks to BRGSC chair and hardworking
volunteer gardener, David Culham, for submitting a few of his photos taken this summer of the
Tzu Chi volunteers, and the flower beds of annuals, perennials and
wildflowers, and the new swale.
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| Tzu Chi Volunteers Brueckner Rhododendron Garden |
Tzu Chi volunteers met near the main annual flower garden near the entrance to begin their morning work of weeding several flower beds and cleaning the Lake Ontario shoreline. The tall, burgundy-brown leafed tree shown to the right is a weeping beech transplanted last summer. (Click on photo to enlarge, then click Back button to return to this page.)
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| Tess of the D'Urbervilles Red Rose |
The Rose Garden enjoyed its best year ever, and many roses, such as
Tess of the D'Urbervilles shown in the photo, are still blooming in mid October, notably
Chuckles, a prolific charmer.
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| Tess in Full Bloom |
David took these photos early one morning when the dew was still sparkling on the petals and leaves. This is the third full year for the Rose Garden, and fairly consistent care and cultivation over the past few seasons are now paying dividends in gorgeous blooms.
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| Native Wildflower Jewelweed BRG Natural Area |
The delicate, late summer blooming jewelweed is also making a show of itself, thanks to diligent removal of thistles and other non-native wildflowers and weeds.
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| Lemon Queen and Jewelweed Native Wildflowers |
Lemon Queen, variety of sunflower (in front of the jewelweed), is another 'good' wildflower that offers visitors a splash of colour in late summer. Hardy and pretty 'Lemon Queen' can grow up to 6 feet tall, transplants well, and is a favourite of birds.
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| Hostas in Bloom at Brueckner Rhododendron Garden |
The Hosta Bed, located just to the west of the Garden office building near the parking lot, has also enjoyed its best season ever. In fact, the hostas have flourished to the point where staff and volunteers are splitting and transplanting dozens of hostas to other areas of the Garden.
Head gardener Para Kanp chose the hostas for this garden (most were sourced from the Netherlands) and designed the bed with massed plantings for maximum impact. Bonus: This hosta bed will provide all the hostas the BRG is likely to ever need.
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| Annual - Perennial Garden Bed at BRG |
This is the view of the main annual garden from the path linking the parking lot and the garden office building (bunker). The pink and white balls are, of course, the lovely cleome, that's drought and heat and pest tolerant/proof, tall and comely: in short, a great annual that thoughtfully seeds itself.
A very tall and bushy canna lily is peeking out top right, and will be lifted before winter. Geraniums (pink) and Dusty Miller (pale gray), and a clump of ornamental grass complete this picture.
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| Perennial Bed Brown-eyed Susans, Lemon Queen, Cleome at BRG |
This perennial bed just north of the bunker is known to staff and volunteers as 'Daphne's Bed' in honour of BRGSC member Daphne and her contribution to this flower bed. In June, the peonies (located on the far side in this view), offer a striking early summer show.
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| Successful Swale Solves Drainage Issues |
With high water tables under much of this Lake Ontario shoreline Garden, drainage can be a problem. Here, head gardener, Para, and staff created a shallow swale (ditch) to direct rainwater away from plantings towards Tecumseh Creek.
Grass seed sprouted in short order, and the new swale blends into the landscape, yet it can handle with ease the heaviest rainstorm.
As Fall progresses, more
winter preparations for next year's Garden display are underway, such as transplanting shrubs and perennials, and planting hundreds of tulips.
If you can spare an hour or two here and there, drop by the Garden weekdays and ask Para or David (chances are, both will be there, working away!) what you can do to help.
There are always thistles, dandelions and other weeds to be pulled, and diligent weeding will have most of them eradicated over the coming years.
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