Saturday, June 23, 2012

Roses in Full Bloom at Brueckner Gardens

Roses are in full bloom this week at the Gardens, and the first flush of flowering is always the showiest. I photographed the roses that are labeled, and included a few more from the Mixed (test) bed.

Ten beds of roses at Brueckner in Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario.
Rose Garden at Brueckner Overview
Walk up the hill path to get this overview of the rose garden layout. To the top right is the hosta garden, also a good show this summer. The building is the garden staff office (public restrooms open April to November).

Pale peach pink rose Abraham Darby.
Abraham Darby Rose
 One of many David Austin roses in the garden. See this rose in 2009, when the rose garden was being planted.
David Austin rose Iceberg (white) at BRG Mississauga, Ontario.
Iceberg Rose (White)
 Iceberg is one of the most reliable long-season bloomers in the Gardens. Several Icebergs are planted among the brilliant red Tess, shown below.

Tess of the Durbervilles deep red David Austin rose.
Tess of the Durbervilles Red Rose.
 Tess is one of the deepest red roses, another David Austin winner. Several Iceberg (white) rose bushes are in this bed, to mark the colours of the Canada flag.

The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild (David Austin rose)
 See more photos of and information about The Ingenious Mr Fairchild (and Tess) on this page.

Eglantyne rose at BRG, David Austin Rose.
Eglantyne Rose at Brueckner Gardens
 Always lovely Eglantyne, another of the David Austins.

Crown Princess Margareta Rose
 The Crown Princess Margareta was one of the first roses to bloom this spring,  and one of the first to finish. See pictures from the start of blooming here.

Chuckles rose in bloom.
Chuckles  Red Rose White Center.
Chuckles is a great favourite in the rose garden. At blooming time, Chuckles opens up one innocuous-looking flower, as seen in the photo above. That's a harbinger of the explosion of blooms to come.
  
Captain Samuel Holland rose, hardy Canadian shrub.
Captain Samuel Holland Red Rose (Canadian)
 This is a very hardy Canadian rose, Captain Samuel Holland. It's not only gorgeous to look at, but its dense growing habit helps protect the more delicate roses from wind. It generally has one good bloom at this time of year, and that's it.

Pale peach, pinks and apricot colors the Evelyn Rose.
Evelyn Rose
Evelyn is not the hardiest of roses, and the afternoon shade in its current location is not helping. Plans are underway to move Evelyn to a sunnier bed in the rose garden, likely in September.

Pink Rose Brother Cadfael blooming in Port Credit.
Brother Cadfael Rose
Brother Cadfael is a gorgeous rose, with a gorgeous bud to match. See a photo of this rose blooming  in late fall here.

Rosa Scentimental named for fragrant scent.
Scentimental Rose at BRG
 Scentimental is one of those roses that seems to have no two blooms alike. It's also one of the most fragrant of the roses.

Sutton Place rose in Mixed bed at BRG Port Credit.
Sutton Place Rose
 Sutton Place has no bed of its own at Brueckner, and can currently be found in the Mixed Bed as well as at the end of Evelyn's bed.

Name of this orange rose unknown, but a gorgeous bloomer.
Orange Rose (no name)
This is our famous orange rose, whose name we do not know.  It came with Chuckles roses, then surprised us with showy orange blooms. It has been moved into the Mixed Bed as well.



Bring your Cameras!

Photographers in the Garden abound during June, with good reason: The roses are at their loveliest! Make plans to take your lunch or coffee breaks at the BRG this week.

Also in bloom, the first of the hydrangeas, and large day lilies at the top lookout, the first of the coneflowers in the Perennial Bed. And of course, the large hosta garden is picture-perfect!

Use the search box top of page to find more photos of plants in the Gardens.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Yellow Tree Peony, Yellow Austin Roses in Bloom Now

Everything's coming up roses (and peonies) at Brueckner!

Three years in the making, the yellow tree peony is now in bloom! If nothing else, gardening teaches patience, a lesson we've learned well at the BRG. The Gardens' one and only yellow tree peony can be admired in its full blooming glory at the edge of the annual bed across from the Kennedy Memorial Plaque near the main entrance.

Large yellow tree peony in full bloom has faint red veins showing through. This peony can be seen at BRG in Port Credit, On.
Yellow Tree Peony Full Bloom Port Credit's BRG
The long-awaited blooming of the only yellow tree peony in the Gardens pays off, with this first blossom so large it needs a bit of support from a forked branch.  There are about 10 buds and flowers on this peony, and staff and volunteers alike are hoping that this year, passersby will refrain from picking these gorgeous flowers. See this post about the yellow peony from last spring.

Clear bright yellow tree peony flower with deep green leaves blooming in Port Credit at the BRG.
Smaller Yellow Peony Flower at BRG
Here's a second yellow peony that is just opening its petals today. The tree peony is showing its age -- about 4 years old -- and getting quite lush and large, with buds all around its ample girth.

With any luck, any light-fingered visitors will leave the flowers alone, as it's attracting a lot of well-deserved admirers.  The blooming period should last a few weeks, so drop by with your camera!

Stakes and string support large red bush peonies in full bloom at Mississauga public garden.
Red Bush Peonies Perennial Garden BRG Mississauga
 The perennial garden just east of the main entrance parking area is ringed with a border of red bush peonies now blooming with abandon. The heavy-headed peonies have been given a bit of support with stakes and string to keep them upright and off the lawn.

Red, white flowering bush and tree peonies blooming near gardens office building beside Waterfront Trail in Mississauga, ON.
Brueckner Peony Garden Beginning to Bloom.
 The Peony Garden, renovated last Fall, is looking good as it comes into bloom this week. The transplanting last fall did set the peonies back a bit, but the new bed offers them much better growing conditions.

See rejuvenating the peony garden post.

Peony Garden Brueckner beside 
Peonies, especially new plantings, are fragile and easily damaged. By raising the bed last fall, one of the side benefits, it was thought, would be that the higher level would make visitors be more aware of it, and discourage them from walking among the peonies.

But each day, there are more broken stems with unopened buds, so signs will need to be posted to reinforce the reasons to stay off the peony garden. As the bed matures and the peonies become well established, they will support each other, and be less prone to damage.

BRG Rose garden new addition David Austin Crown Princess Margareta yellow blossoms.
Crown Princess Margareta BRG Rose Garden
 A new addition to the Rose Garden at Brueckner is this David Austin yellow rose Crown Princess Margareta that is just beginning to bloom in the same bed with the Canadian rose Hazel McCallion.

Yellow Rose Bush ~ Crown Princess Margareta at BRG
 This early blooming rose is a fine addition to the Rosa Hazel McCallion bed. This rose seems both hardy and a prolific bloomer. This picture shows the buds just beginning to open this week.

Crown Princess Margareta yellow rose fully opened shows its cabbage style flowers.
Cabbage-type Rose Blossom Fully Opened at BRG
 When fully opened, Crown Princess Margareta shows its cabbage style yellow flowers with deeper, almost apricot center.

 See also blog posts on other roses at the BRG.

Scentimental, Abraham Darby and Captain Samuel are also ready to bloom, and Sutton Place (that shares a bed with Evelyn) is also opening its buds this week. Most of the roses in the BRG are David Austin old-fashioned scented roses, so they smell wonderful!

Para Kanp, head gardener at Brueckner Gardens, planting annual bedding plants.
Para Kanp Planting Annuals at BRG Port Credit
 Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens head gardener, Para Kanp, shows his planting skills as he and staff made short work this week planting the hundreds of annuals that add to summer and fall colours in the Gardens.

 This annual and perennial bed is just south of the main entrance off Lakeshore Road West. The other main annual garden is at the 'Port Credit' sign at Lakeshore and Godfreys Lane.

Dozens of new bedding plants in annual garden bed at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens in Mississauga, Ontario.
Main Annual Bed Planted at Brueckner Gardens.
Here's how the main annual bed looks this week, with dozens of low maintenance annuals nicely planted. The yellow tree peony can be seen in the middle of this picture, in front of the still-blooming rhododendrons and azaleas.

 If you visit the Gardens, take note of the standard tree roses that flank the yellow tree peony. These standards were grafted by Para, who's planted a number of them in several locations in the garden. As well, canna lilies that were over-wintered in this bed survived beautifully, and will be a spectacular backdrop in the annual bed.

As well, several lilies (green plants lower left) grow in this bed, and the annoying and damaging red weevils are already making a meal of them. See this post on the (late) lily garden. The lilies were spectacularly unique for one season only, and survive only in memory and pictures.


Sadly, vandals still senselessly target the Gardens

Many peonies were uprooted last Christmas (though why anyone would want to uproot peonies and leave them lying on the ground is beyond knowing). And every so often, the main garden building, washrooms, signs and bridges get marred with a scribble of paint. A decorative bike with plants in basket that a Port Credit citizens committee placed at the BRG was stolen outright.

Visitors can take note if they witness any activities that are harmful to the Gardens, but are asked not approach anyone. To report issues,  tell one of the city staff in the Gardens weekdays, 8-3 p.m.

Or phone the City of Mississauga :

  • To report graffiti, vandalism and litter, call the 24 Hour Hot Line 905-615-4060
  • To report activities such as alcohol consumption, property destruction and suspicious behaviour - call Peel Regional Police 905-453-3311.