Rhododendrons, Roses, Compost, Pine Needle Mulch ~ Getting Ready for Winter

Compost for the rose garden, peony, hosta and annual beds, and pine needle mulch for the showpiece rhododendrons: We're getting ready to winter at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada! Many hands make light work, and about eight volunteers turned out today to spread the compost and make a start on the rhodo beds.

Truck-load of Compost Delivered to BRG

Most of the  volunteers showed up around 9 a.m. on a chilly fall morning, and finished edging the rose garden and started spreading the pine needle mulch until the load of compost  arrive in mid morning. 

Front End Loader BRG Rose Garden

Staff scheduled the front end loader to help with the heavy lifting, to the great relief of volunteers. The loader dropped bucketfuls of excellent compost around the gardens for staff and volunteers to shovel and fork onto the rose beds. Fresh compost is often too 'hot' for the newer rose bushes, so care was taken to keep it well back from the base and canes.

Mulching Mower BRG

Deciduous trees drop leaves in the fall, and with so many large maples, oaks, apple trees and more at the BRG, leaf litter can be a problem to clean up. But instead of blowing and piling and hauling leaves away, the gardens takes advantage of this large mulching mower, that chews them up and spits them out onto the lawns and so enriches the soil.

Mulching Mower - Front End Loader

Nothing like heavier machinery to make faster work of a tough job! The white cloud in front of the blue front end loader at the peony bed is the steam rising from the warm compost on this cool day. The large hosta bed (base of tree, left) also got a nice topping of compost. All the commotion in this part of the gardens today kept the red squirrels away.

Rose Gardens Dressed in Compost

Rose garden beds shapes emerge when the rich, dark compost is spread between plants. The compost left on the lawn outside the bed was raked into the grass as top dressing.

Over Seed Lawn in Fall

Grass seed was broadcast on the top-dressed lawns and lightly raked in. Rain forecast the next few days will settle the seeds, and we look forward to a bright green new growth in early spring.

Pine Needles Mulch, Acid for Rhododendrons

Mississauga City crews vacuum pine needles from other areas, and these needles are great for mulching the rhodos. Several large truck loads were dumped into large piles near the rhododendron beds. As with compost around the roses, so with pine needles around the rhodos: Don't get too close to the base of the plants. Pine needles help acidify the soil, as well as retain moisture and keep down weeds.

More Pine Needles for Rhododendron Mulch

While waiting for the compost to arrive this morning, volunteers helped move part of these large piles of pine needles. There are still many such large piles to be spread, using pitchforks and wheelbarrows. Pitchforks seem to work best to get a grip on the tough, compacted needles. Pine needles are not all that heavy, but shifting them is labour intensive.

Fall Colours BRG

The sun came out for a while in early afternoon, and turned this carpet of leaves golden! Shortly after I took this picture, the mulching mower moved to this part of the Garden, and the golden carpet became mulch too.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, volunteers will join park staff to help get the mulch spread, and the gardens ready for winter. This work week is the final of the year for one seasonal city worker, though the head gardener will be in the park into December. The countdown to winter is on!

If you'd like to help, check the right menu for map and more information. One fellow out for a walk through the gardens on the Waterfront Trail this afternoon stopped to chat, and soon picked up a shovel and helped spread compost on the peony bed. Best of all, he volunteered to come back tomorrow.

White Rhododendron Bloom in Novemeber

While working on spreading the needles the other day, this white rhodo that thinks it's spring caught our eye. We'll be back in the gardens the week of Nov 16. Still lots of good work to be done, and the sun is forecast to shine for us.

Great Walks Mississauga Port Credit in Fall: Lake Ontario, Godfrey's Lane, Waterfront

The Gardens, the Waterfront Trail and Godfrey's Lane along Lake Ontario are great places to go for walks in the Port Credit area of Mississauga this Fall. Take advantage of the sunny days, and enjoy this lovely spot of our city.

Walker on the Waterfront Trail at BRG

From Godfrey's Lane, the Waterfront Trail winds its way through the Gardens, following Tecumseh Creek to Lakeshore Road.

 

Godfrey's Lane Entrance to BRG

Fall colours are emerging at the Gardens, as seen here along Godfrey's Lane and the Waterfront Trail.

 

Kentucky Coffee Tree BRG

This area of Mississauga Port Credit is near the northern boundary of the Carolinian Forest, and the gardens are lucky to have wonderful examples of Carolinian trees, like this Kentucky Coffee Tree (yellow leaves, center). Also see an update on this tree Feb 2012.

 

Mystery Rock Stack at BRG - Inukshuk or Art Form?

From time to time, park staff and visitors will catch sight of one of these balanced rock stacks near Lake Ontario, and sometimes along Tecumseh Creek. To the artist: Thanks! You brighten the park!

 

Grey Squirrel in Residence Oak Tree at Lake Ontario

Regular visitors and staff know this grey squirrel; he's been the unofficial BRG Squirrel in Residence for several years now, holding court from near his oak tree at the corner of Waterfront Trail and Lake Ontario.

 

BRG Visitors on Bench - Lake Ontario Port Credit

The BRG's wonderful location on the shores of Lake Ontario makes it a favourite viewing spot for visitors. There are three benches near this viewpoint, and lovely rhodo and azalea beds close by.

 

Snow Fencing Rhododendrons at BRG

BRG staff erected the snow fencing around rhododendron beds and the peony garden this week, to give them some winter protection. See earlier post about winterizing the gardens.

 

Wire Mesh Tulip Bulbs

To keep squirrels from munching on tulip bulbs (apparently their favourite snack), garden staff placed wire mesh over the areas where the tulip bulbs were planted. The mesh will be removed once the ground freezes.

See earlier post for planting bulbs and shrubs. And if you'd like to come help get the gardens ready for winter, or sign up for next spring and summer, see Volunteering at BRG for information.

But volunteer or visitor, make time for a walk through the gardens, along Lake Ontario, and Godfrey's Lane, a very special part of Mississauga Port Credit!

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.

BRG Fall Garden Winter Preparations - Weeding, Mulch, Compost, Planting Spring Bulbs, Dividing, Transplanting Perennials

Fall Garden Winter Preparations are in full swing at Brueckner Rhodo Gardens in Port Credit Ontario Canada: Fall is the time to prepare gardens for winter, to do some weeeding, add mulch and compost, to plant bulbs that will flower next Spring, and for digging up, dividing, and transplanting perennials that have become overcrowded. Fall is a busy time for garden staff and volunteers alike.

Compost Top Dressing - Rhododendrons Azaleas

The hillside overlooking the Rose Garden has been top dressed in compost, which not only improves the soil but also delineates the beds and shows off their lovely shapes. More beds are slated to be similarly prepared for winter garden protection and improvement. Clearly defined beds also serve to alert Gardens visitors that something precious lies there!

Weeding and Edging the Rose Garden at Brueckner

Volunteer weeder and edger, and all-round great mulch and compost spreader David tackles the Rose Garden to prepare it for winter. And since the snow in winter may hold off for several months yet, his hard work beautifies the rose beds, showcasing the many rose bushes still in bud and bloom. Volunteer Clare is tackling the rose bush pruning.

Solomon's Seal Transplanted at BRG

Solomon's seal, part of the lily family, has been transplanted this fall along the Waterfront Trail beside the creek, near the middle bridge. Mature plants were being overshadowed by the now grown rhododendrons and azaleas, and should have room to grow and flourish safe from the lawn care weed whackers.

Black Eyed Susans Digging, Dividing For Transplanting

In a perennial garden near the BRG parking lot at Lakeshore Road West, the Black-Eyed Susans were beginning to take over the entire bed. City staff and volunteers took advantage of a warm sunny fall day to dig them up, divide them into new plants, and move them to a new garden.

Black-Eyed Susans New Flower Garden

Black-Eyed Susans have been transplanted in their new perennial garden home where the Waterfront Trail meets Lakeshore Road West at Shawnmarr. Tall, hardy, sun and drought tolerant, these perennials will not only add color and interest to this part of the BRG, but they will also hide the unlovely guard rail while alerting passing traffic: "Hey! Look at me! Here I am!" The other side of the guard rail has been planted with day lilies that perform much the same as the Black-Eyed Susans.

New Azaleas Facing Lake Ontario

Up the trail from the Brueckner memorial plaque and over the hill, the gardens slope towards Lake Ontario. It is on the 'far side' that has seen much new planting of rhododendrons and azaleas. These new plantings add many more plants to the springtime rhodos glory, and offer more locations for wedding photos.

Planting Spring Bulbs Fall Winter Garden Task

Head gardener, Para Kanp, works with volunteer Don to plant spring bulbs in a new garden bed. Here, they are planting fat tulip bulbs that are a favourite snack of the many squirrels. To thwart the squirrels that call BRG 'home', Para has placed wire mesh over the newly-planted bulbs. Also visible in this picture are the transplanted Black-Eyed Susans.

Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens Lake Ontario Frontage

Most often I take pictures of the BRG frontage on Lake Ontario from the Gardens proper (see my other blog for photos). Today I walked the Waterfront Trail through the Gardens, up Godfrey's Lane to the park on the hill, then followed a path down the banks to take this picture showing the full frontage of Brueckner Rhodo Garden. The fall colors are just starting to emerge.

For how to get to BRG check the googlemap link in the right menu.

Come join us as we get the garden winter ready for a good show next spring and summer!

Mississauga Port Credit Pathfinders Volunteers Plant Shrubs at BRG

Last night, the 221st Mississauga and Port Credit Pathfinders, part of Girl Guides of Canada, came to Brueckner Rhodo Gardens as volunteers to plant shrubs along the Waterfront Trail near Lake Ontario.

Pathfinders Planting along Waterfront Trail at BRG

The girls, ages 12-14, worked under supervision of City of Mississauga staff to dig holes, tease roots, plant and tidy two beds along the Waterfront Trail near the bridge closest to Lake Ontario.

Digging Holes Hard Work ~ Planting Shrubs at BRG

The picture above shows holes being dug on the slope that runs down to the beach at the bridge, a slope which is now planted with some of the 14 Rosa Carolina native rose bushes allocated for this area. Some of the Pathfinders parents came along, but the girls did most of the planting.

Pathfinders, Leader and BRG Chair

Some of the Pathfinders volunteers chat with BRG stewardship committee chair, David Culham, who was on hand to explain to the girls the difference between a garden and a park, and how the gardens change with the seasons.

Volunteer Pathfinders Plant Native Species

Culham told the Pathfinders the importance of native species plantings, and how rhododendrons are part of a Carolinian forest such as the BRG. He also thanked the girls for giving back to their community and taking ownership of how Mississauga develops and evolves.

At the Bridge Near the BRG Nursery

After planting, the Pathfinders had time to take in a short tour of part of Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens to learn more about the types of plants and trees. All told, the girls planted 44 shrubs in just over an hour: 14 Rosa Carolina, 10 Witch Hazel, 10 Alternated leaf dogwood, and 10 Chokecherry bushes.

Pathfinders in the BRG Rose Garden

Here, the girls are learning about the Rose Garden, where roses still bloom despite the mid Autumn chill. The Pathfinders asked if they could come back in the spring and do more plantings, and their troop leader said they would also ask the Girl Guides if they'd like to join them.

Rhododendrons in Full Bloom

Of course, we'd welcome such eager volunteers, said Culham, offering an invitation to the Pathfinders and their families to return in the spring when the rhodos are in bloom and they could see how the shrubs they planted in the fall looked in springtime.

Above is a photo taken by Culham in June, and I post it here to give the Pathfinders and Girl Guides a glimpse of how lovely the Gardens are, especially in late Spring.

To find out how you and / or your group can become a volunteer at BRG, see this post.

Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens Volunteers, Visitors Mississauga Park

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Here are more pictures of some of the volunteers at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens, a City of Mississauga Park. The pictures on this page are courtesy of David Culham, the BRG stewardship committee chair.

When David is not busy weeding, planting or planning at the gardens, he's out and about chatting with visitors and snapping photos. Thanks, David!

Volunteers Rob and Don at BRG Lily Garden

Volunteers Rob and Don at BRG Rose Garden

BRG Interim Place Plaque Dogwood pagoda

Visitor at BRG Harold Kennedy Memorial Plaque

See unveiling plaque post for more information.

Photographers Flock to BRG When Rhodos are in bloom

Volunteers at the Gardens are used to seeing photographers throughout the beds, especially when the rhodos are in bloom in May and June. With new lily, peony and rose gardens, and even more rhodos, they can expect even greater numbers of picture takers!

Visitors Lake Ontario Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens

When volunteers are working in the gardens, they're rarely alone, as residents and visitors alike come to enjoy the quiet beauty of the gardens year round.

BRG Volunteer Clare - Hydrangeas

See Volunteering at BRG for contact details and more information on how to volunteer.
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Volunteer at BRG - Gardeners, Students, Community Groups, Green Thumbs!

Gardeners, community groups, students looking for community service hours, or anyone who loves plants, Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens wants YOU as a volunteer to help make and keep the gardens looking beautiful.

Mayor McCallion Tour With BRG Volunteers

How Can You Help? Simple! Just come help the garden grow! As new beds are added, maintenance is more than the dedicated city park staff can manage on their own. They need help weeding the new rose garden, the lily bed, the peony garden and the natural areas. And that's where volunteers are invaluable!

When Rhododendrons Finish Blooming . . .

Like the rhodo in the picture above, when it's done blooming in June each year, it needs help getting rid of the old flowers before the new buds that will bloom the following spring grow too large. And at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens, there are thousands of spent rhodo blooms to be removed, which is best done within a few weeks.

Deadheading Rhodos - Removing Spent Blooms

Deadheading the rhodos is much easier with many hands working to pinch off the spent blooms. It's not hard to do, and volunteers are shown how to remove the old blossoms without damaging the buds. Some of the rhodos are very high, so volunteers keep their feet on the ground and let staff deadhead the tall plants.

BRG Volunteers Help Keep Gardens Gorgeous

Keeping the BRG lakeshore (video) tidy and clean would also be a great help. Storms and high waves bring in bits of litter and dump it onto our shoreline. Occasionally, thoughtless visitors do the same. Not for the newby, but trained volunteers help prune roses (video).

New Peony Bed Volunteer and City Staff Project

Volunteers and park staff worked together to make the new peony garden a reality. As lovely as the new garden was its first season, it should prove even more spectacular in coming years. Volunteers can help keep this garden and the other beds weed-free.

Volunteer Planting Irises Perimeter Lily Garden

How Much Time Does It Take? As much as you have available to give to the gardens. Some volunteers work many hours for days on end, and others come help out for an hour or two every month. Very little volunteer help is needed over the winter or on rainy days.

More help is needed in late spring to deadhead the rhodos. Help with weeding is always welcome. A tidy gardens makes a prettier showcase for our community, and the City of Mississauga. A tidy, healthy Garden is one way we can all show our appreciation for Dr. Brueckner's wonderful legacy.

Don - Volunteer at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens

Call to Volunteer

"The B.R.G Stewardship Committee needs volunteers to help the Garden grow," says David Culham, chair of the Committee. "We train you for the tasks, and all work is done under the park staff guidance," he says.

"If gardening is something you think you'd like to do, or if you want to know more about helping out at the gardens, then please call me at 905-608-2886, and leave a message, and I will get back to you."

Gardeners, community groups, students : Do join us! Fresh air, exercise, giving back to our community, meeting Garden visitors from around the GTA and from our own neighbourhoods in such beautiful surroundings -- Win-Win!

See more photos BRG Volunteers and Volunteer Pathfinders (Girl Guides of Canada).
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