As the year comes to a close, here are some photos of fall colour in the Gardens.
Pine Mulch for Winter
Each Fall, staff and volunteers spread pine needle mulch around the rhododendrons, azaleas and companion plants. It's a big job, given the large number of beds, but it's fairly easy work, as the mulch is light.
And in the midst of the fall mulching season, one rhododendron thought it was Spring.
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| David Culham and Para Kanp ~ Rhodo in Bloom |
David (volunteer) and Para (head gardener) on October 25, with a late, off-season blooming rhododendron. Mild fall weather can 'trick' rhodos and azaleas into flower late in the year.
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| Moving the Mulch into Garden Beds |
Pine needles are collected from around the area, and dumped into large piles around the gardens. From there, needles are moved by wheelbarrow into the various beds.
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| Volunteer Spreading Mulch in South Main Gardens |
After the wheelbarrows of mulch are dumped into the beds, it can be placed around the plants. This bed, with few plants, allows for fast work. Beds with many plants are best mulched by hand to avoid damaging the plants.
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| Pine Needle Carpet 'Hot Dawn' Bed |
Pine trees in some areas of the Gardens, such as here in the '
Hot Dawn' (Brueckner hybrid rhododendron) bed, drop needles in Fall and help mulch.
David, photo, moves a load of needles into the bed.
Hot Dawn is a newer planting, and located on a hillside sloping down to Lake Ontario, so somewhat exposed to winter winds.
Fall Colour in the Gardens
As the leaves change colour in Fall, they provide a new landscape to charm visitors and volunteers alike. Here are some photos taken in late October.
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| Fall in the Forest at Brueckner Gardens |
A bright bit of red foliage in a sea of greenery catches the eye in the Fall garden. '
Solomon's Seal' fill the foreground of the lovely woodland scene.
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| Godfreys Lane entrance to the BRG |
Burning bush (middle left) adds to the Fall colours display at the Godfreys Lane (southeast) entrance to the Gardens. The lane is a city street used mostly for local traffic and access to the Waterfront Trail.
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| Waterfront Trail BRG to Godfreys Lane |
Peaceful scene at the Gardens, on the Waterfront Trail section east of the south bridge leading to Godfreys Lane. Fall fog softens the view and muffles sound, giving the feeling of being cosily alone in the Gardens.
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| Sunny Day Fall Colours Waterfront Trail BRG |
When the sun is out, the mood is different, and the colours 'pop'!. This photo is taken along the same section of Waterfront Trail at the Gardens as photo above, but gives a very different feeling. The copper beech are in glorious coppery orange against the blue sky.
Late Blooming Iceberg Roses
These photos of the Iceberg roses were taken on November 15 this year. Even a few weeks later, after a hard frost, Iceberg lived up to its name and kept sending forth blossoms, though a little worse for the cold. Here are three pictures of this prolific and virtually trouble-free, long-season bloomer.
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| Rosa Iceberg November Bloom Port Credit |
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| Solitary White Iceberg Rose |
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| Full Bloom ~ Iceberg Rose in Fall. |
A perfect white rose to contrast with Autumn's colours in the Gardens.
Today, with the season's first snowfall, the blooming is definitely over for this year. The plants with their blankets of mulch and a cover of snow are all tucked in for Winter and promising a good show next Spring.
NB Photos with text included are courtesy of D.J. Culham.
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