Text and Photos by Rob Danforth
As a winter series of gardening inspiration, I would like to present now a sequence of “commented” photos of gardens, and gardening in general, from various locations that my wife and I have visited. All pictures are my own and my one regret is that I will not be able to convey the fragrances or the ambiance of the times and places where these photos were taken. But I encourage readers to take what they will from the images – garden images that may speak to you in more ways than I could.
(Image: 40 year old False Cypress Bonsai, Montreal Botanical Gardens, QC)
Bonsai indoors or out can be very stimulating for a gardener. I have read of burn victims in long, slow recovery who found solace, relief, and reinvigoration in making bonsai. Bonsai is slow growing. By my reckoning, bonsai is miniature tree art in almost a pot and you are the artist. Montreal botanical has both Japanese and Chinese styles in bonsai and recently the Leaf in Winnipeg has had a temporary bonsai display. I have seen bonsai older than I am and I will include more pictures in later newsletters.
(Image: Azaleas, Ottawa, ON)
These plants like a nutrient rich, slightly acidic (pH of 6.5 to 6), moist, well drained, soil. Coming spring, some are usually on display outdoors at the Ottawa arboretum as well as in the Montreal Botanical gardens.
(Image: Clusters, Harlow Carr RHS, Harrogate, UK)
Plants in ‘clusters’ and ‘drifts’ are more insect friendly and more eye appealing than those in small groups or single pots. In the foreground you can see clusters, while there is a drift of orange blooms in the background. Drifts, shaped like an irregular shore line, are often used in the commissionaires park at Dow’s lake, Ottawa.
(Image: Food Gardens, Mui Wo, Hong Kong, China)
Chinese food gardens are much like ours, but note the use of watering cans to target the roots of plants and to conserve water, rather than irrigation systems or hoses. Interestingly, these gardens near my flat survived the “black” rains.
When we were in Hong Kong, rain events were colour coded as yellow, red, or black and the population was cautioned in advance. Some of the rains would wash whole gardens away and the city would shut down completely for a black rain: people slept in their offices and people could die from “landslips” (landslides) and flash floods – the city has cemented over some hillsides to prevent landslips from blocking roads. A black rain is similar to standing under a waterfall. Once I was ”hill walking” on one of the backcountry peaks when one big black rain struck; luckily, there was a small picnic shelter nearby.
(Image: Grasses, White Lake, ON)
Grasses can look smart in a garden as a focal point or a backdrop all year round; some of the taller ones can provide a summer privacy screen. They wave about in the summer breezes and they are attractive in winter when they stand out above the snow and add colour and interest to the snow scape. They are also bird friendly for nest material and food (fall seeds), and insect friendly for overwintering pollinators and insect predators. [If you are winter camping near water and see grasses and reeds above the ice, beware of thin ice, as the plants riddle the ice with holes and you may break through – when collecting swamp dead wood for our supper fire, snowshoes saved me!]
(Image: Green Roof, CCOC, Ottawa, ON)
Green roofs are environmentally friendly, especially in our cement, glass, and tarmac cities, all of which increase wind intensity and radiant heat, not to mention the negative effect on bird migrations and on the lives of birds crashing into the glass towers. A green roof is an oasis – like our green city parks – in our concrete cityscapes.
(Image: High Density Planting, Cornwall, ON)
High density planting shades the soil from excess heat, conserves water, and reduces many weeds – albeit not all (e.g.: galinsoga / quickweed) – by depriving them of sunlight. The main challenge is finding a place to put your feet and your collection bucket or trug. An apron trug could be quite helpful.
(Image: Painted Trillium, Mer Bleu, ON)
Nature is exquisite all on its own! A walk in the woods at any time of the year can be spiritually refreshing in addition to the fresh air and physical exercise. Keep your eyes and ears open for the smaller details (birds, buds, seedlings, creature evidence) like this painted trillium that are all there for the observant walker. As the Irish botanist Diana Beresford-Kroeger says, “forest bathing” is very good for people’s health: it works for me!
(Image: PVC tube 12 ” Determinate Tomatoes, Ottawa, ON)
Imagination in gardening can lead to interesting solutions. A friend of mine uses PVC tubes in a small space and elevates them to get more sun. These are German cherry tomato plants and are very prolific for their size; he gave me some seed. Every year, all mine have to be supported due to the weight of the many tomatoes. Great reproducers if you are saving seed, which I do every year so I have fresh seed for next season.
(Image: Tropical garden, The Leaf, Winnipeg, MB)
The Leaf is a large indoor/outdoor showcase of plants, well worth a visit if you are in the area. This group of tropical plants is one of the indoor sections. There are some fascinating colours and textures, not to mention the sizes. The heat and humidity are quite reminiscent of a rainforest I once visited.
Strolling
through parks and gardens
helps combat our city bound “nature deficit disorder.”
It’s the immersion in the greenery, sounds, and fragrances that helps us.
Ask any wilderness camper.
Evergreen scent is a favourite.
For the avid urban food gardeners (pot or plot) looking for articles on gardening issues, the Senior Organic Gardeners (SOG) website https://seniororganicgardeners.ca/ has all the past articles in the resources section.