Hedgerows Garden Tapestry Journal

Final Thoughts:
“Shrubs in the garden, perennials from seed and garden surprises” by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

A nice surprise greeted me one morning a couple of weeks ago - I looked out the window at the weeping willow that hangs over one corner of our garden from the neighbours (a very nice ‘borrowed’ plant) and saw that the lower branches were covered in beautiful pink blooms! During last summer, without anyone noticing, the clematis that grows along our fence had reached up and grown into the weeping willow, and was now in full bloom.

I have a beautiful forsythia bush in the garden, in direct view of the office window. It has lovely fresh green leaves and extremely graceful, tall arching branches. This bush wasn’t pruned last year, (unlike the chopped back one right next to it) and was left to grow into its natural shape and height - about 10 feet tall! This would be great if the weather cooperated: I expect annuals and some perennials to be affected by a heavy rainstorm and flop over, especially the topheavy ones like paeonies, delphiniums, and the delicate, wispy wildflowers I am so fond off. That is why there are always instructions to stake them…But shrubs? Shouldn’t woody shrubs stand up by themselves? I always thought so, but not in the case of this forsythia! On a rainy day, or even the damp, misty days of a Vancouver spring and summer, the days that seem like 200% humidity, the moisture collects on all the leaves and branches and folds them over. My lovely bush looks like a sad, overgrown mop turned upside down in the garden. Pathetic. Almost horizontal, it leans precariously over the other plants around it, threatening to knock over the lilies coming up beside it.

What happened to this bush? Why would it grow so tall? It was probably overfertilised, resulting in far too much fresh, lush growth last year that hasn’t developed any woody structure and so flops around badly. It would have better to grow half that height and have the strength to support itself properly. It is also growing in a rather shady spot - it probably needs more and stronger sunshine to prevent the lax habit, just like seedlings get leggy if they don’t get enough light.

The best thing to do for this plant is to give it a severe pruning right after flowering (oh, did I mention that these nice long stems barely had any flowers on them at all this spring? And I was so looking forward to a lovely show of bright yellow…it never materialised). Remember that forsythia roots from cuttings very easily, you could quickly have a whole hedge of it. It actually makes a very attractive informal flowering hedge - just keep it fairly low, no more than 4 feet tall.

The other shrubs in the garden are doing very well, except perhaps for the rhododendrons. These look a little sickly and sparse…seem to be losing a lot of the lower leaves, and the rest are a bit yellow. This is probably because of bad drainage, most of the garden is a bit of a bog, so much so that I can watch the corner of the patio sinking into the ground after a rainfall.

The ceonothus bushes are doing fine, as are the witch hazel, hebes, hydrangeas and skimmias. The Pacific dogwoods are not almost the size of small trees, very attractive in shape and form. They are a bit late in flowering this year, only now are the first pale, creamy blooms appearing.

Growing perennials from seed is particularly rewarding, as the results will last for many years. My Shasta daisies, lavender and lychnis will be blooming very shortly and I’m really looking forward to them! The daisy buds are numerous enough to risk cutting some and bringing them indoors, as they are supposed to last quite long in a vase. The lychnis, with its soft, hairy silver-green leaves should make a great contrast to the brilliant, magenta flowers. I love the bright colour of this flower, and there is a lovely white version also which I must get.

As for the lavender, who doesn’t like this plant? Easy care, will grow in poor soil, doesn’t need much water, and just a trim at the end of the season to tidy it up if you wish. The fragrance is unforgettable, as is the colour. Delicate yet hardy at the same time. As useful as you want to make it (you can make soap and cosmetics from it, use it for scent sachets or potpourri, even cook with it), it also looks lovely just sitting there in the border or in a pot on the patio. I have just finished reading a book where the author tells a story that takes place in the lavender fields that used to cover the hills of southwest London in the 1800’s. A particularly touching story of a young girl and her sick baby brother takes place in these fields…I will never be able to look at a lavender bush again without remembering Lucy and Horatio. It is truly amazing how your perception of plants changes with experiences like this - where a flower has a part in a good book or movie, or even more strongly, if it is part of a friend or relatives treasured garden…if you can possibly get a cutting or seeds from these plants, or resort to buying a similar plant from a nursery, even if it is the ordinary, everyday variety, it is guaranteed to produce more pleasure and memories for you than anything that doesn’t have this ‘background’ or ‘association’. Make sure your garden is filled with your own personal favourites to really get the most enjoyment from it.

Since 1913, the Chelsea Flower Show has been a showcase of the very best of English gardening and one of the leading events of gardening and horticultural season. Attended by royalty, celebrities and a very keen public, it is a treasured tradition each year at the end of May. The show actually started quite a few years earlier than this, in the late 1880’s, but was in a different location - it became the Chelsea Flower Show when it moved to the current premises at the Hospital.

There are many photographs and analyses of this most famous of all flower shows, each year seems to get more media coverage and promotion. This year there seems to be a glut of internet reviews, complete with pictures, video and pages of text, written by experts and laymen alike. You don’t even need to be there any more to have seen all the exhibits, enjoyed the scenery and even bought that special plant that caught our eye!! But what is this really all about? Why the big deal about Chelsea? Maybe because it is put on by the Royal Horticultural Society, that venerable institution that all serious gardeners are required to aspire to belong to someday. The RHS is revered around the world for its research, seedbanks, training facilities, demonstration gardens and library, and Chelsea is definitely the jewel in the crown of its horticultural year.

The exhibits are by much sought-after invitation only, so right there you know you are seeing a privileged selection of the best nursery and tradesmen showcasing their products and expertise. And tens of thousands of pounds are spent on each exhibit area, so this is not a cheap spectacle, not to mention the months and months of planning and meticulous preparation. This year showed an expanded selection of international exhibits which was a nice and very welcome change.

Leyhill prison’s award-winning garden at Chelsea yesterday. The design shows nature’s ability to heal scars on the landscape caused by industry

So why haven’t I been suitably impressed with all the pictures that I’ve seen so far of the show? I must acknowledge that there is no way that any media coverage can substitute for the real thing - a walk around the show - but it seems to me that all the exhibits are trying just a little too hard to be perfect, and every gardener knows that a real garden is far from perfect. These little glimpses into different worlds, loosely based on a theme which varies from year to year seem like still life paintings somehow, and not like someplace that I would ever feel like I would want for my own garden! Maybe my tastes and styles are just too simplistic to appreciate them, but any garden that requires so much explanation and reasoning isn’t my style. Far too much symbolism to figure out, who wants to work that hard? Especially after a long day working at a job, the last thing I want from my garden when I get home is more work (of the mental kind). Something basic and soothing to the soul where I can simply and mindlessly putter around and relax is my idea of a garden, and none of the fancy displays at Chelsea made me feel like I could do that. But it is always a great place to go for ideas and inspiration - just pick and choose the elements that do appeal to you and incorporate them into your own garden or plans.

Here are some examples from Chelsea this year:

The Gardens Illustrated entry called Evolutions is, along with many other of the more conspicuous gardens, brimming with post-millennial symbolism and novel interpretation	‘Evolution’ garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
The Garden of the Night	A man models a defribulator in the Lifesavers garden

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Some of the best Chelsea coverage this year is by The Times newspaper of London - check their online special for reviews and photographs at:

http://www.the-times.co.uk/onlinespecials/britain/chelsea/

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There are other major flower and garden festivals held regularly all around the world, and they all have their own loyal following. Although it seems like it’s been around almost as long as Chelsea, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show first took place as late as 1990! 

Another new one that draws a national and loyal audience is the BBC Gardener’s World Live Show in Birmingham, only 6 years old.

The biggest local event in Vancouver is probably the VanDusen show, held in late May/early June. This outdoor extravaganza is based loosely on the same principles as Chelsea, but much less formal - anyone can buy themselves a booth and set up a display, no invitation needed. Many smaller companies band together and share the tiny cubicle-like spaces, usually creating more chaos than creative space management!

I decided at the last minute to attend the Gala Preview Night, and it was a great party, hosted this year by my good friend David Tarrant. Lots of delicious food and drink, every ‘gardening celebrity’ that this town can muster (plus a few from out of town as well), music, speeches, charity auctions and more. But what about the exhibits, the real reason for the show? The preview night is always a good night to have a snoop around since you can beat the crowds and everything is still at its finest and freshest. This year’s theme is ‘Evolution’ and there were a few vague attempts to portray the idea, but as was to be expected with such a loose and undefined theme, there was lots of room for interpretation and pretty much anything went! All this would have been just fine if anyone had actually shown any creativity and imagination. While Chelsea is renowned for innovation and creativity, these exhibits were, for the most part, rather boring and pedestrian. As I looked around, it seemed like everyone was using the same few plants placed around in very mundane ways. I’ve noticed this in the last few years also - one year it was the lovely Corydalis ‘Blue Panda’, I swear every booth had some of these beautiful blue flowering plants displayed! Last year it was Geranium ‘Pink Spice’, a sweet, dark foliaged hardy geranium with abundant small pink flowers. A couple of years ago, at the Victoria Flower & Garden Festival, it was the pretty pink version of the familiar white baby’s breath. While all of these are great plants, does everyone there need to show it at the same time, and in the same way? I suppose this is how ‘plant fashions’ are determined: someone decides arbitrarily that one particular plant is ‘it’ this year and everyone follows along blindly like sheep! One notable exception was a couple of nurseries that had a lovely display of native and unusual perennials, using dried grasses to make trellis-type screens was particularly inspired. I’ll patronise that creative and unusual display every time! You didn’t have to think very hard or interpret anything, it was just done beautifully, simply and with flair - excellent.

There is definitely a lot to be learned from attending one of these shows, and you’ll always get something out of a day walking around, observing. Take a notebook, wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers and hope for good weather. Enjoy the show!

by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

During May, the last days of spring slowly turn into early summer. This is the time when the last of the perennials appear above ground, and the daffodils and tulips and all their springtime companions fade away. The magnolias are almost over, their unreal goblet-shaped flowers shedding huge pink petals onto the grass, totally overpowering the smaller pink petal snow of the cherries and plums. Now the crabapple and hawthorn trees are covered in their delicate blossoms, ranging from almost white to dark red. I’ve loved these trees ever since I was young and used to play under them in our school playground, collecting the flowers as they fall to the ground. They were also a predominant feature of the hedgerows and verges in our part of the country, and I remember them vividly growing wild in the large open hillside behind our house, leading down to the railway line… One day I am going to plant a large orchard that has these lovely trees growing in a random pattern (I hate orchards with trees in rows!), with long, unmown grass underneath. Of course this meadow will be filled with beautiful wildflowers coming into bloom, replacing the fading bluebells and daffodils, primulas and violets. 

I suppose this time of year lends itself readily to dreams like this - right now, the garden just might be perfect this year, since the bugs haven’t really got to anything yet, no fungus or viruses have attacked the delicate emerging foliage or flowers, and drought hasn’t made anything wilt sadly. Now is the time to imagine how gorgeous that lush hosta foliage will be, without a slug-eaten leaf in sight, and the roses might possibly have buds without a single aphid sucking on them. Of course the tomato seedlings sitting safely on the windowsill won’t end up grey and curled with blight like last year, and we will have enough sun to actually ripen some fruit this year!

Enjoy the optimism of this month, it is good and necessary for all gardeners to be dreamers as well as having a solid and practical head and hand. We need to be able to visualise and project, to see in our mind how the border will look when mature as we carefully plan and build with little plants now. All those precious plant sale treasures must be found a home somewhere, and if you are lucky to have bought a small annual or perennial, your troubles are limited as they can be squeezed in just about anywhere. Imagine the task facing someone that just came home with a spectacular species rhododendron or such - now that needs some room in a good spot and may not be so easy to find without taking out some previous treasure! I was sorely tempted recently as I walked around a rhodo plant sale last weekend at the UBC Botanical Garden, put on by the Vancouver Rhododendron Society…I must admit that I think that rhodos and azaleas are greatly overused in the Vancouver area. They have been a staple of gardens here for decades, and now most of them are overgrown for their spots, neglected and quite sickly, with yellowing and thinning foliage and a few sad flowers. Most were planted much to close to the house, probably even under the windows and have been thoughtlessly cut back. The few plants that do well, do really well here since members of the rhodo family like this cool, wet climate and acidic, shallow soil. These lucky plants are gorgeous and almost overpower a garden during their blooming season, but does everyone have to choose a red one when there are so many choices available in all shades of white, pale yellow to bright orange, pinks, mauves to dark maroon? Try one a little different, you won’t regret it!

This rhododendron show also had some spectacular azalea bonsai on display. Until now, I’ve never been a big fan of this particular aspect of horticulture, since it seems to take far too long to achieve a nice looking specimen (I’ve always liked the mature end result though, especially those charming little forests of tiny japanese maples…pure magic). Maybe I’m just getting older and more patient these days, but I might be tempted to start my own bonsai forest one day.

It is hard to watch something grow and evolve that slowly though, especially at this time of year when you can practically watch the paeony shoots grow by inches each day! It is always amazing just how fast perennials emerge and fill in the border - within a matter of weeks bare earth is transformed into a full swathe of plant material. Few annuals can match the rate of growth of an established perennial. Never mind that most perennials only flower for a few weeks each year because so many of them have lovely foliage and possibly interesting seedheads to offer during the rest of the season. It is as important to plan for a harmonious blending of leaf material in your borders as coordinating colours of blooms, but this is a topic all unto itself…

There was a wonderful day last week when I hung out with a friend (Hi Sharon!) as she worked at a local nursery - I watched and listened as she patiently shared her expert advice with the garden tour going around, the eager and slightly anxious customers, and of course, myself. What a treat to get outside and actually see and touch so many unusual plants that I usually only get to read about in books! I even got to get my hands dirty and help with a bit of potting up - so much nicer than working behind a computer all the time. A fascinating lecture presented by a local gardening club that bought in famous plant explorer and nurseryman, Dan Hinkley of Heronswood Nursery rounded out an excellent last week of April. Definately the best way for a beginner to learn about plants and gardening is to talk with, and above all, listen to experienced people like this that are willing to share their knowledge and enthusiasm. 

I’m going back outside now to watch my perennials growing, as well as admiring the staying power of a few annuals that survived the mild winter and are now flowering where they left off last November… Time to get those stakes into the ground before the paeony buds open and fall over. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain and cause them to rot before they even have a chance to open…but wait, no bad thoughts allowed yet, it is still springtime!

Final Thoughts:
“Birds and Blossoms” by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

Final Thoughts:
“Welcome to the New Year” by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year celebrations. It was truly amazing watching and waiting for the Millennium, sharing it with everyone around the world on TV. As planned, we stayed home with all my family and some relatives, quiet and cosy and perfect, amid the anticipated chaos. Thank goodness nothing happened! What a sense of relief as 2000 struck around the globe, country by country, and everything was exactly just like it was before…almost anticlimactic for those who expected (and maybe even hoped for) a disaster, but by far the majority of us just glad for a night of peaceful celebration.

Of course, us gardeners never expected anything else really. Why else would we have planted all those little bulbs a few weeks ago in hopes of spring blooms? Or ordered seeds to sow this February? Or packed away our precious tools so carefully for next season? We know  how little Nature cares about our pathetic little crises and self-inflicted problems! Y2K bugs, millennium madness, second comings, power goings, etc.are strictly for people completely out of touch with the real world, not us. We knew everything would be just fine…all the plants would keep growing or waiting patiently dormant for warmer weather, the birds flying around and eating the last of the autumn berries, and the sun shining the next day. And so here we are, on the other side, ready for yet another year in our beloved gardens just like before.

We didn’t get any snow here for Christmas, which is always a little disappointing, for the kids and the adults too. We did, however, get a good thick blanket of fog which is almost as good for moody atmosphere in the garden (and you don’t need to shovel it….) What fog does is remind you of some of the basic tenants of good garden design: remember the fore, mid and background views across the area. Fog enhances the sense of perspective as things further away disappear much quicker than they normally do in clear situations. You appreciate having a small feature tree or shrub halfway across the garden that you can partially see while the further reaches are completely obscured, and the foreground is sharp and clear. It is simple to do in any size garden, and in all weather conditions will add interest and depth to your garden space.

It was a real treat walking through the woods behind our house on the day before Christmas Eve, collecting branches of holly, cedar, fir, pyracantha, ferns, mahonia, and other evergreens to decorate the house for our anticipated Christmas guests (they never showed up due to a last minute case of the flu!). Never mind, that day was really special, the thick fog making it seem like I was a million miles away, even though I was just beyond the end of the garden. I made a mental note to make sure I have some of these plants in my own garden so I don’t have to raid the lot next door for my seasonal greenery.

   
Holly berry substitutes can include Viburnum sp. (left) or Skimmia (right). Others that work well are rose hips, crab apples, cotoneaster, etc.

Everyone must have some holly, Chrismas just isn’t the same without it. Turns out that all the many bushes around our place must be all male since there was plenty of shiny spiny leaves but narry a berry in sight! Conversely, maybe they were all female without a male, how would I know… anyway, no real holly berries, so I had to do a quick substitution with pyracantha. It worked really well, and no-one seemed to notice. So this is a must for my holiday garden as well - I’d plant it even if the birds didn’t enjoy them as much as I did, but I’m glad they do, as there is always lots to share.

Ivy, well, we’ve got that almost rampant around the garden, so no worries there. As for the most famous holiday plant, mistletoe, none around here! I did find a wild berry bush with little white berries which I used instead. I don’t know what it is called, I’ll find out for next time and let you know. And of course, evergreens of every shape and colour are essential. Forest green cedars, mid-green firs and pines, blue spruce, yews so dark they are almost black, etc. Don’t forget the broadleaf evergreens also such as laurel, privet, rhododendrons, and many others They all look great at any time of the year, and give structure and form to the winter garden.

     
Beautiful and varied colours of “evergreens” include blue Picea (left), yellow Abies (centre) and green Junipers (right).

It is almost time already to start thinking about the witch hazels coming out, and the lovely snowdrops and early crocuses. At this darkest time of the year, these make for shining little beacons in the night, soon to draw us out into the light.

Happy Gardening in 2000.

“Gardening in the Future” by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

The last month of the Millenium is undoubtedly a time for reflections, both forwards and backwards, for everybody, but I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that gardeners are more aware than others of the passing seasons and years. We keep journals of what we do each season, what we need to do or want to try next year. The journal may be carefully written in a beautiful book, with pressed flowers illustrating the notes, or more likely, a series of quick, often random notes jotted down in a daytimer (oh, to be an elegant Edwardian lady with time to keep one of the former, rather than a harried and super busy working mother with the latter…). Sometimes, probably most times, there is no physical record at all, it is kept in our minds. Nonetheless, all these past experiences and dreams will be carried into the next millenium to impact the gardens of the future.

Who knows what these gardens will look like? What trends and fashions will shape them? Will we still be having the pastel colours vs. “hot” ones debate? Will ornamental grasses still be “in” or will someone decide they are finished and say we must all have a lemon tree? Formal gardens, cottage gardens, herbs, wildflowers, traditional perennial beds, modern mixed borders, gravel gardens, etc., etc. - these have all been done, and will continue to be created, but what’s coming up in the world of gardening and horticulture that we can barely imagine? I hope there will be more discoveries like that of the phytoremediation qualities of waterlilies that can be used to clean polluted waters. Can scientists find a cure for cancer or AIDs in the rainforests, or will an old gardener discover that a familiar annual cures the common cold? Maybe we will have salt-water tolerant, floating plants that will feed the world? Will this next century see the first zero-gravity garden? A vegetable plot on the moon? Probably, and much more!! Imagine the size of the pumpkins…

Back here on Earth today, I’m really looking forward to this Christmas Season and New Years celebrations. Nothing grand and fancy in a downtown hotel for me thank you, I’d rather spend this special time at home with my family and close friends. Maybe we can all take a walk around the garden, and dream a little of the future.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Final Thoughts November 1999:
Reflections on the Past Season, and Future Dreams
by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

Another year over in the gardening world, and many lessons learnt and pleasures had. One of the treats right now is being able to breathe a little easier since most of the work for the year is completed, not that you’d know that if you read our list of things to do this month! As our “mystery author” pointed out, don’t get stressed out over these or any garden jobs, just enjoy your garden, do what you can and want to - leave the rest until next year or whenever you get to it.

This is one of the true joys of gardening is that there is always next year. Another spring will follow this winter despite all our fears over the over-hyped Y2K problems, and everyone will have another chance to plant those hot new plants you craved this year but just didn’t have time for, another chance to try some exotic new (or old heirloom) vegetable, another chance for a lovely autumn colouring shrub or tree.

The seasonality is most evident during Harvest time, when the fruits of all your labour are rewarded. This is a special event that means a lot to children and they should be encouraged to participate. This year, at my parents house, I took my little four-year old girl over to help Pa dig up the last of his potatoes, carrots, onions and beets. The sheer joy (on both their faces) as grandfather and grandchild dug around in the mud for buried treasures, then carefully picked them out and lay them out for washing was definately worth all the work - truly stuff that memories are made of. Potatoes especially seem to appeal to kids, followed by the lovely bright carrots with their fresh green tops. No matter how good or bad the growing season is, there is almost always a worthwhile crop of one type or another. This year, due to the cold, wet spring and summer, his tomatoes and peppers were not very good (they were great last year), but the root and leaf crops did very well. I wonder what will work next year?

One thing I’d really like to do when I have my own permanent garden space is plant an apple tree - no garden is really complete without one. They are such a simple, basic pleasure for the whole family. I definately do not want one of these new hybrid types that gets a few feet tall (or even less!), and always looks like it is about to fall over if you take out the stake. I want a BIG, old-fashioned apple tree, current wisdom and convention be damned!

Walking around the University of British Columbia Apple Festival last month really reinforced that wish…here, as at Apple Festivals all around the world, hundreds of beautiful apple varieties are displayed to tempt the senses. Some quite rare and unusual, others commonplace and well-loved. The one that caught my eye this year was the simple old Bramley that used to be quite commonly grown but now seems to have become a rarity, especially among home gardeners. This is probably simply because of its size - a “full-size” tree, says the label, like some kind of stern warning…”not recommended for most gardens due to its vigour and spread” it continues. Nonsense! Plant a nice big tree in your garden, whatever species and variety you choose. The large branches provide beauty and shade in the summer, and when the leaves drop off in the autumn, plenty of light and sun still gets into the garden and house. Plant it right smack dab in the middle of the lawn, put a bench underneath and sit and watch the garden grow, have a picnic underneath it, just enjoy it’s presence in your life. What are you saving the space for anyway - don’t be afraid of the neighbours or the utility company! Enjoy the beauty of a decent sized tree, with its seasonal changes, wildlife and family pleasures (just try hanging a swing from a dwarf tree) and you’ll never be without one again.

Watch later issues of the Garden Tapestry Journal for an indepth look at the Bramley apple, and why it is regarded as one of the world’s best apple varieties.