Bulbs Part 1

It is the middle of August and already I am thinking about the bulbs I will be planting for next year. Bulbs are fun and are great for cut flowers. Currently, my gladiolas are blooming away and before they flop over, I prune them back and put the cutting in my kitchen. I have already decided to plant more for next year!

                                                                               Source: telegraph.co.uk via Meg on Pinterest

A late summer garden enhanced by bulbs

I could probably make a blog on just gladiolas alone. I live in Ontario, north of Toronto and If I leave my bulbs in the ground, some will come up in the spring. I do take some of the corms out in the fall and keep them in my basement, just incase the bulbs don't make it through an especially harsh winter. Always a possibility!

Gladiolas in the garden                                                                              

                                                                          Source: deverborgentuinenvoorst.nl via Meg on Pinterest

The Dahlias are another fantastic bulb that has such a range of colours and sizes. We have a few that in the right conditions can grow to almost 6ft tall! The flower of Mexico, it is another late summer bloomer.

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

They don't bloom until Spring, but Alliums are one of my favourite bulbs. The walking onion is really a cool variety and this time of year I go out to the garden and pick the onion from the top! I cooked it over the weekend and it was delicious!

Source: egyptianwalkingonion.com via Meg on Pinterest

I found this site  to be a great source for more information on bulbs: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6620

Walkway Greeters

When you walk up the path to my home, I would love to have some sort of tree to greet you.  Weeping mulberry is probably the most common greeter that I see, but there are a lot of others especially those that have been grafted onto a standard stem as shown here:

Weeping Cherry Standard

http://crisinor.blogspot.com/

One type of weeping specimen that I do not see often is the wisteria vine. I am the sort of person that has a lot of different projects on the go. Usually I just have to get them started and they will eventually get finished. One project that I have been meaning to attempt is to grow the wisteria vine into a tree. I have seen it done in the past and my understanding is that the Chinese variety is the strongest and therefore best choice when creating a tree version of this plant. However, it should be noted that the Chinese wisteria sinensis and Japanese wisteria floribunda are more invasive then the American Wisteria trees. It should also be noted that it can take up to 10 years for these plants to bloom!! Some patients is required.

Wisteria

http://www.jcbakker.com/

Recently, at my place of work, a type of magnolia arrived that came as sort of a mystery as to where i came from. The mystery has not been solved, but the type of magnolia has. It is a Magnolia Marillyn. A result of a hybrid cross between a Kobus and a Lilliflora. Absolutely stunning! I also like as, ( a person that does have to clean up after magnolias,) that the blooms are large and beautiful, but there seems to be fewer of them which allows for less clean-up! Never-the-less, an absolute stunner!

Magnolia "Marillyn"

http://www.buchholznursery.com/

Mid-Size Specimen Trees

     On a day like today, slightly overcast, misty, with a dewy glow that allows all shades of green to have a place, even the weeds. The garden is a thing of beauty. I know of its areas of needed improvement, but on a day like today, it is hardly noticeable. Gardens should always be a place of tranquility and peace; however, as a person that makes their living in the garden, I know that this is not always the case. Recently, I have had the great pleasure of designing my own garden. It will be a long process as I am a patient gardener when it comes to my own home. My first plan is to pick a specimen tree for the front of my house. The specimen tree I would like to be multi-stemmed, preferably with interesting bark, beautiful fall colour and cool leaf. 

http://forestry.about.com/

I am somewhat uncertain of what sort of specimen tree I am looking for. Originally, I wanted my gardens to be only native plants. I am still considering this, but I have also always wanted a paperbark maple, (Acer Griseum.) Native to central China and a zone 4, I have seen it grown in gardens around Toronto, but I may be too far north if I am not careful to protect it from the elements. 

Acer Griseum

http://www.mc-power.com/

Another introduced species that I am considering is the hardier Amur Maple, (Acer Ginnala;) in which case, I would group in 3s. A beautiful tree with an interesting leaf. I like it because it isn't a large tree, (although, despite what I have read online, I have seen it get much bigger then 5ft!!!) It does look almost shrub-like, which I like.

Acer Ginnala

http://www.grainesdumonde.be/

On to the native selection. My first instinct was to go with a serviceberry, (Amelanchier Canadensis,) (the picture shown is an Amelancheir grandiflora 'Ballerina'.) An absolutely beautiful native to Canada tree, with gorgeous white spring blossoms, orang-ish berries and gorgeous fall colour. As a native plant it also serves a purpose in naturalizing an area and providing food to birds and other wildlife. 

Amelanchier Canadensis

http://plants.ritchiefeed.com/

The Eastern Red Bud, (Cercis Canadensis,) is also a gorgeous native plant which is known for purple blossoms in spring. It is so vibrant in colour that it is one of those incredible trees that people will often stop and ask you what kind of tree that is. In the summer, the leaves are quite large for a smaller size tree and heart shaped. The Red Bud also gets fantastic fall colour. There are different varieties and some are more shrubby then others. 

http://lawnpatiobarn.files.wordpress.com/

Cercis Canadensis