I have visited some more local gardens in the last few weeks. First I visited the garden of Eva in Grimsby. I have been working in the retail plant trade for twenty years and I saw things in Evas garden I have never heard of as well as some surprises like a seven feet tall Pieris japonica, and a 20 feet tall Magnolia virginiana (pictured below).
Click on pictures for a better look.

I'm not sure what type of tree this is (below), but the blossoms open yellow and then mature to an orangy-pink color. I think she called it a popcorn tree.

I hope to post some more pictures of this garden later in the season. Closer to home the Magnolia tripetala in my garden bloomed this week. I recall the person who gave it to me saying to plant it at the back of the yard. And now I know why....it stinks. But a large interesting bloom nonetheless.










I was talking to Greg from Grimsby (Ontario, Canada) this week about his Trachycarpus (Windmill Palm) that he has brought through two winters so far. After applying the required fungicidal treatment to prevent crown rot and spear pull, and a spray of wilt-pruf to slow dessication, he wraps it in late fall with several layers of a product called better than burlap. The whole bundle is then wrapped with mini-lights set to turn on when the temperature dips below about -8 C. It sounds like a lot of effort, but the results speak for themselves. It is still only May and Gregs palm has put on three new leaves this year. Greg also has a Needle palm which is slightly hardier but which does not produce the nice trunk like a trachycarpus. The coldest Greg recorded in his garden this winter was -19 C

It is the middle of May and things are starting to grow. I just finished checking my collection of oddities and found one surprise. The Clerodendron I planted last year is leafing out right to the tips of the branches. I didn't expect it to do that and certainly not this early. I more thought that like the Albezia it would come to life in June. Pictured below is the flower on the Clerodendron last summer.

It looks as though both the green Albizia as well as the summer chocolate Albizia have survived. (Visit the Summer Slide Show in an earlier post for pictures). The Fig is growing new shoots and the little Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle) which I thought was dead, is sending up three tiny new shoots. We'll see.

The evergreen cherrylaurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is getting ready to bloom (below) and the bees are getting drunk on the Rhododendron.

The Fargesia robusta is sending up many strong new shoots. This one gets better every year. The tallest new shoots are over three feet already and I expect them to reach about seven feet this spring.

Agave paryii

I planted my first Agave in the cactus border today. Like the cacti these should take the cold as long as they are in a well-drained spot, where there is little rain or snow accumulation. I know of several other gardeners growing these desert plants in our wet winter and spring climate.

David's Garden

I met a gardener a few weeks ago who, like myself, is pushing the boundaries of what will grow in Niagara. Today I had the chance to visit his garden. It is located near the shores of Lake Ontario, just north of Beamsville. All pictures taken on April 22.
Click on pictures for a better look.

Calocedrus decurrens (Incense cedar) and Cunninghamia (Chinafir) are just two of the unusual evergreens in the garden.

The evergreen Skimmia is just beginning to flower, while the yellow winter Jasmine is late this year. It usually flowers in March.

A pathway leads down a hill where a Cryptomeria shares space with a clump of bamboo (Phyllostachys). Pink flowering Abeliophyllum is sometimes called white Forsythia.

A fine looking Araucaria araucana (Monkey Puzzle Tree) is nearly six feet tall. The blue Arizona cypress (Cupressus glabra) is another uncommon sight in Niagara gardens.

While the Ackerman Camelias are said to be hardy these beautiful plants spend the coldest months in a minimally heated greenhouse. I visited just in time as the blooms will be finished soon.

Hardy Cacti

The hardy cacti are starting to plump up after spending a winter looking like shrivelled up prunes. The key to success with the various types of hardy cacti is a very dry location. If the cacti are plump with water going into winter, then a hard frost will cause the water in the plant cells to freeze, and consequently expand and rupture. The strip against the west side of my house has very dry soil and receives little natural moisture or snow accumulation.

Among the cacti that have survived Niagara winters in my garden are various Opuntias, including Opuntia kleiniae (2nd picture) Echinocereus, the ball cactus (3rd picture) and the tall Cylindropuntia imbricata (5th picture)