Osgoode Public Garden

New for Spring 2008: Childrens' Maze!

2008-05-13T18:12:00.004-05:00

Volunteer to help build a childrens' maze in the Osgoode Public Park! People are needed to dig and plant. On Saturday May 17 @ 9:00am, bring a shovel and a wheel barrow (if possible) and drinking water to the northeast end of the park. Everyone welcome. This event will only last one hour.

On Wednesday May 21 at 7:00pm, come with a shovel and a wheel barrow (if possible) and help spread soil. This is a one hour event. All welcome!

the Annual Osgoode Public Garden Strawberry Social 2007

2007-06-12T06:36:00.000-05:00

June 24th, 2007, 1:00pm until 4:00pm

3356 Leroy St. – NEW LOCATION!
Osgoode Village

All proceeds to go to the
Osgoode Public Garden, which relies solely on DONATIONS

$7.00
Tickets: Mary Ann 826-2523

Strawberry shortcake, original music, garden art!

The Osgoode Public Garden needs mulchers for Spring 2007!

2007-04-04T18:16:00.000-05:00

If you have a few minutes this spring to help mulch the Osgoode Public Gardens, please contact Mary Anne Riley (613-826-2523) or Karen Fuoco (613-826-3079).

A word about mulch...

If you're looking for a way to save lots of time in the garden, look no further. Mulching your flower and vegetable beds will drastically reduce the amount of time spent weeding, watering and fighting pests. Mulch also improves the appearance of your garden, and keep dirt from splashing up on your flowers and vegetables when it rains.

If possible, consider using an organic mulch. Organic mulches are those that used to be living material, such as bark, straw, leaves, grass clippings and pine needles. These organic mulches improve the soil by adding nutrients as they decompose and encouraging earthworm activity.

"Day of Caring 2006" : Ridgemont Highschool Volunteers lend a hand in the OPG!

2006-05-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

Every spring, high school students across Ottawa participate in the Ottawa Day of Caring. This year, a group from Ridgemont Highschool showed how much they care about their community by weeding, pruning and cleaning the Osgoode Public Garden!

The group takes a lunch break at Ozzie's Pizza.
Yummmm ...best Pizza in the world!

Our volunteer gardeners are about to bus home after a long day of working in the rain.

The people of Osgoode Thank you so much for caring!

Come back and visit sometime... : )

Seeds for Certain Success

2006-04-26T18:16:00.000-05:00

lavatera

As everyone knows, nothing is certain in life except taxes and death.

However, there are seeds you can sow that will reliably germinate and produce substantial annual plants in your garden that are worth growing year after year. These seeds are inexpensive and do not need any care. They are nature's high-tech solutions for your garden woes since all you have to do is "plug them into" the ground. That's it! You just walk away after that. In a few weeks, voila! A beautiful, colourful and easy care plant will thrive happily where there was none before.

These choice seeds for zone 5 are used as annuals in the Osgoode Public Garden:

Four o'clock
Datura
Nasturtium
Scarlet runner bean
lavatera
sunflower
verbena bonariensis

Four o'clock

Datura

Nasturtium

Scarlet runner bean

Sunflower

verbena bonariensis

YOUR Personality in YOUR Garden

2006-02-12T17:44:00.000-06:00

Karen Fuoco, The Traveling Gardener

Typically, garden personality is synonomous with garden "decor". Personality can be infused in your garden with unique objects, however, there is so much more to your personality than what is in a found object.

Gardener, know thyself.

Your garden is a reflection of you; all gardens have a personality, whether it is subtle or not. The garden with the most apparent personality is created by the gardener who is self-assured and self aware. A fun garden exercise is to invite strangers into your garden (perhaps invite some garden club members or have an “open garden”) and ask for their honest opinion on the character that your garden displays. Talk about garden therapy! If they can easily identify personality traits like “creative” or “enthusiastic!” or “reserved”, for example, that genuinely reflect your personality, then you have an idea as to how much you have put your heart and soul into your garden.

If they do not seem to “understand” your garden then you may be holding back yourself. Fear is one emotion that prevents a gardener from exposing their true personality. There is a fear of killing a plant, of making the design too interesting or unusual. There is a fear of trying new seed varieties or of pruning a living shrub or tree. There is fear of experimentation and that is truly an obstacle in gardening. There is a fear of heights – as in vertical gardening.

How you garden is an expression of your personality. Some gardeners weed incessantly and others weed only a little. Each gardener expresses their personality in the way they maintain their gardens! For example, my garden is messy because I garden in a rather chaotic way, clipping a plant here and throwing some seed there…energetic and frenzied just like me. The thrown seeds result in a “sprinkling” of poppies or verbena in a hap hazard way, which I feel is magical. I actually leave many seedlings where they choose to grow, even in the middle of some paths or in the gutter of the garden edge. That’s me – not fussy.

I use plants as creative building blocks. Using hens and chicks, I made a three dimensional dinosaur with the hens and chicks as scales and iris for its spikes.

The more personality you put in the garden, the more therapeutic and regenerative gardening is.

The colours of personality

The most intuitive method of expressing your personality in your garden is with colour. Some people scoff at the idea of planting a particular colour, for example coral pink flowers. Instead, they would choose most any other colour. If there is a negative association with a colour then it is most likely is based on a negative experience. One of my friends hates purple because it reminds her of funerals.

Colour themes serve to accentuate a personality. Could it be that the gardener likes to “organize” objects of like characteristics and plant similar colours together? Or if the garden colour theme is red and orange, is it perhaps a reflection of the most extroverted type of person?

I am not fond of “pastels” and consequently I rip out any pastel blooms, keeping only white on my otherwise dark and striking colour palette. However, some gardeners enjoy the calm and subtle greens of a foliage garden.

Most of what is written about garden colour is simplistic. For example, red excites and blue calms, yellow is happy. So you like red. Every time you see a plant that blooms red, you buy it and put it into your garden next to a complimenting foliage plant. These actions so far are just good design sense. There is more to your personality than that. Think of why you like red. Are you drawing attention to yourself? Does it remind you of your favourite primary colours in childhood? Perhaps you like exotic environments? If you are using using this colour in any of those contexts, your garden will express so much more about you.

Personality through Design

Shape, contour, contrast, materials, silhouette, variation are some of the design aspects which show your garden personality. There is personality reflected in the hardscaping you choose, whether it be paths, arches, trellises, or any other garden “bones”. To find out what personality you expressed in your garden to date, take many black and white photographs of your garden and the surrounding context. Are all the photos in subtle shades of grey? There could be a need for a focus point, a specific object of interest. Are the photos mostly black, showing a lack of variation? You are not a boring person but your garden may be boring to look at.

The process of gardening can sometimes be overwhelming and when we are overwhelmed, we are not at our best. To infuse your personality in your garden, concentrate on one small area at a time and design it to your heart’s content. Really think and feel about the area. Would you like to sit there once in a while and enjoy the shade? Does it need a backdrop or do you find yourself being annoyed by the city traffic just beyond? Indulge in sculpting this area into a place full of the smells, sounds and colours that are meaningful to you. Then take another black and white photo. What are the differences from the original photo to the latest photo of your area?

Each garden area will present itself to you in a different way. Each time, you have the luxury of choosing specific items, plants and design shapes that are just right for that area. If it helps, name each garden. The name itself will add personality. I have named some of my gardens after my four children. Each garden reflects plants that my children like or that exemplify my children’s’ personalities. You can tie all the little areas together eventually by selecting an element that you like best and duplicating it in all or most of the other areas.

Be brave enough to show all of your personality, not just the socially accepted characteristics. If you like a lot of cottage style garden and a little of the classic style, mesh the two styles together to create a hybrid style all your own.

Childhood memories are rich with personal ideas. Remember back to when you had a tree house or played in a creek or went camping. Running down hills was exhilarating, watching butterflies evoked both delight and intimacy with nature. I could not build a tree house so I built a cabin for my sons. I love running water and someday I will build a meandering rill so I can float boats and leaves and flower blossoms. I love mazes so I made an informal parterre and to my delight, the neighbourhood children love to run around in it. I love Dr Seuss and am inspired to make trees into weird and wonderful shapes, standards, topiaries, and weeping monstrosities. I like secret gardens because they surprises people. I like stairs and bridges because they are elegant passageways.

If you can’t make it, fake it. Paint an image of what you cannot have. Paint a faux gate on a wall or embellish a plain wooden bench with details. Paint a fake landscape scene on the side of your house and frame it with shrubs.

Use the terrain to accentuate personality. Flat is reserved, hilly is energetic. Experiment with bridges, riverbeds, terraces, raised beds, sunken gardens, berms, mazes or dividers. Create the terrain you like despite whatever your land is when you bought it.

For a romantic garden, make use of “cascades” of plants and water. Topiary and pruned trees are cheap ways to add personality. Try opening up the branch structure in a distinctive shape. Mosaics, hand prints or leaf impressions in concrete are like modern hieroglyphics, a tale of the past… If you need a path, perhaps create a “memory lane” of stepping stones.

The emotional garden

Meditation gardens, humorous gardens, theme gardens are some of the types of emotional gardens which are very personal. Playfulness and humour are perhaps the more popular. A music or sound garden would appeal to anyone sensual. Listen to water trickling, seed heads shaking in the wind, poplar trees' distinctive sound in the breeze, the tinkling of metal chimes or the low hollow sound of bamboo chimes… Fragrance evokes emotion as well. I actually like creeping Charlie for it’s crushed aroma as I walk on it. At night, the Brugmansia makes me swoon from its heady fragrance.

Memory holds emotions for us. I have “sentimental” plants in my garden. That is because I value the meaning behind growing them. The lovely Concord grape vine was started as a cutting from my mother’s vine, which is so old that I remember it growing in my childhood back yard. I was married only a few feet away from it. There is an aster that was given to me by my mother’s best friend Jean. Jean died many years ago and I call it Jean’s aster and remember her every time it blooms.

Mother Nature as nurturer

The more you garden, the more you realize that the garden nurtures the creative and emotional soul within you. It can regenerate your creativity, your body mechanics, and your inquisitive mind. Your personality becomes stronger and more forthright. In my experience with garden design clients, I have noticed that after I have guided and encouraged people to build their own gardens, they become empowered to garden using their own visions and redefine themselves as very capable individuals within their private landscapes.

If you love wildlife, grow butterfly plants like verbena bonariensis. This plant is an excellent substitute for buddleia as it is easier to grow in a zone 5 garden, attracts Monarchs, and has a similar colour to Buddleia.

One year during a cold January, a beautiful ermine appeared inside my house! It visited us for 2 months, eating all the mice in the house and then taking offerings of meat from us. I learned all about how lovely a creature they are and so I always have a “stick pile” in my yard to house such a helpful animal.

I mulch completely with shredded leaves and do not disturb the delicate ecosystem underneath those leaves. The night crawler worms can be heard rustling under the leaves in the evening dew. The sound of them intrigues me. I plant diverse species to attract more insect life to my garden. I have always loved bugs. I do not use insecticides. My garden practices are about me and my relationship with nature. Seeing a snowberry clearwing moth excites me and gives me great satisfaction that it has visited my flowers.

Since I like to experiment so much in my garden, I never make any permanent structures. I can take apart any path, patio, wall or trellis with relative ease and reuse the materials. This affords so much more flexibility.

A reflection of lifestyle

Ignore trends. Instead, garden in an ecological way and be true to yourself. Try to assess if you are in denial. For example, are you still using insecticides and chemicals in a fanatical way? Why bother? Nature will take its course and fighting it is a losing battle.

Design according to your specific lifestyle needs. Your needs will be a reflection of your personality. For example, if you need extra living space, design with your interior preferences for furniture, comfort and decor. What you like in your house could be duplicated in the garden.

Garden details or Decor

By studying handwriting, analysts can tell many things about your personality by how you dot your “I’s” and how you cross your “T’s”. In the language of gardens, it is the details that people most often understand the gardener’s personality. A large statue of Buddha will give different information about the gardener as opposed to a scarecrow.

Signage and signposts are a wonderful way to add personality and function at the same time. Paint ordinary objects a colour that is rare in your garden to give cohesion to chaotic designs. You express your personality whenever you choose an object for garden accents.

Choosing plants that describe our personalities

Whatever garden style(s) you like, plant choices say something about you. A collection of demure, dainty plants can indicate your love of detail in nature, and a fondness for “precious” things. Over sized, broadleaved plants demand attention immediately and can serve as concealers, exclamation marks or drama queens. Dark foliage plants seem mysterious.

Some gardeners are “collectors” and will have many different variations of the same species. Some gardeners are interested in heirloom plants.

I am always on the lookout for the newest and improved varieties of plants. They excite me because I wish to push the growing zone envelope. I look for spectacular colour and am not as intrigued with foliage. But that's my taste...what gives you a gardening thrill?!

Accentuate what you create

Every act of garden creation is a reflection of your personality. Learn to accentuate what you create so your garden will speak your name loudly. It is not only fun to emphasis who you are but it is a way to gain self awareness and confidence.

For your reading pleasure:

http://www.avant-gardening.com/design.html
http://www.gardenaesthetics.com/FORUM.htm
http://www.myidealgarden.com/w/garden-style.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/
2001/0121/cover.html

Dare To Share: Front Yard Gardening

2006-02-11T19:57:00.000-06:00

Karen Fuoco, The Travelling Gardener

It is 2006 and the front garden has come a long way. If you search the internet for “Front Garden” information, it is evident that “anything goes” for front yard design, style, colour scheme and aestetics. It is now an acceptable place to show your personality and creativity. Front yard gardening is also about respecting biodiversity, regenerating community, accepting low maintenance practices and making the best use of what land you have.

The author's front garden

Lifestyle affects garden design and since backyards are very small with most homes nowadays, people are utilizing all available land on their property for a varied number of activities. Gardens are used for maintaining health, playing, working, relaxing and therapy. Front yard gardens are “interactive”. For example, neighbours come and visit front yard gardens by walking by it often and some joggers will actually change their routes so that they pass by daily. And if you offer plants and seeds to help your neighbours plant a front yard garden, the more beautiful your neighbourhood becomes.

Designing for high function and low maintenance

Upon deciding to brave the blank canvass of your front yard, how do you make an interesting, beautiful, low maintenance, ecologically diverse front garden? Start by hardscaping a large percentage of your land. That is the one key aspect that is not currently done enough in front gardens. Most have very little hardscaping save for perhaps a retaining wall and/or walkway to the front door. Hardscaping keeps maintenance to a minimum, saves expense and time on lawn maintenance, provides outdoor living space and adds structure to a garden.

After considering the architectural style of your house and the drainage, design the garden with a heavy emphasis on hardscaping the “floor” (decks, patios), “walls” (dividers, fences) and “ceiling” (trees, pergolas) of your garden living space. That old “shag carpet” which you call a lawn has got to go! Replace it with hardwood flooring or slate, just as you would for an indoor room. Hardscaping costs could be prohibitive and may be a compelling reason not to do it. However not all hardscaping is expensive and a front yard can be done in phases, just as your backyard was most likely done.

Some current design practices are : creative flooring, using vegetables as ornamentals, encouraging wildlife, using glass, fabric, metal, plastic or recycled materials, front yards as office space to work in and not just for dining, wildflowers - but not unkempt, using bold dark colours for more than just “accents”, building a Portico (a porch or walkway with a roof supported by columns, often leading to the entrance of a building), building a terrace or “greeting room” near the front door, painted planters that introduce texture, fragrance and color, using “movement” (moving sculpture, moving water), using self awareness to garden better, adding dramatic landscape lighting.

A bubbling fountain is easy to make

How you will use your front yard living space will help determine what design elements you’ll need. If you need inspiration for some creative design ideas, try this web site: http://www.creativegardendesigns.com/index.htm . Raised flower beds in the middle of your landscape or a meandering low wall in an asymmetrical pattern in the middle of your lawn can break up a large space. Stone walls are always beautiful and age well. The wall doesn’t have to “surround” anything as typical as the perimeter of the yard. It can be a piece of garden art. Add sphere, cone, and weeping shapes. If your lawn is large, intersect it with a large circle garden with a trellis or pergola right in the middle of the yard for soaring vertical gardening. Other vertical elements could be ornamental trees, sculpture, obelisks and fences.

Experiment with designing a garden right near the edge of your property at the curb as well as adding more depth to the shrubbery at the foundation of the house. Consider taking out overgrown foundation shrubs or renovating an old yew, cedar or young pine that has a nice straight trunk, sculpting it into a topiary or standard lollipop. This is cheap, easy and adds instant drama.

Hydrangeas spill over the fence to greet pedestrians

Mix up the terrain for an exhuberant effect. Create hills, valleys, dry riverbeds, platforms, berms, winding pathways, ponds, terraces. Use several of these - all on the same front yard! Consider liabilities, like ponds. Small children could fall in so check with by-laws.
Maintenance can be reduced by using inanimate objects as substitutes for structural plants. For example, some shrubs are used for low hedges yet a low stone wall could serve the same purpose and be maintenance free. Instead of planting a tree for shade, a pergola could do the job with no worry of damaging a house foundation. If planting annuals en mass interests you but you are weary of having to plant so many plants for your yearly patterns, substitute with a mosaic pattern using varied mulches, coloured cement patio stones, pavers, tiles, brick, colored gravel or crushed glass.

A garden upfront is occasionally affected by vandalism and theft. This is not often a garden topic but these things do happen. My advice is to be brave! Vandalism is just the thing that will wane with time when more front gardens are created. Front gardens exude pride in the community and children who grow up with gardens surrounding them will have a closer connection to nature and an appreciation gardens. If you do experience vandalism, clean it up quickly and resolve to clean it up every time it happens. Chances are, the perpetrator will give up or grow up and the community is all the better for it since you have stood your ground.

Curb side gardens add beauty to the neighbour-
hood

Regarding theft, remind yourself that you are gardening on the “front lines”. For objects of art, display sturdy, heavy objects that are discretely pinned, bolted or chained down so they won’t be carried away. Trellises with cemented footings, large interesting rocks and concrete benches are all good choices for front garden décor.

Lastly, often missing in the front yard is unusual colours (like tourquois) on the front door, house trim and garden objects. To give your garden sparkle and cohesiveness, pick an unusual colour rarely seen amongst your plants and paint your front door and most garden accessories that colour.

Planting for beauty and biodiversity

Amending any soil type is a long process with slow results. Therefore, lay newspaper down (3 sheets thick) on the lawn where the garden will be and dump a huge load of triple-mix (1/3 black peat, 1/3 good topsoil and 1/3 mushroom compost) down about 2 feet high. If there is some lawn, edge the garden with a mowing strip if possible for maintenance free mowing. Vary heights of plants dramatically and for a bold statement, use lots of variegated plants, red foliage plants and blue conifers. Conifers with unusual growth habits are more expensive but worth the investment in our 4 season climate. Try Picea abies f. 'pendula' - Weeping Norway Spruce or Thuja occidentalis 'Filiformis' - Threadleaf Arborvitae.

Choose shrubs from your backyard that you will want to “clone” for the front garden. Propagate those shrubs by “layering” (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8701.html) and leave them to grow roots until the next year, when they will be ready to be cut from the mother shrub. This technique even works well for non-grafted roses like “Explorer” and “ground cover” roses. Collect seeds for easy-to-grow, drought tolerant plants such as poppies and larkspur. Take cuttings that root easily like Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea' or Brugmansia candida.

To avoid yearly planting of annuals, use mosaics

There are more plant choices for a garden in partial sun/sun than there are for gardens in the shade so be perceptive about how your tall objects throw shadows. Limb up existing trees artistically, keeping the shape of the tree elegant. This allows for under-planting. The John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative studies explains, “Covering the ground: in order to maximize the efficiency of the garden and minimize maintenance, we work to cover every inch of exposed soil. Plant stacking begins with plants covering the ground like groundcover, with small plants and shrubs next, and small fruit trees or vines serving as the umbrella. This keeps unwanted or volunteer plants from moving in, the soil temperature stays even, irrigation water is conserved, and all leaf droppings, plant cuttings and compost can be worked directly back in to the soil around the base of the plants.” Some shrubs make excellent “dwarf trees” if pruned into standards or multi-trunk specimens, like Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki'.

Be daring and plant a rare beauty or unusual specimen plant for the public to see. Be prepared to answer questions. In my garden, people are curious about larkspur Consolida Orientalis (I grow in groups), dark red leaved Castor Bean Ricinus communis, Heliopsis 'Loraine Sunshine', alliums of any kind, “Lady in red” salvia, plume poppy, crambe cordifolia, fillipendula rubra “venustra”, variegated Jacob’s Ladder (polemonium caeruleum “Brise d’ Anjou), sun-loving heuchera ‘Purple Mountain Majesty’, phlox P. 'Red Riding Hood', ‘Torch’ Tithonia, double antique rose peony poppy, clematis 'Princess Diana', dwarf blue clematis, “Sunburst” honey locust tree, “Candied Apple” dwarf ornamental crab trained as a spiral, weeping red jade ornamental crab, aubrieta, prairie poppy mallow Callirhoe involucrata, baptisia, Verbena bonariensis, and huge annual zinnias. The more variety of plant species in your garden, the better for biodiversity. I grow milkweed in small clumps as both food for the monarchs and as a structural groupings.

Mixed hard-
scaping can replace lawns

Mix up styles of gardening to make your own hybrid style that is both a personal expression and is aestethic for your house. For example, plunk a formal topiary in the middle of a cottage garden! Grow herbs for aromatherapy and culinary uses and plant neighbourly species that are not invasive. Contain grasses in very large bottomless pots and keep hedges low near curbs and driveways for safety.

For water conservation, ensure that rain does not run off onto the street. Rain gardens are becoming popular as gardeners make use of the rain they do receive and direct runoff into their gardens. According to the Applied Ecological Services website, “a rain garden is simply a shallow depression in the yard planted with native wetland or wet prairie wildflowers and grasses. Rain gardens allow water to naturally infiltrate back into the ground, managing rainwater and stormwater run-off in a more sustainable way. Whether you live near a creek or miles away from one in the heart of suburbia, a rain garden can help preserve your area's rivers and streams.” Use mulched leaves on the beds. It is perfect to feed the soil and keeps constant soil moisture and temperature. Install drip irrigation to those plants that need watering the most and this will save you many hours of grunt work. It is prudent to group plants hydrozones (based on water requirements). Drip irrigation is now like the internet: if you don’t have it – get it.

Lawn Gone…

There are high tech products available now that can be suitable replacements for grass. Artificial turf is a growing trend. The product is realistic looking and maintenance free, although it can be expensive. Thyme lawns work best if thyme is planted as filler between flat rocks. The plants need the rocks for the moisture held underneath. Design a rockscape; mix and match coloured rocks, round rocks with flat rocks and intersperse with patches of varying mulch.

A patio dissolves into a pond

Finally, if you look at the potential of your front property, there will be endless motivation for you to landscape and garden it. Use your front yard as another living space. If you had another room, what would you do with it? Would it be a spa? A gym? A Dining room? An office? Go for it.

For further investigation and ideas:

http://www.burlingtongardens.org/GreenbeltGardens.htm
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00101.asp
http://www.appliedeco.com/C02RainGardens.cfm

Creative Xeriscaping in the Osgoode Public Garden

2005-11-04T09:52:00.000-06:00

The City of Albuquerque website says it perfectly: "The term xeriscape is derived from the Greek word xeros meaning dry, combined with landscaping, thus xeriscaping. The term was coined by the Front Range Xeriscape Task Force of the Denver Water Department in 1981. The goal of a xeriscape is to create a visually attractive landscape that uses plants selected for their water efficiency. Properly maintained, a xeriscape can easily use less than one-half the water of a traditional landscape. Once established, a xeriscape should require less maintenance than turf landscape."

The Osgoode Public Garden is never watered! With the hundreds of plants that grow there, only a handful of plants have not survived - and it was because of too much water in the spring causing root rot! There are three key ingredients which make our garden so durable throughout a demanding growing season.

1. the soil is rich and absorbent ("Tripple Mix" from Greely Sand and Gravel)
2. there is excellent drainage because these gardens are built on top of Osgoode sand (we do not "ammend" Osgoode sandy soil. Rather the tripple mix is just dumped on top of the existing soil)
3. we can grow MORE than xeriscape plants because we mulch heavily in all the right places

By using the above combination of strategies, the Osgoode Public Garden is xeriscaped but it doesn't LOOK like your typical xeriscape (rock garden/desert-scape). The mulch and absorbent soil allow other plants to mingle with drought tolerant plants. For example, roses (Explorer Series) sit beside iris or flax. Iris and some other plants are mulched very lightly or they will rot. Peonies mix with sedums. Blue oat grss and cosmos nestle near hostas. The design possibilities are endless. Plant companions are chosen to accentuate opposite foliage shapes and colours, ensure bloom is ever present, and alternate heights to dramatic effect. Some tall plants are planted in front of lower plants as a "peekaboo" style, which adds intrigue.

Xeriscaping does not mean that plants can grow in crappy soil without water. The plants that are tough, actually enjoy good soil and are only tolerant of crappy soil if they have to be. Therefore, we plant all plants in the tripple mix and we have amazing results!

Most of our gardens are high berms because the soil is so sandy that the gardens are built with tripple mix mounded on top of the existing soil. The berms also give the appearance of height in an otherwise flat park landscape. Berms are tricky to design with plants because of these factors:

1. south-western facing slopes of the berm are hotter and drier than flat gardens
2. north-eastern slopes of berms are shadier and drier than flat gardens
3. wind can be harsher on a berm than in a flat garden

We use "obstacles" on the berms to slow down water runnoff. Rocks of all sizes are used as natural retaining walls and not only do they block runnoff but they maintain an even moisture underneath them. This is why thyme likes rocks so much. The thyme is not actually a good xeriscape plant unless it has rocks to shelter the roots. For this reason, thyme lawns don't work but rock gardens planted entirely of thyme DO work!

For the hot dry slopes, verbenas and salvias and celosias all do well. For the semi-shaded, dry sides of slopes, turtlehead, junipers and grasses are happy.

Ground covers are helpful and are grown around the bases of other taller plants. We tend to plant really tough annuals and perrenials on the tops of the berms since we like tall plants to extend the height as much as possible! Examples would be Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki', Baptisia, Miscanthus Sinensis 'Purpurescens', Cosmos, Verbena Bonariensis. Near the bottoms of the berms, roses, box and hostas or crambe can grow because of mulch and the fact that they are receiving the rain runnoff from the top of the berm. This is called a "rain garden".

Wood Chip Mulch is laid on the gardens once every year to a depth of 3 inches. No irrigation is used. In the spring, we rely on adequate rain fall to sustain seedlings until they become established. One year was very very dry and the dryness continued throughout the summer. I believe the City of Ottawa watered the trees in the garden using water trucks once but that was a rare occaision. Rocks are not used much for mulch as the temperature around rocks is higher due to absorbtion of the sun and can stress out many plants.

Some small "standard" or "lolipop" trees and shrubs are pruned so that plants can enjoy a part-sun environment underneath them. During drought, many plants survive better in part sun instead of full sun because the soil does not dry out so much.

All of the plants in the Osgoode Public Garden are chosen for excellent drought/winter durability, high number of blooms over a long period, desease resistance, unique foliage and "latest and greatest appeal". Brand new hybrids purchased from private nursuries or nursuries specializing in unusual specimens are planted every year.

For more information on Xeriscaping: http://www.cabq.gov/waterconservation/xeric.html , http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07228.html

Join The Osgoode Public Gardeners Team!

2005-11-03T13:18:00.000-06:00

The Osgoode Public Gardeners Team (OPGT) maintains the public garden located in the Osgoode Park. Karen Fuoco and Mary Ann Riley manage this team.

The Osgoode Public Gardeners Team is comprised of vollunteers who show up at the garden to weed or plant when they feel like it! Most of the OPGT show up on Wednesday evenings because that is officially known as "Weeding Wednesdays" for the OPGT.

On "Weeding Wednesdays", the gardeners can weed in good company and exchange gardening know-how. Within one short and entertaining hour, the weeding makes a huge difference to the garden. Our Osgoode Public Garden is one out of only two of the City of Ottawa's park gardens that is maintained by vollunteers! This is both a rare and special garden. Karen Fuoco and/or Mary Ann Riley are usually there on Wednesday evenings and are happy to answer gardening questions. Some people only vollunteer for a day or for a specific event. Any help is greatly appreciated and if you are interested in gardening with the OPGT, please email Karen Fuoco at:

karen.fuoco@gmail.com

NOTE: The Osgoode Public Gardeners Team is separate from the Osgoode Gardening Club, however, there have been occaisions when both groups have been involved together on an event.

How to post a comment on this blog

2005-11-03T11:27:00.000-06:00

Anyone can post a comment on this blog by simply clicking on the "comments" link found at the end of each blog posting.

Once you have clicked on the "comments" link, a comment window appears. Type your comments, choose "other" to identify yourself, and then type in the "word verification" so that we do not get any spam comments. Finally click on the "Publish Your Comment" button. That's it!

2005 Garden Photos

2005-10-23T17:32:00.000-05:00

The 2005 growing year was awesome! In Osgoode, there was heat and there was rain in all the right amounts. We did not water at any time this year, relying 100% on mulch to keep the beds moist. Since Osgoode soil is primarily sand, we use only "tripple Mix" (1/3 black peat, 1/3 good topsoil, 1/3 mushroom compost). It is loaded with nutrients and retains moisture. The beds are created on top of the sand, thereby allowing for excellent drainage.

The Osgoode Public Garden Strawberry Social 2005

2005-10-23T16:30:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all of your support for what is now officially known as the 1st ANNUAL Osgoode Public Garden Strawberry Social!

We raised almost $600.00 in total! This was way beyond our expectations and on behalf of Mary Ann Riley and I, and those who enjoy the Osgoode Garden, thank you very very much.

It was a perfect day, blue sky, low humidity, 26 degrees and nothing went wrong at all. Everyone seemed to have so much fun! The music carried through the village as far away as the park. Picture it: a lone sax playing bluesy, jazzy melodies in the lazy afternoon hours while people milled about in the garden and actually lingered there in the shade. Often the music changed to a Celtic flute with dance notes fluttering in the breeze! Ken Duck so graciously performed the flute and sax solos. There were also two gorgeous voices and the keystrokes of a soothing piano sounding lovely and serene - thanks to Carol Ann Stewart and Meagan Stewart.

The chocolate whipped cream was a hit. All whipped cream and cake was donated by Osgoode's Jim Beverage. Oven's Berry Farm provided us with perfectly ripened berries at a great discount. The berries could not have been improved upon and many people commented on how delicious they were. Thanks to Mary's Dollar Store for napkins, spoons and other necessary items.

The Green Bard nursery (just new to the public) donated unique plants to the Osgoode Public Garden. Deschamps nursery, as always has in the past, donated plants and are now in full bloom at the park!

Many thanks to the three strawberry shortcake servers, Kate, Jamie and Jane, who were serving for 3 hours with a smile. They also served complimentary lemonade on ice.

Kids laughed and skilfully hunted for hidden animals in the garden, eager to get their lollipop reward. They were amused by the "hens and chicks dragon/dinosaur"! It was interesting that the children noticed the pile of "hens and chicks" was actually a dinosaur however many adults did not. Their delightful imaginations obviously gave them an advantage!

Free posters of wildflowers, buttons, book markers and information on many garden topics was donated by the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Thank you Darla.

Thank you to those who signed up to help with the public garden maintenance and Spring/Fall clean-ups. I look forward to nurturing your garden enthusiasm and working alongside you.

Many thanks go to the Osgoode Garden Club who will be donating $100.00. Their support is most welcome and appreciated. As well, many thanks to all those who donated more than the ticket price as it was truly unexpected and will help us plan a truly wonderful garden next year!

Greely Sand and Gravel donated a whopping 15 yards of mulch for the public gardens. This was urgently needed to keep maintenance down and to aid in water retention. We never water the public garden and this is the main reason we don't have to - so thanks Greely Sand and Gravel!

The fine art exhibited by artists Jaqui Duck and Bonnie McQuillan reflected a nature theme and displayed beautifully amongst the gardens. The works were inspirational. Jaqui also provided face painting for the children.

A reporter knew a good time when he saw it. He mentioned we had all the right elements for a successful event: live music, fine art, and a beautiful place outdoors. Look for media coverage in any of the 4 southern Ottawa newspapers. Thank you Jeff.

Lastly, thanks also goes out to:

* My mom Catherine Fuoco for her gardening influence and continued support of gardening
* Councillor Doug Thompson for announcing this event on his website
* Michael, Yam, Caitlin, Jim, Darlene, Jaqui for their help with landscape preparation
* Ben Riley for donating his time, caring and energy to childcare
* Jeff Blackadar of the Ottawa Horticultural Society for announcing this event to members
* Mary Ann Riley, who helped me to prepare my garden for the 3 weeks leading up to the big event!

If anyone is missing whom I did not thank, please send me an email. I will be sending out more "thank you notes" via regular mail to those who do not have email.

Thanks again and see you next year!

Karen Fuoco,
The Travelling Gardener

Newsletters

2005-10-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

SEPTEMBER 21, 2005

Hello Gardening Friends!

To celebrate the end of one of the best gardening seasons ever, and to "thank you" for all your vollunteer efforts, Karen Fuoco is planning a "seed sharing" party on October 1, 2005. It would be held at her Osgoode residence sometime in the next few weeks. The time and date will be determined shortly. This is a "heads up" for those of you who wish to take part and that you can start collecting your seeds for the party (and for yourself next year). It would be BYOE (Bring Your Own Envelopes)!

There will also be lots of lively discussion about gardening and you can feel free to bring photos of your best (or worst) gardening efforts for fellow gardeners to advise on or support you. Bragging is totally allowed! We will have a little draw for gorgeous red canna lilies.

Hope you will be able to come and enjoy the excitement of sharing not only seeds but the gardening experience in general! Gardeners who do not have seeds to share are just as welcome to come for the party. The Osgoode Gardening Club is welcome to attend.

Please r.s.v.p. via karen.fuoco@gmail.com. Thanks.

Karen

A Sample of Osgoode Public Garden Plants

2005-09-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

P E R E N N I A L S & A N N U A L S
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Poppy - Papaver somn. var. paeoniflorum

A much sought-after annual flower, though hard to find, these sumptuous, richlycoloured heirlooms resemble double peonies. Huge 5" blooms in lavender, red, white and pink. Leaves are smooth and lettuce-like. Ht. 3'-4'.

Verbena bonariensis

Brought to England from Patagonia in 1834, this drought tolerant plant will flower from midsummer into fall. Its sprawling habit and attractiveness to butterflies and hummingbirds make it a must have in the cottage garden. Lilac purple clusters of .25” flowers sit atop stiff branching stems that can grow to 6’. Thrives in full sun in well drained garden soil. It is a reliable self-seeder without being invasive.

Achillea ‘Red Velvet’

Deep rose red flowers that do not fade, compact growth, blooms most of the summer, the best red! Summer Sun

Gaillardia x 'Fanfare' PPAF

Upward-facing scarlet flowers have tube-like petals with yellow tips, incredible flowering performance! Blanket Flowers are valuable in the summer border for their very long season of bloom. Plants form a low mound of light-green leaves, bearing upright stems of large daisy-type flowers. This unique new selection has tubular orange petals with yellow tips, surrounding a large burgundy eye. Flowers are almost lacy in appearance. Plants are midsized with a good mounding habit. Excellent for cutting, with nice long stems. Attractive to butterflies. Drought tolerant once established. Removing faded flowers will encourage constant blooming. Although rated conservatively at Zone 5 by the breeder, this is likely to survive down to Zone 2 or 3 just like any other hybrid Gaillardia selection. Summer / Fall Sun

Helenium ‘Red Army’

Mostly red blooms with touches of yellow, longer blooming variety, very compact Summer / Fall Sun

Hemerocallis ‘Glacier Bay’Awarded!

Creamy white flowers with green eye, ruffled gold edges, mid season, repeats, evergreen, tetraploid Summer Sun / Partial shade

Hemerocallis ‘Rosy Returns’ PP9779

First ever-blooming pink! Deep pink with rose eyezone, yellow throat, 9 to 12 buds on each stem, dwarf habit, dormant, diploid. An outstanding selection bred by Dr. Darrel Apps, one of only a small handful of truly everblooming Daylilies available to gardeners in northern regions. This dwarf variety has large (4") bright rose flowers with a deeper pink eye and a yellow throat. Repeats constantly from June to frost. Diploid. Winter dormant. Spent flower stems can be trimmed back after all the buds have finished. Remove old foliage in late fall. Flowers are edible. May well prove to be hardy in Zone 2. Summer / Fall Sun / Partial shade

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Silver Edge’

A wonderful form with silver-grey foliage edged in white. Tall spikes of lavender blue flowers. June to August. Sun

Chamaecyparis pisifera filifera 'Sungold'

Growth Habit: Flat round habit
USDA Zone: 3-8
Exposure: Full sun
Growing Conditions: well-drained soils
Comments: Thread-like foliage is yellow against green. Twice as high as wide.

Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'

Growth Habit: irregular low mound
USDA Zone: 4-7
Exposure: full sun
Growing Conditions: well-drained soil
Comments: Silver-blue foliage.

Peony 'PAULA FAY'

A Paradise Garden Five Star Peony
Mid, 30”, Semi-Double
One glance at this beauty will confirm why it was a Gold Medal winner. Gorgeous deep rose semi-double blooms.

Giant Hardy Phlox 'Blue Paradise'

Lavender blue with white eyes and tiny red centers.
One of the finest hybrid phlox varieties available. Garden Phlox or "Flame Flowers", bloom in profusion with huge 5-6 inch flower heads all summer. The flowers are fragrant and showy, with brilliant non fading colors. Growing 2-3 feet tall, they are excellent for perennial borders, corners and for cut flowers. The foliage is dense and compact with deep green, lance shaped leaves with prominent veins.
Zone: 3-8

Crambe Cordifolia

Common Name: Colewort

Zone 5 to 8

Height: 4 to 7 feetSpread: 3 to 4 feet

BloomTime: June - July

Bloom Color: WhiteSun: Full sun (only)

Water: Medium moisture

Colewort is a substantial perennial (to 7' tall and 4' wide) that requires a lot of space. Features a foliage mound (to 1.5' high) of huge, crinkled, rounded, variably-sized, cabbage-like, green leaves which are usually deeply lobed. In early summer, profuse numbers of small, 4-petaled, white flowers (1/3" across) appear on strong, widely branching stems in a huge, baby's breath-like cloud of sweetly fragrant bloom which hovers above and nearly envelops the foliage mound. Bloom height generally ranges from 4-6' tall (less frequently to 7'). Flower show can be spectacular but lasts only 3 weeks.

Rose 'Knockout'

Red blend [ARS rb] blooms. Tea fragrance. 7 petals. Average diameter 3.5". Single bloom form. Repeats its bloom again later in the season.
Height of 24" to 42" (60 to 105 cm). Width of 36". (90 cm).
Zone 4 thru 9. Shade Tolerant. Disease resistant. A landscape shrub rose. Excellent disease resistance to blackspot. The blooming cycle is believed to be one of the longest observed to date for a rose plant...
It has great hardiness and disease resistance, is low maintenance and very free blooming.

Miscanthus Sinensis 'Purpurescens'

Plant Type: Grass PlantPlant Size: 3-4'

Flowering Period: SummerFall

Color: Red / Orange

Water Tolerance: Moderate

Sun Requirements: Full Sun

Gray-green foliage in an upright form with fewer, smaller flowers. Turns rich purple in late Summer and a brilliant reddish-orange color in the Fall. This Miscanthus has beautiful coppery purple fall foliage and red flower heads that turn to white. Upright habit makes this a good one for smaller areas or en masse. Deer resistant, full sun and light water required.

Globe Flower / Trollius x cultorum 'Fire Globe'

Vibrant orange to yellow flowers with a long season of bloom, beginning late spring and through summer, 30". Sun to part shade. Moist soil.

Hibiscus Acetosella "Maple Sugar" [Jungle Red]

The excellent "Maple Leaved Mallow" with blackish purple maple shaped (sure!) deeply lobed leaves blushed red in full sun. Engaging mimic of "Mary Jane" for an erect accent in planters and urns; if a consevatory subject, expect dusky sultry wine-toned winter mallow flowers; if grown near the fence in an urban setting, expect the leaves to be regularly stripped off (and not by insects) by passersby who will smoke them later.

Baptisia

B. australis is the most cold hardy of the species. In the early spring, it is one of the first plants to emerge, and the gray-gren leaves quickly fill out into a substantial sized bush. The flowers are typically violet-blue and, looking a little like lupine flowers, arise on long stalks in early spring. They prefer full sun and need plenty of room. The blossoms are delightful as a cut flower, but the foliage is a most unusual and lovely green for the bouquet.

Rose "Alexander MacKenzie" - Explorer Series

Alexander MacKenzie is a tall, upright, vigorous shrub introduced in 1985. The plant reaches a height of 1.5 - 2.0 m and has a diameter of 1.2 - 1.5 m in Ottawa. It is winter-hardy, flowers recurrently, and is highly resistant to blackspot and powdery mildew.

The deep red, cup-shaped flowers, produced in clusters of 6 - 12, have an average diameter of 6 - 7 cm and 40 - 50 petals. The flowers closely resemble those of a grandiflora or hybrid tea rose, but the plant has the distinct advantage of being much hardier. The rose propagates easily from softwood stem cuttings.

This selection has been tested at Ottawa since 1972 and at other test locations in Canada, since 1978. It survives the winters in zone 3b without protection, but needs some pruning of deadwood in the spring. However, REPLOQ test results showed that this rose can survive in zone 2b but cane dieback in zones 2b to5b, can be to snow or soil level depending upon the hardiness of the winter. Spring pruning is necessary.

Alexander MacKenzie was obtained from a cross between the grandiflora Queen Elizabeth and a hardy seedling descended from a cross between the shrubs Red Dawn and Suzanne.

Rose "Sexy Rexy"

(Plant Patent #6713, Var: MACrexy) – This represents one of the great milestones in Sam McGredy’s career as an innovator of roses. Full clear pink blooms sometimes borne in huge clusters that virtually cover the plant. Tall for a floribunda and nearly disease free and can be used as a hedge or shrub where spraying is impractical. If you can find it beneath all that bloom, the foliage is shiny dark green. Survives even the nastiest of winters.

Grass (Molinia caerulea arundinacea) 'Skyracer' or Skyracer Tall Moor Grass

'Skyracer' is the standard cultivar of Tall Moor Grass with a more vigorous growth rate than the subspecies, maturing at eight feet tall when in flower. A dark background is useful to display the thin flowering and fruiting stalks.

Willow 'Hakuro-nishiki'

This is a small tree or large shrub suitable for most gardens, provided they receive fairly plentiful sun. Elegant, with long, slightly drooping branches when it reaches maturity, in its earlier years Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki' is enjoyably boisterous. The young branches develop in all directions, creating a starburst of colour and interest. Eventually they start to bend downwards under their own weight. In terms of visual benefits at other times of the year, expect delicate catkins along the stems from early April, quickly followed by pairs of attractively marked, oblong, bright green leaves. Although willows are often associated with waterside situations, 'Hakuro-nishiki' will also thrive on drier soils.

Artemisia lactiflora 'Guizho'
White Mugwort

A very showy ornamental that is quite different from other Artemisia. This is a statuesque perennial growing 4-5' tall with dramatic reddish-brown stems and ferny, green-black foliage. Late in the season it is set with large creamy-white plumes which provide a dramatic contrast to the foliage. An excellent back of the border perennial. Makes a good cut flower. Can be grown in sun or part shade and prefers a moist site. Zn 3 - 9

Stachys Grandiflora (Big Betony)

It's hard to understand why more people don't grow this plant today. It may have been a more popular selection 50 years ago. While it's not spectacular it is an attractive plant even when not in bloom. The flowers last a long time and will fit into many colour schemes without clashing and it seems to be very hardy. Plant in well-drained, garden soil in full sun. Space 12-18" apart. Requires only moderate watering. Divide only when necessary. Grows 12-24" tall. Flowers late spring to summer. Hardy in Zones 5-8.

Larkspur, Consolida ambigua

One of the most spectacular reseeding annuals is larkspur. Larkspur, Consolida ambigua, is known for its tall spikes of blue, lavender, purple, pink or white flowers. Bicolor flowers occur occasionally as well. Flowering annuals that re-seed and return year after year can be as valuable as perennial flowers to the garden. There is something magical about plants that like your garden so well that they choose to come back each year for another visit. In addition to convenience and economy, reseeding annuals often add a charm and special character since they frequently come up in places where we may not have planted them, adding spontaneity to the garden.

Larkspur comes from the genus name "Delphinium", which is from the Greek word Delphin (a dolphin). It was given to this genus because the buds were held to resemble a dolphin. Shakespeare mentions the plant under the name of Lark's Heel.

Aubrieta

Aubrieta makes a colorful splash in early spring. It is a mat-forming, evergreen perennial, and its flowers - in shades of purple (such as Purple Cascade) and blue (such as J.S. Baker) - cover the plant. It grows well in rockeries, at the top of a retaining wall or as an edging plant along a path.

Traditionally, lilac experts bred plants within one species, or at most, crossed two species. Today, many species can be combined to produce more complex hybrids. 'Miss Canada' is a complex hybrid resulting from crosses involving three species.

Tiger Eyes Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac should be in your garden center this spring. Its new growth is a vivid chartreuse, quickly changing to a bright-yellow summer color. Its leaf stems are a fuzzy purple-pink and form a dramatic contrast with lemon-lime foliage. The branches angle upward, while the deeply cut leaflets drape downward, giving the whole plant a rather elegant, oriental look. In fall, the colors turn to a combination of orange, yellow and intense scarlet. It reaches a manageable height of 6 ft. and spreads slowly.

2004 Garden Photos

2005-09-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

cosmos,hosta, red salvia

the bridge

Yellow golden rod, yellow tansey and coreopsis

Red verbena, red helenium, purple-red salvia

Tropicanna canna lily

Red salvia, marigolds, canna lily

In the beginning: The Osgoode Public Garden is created

2005-09-24T20:42:00.000-05:00

The Osgoode Garden is located in the village of Osgoode, Ontario, Canada. The garden is situated in the north eastern section of the Osgoode Park. It is a zone 5.

In 2001, there was nothing but field where the garden is now. After two years of unprecedented fundraising, the communtity raised enough funds to install a full-featured park complete with paved walkways, tot lot, play structures and more. A circular garden with an ornamental crab apple in each of the 4 quadrants was installed, cradled amongst a large berm. And that was the beginning of the Osgoode Public Garden.

How the Osgoode Public Garden Grew

2005-09-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

in 2002, the year after the OPG (Osgoode Public Garden) was installed, I sat on one of the garden benches and gazed upon the 4 pie shaped quadrants of the circular garden. There were crab apple trees and a very large pinkish boulder in the centre of the garden. It was formal enough without being too fussy. The quadrants were filled with day lillies. The large berm consisted of large crab apples, mountain ash, spruce, false spirea, potentilla, spirea and rose shrubs. Except for the highly invasive false spirea, these were all worthy plants. However, there was not much more variety than that; the garden seemed monotonous and corporate in style. The park boundary was a naked chain link fence and this was unfortunately part of the garden vista. That was where and when and why I decided to "grow" the OPG into a place of interest, fun, and beauty. My good friend Mary Ann Riley offered her gardening expertise and so began our partnership in the Osgoode Public Garden!

Mary Ann and I brought in huge loads of triple mix to create large berms around the circle garden. An artist/carpenter from Ottawa, André Gagnon and his brother, built the beautiful foot bridge.

Local nursuries donated plants but most plants were from Karen and Mary Ann's garden. Boulders were added to keep the landscape rustic.

Karen