Some pics from today!

[Paul Ont]

Had a few minutes to snap some shots of the hood today, thought I'd share some of them...

A ground cover bamboo. Not sure of sp. (Sasa maybe?)
<img src="http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/7114/ ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1474">
Nor sure what this is... It seems untroubled by the cold:
<img src="http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/47197 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1475">
Someone forgot to tell these guys that it's fall, not spring:
<img src="http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/46068 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1476">
Mahonia sp. A very nice specimen perhaps 15 feet tall:
<img src="http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/23751 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1480">
Evergreen? (or tardily deciduous) Viburnum hybrid:
<img src="http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/34106 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1482">
I have no idea what this is... A BLE of some sort, ideas? My first thought was laurel...
<img src="http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/46684 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1483">
Low growing/ground cover Mahonia:
<img src="http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/45910 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1484">
Euonymous/Box. Both are in EVERY garden here:
<img src="http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/46857 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="IMGP1485">

[hardyjim]

I thought you said it gets cold up there

[ROBRETI]

Yes, interesting pictures!

I think the purple flower is a kind of mallow (Malvaceae family)
The small evergreen shrub next to teh rosemary sure looks like one laurel; I would love to see how it will fight winter.
The evergreen Viburnum - could it be the V. Rhytidophyllum or are the leaves too small for that?

Rob

[Jubaea]

Nice pictures.

I think that the purple one may be a Hollyhock?

[lucky1]

Nice pics Paul,

eounymous now routinely planted by nursery trade in the Okanagan too.
Mahonia grows on our place near pine trees.

Second pic: definitely Malva.
Here it grew 5 feet tall in 2 years, took another 2 years to chop its very deep taproot with a "mattock" to get rid of it.
Vinca at least is low as it covers everything in sight.

the pictures are missing a taste of winter...want some?
Barb

[TimMAz6]

nice plants Paul! What species is the tall Mahonia?

[Paul Ont]

Tim- Not sure. The only ones I see planted are M. aquifolium and the low growing one, so I'd say it's an aquilifolium. An old one. Certainly the tallest that I've seen.

Barb- Is the Mahonia at your place native and evergreen? If so, and you're willing to spare some, I'd love to try it. truth be told I don't mind boxwood, as long as it isn't trimmed. The plants in the neighborhood that have been left to grow wild look quite nice, IMO. The tallest are only 6 to 8 feet but they do add a splash of green to the now brown landscape.

Rob- I'll keep an eye on the putative laurel. I was surprised to see it planted. The Viburnum could be Rhytidophyllum, but I don't know the genus well enough to confirm.

Jim- It does get cold up here... Where I live is borderline zone 6 (USDA), but where I garden is USDa 4b/5a. If you want to see cold I can post pictures of what the plants in the garden look like now!

[lucky1]

Mahonia at my place grows among the pines up the hill.
Not really green in winter, it turns reddish from the cold, but it's the low form.

Here's an old pic, mahonia is shown (poorly) at right edge.
<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/4142 ... 213195.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="mar 7 07 133" />

I can try to dig one out for you in spring.
They never seem to grow any larger here
Barb

PS--your sixth pic, could it be a Bay ? (long shot).

[lucky1]

Paul, here's a bit better pic:

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/4142 ... 5b159d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="mar 7 07 141" />

[Paul Ont]

Barb- I don't think it is Bay, but I have been wrong before (believe it or not)...

[JordanNL]

awsome pics

[TerdalFarm]

Nice photos. Despite my 80 oF day, your neighborhood looks better than mine does!

I'm using more Euonymous as it looks good in summer and winter.

Mahonia does not like my Summer sun, but I'll try to find a shaded spot for it anyways as it is one of my favourites.
--Erik

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Had a few minutes to snap some shots of the hood today, thought I'd share some of them...

A ground cover bamboo. Not sure of sp. (Sasa maybe?)


Paul, this bamboo is Pleioblastus pygmaeus. Very invasive plant in my place. I've dug it up.


Someone forgot to tell these guys that it's fall, not spring:

The pinkish one is Colchicum speciosum

Mahonia sp. A very nice specimen perhaps 15 feet tall:

There is only one tall Mahonia can be growing in Toronto - M.japonica

Evergreen? (or tardily deciduous) Viburnum hybrid:

Yes, it is some Viburnum hybrid

I have no idea what this is... A BLE of some sort, ideas? My first thought was laurel...

Your first thought was laurel but I think it is most likely some evergreen species of Elaeagnus

[Paul Ont]

Igor- Thanks for the I.D.'s. I agree on most. I'm a molecular biologist by trade (which is where I get my 'know-it-all-ism from), not a horticulturalist, and am generally too lazy to properly look up the names!

Not a huge fan of ground cover bamboo myself. I tried a few Pleioblastus spp. but all failed in my cold climate. There is another house nearby that has Pseudosasa japonica and another slightly taller ground cover (Sasa?). The Pseudosasa is really a poor performer here. It's about 1-1.5 zones too cold for it. Other bamboo in the hood include Indocalamus tesselatus (burns badly most winters), Phyllostachys nigra variety (burns badly in mild winters, is top-killed in bad winters), and Phyllostachys aureosulcata (foliage burns in bad winters, generally OK through mild winters... Best I've seen are ~20 feet tall).

I've never seen Elaeganus here anywhere (that was my second thought, but none considered very hardy in Eastern North America)... I looked it up and compared to the sprig I took for rooting, you might be right. http://www.thelibraryofillumination.com ... Future.pdf

I wonder where they ever found it?

The Mahonia is almost certainly M. aquilifolium. They don't generally get that tall here. M. japonica has a more shrubby appearance (to 10' tall) while M. aquilifolium can get to the height range of the plant shown (well over 10'). Unless it is some hybrid that I don't know about (or a completely different species I've never seen or heard of!).

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Igor- Thanks for the I.D.'s. I agree on most. I'm a molecular biologist by trade, not a horticulturalist, and am generally too lazy to properly look up the names!

Not a huge fan of ground cover bamboo myself. I tried a few Pleioblastus spp. but all failed in my cold climate. There is another house nearby that has Pseudosasa japonica and another slightly taller ground cover (Sasa?). The Pseudosasa is really a poor performer here. It's about 1-1.5 zones too cold for it. Other bamboo in the hood include Indocalamus tesselatus (burns badly most winters), Phyllostachys nigra variety (burns badly in mild winters, is top-killed in bad winters), and Phyllostachys aureosulcata (foliage burns in bad winters, generally OK through mild winters... Best I've seen are ~20 feet tall).

I've never seen Elaeganus here anywhere (that was my second thought, but none considered very hardy in Eastern North America)... I looked it up and compared to the sprig I took for rooting, you might be right. http://www.thelibraryofillumination.com ... Future.pdf

I wonder where they ever found it?

The Mahonia is almost certainly M. aquilifolium. They don't generally get that tall here. M. japonica has a more shrubby appearance (to 10' tall) while M. aquilifolium can get to the height range of the plant shown (well over 10'). Unless it is some hybrid that I don't know about (or a completely different species I've never seen or heard of!).

No problem, Paul! I'm not a horticulturalist too but ichthyologist according to my Master diploma. But I'm interested in bamboos very much in spite of a lack of these plants in the trade in Kazakhstan though. I wish to see pictures of your neighbor bamboo. By the way it could be easier identifying pictures you posted if they would have higher resolution. That's why I responded on your height description of the Mahonia you shot. Evergreen Elaeagnus might grow in the warmest spots of Toronto. I were told there is Gunnera growing in the Edwards park. Is it a truth?

[Paul Ont]

I can not confirm the Gunnera in Edwards park (don't know where that is).

I'll try to get some more bamboo pics in the next few days.

[canadianplant]

Nice pics. Im a bit jelous you were 13C in toronto yesterday, and I was -2C. Weve gotten almost 25cm of snow this year so far ( about half has melted)..

How much do you know about that psuedosasa that you seen? Mine was doing good till my dad hacked 90% of it down with the weed eater

"Euonymous/Box. Both are in EVERY garden here" .............. I see those everywhere here too, same with dogwood.

[Paul Ont]

Jesse- Please post some pics of the local BLEs! Euonymous is bullet proof...

FYI- It hit 15C this am in the sun. Nothing compared to Erics 26C the other day, but nice nonetheless. We are supposed to hit 0C tonight, so don't feel too bad.

[canadianplant]

I know we went over this in another thread, but whats BLE stand for?/ ( i know im gonna smack myself when i hear it)

[TerdalFarm]

Down here it means, "broad leaved evergreen." I.e., Ilex, Mahonia, Aucuba, Rhododenron, Photinia, Nandina, Laurus, etc.
Someone else says it means, "bacon, lettuce & egg" sandwich.
Either way, I want more of them. --Erik

[canadianplant]

THANK YOU *facepalm

My grandmas Rhodie still has leaves on it... Ill have to take a good look around.

And now, i want bacon....... If only there was such thing as a bacon tree

[TerdalFarm]

I considered raising hogs here but the goats are enough of a challenge. I bet pigs would love Colocasia tubers!
As it is the chickens dig up and eat the Ipomea tubers, but that is OK as they never overwinter here anyway.
Back to BLEs: every year at this time as the Canna, Colocasia, Musa etc. die I wish I had more. I planted Ilex "dwarf burford" yesterday, and two Nandina and a Euonymous last month. Hopefully I'll remember come Spring how much I appreciate BLEs in winter. --Erik

[Paul Ont]

Erik- That's exactly why they are important. Without the back drop of hardy plants (esp. those with an exotic look) the winter garden is particularly plain! There is 4 months here where the 'tropicals' are locked away and those in the ground are covered up. I better hurry up with these big-leaf Rhodo hybrids!

I think I'm also going to have to search out some winter flowering plants. I need more things like Helleborus, Witch-hazel, etc. I wish I was 1.5 zones warmer so I could try Camellia (I should try the hardiest selections anyway, but they will be USELESS if they aren't winter-hardy!)...

Speaking of which, what are some other options for winter flowering?

[canadianplant]

winter jasmine?? ( zone 5 or 6)

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Erik- That's exactly why they are important. Without the back drop of hardy plants (esp. those with an exotic look) the winter garden is particularly plain! There is 4 months here where the 'tropicals' are locked away and those in the ground are covered up. I better hurry up with these big-leaf Rhodo hybrids!

I think I'm also going to have to search out some winter flowering plants. I need more things like Helleborus, Witch-hazel, etc. I wish I was 1.5 zones warmer so I could try Camellia (I should try the hardiest selections anyway, but they will be USELESS if they aren't winter-hardy!)...

Speaking of which, what are some other options for winter flowering?

Daphne mezervum?