Monday, May 26, 2014

Niagara's Ancient Trees

They are generally not be the oldest trees…

"The typical lifespan of a cherry tree is as short as 16 to 20 years. Some species are longer lived than others. Black cherry trees (Prunus serotina) live up to 250 years, although the average lifespan of a black cherry is 100 years. Cherry trees are sensitive specimen trees. They are easily susceptible and invaded by insects and diseases. Cherry trees commonly succumb to diseases such as brown rot, black knot, silver leaf disease, as well as bacterial canker. Insects such as borers, aphids and scales weaken and destroy cherry trees."

The typical lifespan of a peach tree in cold areas is only 10 to 15 years, and up to 50 years in a warm area.  So this explains why orchards disappear and get replanted as the tree production starts to decline.  I do like the ancient trees, though, especially when they have been pruned and shaped like the one below.





Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Valleybrook - A Perennial Master

I had the great experience yesterday of visiting the Valleybrook Niagara-on-the-Lake operation.  It is an operation - a large one.  It seemed like dozens of polyhouses that I walked through.  And then I walked into the open yard with what seemed like thousands of pots outside, too.  The size of the operation is what grabs one's attention.  It seemed like millions of plants in pots.

It is great to live in Niagara with plant production operations, commercial greenhouses growing flowers, plants and vegetables.  Valleybrook has always grown distinctive plants of high quality.  These plants really did look like the best of the best.  And yes, the Dancing Queen host is that yellow.  There were lots of yellow plants being grown.  I would think this is a trend towards bold planting designs.

Here are a few images of Valleybrook's operation:






Monday, May 5, 2014

Trout Lily Spring

We are lucky in Niagara to have maple forests.  Where there are maple forests there are trilliums - sometimes they carpet a mature wood.  So many beautiful little ephemerals bloom in spring and then disappear until the next year.  

This is one of the early spring bloomers - Trout Lily.  It is Erythronium americanum.  It's also known as Dogtooth Violet and Yellow Adder's Tongue.  It is in the Liliaceae family.  I didn't realize that it is an edible plant.  At the same time, it seems to be an emetic (makes you throw up), so it is not recommended that one eat a lot of it.  I guess I wouldn't add this one to the menu with guests coming.







Sunday, May 4, 2014

Niagara's Spring Magnolias

Hi everyone,
The Magnolia trees are in bud and showing their colour.  Two beautiful Magnolias with beautiful houses are located on historic Yates Street in St. Catharines.  Yates Street was developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s along the banks of Twelve Mile Creek.  There was a spa hotel as an artesian well with metal water was found.  There had been many mills along Twelve Mile Creek and later the Erie Canal.  Shipbuilders were located along the Canal.  As times moved on, the elegant neighbourhood was created with Georgian and Tudor homes.