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What's Blooming...

Driving around the yard and noticing something in bloom and then running back to get the camera! That has been me this week! I am always surprised one day you go by and it is green and then the next day it is in bloom. The Viburnam standards are a sea of white blooms. The Lilac Standards 'Miss Kim' are all in bloom. We have two by the front door and every time it opens the waft of Lilac fragrance comes in and it is wonderful. The peonies are just starting to open. There are white and pink ones but I am partial to the red ones. The rhododendrons are a fantastic show of colour and I am tempted to pull the one I have out at home and replace it the lovely red ones. It has taken me forever to write this blog, I just went out with customer and noticed the Dogwoods are in bloom - and you guessed it - didn't have the camera. Next time I go out I will take the camera and come back to the them. They are one of my favourite plants. We have had some unique specimens come in and I will keeping adding a few every time I blog. Take a look at the Sculptured Pines we received! And the Japenese Maples...my next blog I will include more of the Maples...ahhh - so many plants - so many pictures...

Sculptured Pine

Japanese Maple

Rows of Viburnam Standards

Viburnam Standards

Viburnam Blooms

Lilac Standard

Lilac Blooms

Trunk Full of Blooms!

Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans'

Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla'

Peony 'Karl Rosenfield'

Sculptured Pine

Our 50' Purple Beech Tree Has Moved To A New Home..

In March we had the privledge of hand digging a large Weeping Purple Beech tree and saving it from being chopped down. This lovely specimen came into our yard and graced us with its beautiful purple foliage, and became a focal point in our nursery. I watched it come in our yard naked of foliage - tall and stark in the horizon. I would view it everyday out of my office window. I watched the tender leafs emerge a perfect lime green and then turning to a dark maroon. But alas, it was not to be here for long. It is now gracing one of our customers' backyards and looking like it had been there forever. The picture in one of my previous blogs shows the arrival of this huge tree. I took over 100 pictures yesterday of what we call 'The Weeping Beech Tree Move' and have narrowed it down to a few to give you an idea of the process. In this particular case we had to use a large crane truck and had to lift the tree over an existing fence and other trees to place it in the hole. The guys make it look so easy but I know that manipulating a root ball of 23,500 lbs is not an easy feat!! As I mentioned before, watching a huge tree fly through the air is sight that is truly spectacular. And it all happens so fast! Each tree is different - and where it comes from - and where is goes to - is always unique. Just another day at the office!

Where the Beech tree grew up.

The root ball.

View of our beech before loading.

Another view of our Beech at the yard.

Getting ready to load.

Being loaded on the truck.

Tarped and ready to go!

Digging the hole!

The tree has arrived!

Getting ready to lift.

Here we go!

A view from the roof!

Coming over the property.

It is coming over the fence.

Overhead...

On the ground.

The Weeping Beech has new digs!

The Perennials have arrived....

It is lovely to work in a nursery (some days - today being one of them). I love all the different vibrant colours of all the different leaves on the trees. The lime greens of the beech trees, the yellow green of the maples and the bright reds of the Japanese Maples. The light green new growth on the yews an spruce. I was out on the farm taking pictures of the Crabapple blooms and some Robins are busy building a nest nearby. They certainly didn't want me near them as they were doing close fly bys around my head! I can move on you crazy birds - there are other photo ops out here! The tri-colour beech are starting to leaf out - got a neat picture of that. And the lilacs - I know there are a billion pictures out there of them but the frangrance lured me to them. Due to the mild winter everything is coming back so nicely. It is nice to see. However, along with the leaves and blooms - out come the bugs. I am not a big fan of flies.

Some of our perennials are doing their thing. I like the 'Touch of Class' Jacobs Ladder we received - as well as some cool sempervivums. See the pictures below. So many pictures to take and not enough time. The Hostas and the ground covers have arrived and and are now sitting beside the ferns that are just starting to show green.

Acer palmatum 'Crimson Queen'

Acer palmatum dissectum 'Verdis'

Acer 'Princeton Gold'

Tri-colour Beech

Lilac

Malus 'Candied Apple'

Heuchera 'Midnight Rose'

Dicentra

Vinca

Ajuga

'Touch of Class' Jacobs Ladder

Sempervivum 'Dark Cloud'

Sempervivum tomentosum

The Highest Trees in Toronto!!!

We have been busy! We were in downtown Toronto hoisting 26 of our large Hornbeam Trees up 66 floors to the top of the new (under construction) Shangri-La Hotel. That was scary going up the side of the building in the construction elevator! The trees weren't scared though! They came up via the fastest crane that I have seen yet. These trees will have the pleasure of growing right along side a view of the CN Tower. But almost beside the top of it. The Globe and Mail were there to take pictures check it out on their website - "The best pictures in the last 24 hours". As well as the pictures below! We had a new load of Norway Spruce and White Pine come in - nice big specimens. Talk about instant garden! There are some pictures listed below of the installation - and I hope to get back on site today to view the finished landscape. But from the pictures you can see the effect of providing and instant screen. We will be starting to receive our shipments from the west coast where they have experienced alot of rain - so the product is looking extremely lush and green, it shall be arriving next week. Some of our unique perennial selections and ground covers will be starting to arrive today and within the next couple of days. I will keep you updated with photos as they come in. On a personal note - I have a pet peeve. If you live in suburbia as I do - you know that backyards can be in close proximity. And of course you can't pick your neighbours. I like our neighbours - they are nice people. But we like to entertain on our deck in the yard. And when you come out our back doors to go onto the deck you get the a glimpse of our neighbours yard. They have planted a toilet. Yes people - a toilet. A real toilet. With plants coming out if it. Let's just say - I am not amused. Please don't think about this idea as a landscape feature - it is not.