Toronto gardening all year round: Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, October 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

It's definitely autumn now, and most of the flowering plants are either finished or on their last legs. Here are the brave hangers-on:

Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon, muflier) volunteers in the front garden.

Chrysanthemum sp. (chrysanthème), courtesy of my landlord.

Helianthus annuus (sunflower, tournesol) volunteer.

Impatiens walleriana 'Accent Lavender Blue' (impatience).

Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysse odorante), volunteer offspring of 'Rosie O'Day'.

Cynoglossum sp. (forget-me-not, souvenez-vous-de-moi).

Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan, rudbeckie dressée).

Sutera cordata (bacopa, bacopa) volunteer in the Sedum spurium (rock cress, orpin bâtard).

And here are some plants that are not blooming now but are looking pretty:

Heuchera 'Bressingham Hybrid' (coral bells, heuchère).

Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod, verge d'or du Canada).

Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower, tiarelle cordifoliée).

Waldsteinia fragaroides (barren strawberry, waldsteinie faux-fraisier).

Useful websites

Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers: a lot of them grow down here too! Includes shrubs, moss, fungi, and ferns as well as flowers.
Dave's Garden: a large, active online community. Be sure to check out their PlantFiles, a vast database with valuable information about thousands of different species and their cultivars.
Invasive Exotic Species Ranking for Southern Ontario (PDF): a must read for every gardener in Toronto.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: although based in Texas, has a wealth of information about native plants from throughout Canada and the US
North American Native Plant Society: information about native plant gardening, plant sources, seed exchange
Plant Hardiness Data from Natural Resources Canada. Detailed maps for each plant showing where it grows (Canada and the United States only)
PLANTS Database from USDA. Great photos and illustrations about plants, as well as maps (Canada and the US only) showing in which states/provinces each species is found and in which it is native
Planting the Seed (PDF): A Guide to Establishing Prairie and Meadow Communities in Southern Ontario, from Environment Canada.
Plants for a Future: interesting website with information on the uses and care of 7000 plants, as well as information on permaculture and vegan organic gardening.

Toronto gardening all year round