Ben and Dan Oct 18-20

Weekend Practical ,Cuddy Gardens, Oct 18-20 , 2013 Dan Grady, Ben Hickey

Our first day at Cuddy started off well despite the cold, first thing we did was meet up with Lucas and went over the tasks and went for a walk to explain and give examples in greater detail. The first task we took on was to clean up the debris from the walnut and apple trees that surround the rock garden beside the house, this task was rushed because Eric who was cutting the grounds grass needed to cut that area we went over it a second time later in the day. Secondly we went after and pruned the Liquidambars at the front of the house just for dead limbs this did not take long we did however find other branches and debris around the gardens and collected them.

 

 

 

 

After a fifteen minute break we decided to go dead head the day lilies and weed the iris at the iris border at the front of the property again we were In the way of Eric cutting the grass so we had to save the rest of the task till after lunch and we just watered and weeded the nursery stock instead.

 

The Saturday was rainy, but we had a lot of work to do , especially on the Iris garden. We finished the edging at the iris garden the best we could do to the circumstances with the weather. So while hoping for the weather to cooperate a little better we did some housekeeping tasks Lucas assigned us in the tool shed  if it were to rain and also worked on the plant profile. The rain started to ease off so we decided to do a few tasks before the day was over, so we grabbed some rakes and headed over to the woodland garden to rake. Only problem was all the wind shaking the trees and making us extremely more wet also with the ground being wet we were taking up a lot of the mulch on the walk way as well.

 

Our last day at Cuddys and like yesterday it was a cold one , we started the day by finishing off the Iris garden  edging , using the Dutch hoe and making it look nice . This task was little difficult because it rained the previous day and this made the soil very muddy. So I worked away on that and Ben took the leaf blower and cleared off the walkways and driveway of leaves I think he enjoyed himself. We took our lunch break to get some much needed energy, our last task of the day was doing some last touches on the Iris garden and cleaning up the rock garden and other areas.

 

 

 

Plant Profile  Ben Hickey , Dan Grady

                                      

                               Cary glabra  ( pignut Hickory)

   Ben and Dan’s opinion :  An all and all nice tree, not too showy but still pretty with it rich green foliage and thick ridged trunk, good for most landscapes , beautiful fall color and a good tree in any environment .

 

 

Family –   Juglandaceae

Genus –  Cary

Species –  glabra

Category – Woody

Type –  Tree (deciduous)

Origin-  Native

Propagation – Seeds should be soaked in water , you should also plant in 3 gallon pots

Habitat – Hillsides , Climax forests , also ridges

Shape – Tapering trunk and a slender controlled branches

Growth – Tree can reach 60-50 ft in height , and 25-30 in spread

Flowering Period – May

Cultivation – Tree prefers well drained to dry , fairly rich soils

Pests –  Tent caterpillars

Notable specimens –

ID Characteristics – Tree has 5-6 leaflets, Green sharped toothed ovate leaves , entire leaf is 8-12 inches long 

General Description – Tree is large with light green leaves compound foliage

Flower Description – Flowers are monoecious male has 7.5 drooping catkin , female has few flowering terminal spikes

Bark Description – Tree has smooth grey brown bark on young specimens , eventually bark shapes into diamond pattern

Leaf Description – 5-7 leaflets each leaflets is 3-6 inches long , and 1-2 wide

Texture Description -

Color Description – Tree has lovely green foliage in the summer and a nice gold yellow in spring

Sources

 

-          Manual of Woody landscape plants 6^th edition Michael A Dirr

-          "Canada Plants." • Carya Glabra (Pignut Hickory). N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

 

 

 

Dylan and Morwyn's weekend

Friday, October 11^th

The practical began late for the students this weekend due to the CLT examination taking place at Cuddy Gardens.  Once our testing concluded (around 1:00pm), we enjoyed a brief lunch before attacking the afternoon’s tasks.  We were forbidden from working near the testing stations, so we deadheaded the daylilies near the frog sculpture and began weeding the iris bed.  It wasn’t long before Lucas and Michael summoned us to assist in other, more pressing work.  We disassembled CLT tables, chairs and practical sites that were no longer in use, loading them on to the organization’s van.  Before we knew it, 5:00pm rolled around and it was time to clean up.  Irrigation parts were returned to their rightful bins, and such bins were returned to the tool shed.  All equipment and tools were washed down thoroughly before being stowed away for the night.  We were briefed by Lucas as to what was to be accomplished for the rest of the weekend, and the day ended on a high note.  The day was short but productive!

Saturday, October 12^th

Dylan and Morwyn threw themselves into Saturday’s work, starting with the completion of the CLT clean-up.  This included retagging the Plant ID material and returning it to its rightful place in and between the hoop houses.  The irrigation system was left on for an hour or so, as Friday’s weather was warm and sunny, and the larger potted material was looking stressed.  Mulch remaining from yesterday’s event was transported via Kubota tractor to either the nearby cedar hedge bed or the compost pile, depending on varying sand content.  Next, the sand pits were raked through and leveled, having been disturbed from the many CLT tree planting exercises.  Upon Michael’s request, we transplanted several crocuses to one of the hosta beds to avoid being trampled.  After a late lunch, the students split up in the interest of time to water all hanging baskets, urns and containers not covered by an irrigation system, as well as backpack blow leaves under the walnut tree into more manageable piles.  The day ended with choosing a native plant to be profiled by the end of the weekend: Actaea racemosa.

Sunday, October 13^th

Sunday began with a tedious but thorough tidying of the walnut tree’s surrounding area.  We collected as much fruit as we could, resigned to the fact that it would continue to fall defiantly.  Dylan used the backpack blower to clear the gravel pathways in and around the alpine garden while Morwyn cleared the adjacent lawn of fallen leaves and other debris.  We cut back sedum and other plants in the dry garden that were ready to conserve their energy for the Fall/Winter season.  A little bit of weeding and a lot of raking later, it was lunch time.  Post break, we cultivated and filled a few depressed areas with soil.  Recognizing that time was running short, the students chose to devote the remainder of the weekend practical on their assigned plant profile.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather!

Actaea racemosa

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Dylan’s and Morwyn’s Opinion

A plant desired both for its foliage and striking blooms, Black Cohosh (or Black Bugbane) provides dynamic interest in a garden due to its height and form.  Bearing tall racemes of miniscule white flowers, it can be found from Southern Ontario to Central Georgia.  Having gained popularity from its inherent medicinal value, this plant is universally marketed as a reliever of menopause symptoms and other gynecological issues.

Botanical Information

Family	Ranunculaceae
Genus	Actaea
Species	racemosa
Category	Herbaceous Perennial
Type	Flowering plant

Origin  Eastern North America

Details

USDA Hardiness	3-8
Temperature (°C)	-35
Temperature (°F)	-31
Height	2-2.5 m

Spread                                   1-1.5 m

Description and Growing Information

Landscape	Excellent backdrop plant because of its tall flower stalks.  Good choice for garden borders.  Actaea racemosa is most impactful when planted en mass, or in small clumps.
Propagation	Rhizome division in Spring or Fall; seed.
Habitat	Woodland habitats; small woodland openings.
Shape	Upright, tall bloom; can be cushion, mound or clump.
Growth	Medium
FloweringPeriod	Late Spring- Midsummer
Cultivation	Likes moist, heavy, humus rich soil with a pH of 5-6.  Prefers full to part shade but will tolerate full sun.
Pests	Leaf spot; root rot.
ID Characteristic	Tall racemes of tiny white flowers, broad green basal leaves, slightly rank aroma.
General Description	Midsummer flowering plant with inflorescences of small white flowers on tall black/purple stems.  Slightly unpleasant ordour that attracts various insects.
Flower Description	75-250 cm tall inflorescences with no petals; tiny white clusters.  Flowers bear sweet, unpleasant fragrance that attracts flies and gnats.
Leaf Description	Large, compound; sets of 3 with serrated margins.
Texture Description	Smooth; glabrous
Colour Description	White flowers, black/purple stems, medium green basal leaves.
Fruit Description	5-10 mm follicle containing several seeds; only one carpel

 

Mark Muehmer and John Isovski

Day 1: Friday October 4

With an early morning wake up call, I sprung out of bed and went on my way to meet up with my fellow classmates to begin our trip to Cuddy gardens. Driving through a mist, we all hoped things would clear up, sure enough the weather cooperated. We met up with the head of maintenance at Cuddy’s, Lucas, and he briefed us on our weekend tasks. We began with moving the tropicals from the dry garden (cacti, palms) into the sunroom for over wintering. This was a tedious and dangerous task. We had to be careful not to break any of these fragile specimens.  We moved the Bananas in to the carport to get ready to be moved to the Fanshawe Greenhouse. We thoroughly trimmed the Bananas and took the debris out.

 

In the afternoon we checked and watered all planters and hanging baskets that are around the house, hatchery and stables. While watering, we noticed that hundreds of apples had fallen from the tree and were obstructing the path. Attracting wasps, bees, and flies, we knew this mess had to be cleaned. After filling wheelbarrows full of apples, the place was looking good. The final tasks for the day were to clean the mess we had made when moving the tropicals inside. Then we briefly helped weed the hoop house until the end of the work day. It was a successful day, now many tropicals will be happy for the winter and the yard is kept to its high standard of perfection.

 

Day 2: Saturday, October 5th

We unlocked the gardens with the sound of rain drops in our heads. The weather was looking dark yet optimistic. It soon cleared and we began getting the rock garden in to prestige shape. We blew and raked all of the walnut leaves out of the garden then began to weed. By the time we finished weeding, new leaves had fallen and we blew off once again. This seemed like a never ending battle between the walnut leaves and us. We picked up the walnuts and apples that had fallen over night. A lot less apples then day one, but still enough to attract those unfriendly wasps.

 

Then we found are selves in the green house area, moving Acer, Rhus, and Buddleia’s, from 1 gallon pots to 3 gallons. This included the process of creating a soil mixture of half bark soil and half Promix. This gave the plants the fertility to grow yet the stability of mature soil and will help with growing in the spring. With the day coming to an end, we cleaned and locked down estate and headed home for a good night’s rest.

 

 

Day 3: Sunday October 6th

We arrived to an unpleasant surprise of the power being out. This was no issue as Mark started work in the greenhouse while John blew off the paths. Mark helped Zach organize the greenhouse by categorizing the plants. We also weeded and organized the plants in the hoop house. In the afternoon we helped Sally from Landscape Ontario move some supplies for this Fridays ‘CLT’ testing. We also filled in the holes that the cactus and bananas left. John blew every path off for a final time, and then we began to vacuum the mess we made and sweep up all the dirt we tracked in the house over the weekend. We were very thorough, because we know how important esthetics are in a botanical garden. So after the estate was looking phenomenal, we ventured home to attend to our own gardens and recover from a weekend full of hard work.

 

Plant Profile

Acer nigrum

Black Maple

Mark and John’s opinion: A classic Ontario native tree. This tree produces great autumn colour and should be planted in a place that its beauty can be enjoyed. It needs room to grow and will often prove better than an A. saccharum in stressed environments. It has a better heat and drought tolerance than the A. saccharum. The autumn colour is what sets this tree out from the crowd. This tree can also be used to harvest maple syrup and for lumber.

Family	Sapindaceae (Aceraceae)
Genus	Acer
Species	nigrum
Category	Woody
Type	Tree (deciduous)
Propagation	Can be done by seed or from soft wood cuttings. The seed needs to be extracted from the samara and stratified at 4°C for 4 months. Cuttings are to be taken in June.
Habitat	Zones 4-8 (UDSA) Found in climax forests in Southern Ontario and in through the Mid-West of USA (Quebec, West Virginia, Kansas).
Shape	A straight central trunk with widely spreading branch system in the open
Growth	Slow
Flowering Period	April
Cultivation	Can be cultivated easily with well drained soils.
Pests	Southwest injury due to its thin bark. Leaf spot, Japanese leaf hopper, bladder gall mite, and forest tent caterpillars.
Notable Specimens	The A. M. Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. Also found within Southern Ontario Forests.
ID Characteristic	Autumn colour: yellowy orange. Stem colour is straw colour.
General Description	A majestic, medium- large tree, with outstanding autumn colour.
Flower Description	Greenish, yellow, 3-5cm long in April-May.
Bark Description	Smooth when young, then becoming a more defined as time goes on. It will develop light grey bark as it develops.
Leaf Description	Opposite, simple, 3-6” wide, 3-5 lobes, dull dark green above, a yellowy green beneath. With leaves wilting, giving it the appearance of suffering from the early stages of wilt but everything is fine.
Texture Description	Medium textured.
Colour Description	Impressive autumn colour, a rich dependable, butter yellow.
Bud Description	Two axillary buds at terminal. Grey dust brown in colour. Plumper than A. saccharum buds.
Fruit Description		Samara in September-October.
		Sources: "Canada Plants." • Acer Nigrum (Black Maple). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.   Dirr, Michael A. Manual Of Woody Landscape Plants. Champaign, IL: Stipes Pub., 1977. Print.   Native Plant Database." Acer Nigrum (Black Maple). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct.