Cuddy Garden Landscape Weekend
Practical
Eric Abram and Chad Segeren
April 11th, 2014
On
our first day, we met on site with Lucas Michielsen and Mike Pascoe to get a
layout of the work that needed to be completed during the weekend. The tasks
consisted of mostly spring cleanup and with an addition of mulching the garden
beds around the perimeter of the house. Since it was our first day, we were
pepped up and ready to work and the weather cooperated beautifully. The garden
beds still had remaining periwinkle growing so Eric removed the invasive plant
and tried to pull as many roots with it as possible. We cleaned up the edges of
the garden beds beside the front entrance and laid a thick layer of mulch in
the beds. Next, Eric replanted some bulbs that were planted too shallow while Chad
sheared the euonymus growing underneath the yew hedge. The euonymus was growing
into the pathway so it was a must to cut it back to not obstruct fellow
visitors and workers. Following the cut back of the euonymus, we added a thin
layer of mulch under the yew hedge. After lunch, we began mulching small areas
on the stone patio and pruned the epicormic shoots on the Lantanaphyllum
Viburnum. Epicormic shoots on branches are usually growing straight upwards and
interfere with the natural shape of the tree. The final job we started doing
was removing the English ivy, another invasive species, in the garden bed
beside the patio. It was a great day to be outside and we took advantage of it
with our productivity. (Insert picture 1
here)
April 12th, 2014
Eric
and I continued removing the English ivy in the garden bed and pursued in
removing all the roots that were visible. Upon completing the removal of the
ivy, I began mulching the garden bed while Eric removed more periwinkle and
mulched a different garden bed beside the Mediterranean garden. Eric removed
the trailing periwinkle to control the spread of this groundcover plant. I cleaned
up the edges of both beds in order to contain the mulch in the garden beds and
not in the grass. Later into the afternoon when all the mulching was finished,
the woodland garden was in need of some dead-heading of hostas and hydrangeas.
The cleanup was minimal since the stalks can be used as mulch so we spread the
pruned remains in the back of the garden beds. Although it was mostly a cloudy
day, the weather was fair we got in a full day of work. (Insert picture 2 here)
April 13th,2014
On
our final day, with chance of precipitation, we were on to our final tasks. We
began with removing the teepees made of branches used to cover the rhododendrons
during the winter months. The smaller branches were left in the gardens as well
as some larger branches to give the woodland garden a natural, untouched look.
There was some maintenance to be done in the Mediterranean garden such as shearing
and pruning. A final raking of the pea gravel paths gave the garden a clean and
professional look. Eric and I put weather-protective oil on the wood bench that
is used in the Mediterranean garden. The dry stone retaining wall needed to be
re-shaped into a straight line so we used a couple rubber mallets to bang it
back in to place. It’s only a momentary fix; a solid rebuilding of the wall is
in need. Finally, a good clean up with the backpack blower made the landscape
look pristine.
(Insert picture 3 here)
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Acer
Species: saccharinum
Type: Deciduous tree
Origin: Eastern North America
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
Temperature (°C): -40°
Temperature (°F): -40°
Height: 15-25 m
Spread: 10-20 m
Growth: Fast
Flowering Period: March-April
The silver maple (or soft maple) is a North American native which in
nature grows in poorly-drained swampy soils. Thanks to its fast rate of growth,
it found widespread use as a street and park shade tree in Southwestern Ontario
in the post-war period. However, it also has a relatively short lifespan.
Unfortunately for us, this means that our streets are now lined with 60-70 year
old trees reaching the end of their lives. The soft wood has a tendency to rot
and branches break often in storms and from ice. Looking
past its flaws, the silver maple has very handsome foliage and reacts to a
breeze in a quite charming manner. The silvery bark exfoliates with age and the
tree is also used to produce maple syrup.
Habitat: The silver maple grows naturally in low-lying wet soils
along riverbanks and in swamps. Shares its habitat with the red maple, Acer rubrum, with which it can sometimes
hybridize.
Landscape: Often planted as a
street or shade tree thanks to its fast growth. Most suited to naturalized
areas with poor drainage where storm damage is not an issue and other trees
drown.
Bark Description: New growth is glabrous and red to brown in colour with vertical
lenticels. On younger branches, bark is grey to grey-brown. With age, the grey
bark furrows heavily and begins to exfoliate, giving it a rough shaggy
appearance.
Bud Description :
Silver maple buds are red to reddish-brown, held oppositely on the stem in
overlapping clusters with a pubescent fringe.
Leaf Description: The simple leaves of the silver maple are vibrant
green with a bright white underside, palmate and deeply lobed, approximately 7-15 cm across on a 7-12 cm
petiole.
Flower Description: Silver maple flowers are devoid of petals and
are monoecious, containing either stamens or pistils. They are green-brown to
red in colour, perhaps hinting at red maple heritage.
Fruit Description: The silver maple produces samaras (‘keys’) in
May-June, in large numbers. The samaras are approximately 3-6 cm in length.
Colour Description: Silver maples have bright green leaves with
white undersides, and old bark is silvery-grey. Flowers can be bright red and
ornamentally significant on some individuals.
Texture Description: Coarse textured in winter with shaggy, deeply
ridged bark. Medium textured when in leaf.
Works
Cited
Dirr, Michael. Manual of woody landscape plants: their identification, ornamental
characteristics, culture, propagation and uses. 6th ed. Champaign, Ill.:
Stipes Pub., 2009. Print.
Gilman, Edward, and Dennis Watson.
"Acer saccharinum Silver Maple." http://hort.ufl.edu/.
University of Florida, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/acesaca.pdf
"Silver Maple." http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/. North Dakota
State University, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
.
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