Mertensia virginica in bud!

I planted this Virginia bluebells plant(mertensie de Virginie) last year, past the blooming season, so this is a first for me. You can see two clusters of small pale pink buds, which will grow into beautiful blue bells. Yay!

Waldsteinia fragarioides in bud!

Somehow while I was distracted by all the early-flowering bulbs, this nice clump of barren strawberry (waldsteinie faux-fraisier) popped up! If you click the photo to enlarge it, you will see a number of nice plump flower buds, which surpised me because I thought this plant didn't bloom so early. You can also see fading Iris reticulata and a small Aquilegia seedling (don't know if it's native A. canadensis or non-native A. vulgaris) in front of the Waldsteinia, and some kind of lovely fern that stayed green all winter behind the Waldsteinia (haven't identified it yet).

Sansevieria trifasciata

Sansevieria trifasciata, aka "snake plant" or "mother-in-law's tongue" in English, plante serpent or langue de belle-mère in French, is a west African perennial commonly grown as a houseplant. It's unusual to see a specimen as large and healthy as this in a mall—this one is in Brookfield Place. (I believe the underplantings are Rhododendron simsii (Indian azalea, azalé de l'Inde) and Hedera helix (English ivy, lierre grimpante). The latter is an invasive plant here in Toronto, which should be confined to indoor plantings like this rather than planted in the garden).

I briefly had a sansevieria, which I picked up half-dead at Canadian Tire because I felt sorry for it. I thought that the leaves would be too tough and unappetizing for my cats to nibble, but I was wrong. There is some debate over how toxic sansevieria is, but according to Plants are the Strangest People's Houseplant Toxicity Series, Sansevieria trifasciata can kill a cat. I've composted mine.

I should mention that I dislike the common names "mother-in-law's tongue" and langue de belle-mère for this plant, since they are a dig at mothers-in-law (the sharp leaves of the plant are supposed to be like the sharp tongues of mothers-in-law). I have had two mothers-in-law and they both are lovely people whom I am grateful to have known.

Primula hybrida, colourful harbingers of spring

As we head in to spring, stores all over Toronto are carrying brightly coloured Primula hybrida (primroses, primevère)—these were photographed at Natural Florist, 1852 Danforth Ave.. I am a bit ambivalent about these hybrids; in a way they're pretty, but most of them look so unnatural, which I find a bit disturbing somehow.

Primula is a large genus of 400-500 species native to the northern hemisphere, mostly Eurasia. PLANTS lists four species native to Ontario (P. egaliksensis, P. laurentiana, P. mistassinika, and P. stricta), though I don't know if their natural range extends this far south. I do find the wild types prettier than the technicolour hybrids that one usually sees (click links for pretty pictures from the photo gallery at Primula World by Canadian photographer Pam Eveleigh).

Of course, those primulas at the top of the post must be greenhouse grown, because the primroses that overwintered in Toronto gardens are nowhere near blooming, though last year's leaves stayed green and there's already fresh growth.

By the way, the English name "primrose" has nothing to do with the English word "prim". It comes from the Old French primerose, which in turn came from the Latin prima rosa, i.e. "first rose", because it blooms early in spring, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.

Glorious autumn colour in eastern Ontario

When I was growing up, autumn was my favourite season. The weather was good, not too hot and not too cold, and the forests surrounding our house erupted in glorious oranges, yellows, and reds. The photo to the left shows the land where I grew up, although the house I lived in has been replaced by the new owner.

Since moving to Toronto over 20 years ago, I've found autumn disappointing. Our fall colours just don't seems as rich and varied as those in eastern Ontario. Obviously living in a city is not going to provide the same number of trees as living surrounded by forest, but in eastern Ontario even in the more built up areas the trees seem more vivid. (This tree was photographed on Church Street in Almonte.)

My very favourites are these maples, don't know which species, which turn a gorgeous red-orange (these photos do not do the colours justice).

My son discovered these gorgeous leaves on a sprouting maple stump, also on Church Street in Almonte. It seems to me that the best fall colours are by water.

I think this was the first time I was home at the right time to see autumn leaves in 20 years! I'll have to make this a regular autumn pilgrimage.

Agrimonia sp.

Agrimonia spp., known in English as "agrimony" and in French as aigremoine, is a genus of about a dozen herbaceous perennials native to the temperate northern hemisphere, generally with spikes of yellow five-petalled flowers. There are four species found in Ontario, according the USDA's PLANTS database, all of them native:

• Agrimonia gryposepala (tall hairy agrimony, aigremoine à sépales crochus)
• Agrimonia parviflora (harvestlice, aigremoine parviflore)
• Agrimonia pubescens (soft agrimony, aigremoine pubescente)
• Agrimonia striata (roadside agrimony, aigremoine striée)

The agrimonies of Ontario look virtually identical, and Peterson's guide¹ says they can only be distinguished by "technical characters" so I don't feel too bad about not being able to precisely identify this one (though if any of you reading this know which one it is, please let me know!).

The leaves of agrimony are compound, and have distinctive mini-leaflets between some of the larger leaflets.

I photographed this plant in my local ravine.

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1. Peterson, Roger Tory and Margaret McKenny. A field guide to wildflowers: Northeastern and northcentral North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968.

Portulaca oleracea: foliage

Portulaca oleracea, known in English as "common purslane", "wild portulaca", "verdolaga", "pigweed", "little hogweed", "pursley", or "pusley", and in French as pourpier potager or pourpier gras, is a succulent annual probably native to Eurasia. It's easy to identify because let's face it, how many succulents volunteer in Toronto gardens?

Purslane is a common weed here in Toronto, and can produce surprisingly lush growth in only the smallest amount of soil, e.g. in a sidewalk crack. The leaves are not only edible, they are fairly tasty and contain more omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable. So next time you're weeding, why not save and wash the purslane? You can eat it raw or cooked; try some of these recipes!

Amaranthus tuberculatus in bloom

Amaranthus tuberculatus, known in English as "roughfruit amaranth" or "tall waterhemp" (je ne peux pas trouver un nom commun en français), is an annual native to much of eastern and central North America and a few west-coast states. It can reach two metres in height. The spikes of green flowers are not especially showy, but produce abundant seed, making this a useful food source for birds. The glossy foliage is eaten by the larvae of the common sootywing skipper (Pholisora catullus) and some moths.

Solanum ptycanthum

Caution: this plant is poisonous. Solanum ptycanthum, known in English as "eastern black nightshade" or "West Indian nightshade", and in French as morelle noire de l'est, is an annual or short-lived perennial native to North America east of the Rockies.

Click for a closer look at the dainty white flower.

Veronica serpyllifolia is spreading!

The native veronica that I photographed last May has spread nicely in the last two months or so. So far I'm liking it as a groundcover.

Actaea pachypoda with fruit

Actaea pachypoda, known in English as "doll's eyes", "white cohosh", or "white baneberry", and in French as actée à gros pédicelles, is a perennial native to eastern and central North America. The berry is white with a black spot, hence the name "doll's eyes". "Baneberry" refers to the toxicity of the fruit. All parts of doll's eyes are considered poisonous to humans. There's a better photo of the berries at Wildflower.org.

I photographed this plant at High Park, where it was planted as part of restoration efforts.

Juglans nigra: now with leaves!

The black walnuts in the back yard are looking much prettier now that they are in leaf. (Here's what it looked like without foliage.) These native trees will be a source of nuts for the local squirrels when they're older. Black walnut produces "juglone" which makes the nearby soil unsuitable for some plants, such as tomatoes. There are a number of juglone-tolerant plants to choose from to grow under your black walnut. The large compound leaves have a tropical feel. They look similar to those of the invasive Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven), but A. altissima's leaflets have a pair of teeth at the base. Black walnut also has pleasantly fragrant leaves, smelling like incense, whereas Ailanthus has a foul smell like burnt peanut butter.

Potentilla norvegica

Potentilla norvegica, known in English as "rough cinquefoil" or "Norwegian cinquefoil" and in French as potentille norvégienne or potentille de Norvège, is an annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The dainty yellow flowers have five petals, and five sepals which are longer than the petals and protrude between them. Despite the English common names ("cinquefoil" means "five leaves"), the compound leaves have three leaflets rather than five. If you click the photo to enlarge it you will see they, and the stems, are covered with fine hairs.

Sunflowers! (Helianthus annuus and H. tuberosus

The volunteer sunflower (H. annuus) is in full bloom, and I'm happy to see it's yellow, not that disappointing brownish orange like the 'Velvet Queen' I had last year (which was supposed to be red).

We also have native perennial sunflowers in the garden, probably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus). I'm not sure, but I think this is just one plant! It grows over 2 metres tall, and has small (for a sunflower) yellow flowers in the autumn. The roots are massive tubers, which are apparently edible, though I haven't tried it.

Phlox divaricata 'Sweet Lilac': new leaves!

I'm happy to see that the woodland phlox seems to be happy in the front garden—compare this photo to the photo I took a bit over a month ago just after buying it. The front garden has horrible soil and a lot of the new plants are unhappy (e.g. Athyrium niponicum, Hosta 'Orange Marmalade') or dead (R.I.P. Clematis virginiana which I just bought this spring from the High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program). I'm very glad that at least this pretty native is doing well. I'm looking forward to the blooms next spring!

Asclepias syriaca

Note: this plant is legally considered a noxious weed in Ontario (but grow it anyway).

Asclepias syriaca, known in English as "common milkweed", "butterfly flower", "silkweed", "silky swallow-wort", or "Virginia silkweed", and in French as asclépiade commune, bébé lala de lait, herbe à ouate, or herbe aux perruches, is a perennial native to eastern and central North America. The "milk" in milkweed is its thick white sap, which is poisonous to many animals. Some insects, most famously the monarch butterfly larva, are able to feed on milkweed. Monarchs store the toxins in their bodies as a deterrent to predators.

The field behind my mom's apartment buidling in Almonte (eastern Ontario) is dominated by various non-native flowers, but the milkweed is one native that is holding its own. When I checked the undersides of the leaves on this vigorous clump, I found many eggs, probably monarchs. You can see how a big group of milkweed like this would be a butterfly magnet!

The clusters of muted pink flowers are attractive to many different pollinators.

Now, technically, this milkweed is considered a noxious weed under the Ontario Weed Control Act. (Asclepias viridiflora, Asclepias incarnata, and Asclepias verticillata are also listed as noxious.) Milkweed is toxic to livestock and can also invade fields of crops, reducing their yield, so if you are farming or live near a farm you'll want to control or remove milkweed. But I don't think that applies to most of us here in Toronto.

The asclepias are a vital genus of plants for monarch butterflies; they are the only plants that their larvae can eat. If milkweeds are eliminated everywhere, then so to will be the monarch butterflies. So I think that those of us who aren't near farms should make an effort to include some of the asclepias in our gardens if growing conditions are suitable.

The Ontario Weeds Act FAQ states:

As long as the population of milkweed planted doesn't negatively affect agricultural or horticultual land by spreading seed and new vegetative plant material (i.e. root stock) into fields, nurseries or greenhouses then it is acceptable to plant milkweed in your garden. It is recommended that you consult with your local weed inspector and/or neighbours so that all parties involved are comfortable that the impact to agriculture or horticulture is negligible.

Viburnum trilobum foliage

Viburnum trilobum, known in English as "highbush cranberry", "American cranberry bush", or "American cranberry viburnum", and in French as viorne trilobée, viorne pimbina, or pimbina, is a decidious shrub native to southern Canada and the northern United States. Although called a cranberry, it is not a true cranberry. (True cranberries are in the genus Vaccinum, like blueberries). Still, the highbush cranberries fruit look and taste similar to the real thing.

As you can see, I missed the prime flowering season. (This page has a good photo of a full corymb of flowers, as well as photos of the berries and fall colour).

The pretty flowers in spring, attractive maple-like foliage (click photo for a better look), fall colour, and edible berries, make this an appealing native shrub.

I photographed this plant at Purdon Conservation Area.

Toxicodendron radicans foliage

Warning: this is a noxious weed in Ontario. Toxicodendron radicans, known in English as "poison ivy" and in French as sumac grimpant, herbe à puce, bois de chien, or sumac vénéneux, is a woody vine native to much of North America. It's important to be able to recognize its characteristic leaves, with three leaflets, because it contains urushiol, an oil which causes a horrible itchy rash in many people. (When we were kids, my sister actually decided to try rubbing it on her arm to see if she really would get a rash. She sure regretted that.) Because of its allergenic properties for humans, poison ivy is considered a noxious weed in Ontario.

Although few people will deliberately plant poison ivy, it is one of the top twenty plants in terms of providing food for birds and mammals according to American Wildlife & Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits by Alexander C. Martin, Herbert S. Zime, and Arnold L. Nelson (New York: Dover, 1961). I like Sara Stein's suggestion, in Noah's Garden, of planting poison ivy in areas where vandalism is a problem; it would not only deter vandals but feed birds as well.

I photographed this poison ivy in Purdon Conservation Area.

Osmunda cinnamomea

I photographed this plant in Purdon Conservation Area.

Onoclea sensibilis fronds

Onoclea sensibilis, known in English as "sensitive fern" or "bead fern" and in French as onoclée sensible, is a perennial fern native to North America and east Asia. The name "sensitive" refers to its sensitivity to frost, and I think the name "bead fern" refers to the appearance of the fertile fronds.

Sensitive fern was the first fern I learned to recognize. Its coarse fronds are quite different from the other native ferns in our area.

Sensitive fern grows in moist areas. I photographed these ferns at Purdon Conservation Area.