Laking Garden
Set on a fertile terraced plain, formerly a market garden, Laking Garden is home to RBG’s herbaceous perennial collections. The belvedere at the end of the path offers a panoramic view over the entire garden. This garden, overlooked by a small cottage offers the visitor an insight into the depth and breadth of perennial plants. Visitors in June should watch their step, as turtles will likely be nesting in the fertile soil of the lower terrace.
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Iris Collection
Peak interest: June and July
The iris collection was RBG’s first herbaceous collection of importance with the plants being planted in 1947 with the main emphasis focusing on tall bearded iris. The collection is planted in the shape of the “ultimate” Iris, the historical and emblematic Fleur-de-lis which can be viewed from the high vantage point of the belvedere. The name Iris derives from Greek meaning rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species and cultivars. Our collection includes award-winning bearded iris and hundreds of others including miniature bearded, dwarf bearded, intermediate bearded, border bearded, tall bearded, Siberian, spuria and wild species iris.
Whilst some iris rhizomes can be toxic others have economic uses. Juniper berries are normally associated with gin but iris rhizomes and flowers are used to add flavour and colour with some brands. Rhizomes can also be used medicinally or for perfume and essential oils.
This collection was developed with the help of the Canadian Iris Society and displays the geographical and ornamental range of the genus with emphasis on the history of breeding trends within North American irises. The collection conserves the diversity of the genus, securing this plant material for use in future breeding programs. Irises are divided into two easily recognized groups—those with fuzzy hairs on their sepals (bearded iris) and those without (non-bearded iris).
Perennial Collections
Peak interest: April to October
Perennials are becoming a more sustainable choice for home gardeners who find the yearly planting of annuals onerous and costly. Laking Garden displays a wide range of hardy herbaceous perennials where the visitor can observe their vast diversity of form, texture, colour and season of bloom. Like all of our garden displays, the perennial collection is not just for show. Our gardens are living laboratories and so we carry out research evaluations on new introductions for suitability in our climate. These evaluations last for three growing seasons and take note of flower production, form and colour, bloom length, hardiness, pest and disease resistance, in some cases drought tolerance and if the plant grows well in the local environment. Plants of superior performance are retained within both living and herbarium collections.
The middle terrace perennial collection is divided into three areas: traditional English style borders, free form (island) beds highlighting the very latest in new perennial introductions, and European style beds designed with ecology and low maintenance in mind. The plants in these beds are chosen for their ease of care, strong structure and longevity creating sustainable perennial beds.
Ornamental Grass Collection
Peak interest: July to December
Used imaginatively, ornamental grasses can add dramatic form, texture, unusual colour, and winter interest to a garden. Grasses are suitable plants for inclusion in environmentally friendly low input gardens as they require very little water, fertilizer, maintenance or use of machinery driven by fossil fuels. As a result, planting grasses can help reduce your carbon footprint.
It is currently estimated that there are 9,000 species of grass and they make up about 20 per cent of the Earth’s vegetation. Grasses are some of the world’s most economically important plants, providing us with cereals such as wheat, rice and barley to eat, as well as cattle fodder. Grasses, which are found on all continents, are widely used for creating structures and providing thatch for buildings.
The Barbara Laking Memorial Heritage Garden
Peak interest: April to October
Rejuvenated in 2009, the Heritage Garden includes many cultivars and species commonly grown in an Ontario garden between 1880 and 1920.
The garden features ‘plants of necessity’ area with heritage vegetables; herbs and fruits. It illustrates the importance of plants for food and medicine for newly settled Europeans’ survival. As such, this area of the garden relates to human well-being, sustainability and resilience in the face of tough living conditions.
The ‘garden of luxury’ represents a societal transition from gardens of subsistence and self-reliance to those of luxury, leisure time and ornamental beauty. Such garden history provides an interesting insight into period living, societal values, economics, trade and even politics. Included here is heritage plant material acquired from ghost towns of southern Ontario and collected by RBG's taxonomist, Dr. Jim Pringle
In essence, The Barbara Laking Memorial Heritage Garden is a seed and gene bank conserving those plants that have practical and beneficial traits within their gene pool. Many of our older or heritage cultivated plants, are the seed or pollen parents of modern varieties and so retain desirable characteristics such as pest and disease resistance, hardiness to a variety of climates, provide food for pollinators, the ability to remove pollution or provide us with pharmaceuticals. It is essential to conserve these desirable traits for future plant breeding and our food security. The more we conserve within the gene pool now, the more plant diversity we can ensure for future human prosperity.
The Heritage Garden is dedicated to Barbara Tarver Laking (1915-1986). Raised in England, she brought her life-long dedication to horticulture to Royal Botanical Gardens, originating our decorative arts program and co-founding the RBG Auxiliary. With her husband, former RBG director, Dr. Leslie Laking, Barbara grew and made available uncommon plants that are now favourites in many Canadian gardens.
Peonies
Peak interest: May and June
Natives of Europe and Asia, peonies have been grown in China for medicinal and aesthetic purposes for over 2,000 years. The Greeks referred to peonies as ‘the Queen of all herbs whilst the Chinese considered them ‘the King of all flowers’. Peonies over time have been used ethnobotanically as a medicinal plant, as a spice, for making tea, as a perfume and the seeds were even used as jewelry. Peonies are still used today as a medicinal plant but in some situations wild plants are favoured and excessive demand can threaten or damage wild populations. Always ask if products containing plants form the wild have been harvested in a sustainable manner.
Peonies are divided into three groups. Herbaceous peonies, which die back to the ground each winter, Tree peonies, which are one- to two-metre tall woody shrubs that bloom ahead of their herbaceous cousins, and the latest introduction of Intersectional (Itoh) hybrids, a cross between the two.
Herbaceous peonies are suitable for inclusion in low input gardens as they are among the most drought resistant of perennials. In the wild, they burst into flower during spring becoming dormant as the ground dries or as the onset of drought conditions begin. In a garden setting, they will adapt to drought like conditions.
The Garden features a broad selection of tree and herbaceous peony cultivars, as well as several ancestral wild species. The herbaceous peony collection is predominantly on the lower terrace near the gazebo while tree peonies are found on the upper terrace. Visitors will marvel at the range of scent and colours on display.
Boxwood Display
Peak interest: all year
Boxwood has been used for making patterns and hedges since medieval times, when parterres and knot gardens first became popular. Our display features three different cultivars in a traditional knot pattern of interlacing circles and diamonds.
Plants in the boxwood planting result from breeding work conducted by Sheridan Nurseries, and were donated to preserve this part of Ontario's horticultural heritage. Sheridan's breeding program focused on producing cultivars that remained green during the winter and were very winter hardy.
Hosta Walk
Peak interest: May to October
Illustrating the diversity of the genus, this collection displays species hosta, classic cultivars and new introductions. Believe it or not in the 1970’s there were but a few hundred species and cultivars but with their increasing popularity today there are over 7000! Due to this surge in popularity hostas are a foundation plant in many perennial gardens and especially useful as a ground cover. While primarily grown for their leaves, many have beautiful and fragrant blossoms. In the past ten years some hybridizers have actually made flower production and performance the primary focus of their attention. Hostas show great diversity in their leaf size and shape with green, blue-green, white and gold often represented as foliage colour. Hostas are shade-loving perennials demonstrating that it’s easier than you think to garden in the shade.
Hostas provide a good example of how the science of botany is an ever-evolving discipline. Hostas were once classified within the Liliaceace or lily family. With the advent of genetics as a science, many plants are being reclassified into new families as new genetic information clarifies evolutionary relationships within the plant kingdom. Today, Hostas are in the Hostaceae family. This means Hostaceae is a monogeneric family containing Hosta as the only genus.
This collection was developed with the help of the Ontario Hosta Society.
No Mow, No Blow, No H20!
Peak interest: May to October While almost every gardener sees their property as a nature sanctuary, the fact is that many common gardening practices are not environmentally friendly. Sustainable horticulture techniques have a small carbon footprint*, use little supplemental water and minimize waste and pollution. Cosmetic pesticide use is banned in Ontario but there’s still much more we can all do to go greener in our gardens.
How green is your garden?Along with over watering, gas-powered lawn equipment like mowers and leaf blowers harm the environment and your health. Most of us are making conscious decisions inside our homes to produce less waste, use fewer chemicals and less energy, and live a greener lifestyle. By adopting a few of the suggestions showcased here, even your yard can help fight global warming.
No MOW!This garden eliminates the need for gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing lawn mowers. The No MOW! garden includes grasses, perennials and ground cover plantings together with water permeable turfstone, eliminating the need for any mowing.
No BLOW!This garden eliminates the need for mechanical leaf blowers or leaf vacuums. The No BLOW! garden focuses on plant material that does not create excessive leaf litter in the autumn, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical leaf blowers or leaf vacuums. It includes evergreens, deciduous shrubs and low maintenance perennials.
No H2O!This water-wise garden reduces water consumption, mowing or blowing for maintenance. The No H2O! garden includes native plants as well as other drought-tolerant plant cultivars. This water-wise garden reduces water consumption and mowing or blowing for maintenance.
*What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our individual activities have on the planet and climate change. It relates to the amount of damaging emissions produced in our day-to-day lives through burning carbon-based fossil fuels for electricity, heating, manufacturing, transportation, etc.
With support provided by the Government of Ontario and its Community Go Green Fund.