Beautiful spring flowering trees in Toronto! 多倫多綻放的美麗花樹!
It is lovely warm spring, you can see all kinds of flowering trees and shrubs everywhere! Also the wonder fragrances in the air!
溫暖宜人的春天,到處可見開花的木本花卉–樹與灌木開滿花且空氣中充滿花香!
Archive for 2013
Hadrian’s Wall
These days irises are in fool bloom , but it rains and rains.So I’ve picked an iris flower to put in a vase,before they all get soaked.And it really looks fabulous! All I have to do now is to wait for the rainbow!
Iris stands behind the seated Juno(right) in a Pompeii fresco
In Greek mythology, Iris (pron.: /ˈaɪrɨs/; Ἶρις) is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. She is also known as one of the goddesses of the sea and the sky. Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other,[1]and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.
from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(mythology)
“Bouquet of Flowers, Irises”, Odilon Redon, from:http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_134482/Odilon-Redon/page-1
“Still…
View original post 9 more words
Bom Jesus de Mont
I was fortunate to visit the northern Portuguese town of Braga about 10 years ago, though it was a rather cold and wet November, so it wasn’t an ideal time for garden viewing! And as I was on a study visit focused on social enterprise, gardens and gardening were not really on my mind.
Having said that one of my hosts, a lovely lady called Isabelle, did take me to the very impressive religious centre of Bom Jesus do Mont (Good Jesus of the Mount). Braga is a noteable religious centre and this Sanctuary is a famous pilgrimage site with a monumental Baroque stairway that climbs 116 metres and is flanked by several fountains. Pilgrims were traditionally encouraged to climb the stairs on their knees as they took a journey that contrasted the senses of the material world with the virtues of the spirit. At the same time they experienced tableux scenes of the Passion of Christ (or Stations of the Cross), and the fountains suggested purification.The culmination of their efforts was found in the Temple of God – the church on the top of the hill. This sanctuary was begun in the 18th century and work proceeded over many decades, with the stairway and area around the church being turned into a park in the 19th century.
Bom Jesus de Mont
Bom Jesus de Mont
Bom Jesus de Mont
Bom Jesus de Mont
The other major space I visited was the Garden of Saint Barbara (Jardim de Santa Bárbara). In the early winter weather this was lacking in colour or any significance, but its layout looked interesting and there was some winter structure afforded by the evergreen topiary. Some of the pictures I’ve seen since show what a wonderful colourful oasis this is in summer. The garden was laid out in 1955 and the space was formerly part of the medieval Arch Bishop’s Palace, the remains of which adjoin the garden. The layout consists of geometric designs carved from beds of boxwood, decorated with cedar topiaries and filled with summer flowering plants.
St. Barbara’s Garden
St. Barbara’s Garden
St. Barbara’s Garden
There’s another important garden in Braga – the garden of the Biscainhos Palace (Casa dos Biscainhos – today a museum). I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting this, but it appears a to be a lovely example of a mid 18th century Rococo style garden, created at a time when the area was home to some of Portugal’s finest granite sculptors. The resulting garden is both ‘lighthearted and flamboyant’ (so writes Helena Attlee). Built on three levels it includes a flower garden and some typical Portuguese elements – wall planting troughs, azulejos (colourful tiles), complex box parterres and granite statues. The garden’s most notable feature, though, is its ‘Cool Houses’ (Casa do fresco) sculpted from living Camellias to form summer retreats. I do hope that I can see it, one day.
Biscainhos 
Biscainhos 
Biscainhos
Biscainhos
Other articles in this series:
Portuguese Gardens: Tropical Botanical Gardens, Belem
Portuguese Gardens: Estrela Gardens, Lisbon
Oranges and Azulejos: Portuguese Heritage Gardens
Old School Gardener
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and also join some other people and sign up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?
‘We have two plum trees that both blossom, but a lot of the fruit drop before they are fully formed – why is this?’
So ask a Mr. and Mrs. Howard Hughes from Surbiton, Surrey.
Well, the likely reason is a lack of calcium, as this is vital when the stones are being formed. Many sandy soils are low in Calcium, so if you have this sort of soil, this might explain the problem. If there is insufficient Calcium to go round, some fruit will drop off before they have fully formed. To remedy this try a dressing of Lime over the whole area during the winter and then in the spring a mulch around the trees with well-rotted manure or compost should also help.
Whilst we’re dealing with plums another problem you might come across is the leaves developing a silvery sheen and the tree looking sick. This is most probably a sign of ‘silver leaf’ – a disease which requires all of the infected and dead wood to be burned before the middle of July. If you accidentally cut into healthy wood, cover the cut with a wound sealant. To improve the general health of the tree apply a general fertiliser such as Fish, Blood and Bone in February /March.
Silver Leaf- infected leaves (left) compared to healthy
Old School Gardener
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and also join some other people and sign up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?
Old School Garden 