'Mezoo- Trailing Red'

The trailing annual in this arrangement is a beautiful alternative to vines in a planter.
It's botanical name is Dorotheanthus and it is commonly known as "Mezoo". I found it at Sheridan Nurseries early in the season.

Sunrise

Golf course workers are amongst the earliest to rise. Most days we even beat the sun.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Garden Photos

Please enjoy this collection of colourful perennials.

Plant Identification

As the perennials go in and out of their bloom cycle, we are often asked what their names are. To help, I've decided to use plant tags. If you see something particularly beautiful chances are there will be an aluminum tag at its base.

Shown above is a stunning ornamental variety of Oregano called "Kent Beauty". New growth is muted green and as the plant ages throughout the season, it turns a lovely shade of rose.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Sea Holly

Sapphire Blue Sea Holly which is botanically known as “Eryngium” is a very understated garden perennial. Its metallic blue colour gives it a phantom-like appearance and can easily go un-noticed in a mixed border. Probably the most startling attribute of Sea Holly is the way it feels when you touch it! It is very spiky but if you’re careful you will realize that the leaves are extremely rigid.

Sea Holly does not transplant well, so be sure to plant it exactly where you want it to stay. I have had success with moving them, but they did take a few years to recover from the shock of moving it.

These perennials are very striking and they do well in our climate in a sunny bed, but something to remember is that they do show best when planted in large numbers or five or more.

Stephanie Osborne
York Downs Golf and Country Club
Gardener

Wildlife on the Course

So far this season we have had the opportunity to have several interesting wildlife sightings.

A few weeks ago, a fawn was seen in the long grass near 8 South. After some research online we quickly learned that during the first week of a deer’s life, the mother will tuck the fawn away in a safe place during the day while she forages for food.

We were lucky to have seen this beautiful swan, as it was with us very briefly.

This snapping turtle was walking across the fairway at 2 West on it’s way to scout out a place to lay it’s eggs.

The most unusual and adorable sighting was our coyote pup last week. It was displaced from it’s family and was seen in several places throughout the day. Once it was nightfall and the rest of the pack was roaming the course, it was most certainly reunited with it’s family.

We are very fortunate to have the variety of wildlife that we do, we just have to remember to keep our distance and let nature take care of itself.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Wildflowers- Dame's Rocket

I've been asked by a number of people lately what the beautiful purple, pink and white wildflowers are called that we have growing in natural areas on the golf course. After some research online I've found the answer to be "Dame's-Rocket" (or botanically "Hesperis Matronalis".)

According to OntarioWeeds.com, they are "an ornamental that was introduced from Europe and escaped from cultivation." The seeds are their main form of propogation, and they are now, in mid June, starting to form on the plants.

Wildflowers are vast in form and colour, but I have to admit the Dame's-rocket are by far in my opinion, the most beautiful I know of. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Spring Scenes

For those of you who spent a bit longer in their winter vacation homes, or were put off by the cool weather we've had this spring, I have compiled a few pictures of the golf club.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Forget Me Not

While driving behind One North last spring, Carleigh and I spotted 2 or 3 forget me not plants in bloom. They were so pretty we couldn’t leave them stranded in a field! We dug them up and placed them carefully in a prominent spot beneath some newly planted peonies and were pleased to see they survived the transplant.

Well, you can imagine how thrilled we are this spring to see they have seeded themselves into a nice healthy crop! This year we will certainly deadhead most of them so that they don’t produce too many more seeds. They are a lovely plant for spring gardens, but can become invasive if care is not taken to control their population.

In the meantime, we will enjoy the cute blossoms and hope that the peonies will bloom soon so they become perfect companions.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Anticipation

The anticipation of summer is heightened when I see perennials emerging from the ground. These ferns and hostas are really interesting even as they unfurl!

Stephanie Osborne

Gardener

York Downs Golf and Country Club

New Garden on the Patio

There are a lot of pictures I've taken in the past few weeks that I have wanted to post but Carleigh and I have been very busy dividing and moving perennials.

One major renovation I'd like to share is on our patio. It was a group effort with help from Mike Jackson last fall, using the skid steer to pull out the less than desirable shrubs. Mike Olizarevitch helped with the sod lifter and the stone cutter to even out the interlock. I removed remaining roots, amended the soil and placed stones along the edge to hold in the soil. Carleigh and I chose some beautiful plants that I'm sure will look great throughout the season. Heuchera "Dolce Blackcurrant" is a relatively new cultivar and the three hydrangea serrata "Fujinotaki's" are sure to be knock outs!

It's projects like this that make me so happy because it is a beautiful improvement on an otherwise dull corner of the patio.

Stephanie Osborne

Gardener
York Downs Golf and Country Club

Daffodils

Daffodils and tulips are the most well known flowers to ring in the spring. Although tulips always seem to have won the popularity race (due to their wide range of colours), I believe daffodils are becoming much more stylish.

Not too long ago, daffodils were only available in their natural colour of yellow. Due to some clever cultivation, they are now available in many forms, colours and sizes. I’ve snipped a few daffodils which are growing in our gardens to show how beautiful they can be. What do you think?

Stephanie Osborne
Gardener
York Downs Golf and Country Club