Bougainvillea glabra

Bougainvillea glabra in the Mediterranean Garden

As the winter gets colder and the snow gets deeper the Mediterranean Garden becomes more of a welcome escape.  There are not a large number of plants in flower right now, but the Bougainvillea glabra is faithfully providing a cheerful display of

magenta flowers. 

Bougainvillea draped over the aqueduct.

Bougainvillea belongs to the family Nyctaginaceae with the Four O’Clock flower probably being the other family member most familiar to us. This plant was first discovered in Brazil in 1768 by a French botanist, Philibert Commercon, who travelled on a round-the-world expedition with a French Navy explorer named Louis Antoine de Bougainville. Although native to South America, Bougainvillea is now commonly found throughout the world, thriving in zones 9 to 11. In the early 19^th century Kew Gardens propagated the plant and distributed it throughout the British colonies. It is an evergreen and flowers continuously in equatorial regions, but can be seasonal in more temperate regions and deciduous in regions experiencing dry spells.

Three small flowers
surrounded by
 pink leaves called bracts.

A cut-away of a flower
revealing the sex organs.

The actual flower of Bougainvillea is a small white trumpet shaped structure found in clusters of three, containing both male and female parts. Surrounding these are three colourful, papery leaves known as bracts. These leaves do not photosynthesize, but serve to protect the tiny flowers and to attract hummingbirds and insects to pollinate the plant. The bracts are found in bright colours of pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white or yellow depending on the species. 

Bougainvillea with orange bracts

Bougainvillea is woody and can be used as a container plant, or allowed to grow in length to serve as a hedge or a climber.  In the Med house there is a variegated variety that has been trained to grow around the circular opening, looking into the upper floor area.  

Variegated Bougainvillea trained around the
circular opening.

Look up to see the thick branches

The trunk can be quite thick as the branches grow to lengths of up to 12 metres.  

Thorns at base of each leaf

Thorns are found at the base of each leaf, helping the vine to climb and producing heavier thorns along the branches as they mature.  The thorns are coated with a mildly poisonous substance that can cause redness and itching upon contact.

Notice the thorns along the
branches. 

So, go have a look and forget the winter while you soak in the sights of a Mediterranean Garden. 

Enjoy the Gardens in Pictures 

It’s winter for sure!  If you need a respite from all that snow then browse through some of the pictures taken at RBG and posted on the web.  You will find photos of plants and animals in their natural habitats, as well as cultivated plants in the gardens and you will be able to dream of the return to warmer days.

• A great source of photos can be found on the Flickr website.  Auxiliary volunteer Catherine Shimmell has posted 90 photos in the collection entitled “Royal Botanical Gardens - Ontario”  and is the fifth top contributor. You can click on a name to see the photos of the listed contributors or on the heading “photos” near the top to see the whole collection.  Hover your mouse over the picture to reveal its title and the name of the contributor.  https://www.flickr.com/groups/696148@N25/
• Flickr also has another collection of RBG photos entitled “Royal Botanical Gardens – Burlington, Ontario”  http://www.flickr.com/groups/740296@N25/
• Another good source is RBG’s own Facebook page. You don’t have to be a member of Facebook to open it up.  I have included the link to the photo albums.  Scroll down and open up the various albums and have a look. If you click on the individual picture you will enlarge it and also find a caption for that photo. Photos in the Timeline album are the current photos that are added depicting the daily events. https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBotanicalGardens/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums

Bringing Nature into the Classroom

RBG’s mission is “to promote the public’s understanding of the relationship between the plant world, society and the environment”.  Upon reading this you realize that education is a very important part of what goes on at RBG. This education is carried out in a vast variety of ways such as children’s camps, winter exhibits, school programs at the NIC and public programs to name just a few.

RBG has been providing education through videoconferencing since 2007.  This is a way of taking RBG to the classroom, delivering curriculum based programs to schools that are not close enough to visit RBG in a timely, low cost manner.  The main users of these virtual fieldtrips are classes at the primary (K-3) and junior (4-6) levels, with about 2/3 of the participants coming from areas outside of Ontario, mostly in the U.S., Alberta and Quebec incorporating the curriculum of the local school boards. Programs are also presented to facilities such as Senior Citizens’ homes, libraries and community colleges along with various conferences provided by external sources for the education of RBG’s own staff.

Karin Davidson-Taylor is the presenter 

Some of the props kept on hand

and a visit to her studio

reveals a treasure trove

of props for use in

the school programs.

More props ready to use

Models, living and preserved specimens are used as well as images and videos. 

A model in use

 

Dissecting microscope
(Note that the surrounding objects
will not be viewed on camera.)

Karin demonstrated how she can display on camera the features of an insect as viewed through a dissecting microscope, just one of her many teaching tools.  

Specimens under the microscope

A typical presentation is interactive with Karin able to encourage discussions, share information, employ games and answer questions, just as any teacher would in the actual classroom.  

The goal is to engage and motivate the students. Students are always encouraged to continue their education outdoors and are provided with post-conference activities. 

If interested in seeing some of the virtual field trips available follow this link and click on any of the curriculum connections.  http://www.rbg.ca/videoconferencing

Frogs, Frogs and More Frogs

Poison Dart Frog

There are lots of really exotic frogs at the current exhibit, Frogs: A Chorus of Colour. Although these frogs certainly contribute a WOW! Factor and will bring a multitude of visitors to RBG, it is our very own native frogs that play a role in the natural lands of RBG.

Chinese Gliding Frog

Green Frog - the most common frog in RBG wetlands.

As amphibians, frogs spend the egg and larval stages of their life cycle in the water and so are susceptible to changes in water quality. Thus they are known as ecological indicators since population numbers will decline as pollution of water increases and as wetlands are reduced.  Prior to 1950 there were 8 species of frogs and 1 toad species at RBG, with that number bottoming out at 2 frog and 1 toad species in the early 90’s. With the habitat restoration efforts in RBG wetlands areas the number of species has increased to 5 frog and 1 toad, although population sizes are still below expectations.  RBG scientists, along with support from Environment Canada, will perform studies to determine what factors are restricting the recovery of our frog populations.

Monitoring of frog populations is done by listening for the breeding calls of the male frogs in the spring. RBG staff and many volunteers use the Marsh Monitoring Program of Bird Studies Canada to map the locations of frogs throughout Cootes Paradise and Grindstone Marshes.

The six species of frogs and toad present on RBG properties are: Green Frogs (over 50%), Gray Treefrogs, American Toads (25%), Northern Leopard Frogs, Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers although the latter two are still quite rare. The species that formerly inhabited RBG are American Bullfrogs, Western Chorus Frog and Pickerel Frog.

Gray Treefrog

Wood Frog - rare on RBG property

Spring Peeper - rare on RBG property

To hear the various frog calls visit this website:

http://coldcreek.ca/cool-stuff/frogs/

Thanks goes to RBG for their Fact Sheet on Amphibians (Jan 2015)

Jasminum polyanthum

Jasminum polyanthum in the
Mediterranean Garden

The Mediterranean Garden is a constant source of sensory relief during our winter months.  Not only is it warm and providing of visual delights in the form of lush green plants and a variety of blooms and fruits, but it can also be an oasis of enticing scents.  Currently with the jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) coming into full bloom the air is filled with its strong fragrance.  

The long buds of the jasmine flower

The extensive evergreen vine is filled with long white delicate looking buds although this species is often known for having pink buds.  The star shaped white flowers are five-petalled and most aromatic in the morning and evening.  

The white flower has 5 petals

Jasminum polyanthum with the more
typical pink buds.

Jasmine belongs to the Oleaceae family which contains some members that we are quite familiar with, including lilacs and forsythia.  However all of the 200+ species of jasmine are native to tropical and warm temperate region with Jasminum polyanthum being native to China and Myanmar. With it belonging to hardiness zones 8 to 11 it can only be grown as a house plant in Canada.  In Australia and New Zealand it is often considered to be invasive due to the natural layering of its stems.

The name is derived from the Persian “yasmin” meaning “gift from god”  The true nature of this gift can be seen in the many aromatherapy applications with the species J. grandiflorum and J. officinale being used for extraction of the oils.  Benefits include acting as an antidepressant; relaxing nerves, relieving muscle spasms and cramping. Research has shown that smelling jasmine oil can also enhance mental alertness, and application to the skin increases elasticity to smooth the skin and also promotes healing.

So head on down to the Med House while this delightful plant is still in bloom.  Soak in the sights of the whole garden, but be sure to experience the scents of the jasmine.

The Turner Pavilion

One of the features of Holiday Traditions this year was the transformation of the Turner Pavilion into Santa’s Cabin.  

Children and their families walked through the Christmas decorated Oak Allee, past the Candy Cane Garden and through the back door of the cabin to visit RBG’s Santa Claus.  What a wonderful use for the teahouse!

Looking back at RBG Centre.

Oak Allee leading from RBG Centre to
Turner Pavilion

So, that leads one to wondering about the history of Turner Pavilion.  J. Austin Floyd was the Landscape Architect who developed the master plan for Hendrie Park in the early 1960’s to include a pavilion. With the development of the Centennial Rose Garden in Hendrie Park people realized that the long walkway from RBG Headquarters needed a focus at the end and so in 1966 a building fund was established to erect such a structure.

Miss Edith H. Turner came forward with a substantial contribution and so the pavilion, designed by Hamilton Architect Alex German, was erected and officially opened on June 22, 1974.  Miss Turner requested that the building be dedicated to the memory of her parents, Sarah and George A. Turner.  George was a developer in the north east area of Hamilton.  Edith, who never worked, accrued her wealth by turning the $250,000 she inherited from her parents into millions through successfully playing the stock market.  Other RBG projects have benefited from her donations. Edith H. Turner died in 1983.  The Edith H. Turner Foundation Fund exists today with the purpose of assisting and providing funds in the fields of education, health, humanities and social development in Hamilton. The Hamilton Community Foundation manages these funds. Read more about this foundation in a recent Spectator article.  http://www.thespec.com/living-story/4594306-paul-wilson-the-best-friend-hamilton-s-never-heard-of/

The original use of the Turner Pavilion was the provision of public restrooms in Hendrie and a sales station that was operated by the Auxiliary.  The garden staff were given storage facilities in the basement.  However, with the expansion of RBG Headquarters, the Auxiliary was able to move its sales station to the Floral Art Shop in the Centre.  The Pavilion was converted to a tearoom for use by visitors to the Gardens.

 

 And so the story continues, with a new and innovative way found to bring visitors through Hendrie Park during the winter months of Holiday Traditions in order to visit Santa in his cabin.  Santa’s reindeer were located here when they visited, as well as an ice sculpture. Decorations along Oak Allee added to the festive spirit and the magic of a night time visit.