Friday May, 25 2012

While another week began here at Fanshawe College, the jobs consisted of prepping for graduation ceremonies, which meant weeding, mulching, and more weeding.  With the thousands of people that will be coming onto the campus, pictures will be a main point in the lives of the graduated. We must make sure the grounds are in tip top shape for the candid moments.

In the middle of the week a few of us worked on the Iris border, which consisted of having the proper tool ( garden fork)  to get the rhizomes of the Iris up and out of the ground. Then we placed them in the correct containers that we had labeled for each plant.

Once we had finished our work in the Iris bedding we had to transport the Iris’ to the tractor bay, where Jeff taught us how to clean them up and plant them for transport to Cuddys.

 Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

The White Fringe Tree, is looking absolutely beautiful in full bloom.

Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

This tree has gorgeous white flowers that drupe down, and gracefully flow back and forth in the cool breeze.

Iris germanica (German Iris)

It is a gorgeous pale blue colour which is located in the Iris border, surrounded by many beautiful Iris’.

Friday May, 18, 2012

   We begin another week here at Fanshawe full force to make sure the grounds are presentable come the graduation ceremonies. With the wonderful sunny weather to greet us we begin week three finishing off the plant beds in and around D courtyard stretching down the length of T building. We look forward to another week of work especially since we havenow welcomed Sijia. So weeds, weeds and more weeds!

 While weeding a plant bed just outside of D courtyard we came across this skeleton that we presume was a squirrel. Any other guesses?

   

   One of the medium sized roots from Agropyron repens found during our weed conquest.

 On Tuesday we headed over to Z building to start unloading our mulch hill into the plant beds… this took a couple days to complete.

   Heading back to main campus for lunch we came across a couple geese families crossing the road.

 Jack loaded up some hanging baskets to take to Cuddy’s.

   Miranda and I made a couple beautiful potting arrangements. 

    There are a wide variety of geraniums in the greenhouse waiting to be planted around campus.

    One of the newer intriguing additions to the Dwarf Conifer Garden due to its dull colour making it almost ghost like, Picea pungens ‘ Bucholtz’

Cataegus xmordenensis ‘Toba’ more commonly known as Toba Hawthorn in full bloom.

The buds on a peony secrete nectar through developing and the ants come along and take this nectar. Although sometimes aphids will get to the nutritious bud first for feeding the ants will still appear and actually destroy the aphids by “milking” them. Many people are worried by this presence of ants but in actuality if the ants do not remove this secretion a hard waxy coating may form and disrupt the blooming period so therefore peonies and ants have a symbiotic relationship.

 Aesculus pavia or the Red Buckeye is in full bloom at the moment, a beautiful site indeed.



Summer Co-op Continues

The summer co-op students are well into their second week here at Fanshawe College. The weather has been mostly beautiful, resulting in colourful flowers all over the campus!



The Magnolia acuminata ‘Seiju’ has begun to bloom!



A bed of Daffodils shine bright in the morning sun at the Centre of Applied Transportation Technology building.

Summer students are not the only ones in the planting beds! A mother duck sits on her eggs near the bookstore.

Wisteria climbs along a pergola in D courtyard.

This Viburnum plicatum ‘Summer Snowflake’ fits in nicely with the architecture.

An Asiatic Lily from the greenhouse!

The greenhouse is full of plants all waiting to be sold! Our plant sale is open:
Monday-Friday, 8 am-4 pm until June 15, 2012.
We carry annuals such as Wave Petunias, Verbena, Coleus and Geraniums, along with assorted tropical houseplants, cacti and succulents!







The Start of Summer

The summer co-op students have started at Fanshawe College this week. They completed two and a half days of training which encompassed learning to safely use equipment, weeding the garden beds properly and how to run the greenhouse.

  

Jeff explains the tractor and trailer





Michael demonstrates proper weeding techique





 















Lucas explains tractor maintenance and circle check



 



Pedro makes planters





















Jack and Miranda learning cash



Malus sargentii form



Malus sargentii (Sargent Crabapple) an interesting shrub crabapple, is in bloom and some local honey bees were getting their pollen there. 

Malus sargentii flower with Honey Bee





Tradescantia growing beside 'M' building





Tradescantia (Spiderwort) seed travelled to the crevice between the sidewalk and ‘M’ building. The plant appears to be quite happy there, and is currently blooming.  

Tradescantia blooms

Ribies odoratum  (Clove Current) is in bloom, and the flowers have a wonderful spicy smell to go with their cheerful yellow flowers.

Welcome

Welcome to the Gardens of Fanshawe College blog!

We hope that you enjoy reading about the collections here at the college and learning about the different plants in the gardens.  Please also see our companion blog about the A.M. Cuddy Gardens in Strathroy Ontario http://www.theamcuddygarden.blogspot.ca/