Last week I wrote about the first orchard blossoms - Apricots. Today we are covering Magnolias and that's because the Star Magnolias are opening up. Magnolias typically bloom between the end of April and early May. My garden in Toronto had both white and pink magnolia trees in the back garden overlooking the conservatory greenhouse. They made for wonderful spring images.
We have a great love of Magnolias, and they are located in many front gardens in towns, suburbs and in rural settings.
Royal Botanical Gardens' has several Magnolia dells - at the arboretum and the rock garden, and along the walking trails. The second image comes from RBG.
Our stylized images are of the Magnolia in front of the former Vineland Research Centre on Niagara Street, St. Catharines. Its distinction is that it is an old, mature tree. The weeping Cherry tree is located here, too. This is a mini-arboretum. The historical Yates Street boasts several very large Magnolias in front of heritage homes.
Our last two images are in Queenston, taken last year at the end of April. The Bright mansion, perched on the Niagara River, is a stunning backdrop to the lovely collection of trees on the grounds. And don't forget Niagara Falls - there is a beautiful magnolia alley at the Niagara parks Floral Showhouse.
The oldest saucer Magnolia is considered to be 400 years old. It is located in China. If you would like to see the oldest trees - this is the website Monumental treesHERE. They are located in Europe.
The saucer Magnolia is not native to Ontario. Our Carolinian native Magnolia is the Tulip tree and the Cucumber tree. There are only eight native magnolia species inNorth America. And the Cucumber tree is the only native to Canada.
If you would like to know more about the oldest native trees in Niagara - this is the link HERE. Niagara Glen Nature Preserve is considered to have the champion-size tulip trees - up to 132 feet tall. My favourite spot is Paradise Grove, easily accessible with walking trails, and fond memories of childhood picnics with family and friends.
A progression of images from the interpretive to the stylized, an heritage home on Yates Street and then two of last Spring's Queenston homes and gardens.
Do you know what the time limit is on a wedding gift thank you note? Yes, there's a best before date on these things.
The famous Emily Post, now 'The Emily Post Institute' says the following:
When should notes be written?
Contrary to popular myth, the happy couple does not have a year’s grace period in which to write their notes. All thank-you notes should be written within three months of the receipt of the gift. Ideally, a response should be written on the day you receive a wedding gift. If that’s not possible, set a daily goal. It’s a lot easier to write three or four notes a day than to have to write a hundred notes in a month after the wedding!
Did you ever think of all these questions about the Wedding Thank You Notes?
I found some old pictures from 2006. That was the year I decided to take a picture a day as a project. By the end of the year, I decided to become a photographer, and within the next year had transitioned from my Management Consulting work, and was taking photography courses at Ryerson and online. It's a few years later, and I am enjoying gardening and photography as my major activities. I still do some contract consulting work for the income. So, I found a 2006 image of the Niagara Crab Apple Allee, and want to show you the spring and winter comparison. It's that such a show when they are in bloom! Something I noticed was the difference in where I took the picture from then. I missed out on capturing the infinity view. This past winter you can see how extensive the Allee is and how far that view goes. The giant urns - and they are giant - draw your eye all the way through the garden, and right to the end. It is a masterful technique that we can consider using in our own little gardens - placing pots at regular intervals to draw the eye through the garden scape.
