The Euonymus after growing in an Anderson Flat for a few years. This photo was taken the day of styling, in February 2012.

The stalwart Howard Griesler of Chicago working with the flex-shaft grinder to bring down the large pruning cuts. (Howard is a foodie and loves our eclectic Portland restaurants...)

The redoubtable John Denny from Iowa working on the rootball. (John is a master brewer, and typically makes sage comments about the local micros).

Both gentlemen washing the rootball of some mucky old soil. I stood far away.

The prepared rootball drying a bit before potting.

Pot prepared... for this tree we used a simple mix of 50% akadama/50% pumice. This is not a perfect pot for the tree, but at least it fits. I'm sure there is a colorful glazed pot in its future, perhaps a dark blue or green.

The final result. It needs a stupendous amount of development, but it's an unusual species for bonsai and I'm curious to see where it goes. Certainly it will give the Japanese maples a run for their money in the fall with its vermillion foliage.

"E Mari Merces" our city's motto continues to hold true. It means "Wealth from the sea". Prescient!

Why so blue? It looks cold in this photo, but it was a lovely windless, sunny afternoon.

Yes... almost no wind.

The lighthouse on the Island on Griffin's Pond.

Container gardening can be done almost year round. The urns on the bridges are ready for the frost. The Brassica oleracea (Ornamental Cabbage) only show their vibrant colors after exposure to frost and cold weather.

Nature never ceases to amaze me! She creates masterpieces for the price of a mere seed. Then she makes them nutritious to boot!

We had a little bit of rain this weekend (and in some places sleet and snow), so there are plenty of puddles to hydrate our fine feathered friends. With few people in the gardens, the ducks have taken over the paths.

Bird art? The gardeners tell me this handy tool elicits the most enquiries. It's a vertical blade sheer used to edge the lawn. It looks easier on the back then the edger I currently use and I can use it as a lawn ornament during the off-season. I think I'll suggest it to 'Readers Corner' in Fine Gardening magazine!

A fall montage. Hydrangea with Euonymus alata ( Burning Bush) in the background.

The great gran-daddy of all trees. One of the oldest trees in the gardens, this Ulmus americana ( American Elm) was planted by the Nova Scotia Horticultural Society in the 1840's after the completion of Horticultural Hall.

I never pay much attention to the roses in the Gardens during the summer... they don't seem to thrive that well. They get the last laugh, as they draw my attention week after week this fall.

How can a tree survive with a hole in the middle? Because the heartwood (the center 'wood' area ) of the tree is made up of dead cells. The nutrient rich (life-giving) cells of trees are found just below the bark. As long as these are intact (not severed horizontally around the tree) they can transport nutrients and water from the leaves to the roots and vice versa.