Fritillaria raddeana (Fritillary) Garden Hall Courtyard; This close relative to crown imperialis blooms very early with greenish lime-yellow flowers lined with burgundy.
Fritillaria meleagris (Snakes Head Fritillary) Entry Garden & Garden Hall; The bell-shaped flowers with checkerboard patterns make this unmistakeable fritillary a spring garden favourite despite its petite size.
Tulipa praestans ‘Unicum’ (Species Tulip) Garden Hall Courtyard; The variegated green leaves edged in creamy white make this beautiful bunch tulip a striking addition to the spring garden, topped with bright orange-red flowers; shown here with Euphorbia.
Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Goudstuk’ (Waterlily Tulip) Garden Hall Courtyard; Beautiful waterlily tulip with yellow-trimmed red flowers, open to a lily-type flower; shown here closed tightly against the rain.
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Blue Lady’ (Lenton Rose) Entry Garden; Hellebores are worthwhile additions to any garden, flowering from late-winter through late spring. Blue Lady was the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2005.
about the author: Sandra Pella
Sandra Pella has worked as Head Gardener of the Toronto Botanical Garden since 2008. She holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, and upon graduation worked in the financial sector until the pull of plants was too much to resist, whereupon she found herself at Janet Anderson Perennials (formerly JEA Perennials) as a horticultural technician. She has been the Perennial Manager at Summerhill Nursery & Floral followed by the Assistant Horticulturist at the TBG prior to its renovation. Sandra worked as a Gardener for two seasons with the City of Toronto as well as seasonal Gardener for the TBG prior to being named Head Gardener. She is self-taught in the field and thus greatly appreciated the experience a gardening internship in 2009 at Great Dixter in the UK brought to her. Sandra has a regular What’s In Bloom blog and is one of the spokespeople for the TBG.
