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• The constant gardener The constant gardener

  

  The constant gardener of

  A curious paradox GARDENER Liliana Perodeau OCCUPATION garden designer LOCATION Pierrefonds, Que. YEARS IN HOUSE 34 years, gardening 37LOT SIZE 960 square metres ORIENTATION southeast CONDITIONS rocky, clay soil GROWING SEASON April to November GARDEN FOCUS year-round interest, late bloomers, foliage, rockery ZONE 5b For many Canadian gardeners, the autumn brings a curious paradox: upon finally getting a welcome reprieve from their horticultural labours, they’re hit with the wistful realization that it’s the end of yet another gardening season.But that doesn’t hold true for Liliana Perodeau, whose fall garden keeps her busy when others have put their plots to bed. For her, this is the time to tend and enjoy the late bloomers she’s incorporated into her landscape.“I didn’t purposely create an autumn garden. It happened that way because I like asters, chrysanthemums and monkshood, and changes throughout the year,” says Liliana, a garden designer and artist in Pierrefonds, Quebec.Her garden, which covers most of the 960-square-metre lot in this suburban community in western Montreal, has evolved to offer interest in all four seasons. There is little of the ubiquitous lawn around Liliana’s 1960s vintage home; most of it has been replaced by a tapestry of trees, shrubs and perennial borders.When Liliana moved into the house in 1973, with her then husband and their two young sons, Philip and David, there was not much in the way of a garden, just “a few dogwoods and cedars and a peony,” she says.There was also an aggressive hedge of Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) encircling the backyard. “We fought with it because it grew faster than we could cut it,” says Liliana. “We replaced it in 1985 with a cedar hedge.” That hedge is so dense and tall now that it provides a natural enclosure for the yard. Converting a slope Liliana’s true horticultural adventure began when she converted a gentle slope, which starts about three metres from the back wall of the house, into a rockery (made from the remains of farmers’ stone fences), which is filled with perennials and a collection of succulents.From there, the garden developed, one border and tree at a time, as Liliana educated herself in design by reading and later enrolling in a landscape architecture program. By the early 1990s, she was designing gardens for others.Visitors can be forgiven for assuming they’re seeing Liliana’s garden at its peak regardless of what time of year they arrive. In fact, that’s how this consummate plantswoman planned it. A spectacular spring show of bulbs (including crocuses and the beautiful ‘Daydream’ tulips, which change colour as they mature from apricot to orange to yellow with a rose glow) and other early bloomers gives way to the summer garden, with its vast array of plants, including shrub roses and daylilies.The tour of Liliana’s autumn garden begins in the front yard, where a mixed border sits beneath the living room window and flowerbeds surround an irregularly shaped grass plot. Here, a lilac is underplanted with a collection of hostas and grasses. Closer to the house, a ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’) offers striking crimson foliage and shares space with a ‘Tardiva’ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’), whose white blossoms continue to mature into the autumn.In the backyard, the rockery runs the width of the garden. Following the stunning spring display, a vast collection of succulents among the stones continues to look fresh through fall. Perched atop the rockery, Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) and asters show off their blooms. Mixed, colourful beds Adjacent to the rock garden, a patio in the middle of the yard is flanked by a mixed bed of shrubs, perennials and grasses offering a riot of colour and texture in autumn. Here, a highbush blueberry turns flaming red and vies for attention with a river of ornamental golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), with its striped green-and-chartreuse leaves. This grass has become a favourite accent plant throughout the garden. “In June, the Hakonechloa has to compete with peonies, so you don’t notice it then. But by the fall, you really see it,” says Liliana. Next to the blueberry bush resides a ligularia with burgundy-veined, dark green foliage.Balancing out the bed is another of Liliana’s beloved grasses, ‘Kleine Fontaine’ eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Fontaine’). “This is the earliest grass that blooms in my garden,” she says. Also strutting its stuff in the late-season border is Korean feather reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha). Towering above the bed is a ‘Sunburst’ honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’), which had been heavily damaged during the 1998 ice storm and painstakingly nursed back to health, and is one of six mature trees—the others are three pines, an apple and a maple—in the backyard that provide important bones in the landscape. The back garden is also encompassed by a large perennial border that runs around all three sides of the yard, in front of the cedar hedge. The emphasis changes seasonally, and by autumn, bloom colour comes courtesy of a variety of plants, among them blue and crimson asters, pink chrysanthemums and anemones, and yellow, orange and red sneezeweed (Helenium). Shrubs Throughout the years, Liliana has also incorporated shrubs into the landscape, including hardy roses—such as ‘Champlain’ and Carefee Delight (Rosa ‘Meipotal’)—a ‘Diabolo’ ninebark and a ‘Hakuro-nishiki’ willow (Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nishiki’). However, she says the stars of her late-season garden are the ornamental grasses: “They’re a big asset because of their sheer volume.” Various types of Miscanthus, sedges (Carex spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.) and Panicum come into their own once Liliana cuts back summer-blooming perennials. “The Miscanthus carries into the winter,” she says. “If we get a heavy snowfall, it falls over, but in a couple of days, it’s blowing around again.”A border at the side of the house features more of the hard-working golden Japanese forest grass, which snakes its way through a collection of hostas—which Liliana has also become enamoured with because of their low maintenance—that includes Hosta sieboldiana and ‘Blue Wedgewood’. Here, a variegated ‘Emerald Gaiety’ euonymus, ostrich ferns, Solomon’s seal and an Arctic willow all thrive in the shade cast by the house and one of the towering pines; even the usually sun-loving smoke bush is doing well here.When designing her garden, Liliana is conscious of creating a show with a mix of colour, texture and size. “I like the interplay of all three,” she explains.She welcomes the arrival of autumn as an opportunity to shift her focus from flowers to foliage. “People often tell me they want this bloom in that colour when I’m designing for them,” says Liliana. “But I urge them to think of foliage colour, too. I go after texture in the fall. That’s what creates impact.”The one thing Liliana doesn’t get in the autumn, however, is a rest from her horticultural labours.

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  Credit

  Stephanie Whittaker

  The constant gardener 

  Published:

  2008-11-03 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Stephanie Whittaker

  Updated:

  2008-11-03 00:00:00

• A garden of succulent treasures A garden of succulent treasures

  

  A garden of succulent treasures of

  Essential ingredient of life For Thomas Hobbs and Brent Beattie, owners of Vancouver’s renowned Southlands Nursery, rich, vibrant colour is one of life’s essential ingredients. It’s also the hallmark of their dramatic, 1933, Spanish-style home overlooking the city’s English Bay. A three-walled house on a triangular lot, it was named Casa Triangulo by its original owner, a Californian who’d come north during the Depression looking for work.In the two decades they’ve owned the house, Thomas and Brent have completely restored it. They began by painting over the white exterior in a rich, terracotta colour. “I wanted it to look more like a Los Angeles house,” says Thomas. The pair added stucco garden walls in the same colour, thereby creating a unified backdrop for a series of enchanting—and much photographed—gardens, which also provide Thomas with material for his weekly television spot on Global News and inspired his bestselling books, Shocking Beauty and The Jewel Box Garden.“The stucco colour was a big factor in choosing a plant palette,” explains Thomas, who steers clear of pink, red and yellow flowers but splashes peach-, salmon- and orange-coloured blossoms throughout the gardens. The jewel box garden He puts a great deal of thought into the colour scheme; finding exactly the right shade for plants is key. “If they’re wrong,” he says, “I just pull them out in full bloom; otherwise they wreck the whole design.” Favourite plants include flowering maples (Abutilon spp.), diascias, bearded irises and ginger lilies (Hedychium spp.), as well as peach-toned daylilies he’s hybridized himself. Apart from a framework of rich foliage, Thomas relies on acid-green flowers as effective foils for his orange-toned palette, from the towering blooms of Euphorbia characias to the massed, fragrant flowers of tobacco plant (Nicotiana langsdorffii).Set among the gardens are paths, terraces, an ornamental pool and a hot tub, all featuring Brent’s exquisite slate tile designs. The grey, blue, green and lavender slate, in turn, forms the perfect colour backdrop for the crux of Thomas’s garden design—his signature containers of succulents, often accessorized with chunks of slag glass, seashells or coral. In The Jewel Box Garden, Thomas calls succulents “the epicentre of a new botanical quake of creativity.” He writes about creating “echeveria pizzas” in low terracotta dishes and saucers, incorporating colourful cultivars of this tender Mexican succulent, some with the typical blue-grey rosette form of Echeveria glauca, others with frilly or blistered leaves in rose or black. Though hardy perennials are left in their pots year-round, he and Brent move tender succulents into a greenhouse for winter. “I like to mix hardy succulents like hens and chicks (Sempervivum) and stonecrop (Sedum) with tender ones such as echeveria, haworthia, kalanchoe and aeonium so my pots aren’t empty all winter,” says Thomas. Most are common, easy-to-find varieties (including some he discovers languishing in big-box stores), but “you have to have a few jewels that you lug in for the winter, coddle and use again year after year.” (See the next page for Thomas’s favourites.)When asked to describe his design philosophy, Thomas answers simply: “Put beauty everywhere.” From the succulent treasures in elegant clay pots to the textural grasses, New Zealand flax (Phormium spp.) and cannas framing the view of the city’s skyline, the gardens at Casa Triangulo are merely the philosopher’s proof. Thomas's tips, tricks and picks Favourite succulentsAnnuals Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’ (black); Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ (pinkish grey with dark pink margins), E. ‘Black Prince’; E. ‘Mauna Loa’ (frilly, red edges); E. ‘Paul Bunyan’ (silver-blue with blistery warts); Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (rosy, paddle-shaped leaves); donkey’s tail (Sedum morganianum); blue chalksticks (Senecio mandraliscae) Hardy succulents Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’ (dark red, Zone 3); S. rupestre ‘Angelina’ (chartreuse, Zone 3)Design tips from Thomas Invest in well-made hardscaping (e.g., pots, pavers).Provide a good backdrop—it’s important for showing off plants—whether it’s a stucco wall or wood that’s been stained and striated to look old. If a plant’s colour doesn’t work in your design, take the advice of the late British plantswoman Rosemary Verey: “Off with its head!” Success with succulentsUse a fast-draining, cactus soil mix amended with extra-chunky perlite.Design with succulents as though you’re making plant pizzas: combine them tightly in shallow containers with drainage holes to create a variety of heights, colours, forms and textures.Mulch with biscuit-coloured pea gravel to enhance the plant colours.Though highly drought-tolerant, succulents appreciate regular watering and feeding with a soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer. They’ll respond by growing nice and plump.

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  Credit

  Janet Davis

  A garden of succulent treasures 

  Published:

  2008-10-06 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Janet Davis

  Updated:

  2008-10-06 00:00:00

• Visit the Tofino Botanical Gardens Visit the Tofino Botanical Gardens

  

  Visit the Tofino Botanical Gardens of

  Saved from development Tucked away at the edge of the rainforest that rims the Pacific coast shore on Vancouver Island near Tofino is a wonderfully diverse gardenscape. Established in 1997, the 12-acre Tofino Botanical Gardens is the brainchild of its director, George Patterson, a transplanted landscape designer and nurseryman from the Boston area. Although originally a private garden, TBG is now open to the public and operates as a non-profit foundation. TBG is bordered on the south by a forest reserve. The shoreline, which can be viewed from various vantage points around the garden’s property, looks onto thousands of acres of protected migratory shorebird habitat. Beyond that are the Browning Passage and Meares Island, which has been declared a Tribal Park by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. Also surrounding TBG are 850,000 acres of the Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve. “I was familiar with the Tofino area before I moved here,” explains Patterson. “This is where my former wife was born, so we would come back on occasion. I just fell in love with it.” The property had been slated for development, which is why Patterson bought it. He owned the land for eight years before he started his botanical garden. Time spent volunteering at Wilson Botanical Gardens in Costa Rica prepared him in part for what lay ahead. Says Patterson: “The Wilson Gardens are also next to a rainforest, so there are some similarities.” The main botanical collection at TBG focuses on the native plants of Clayoquot Sound. “About 60 species are found on the site,” says Patterson. “We’re also developing small pocket gardens along the paths that will offer some insights into comparative botany,” he adds. “Temperate rainforest plants from Chile, New Zealand, Japan and elsewhere have been sited next to natives that have something in common with the imported specimens. They may be from different families but have the same leaf shape.” This is known as convergent evolution, where plants that live in similar habitats resemble each other even though they are not related. For example, native evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) looks an awful lot like the Chilean guava (Ugni molinae). A kilometre of pathways connects 24 different areas, each constructed on a theme. There is a Kitchen Garden, for instance, where the chef from the garden’s restaurant finds plenty of culinary inspiration. In addition to vegetables, herbs such as thyme, tarragon and borage grow in abundance, while espaliered grape vines climb on the adjacent fence. “That garden was designed by one of our volunteers, the pastry chef at C Restaurant in Vancouver,” says Patterson. A local herbalist put together the Medicinal Herb Garden, which brims over with lush plantings of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) and marshmallow (Althaea officinalis). Beyond basic botany “In fact, over the past six years, the majority of the work in the garden has been done by volunteers,” boasts Patterson. “They’ve been really amazing. One of our volunteers from Mexico even created the map of the garden that visitors use on the self-guided tour.” A small collection of donated species rhododendrons occupies part of the garden. One cultivar, ‘George Fraser’, is named after a local rhododendron grower, and is a cross of the West Coast native Rhododendron macrophyllum and the East Coast native R. maximum. Other species include R. rex and R. sinogrande, both of which sport 50-centimetre-long leaves. Patterson’s pride and joy, the giant Himalayan lilies (Cardiocrinum giganteum), towers in another part of TBG. The lilies send up thick, 2.5- to three-metre-tall spikes with up to 20 creamy white 15- to 30-centimetre-long trumpet flowers—and grow at a rate of about 30 centimetres per week. Their strong fragrance is reminiscent of a blend of cinnamon and frangipani. The plants can take up to seven years to bloom; TBG’s bloomed in just two. In the Tropical Garden, visitors will find rice paper plant (Tetrapanax papyrifer), Japanese banana (Musa basjoo) and taro (Colocasia esculenta). But plants aren’t the only treasures found at TBG. A gazebo, along with other structures built by local artisan Jan Janzen, provides visual contrast to the foliage and offers much-welcomed shelter on a rainy day. A number of large, wooden sculptures by artist Michael Dennis also grace the property. Over in the Children’s Garden, young ones will be delighted to find a fort tucked away in the woods. Just above the high-tide line sits an 11-metre, double-ended salmon trawler, the Evian, an exhibit created to help visitors understand and appreciate the West Coast salmon fishing industry. Future themed gardens will also educate visitors beyond basic botany. Four cultural-historical gardens and exhibits are currently being developed. When completed, they will teach about the peoples who have settled and left their mark in Clayoquot Sound: the First Nations, the European settlers from the turn of the century, the Japanese fishing community and the 1970s-era hippies. Tofino Botanical Gardens is within a 20-minute walk or cycle of most of the community’s accommodations. In typical West Coast fashion, canoe and kayak arrivals are encouraged (best at medium to high tide). If you go: Tofino Botanical Gardens is located at 1084 Pacific Rim Highway in Tofino, B.C. For opening times and admission fees, call 250/725-1220 or visit www.tbgf.org.

  ©

  Credit

  Janet Collins

  Visit the Tofino Botanical Gardens 

  Published:

  2008-09-10 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Janet Collins

  Updated:

  2008-09-10 00:00:00

• Taming slopes in your garden Taming slopes in your garden

  

  Taming slopes in your garden of

  A garden perched on a cliff What do you do when your home is perched halfway up a cliff? If you're a passionate gardener like Teresa Pacheco Roy, you create garden space wherever you can, even when it means turning a steep cliff into a series of thumbnail terraces, tumbling cascades and stone-edged planting pockets. Still, when Teresa and husband Gilles bought their home in Sillery, a suburb of Quebec City, in 1971, gardening was the furthest thing from their minds. They were newlyweds and looking for a place to raise a family, and it's easy to see why they were drawn to the house, even with the garden limitations. Their two-storey home is beautiful, with a wide veranda on three sides, reminiscent of a Swiss chalet, a likeness heightened by its position halfway up a cliff forested in spruce, pine, maple and oak. The Roys can watch the ships sailing by on the St. Lawrence River-nearly half a kilometre away-from the numerous picture windows. It seemed the ideal spot, but living here had its downsides as well.The property was built on a lot blasted out of a cliff face at one of the rare points along the road where a driveway was possible, which meant no neighbours, no backyard-the kitchen window looks out onto a rock wall-no basement and a ground floor consisting only of a small foyer (used by Teresa to overwinter some of her tropical plants, along with her Japanese carp) and a bit of storage space (now a workshop for Gilles, a model-boat enthusiast). The lot drops five metres from the front door to the street, with a stone retaining wall dividing the slope into two: a steep grade to the street and a more gentle upper incline. When the couple bought the house, both sections were lawns sprinkled with a few shrubs. And as their family grew, there was no room for their two children to play outdoors, other than on the veranda or the driveway; they weren't allowed on the lawn, for fear they could tumble down onto the street. At first, neither Teresa nor Gilles were interested in becoming gardeners. Back in her native Chile, Teresa had always dreamt of becoming an artist, a passion she put into practice in Canada; she now teaches painting at her own workshop located nearby. Gilles had even less interest in gardening than Teresa: his career as a pharmacist, from which he has since retired, took up most of his time, and the little energy he had left for landscape work he invested in the less intensive maintenance of the grounds of their summer cottage. But Teresa saw in her challenging lot a source of inspiration for her paintings. She began to garden, timidly at first, planting a few tulips in a narrow bed she dug at the top of the lawn. They were a success, and she began to experiment with other plants. Her goal? To have a garden of non-stop colour, like those back in Chile. Slowly expanding your palette Seeking the advice of friends who gardened, Teresa slowly expanded her palette of plants. The lawn started to disappear, transformed bit by bit into sloping flower beds. But those initial beds kept breaking loose and spilling down onto the street. With the help of a stonemason, and using the stone rubble accumulated at the base of the cliff out back, she added a curved retaining wall, then another. Later, more stone and debris were used to level the ground behind yet another retaining wall to create a small terrace where Teresa and Gilles could actually sit outdoors on solid ground-without putting lawn chairs on the driveway. The first of three water gardens was created in front of one of the ground-floor windows. Eventually, two more ponds (really one, measuring two by four metres but pinched in the middle to form two sections) were added nearby; the front yard was starting to take shape. Aquatic, semi-aquatic and bog plants such as primulas, cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and dwarf cattails adorn the ponds, as do Teresa's favourite tropicals: white callas, taro and red-flowering cannas. Teresa could have easily stopped there, but the cliff out back beckoned. She began to transform it into a series of superimposed planting pockets (see "Cliff Notes," next page) dotted with mini-terraces wherever there was room, all linked by stone stairs. The upper terraces are so high, they look down onto the roof.A waterfall cascades from the uppermost part of the lot, level by level, down around the terraces and beneath the veranda along the side of the house. It disappears under a path, then re-emerges to snake across the upper terraces in the front yard, linking the ponds. From the lowest pond, the water is pumped back to the upper waterfalls.Teresa also makes abundant use of containers-another way of squeezing more gardening space out of what would normally be bare rock. Many of the mini-terraces on the back cliff become barely more than footpaths in the summer because of the numerous containers that cover them. Not all is stone and water, though. Teresa has been actively selecting and testing plants for her unique gardening conditions. And she's had to learn the hard way which plants will and will not do well.There is no direct sun in the backyard, and precious little on the southeast side of the house, which is screened by forest. Many hostas, which most Canadian gardeners take for granted for shady spots, don't survive the winter because the soil freezes solid, as the surrounding rock retains too much cold. Teresa divides the few hostas that do succeed to fill in nooks and crannies in shady spots. Oddly, while hostas freeze, many azaleas from the Northern Lights series (such as Rhododendron 'White Lights' and 'Golden Lights') thrive and provide spring colour. In summer, irises and daylilies reign in the sloping curbside garden, the only one in full sun. These include bearded irises such as the rich black-purple ‘Superstition' and royal purple 'Royal Intrigue', variegated Japanese iris (Iris ensata 'Variegata'), with violet-blue blossoms, and a whole host of daylilies in yellows, pinks, oranges and near reds that bloom successively from June until September. Here, she's also been experi­menting, so far successfully, with hardy magnolias (such as the Magnolia stellata hybrids and Little Girl series) and tree peonies, and pushes the limits with fruits, trying many that shouldn't be hardy in her Zone 4b climate. There is a three-metre fig tree (which she buries in a trench each winter), as well as cherries, plums, pears, and even a lonely apricot that survives the cold, but inevitably sees its flowers blasted by frost in the spring. Letting your plants self-seed Fall colour is abundantly supplied by numerous sugar maples, as well as other shrubs and trees, including blueberries and chokeberries (Aronia spp.). In winter, interest is provided by tree bark and conifer needles silhouetted against the snow.She also lets plants self-seed. The volunteers sprout in narrow cracks in the rock walls and insert themselves successfully into spaces where nothing else will grow, some even sprouting and thriving year-round in pots. Many of these are native conifers, such as white spruce, arborvitae and white pine, which could eventually shade out her other plantings. But Teresa has another trick up her sleeve: she's learned to selectively prune them into bonsai-like forms, thus keeping them under control.Her passion for gardening extends indoors as well. Her home is full of exotic trees and shrubs, from brilliantly coloured bougainvilleas to fruiting lemons, oranges and figs, and orchids are everywhere. The result is that Teresa has achieved what she started out to do: create a garden that's truly full of colour throughout the year-although she likely never imagined she'd first have to carve it out of solid rock.Cliff notesAlmost all of Teresa Pacheco Roy's plantings are in soil pockets behind stone retaining walls, most of which she built herself. There's no lack of stones of all shapes on her property, so she chose relatively flat ones or used two triangular ones to make a flat surface. To create each pocket, she placed the first row of stones in a half-circle, curving outward from an existing rock wall. To ensure good drainage, Teresa either left a small hole at the bottom of the rocks or occasionally inserted a piece of tubing or pipe, since considerable moisture flows down the cliff at snowmelt. For mortar, Teresa used a mix of cement and sand, with about one-third more cement than the directions recommended for a stiffer, more solid mortar. After mixing well, she added only enough water to make a thick paste. The stones were set into the mortar. She then created a second row that overlapped the first (like bricks in a wall), and mortar it into place. The stones had to fit perfectly, much like a jigsaw puzzle. It sometimes took five or more layers, depending on the size of the stones and the size of the planting pocket, before it was finished.For additional drainage, Teresa added 15 to 20 centimetres of gravel to the bottom of each new pocket, then filled it in with soil. All the cement, sand, gravel and soil had to be lugged up the cliff by hand, bag after bag, to wherever she was working, which usually meant to higher and higher elevations year after year.Garden factsSize: 35 x 25 metresOrientation: southwestConditions: very steep slope, bedrock partially covered by 20 to 30 centimetres of added soilGrowing season: April to early OctoberGarden: focus waterfall and mini-terracesZone 4b

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  Credit

  Larry Hodgson

  Taming slopes in your garden 

  Published:

  2007-01-16 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Larry Hodgson

  Updated:

  2007-01-16 00:00:00

• Winter wonderland Winter wonderland

  

  Winter wonderland of

  One of my favourite West Coast public gardens One of my favourite West Coast public gardens is located in the municipality of Saanich, on the outskirts of Victoria, British Columbia. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP) is all about plants-period. It doesn't boast a luxurious restaurant, chi-chi gift shop or multi-media visitor centre. But for just $7.50, you can enter this magical horticultural realm any day except Christmas and lose yourself among its 40 hectares, 2.4 of which are divided into 24 demonstration and teaching gardens with more than 10,000 varieties of plants on display.The staff here is small, but an army of students-20 of them this year-work under the watchful eye of head gardener Andrea Stempski, herself a graduate of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture. The students help to maintain the gardens, part of the HCP's 10-month-long accredited diploma course in landscape maintenance. Volunteers and members of various garden clubs and groups-including the Victoria Horticultural Society, the Dahlia Society of Victoria, the North America Heather Society, the Lily Society of Victoria, the Victoria Rhododendron Society and the Takata Society of Victoria-take care of the rest.I was particularly impressed by the work of the Hardy Plant Group, which has designed big, bold and unexpected mixed borders in three 700-square-metre beds. Landscape designer Diane Pierce, who teaches at the HCP and is one of the leading member/gardeners of the group, describes the beds this way: "Billows of colour surge on the hillside, like great waves at sea. Reds, oranges, corals and yellows merge into softer yellows and creams. Further down the slope, the hot colours become more gentle-whites, blues, mauves and pinks."The borders are unified by deep purple and silvery grey foliage. 'Forest Pansy' Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'), 'Diablo' ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo'), Rosa glauca, purple-brown cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing') and purple spurge (Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon') are set off by silvery sea orache (Atriplex halimus) and artemisias, which reflect light on even the dullest day.24 gardensBees, Birds and Butterflies (2004)Children's Garden (2004)Container Demonstration Area (seasonal)Dahlia Trial GardenDoris Page Winter GardenDrought Tolerant GardenGroundcover GardenHardy Fuchsia GardenHeather GardenHerb GardenLawnsLily GardenMixed Perennial BedsMixed BordersNative Plant Demonstration GardenNative Plant Restoration AreaOrchardOrnamental Grass GardenRhododendron and Hosta GardenRose GardenTakata GardenVegetable GardenWater Feature GardenWoodland Garden. Visit the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific "Trees with gold, purple and silver foliage, such as golden black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia'), European beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purple Fountain') and weeping, willow-leaved pear (Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula'), add height and drama. Around them, the exotic broad leaves of cannas, bear's breeches (Acanthus mollis), sticky Jerusalem sage (Phlomis russeliana), honey bush (Melianthus major) and Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum 'Atrosanguineum') contrast with the feathery foliage of bronze fennel and sword-like, striped New Zealand flaxes, as well as irises, libertias and various grasses."Biennials self-sow, popping up in different spots each year. Exotics mix freely with commoners, for even sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), gathered as seed from an Alberta farm ditch, looks lovely and airy among its fellows."Founded in 1979, the not-for-profit HCP suffered some initial setbacks-funding hiccups and the occasional vagaries of nature-but has always been buoyed by the enthusiasm and determination of its members and volunteers. Bob Clarke, curator of the Takata Japanese Garden, tells me the $50,000 his garden needed in seed money was raised through bingo nights. He is currently raising money to add a 12-by-18-metre Zen Garden.Among the first gardens established at the HCP was the Doris Page Winter Garden, created in 1985 to honour a well-known horticulturist, television host and HCP volunteer, and a tireless champion of the beauty and usefulness of winter foliage and flowers in woodland settings. The garden is now lovingly maintained by Patty Brown, a former HCP student. Visit soon and you'll see more than 500 examples of plant material suitable for a Zone 8 winter garden, including hellebores, winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) and trout lily (Erythronium spp.).IF YOU GOThe Horticulture Centre of the Pacific505 Quayle Rd. Victoria, British Columbia V8X 3X1Telephone: 250/479-6162Summer hours: April 1 to September 30; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Winter hours: October 1 to March 31; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Admission: $7.50; members free. Guided tours available at extra charge.Amenities: 24 gardens, parking, washrooms, some seating; light refreshments and souvenirs at Welcome Booth; plant sales.Limited wheelchair access. Dogs on leashes are permitted.

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  Credit

  Aldona Satterthwaite

  Winter wonderland 

  Published:

  2006-12-20 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Aldona Satterthwaite

  Updated:

  2006-12-20 00:00:00

• A Japanese garden in Alberta A Japanese garden in Alberta

  

  A Japanese garden in Alberta of

  More about the garden If extreme makeovers and overnight overhauls are the current fashion in landscaping, Roberta Rolf's tiny, Japanese-style garden is certainly bucking those trends. Well before winning Canadian Gardening's Best Renovation Under $5,000 category in the 2003 Gardens of the Year contest, the Edmonton resident had devised a long-term plan, but one that was also subject to revisions."This garden has been a labour of love and life, as I've created it over the years," says Roberta, a software specialist who shares the house with her five-year-old shepherd-collie cross, Lady. "When I read about this category, [my garden] was far enough along that completing it was achievable."Moving into the bungalow (which is more than 50 years old) in 1999 presented some landscaping challenges for the then novice gardener. "My mother, Edith, is a gardener, but I didn't care for it growing up. I lived in an apartment for 14 years before moving into my present home." Starting from scratch wasn't without a few pleasant surprises, though, such as the soil. In a city known for its rock-hard clay, the rich black loam on the property was welcomed. And Roberta also discovered that the previous owners had grown vegetables. "I did add peat moss and manure to the flower beds," she says, adding that she also kept the strawberries and a few plants along the sidewalk. "With a few additions," she concedes.Those additions included several ‘Brandon' cedars (Thuja occidentalis 'Brandon'), a French pussy willow (Salix caprea), Arctic willows and a Virginia creeper-not necessarily the plantings that come to mind when you think of a Japanese garden, a style she chose "for the clean lines and structure." However, a Prairie gardener such as Roberta has to be creative when it comes to choosing what grows well in her harsh climate-although she admits there are a few plants she would love to grow if she could: "A wisteria, to drape over a future deck, and a Japanese maple."Even so, it's the hardy plants she can grow, such as grasses, including reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), that give Roberta's small garden a Japanese aesthetic. Spring, summer and fall all have their star performers, from early-flowering allium to delphiniums and daylilies, to late-blooming sunflowers. But it's the "bones" of this garden-achieved on a budget – that make it a year-round winner.Roberta replaced an old chain-link fence with a wooden one and built a gently curved bridge to help define specific areas within the fenced walls, areas inspired by another Asian tradition. "I've followed slightly the feng shui principles of where to put water, wood, earth, fire and metal." The Japanese tea house doors were handcrafted by Roberta and her father, Robert; she also made the "Tsukubai" - a Japanese spouted water basin. Other cost-saving measures included hauling in rocks herself and reclaiming old bricks to construct the entryway and bench area. "It has grown to be an enchanting garden. I love the flow I've obtained and the peacefulness that I feel when I'm out here." The elusive Japanese maple Roberta's a patient gardener who doesn't require instant results. "Feeling and seeing what was happening moved the project along and allowed me to develop other ideas while I worked." But she acknowledges the incentive the garden competition gave her, especially when it came down to the finer details. "[Entering the] contest is what helped bring the garden together."Roberta is eager to point out, however, that her garden is still evolving. "I want to find a slender, silver-leafed willow tree to go in the back corner; then I'll take a willow-furniture making class so I can make an arbour and bench." Roberta will continue to find budget-conscious ways to enhance her garden, but she's in no rush because she knows it will all come together in good time.The elusive Japanese mapleLike Roberta Rolf, most cold-climate gardeners turn green with envy whenever a gardening magazine features the quintessential Asian garden plant: the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). Here are a few equally handsome alternatives that are likely to make it through a Prairie winter.Amur maple (A. tataricum ssp. ginnala): Foliage emerges with a reddish tinge, turns green, then becomes blazing red in fall. The pinkish hue of the winged seeds (called samaras) make the tree appear as if it's flowering in midsummer. Choose the clump form to create a Japanese maple shape and prune out the lower branches after the tree has leafed out; 6 by 6 metres; Zone 1'Shubert' cherry (Prunus virginiana 'Shubert'): Wine red foliage in summer provides a striking contrast to most cold-hardy trees. 'Bailey's Select' and the non-suckering ‘Midnight' varieties (both 8 x 6 m) are best used in the background; Zone 2Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia): Its layered, horizontal branching habit creates a shape reminiscent of pagoda roof tiles. The green foliage turns burgundy in fall; deep leaf creases are visible from a distance. Underutilized, this shade-tolerant tree provides genuine four-season interest; 4 by 3 metres; Zone 3.Garden factsSize: 9 x 13 metresOrientation: southConditions: heavy clay soil, augmented with peat moss and composted manureGrowing season: April to OctoberGarden focus: traditional Asian elements, flowing rock paths, cold-hardy perennials, self-sown annualsZone: 3 

  ©

  Credit

  Greg Polkosnik

  A Japanese garden in Alberta 

  Published:

  2006-10-20 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Greg Polkosnik

  Updated:

  2006-10-20 00:00:00

• Prairie oasis Prairie oasis

  

  Prairie oasis of

  A little bit about the garden When I moved from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to a rural area south of the city in 1980, I did so in blissful ignorance. Having gardened in Africa, Peru and other places much warmer than Zone 2 on the Prairies, I had to gradually learn what was hardy here. Even so, the microclimate of my old city neighbourhood was a far cry from the barren and exposed two-hectare pasture I now had to work with. Worse, I went from heavy soil and limitless tap water to beach sand and well water that runs out after a few hours.While still living in the city, and guided by a small Agriculture Canada publication, Herbaceous Perennials for the Prairies, I had begun hunting down plant and seed sources, and learning, over time, about the history, culture and propagation of perennials. I brought this passion to the acreage. Before the house was livable, semi-circular perennial beds were laid out behind it and prepared. The sandy soil was generously amended with peat moss (one bale to every two square metres of bed, dug into the top 20 centimetres of soil) and about one-third that volume of well-rotted manure. I've never regretted the initial time and effort put into those borders. There was desperate need for shade and shelter as well, so tree planting and perennial-bed development proceeded side by side. The first trees were planted near the house and around the property's perimeter.Now, after more than two decades of trial and error, there are a wide variety of borders: two shaded, one multicoloured, one of blue and yellow plants (flower and foliage) and one of pink and white flowers. A border of hot colours-reds, yellows and oranges-surrounds the fire pit (a horti-cultural pun of sorts) and separate beds contain collections of peonies, lilies and daylilies. None of this came from a conscious vision. As the Irish garden designer Helen Dillon so succinctly put it, "If you come to colour late in your gardening life, you'll do a lot of transplanting." I did and I have. And although I began as a purist (thinking perennial beds were for perennials), the borders now include dwarf shrubs, hardy bulbs and vines, biennials, ornamental grasses, climbing roses and a few small trees.My mixed, layered borders provide density and seasonal interest of height, texture, form and colour. Prior to planting new beds, perennial weeds are controlled with Roundup. Immediately after planting and watering, I mulch to conserve water and suppress annual weeds. Initially it's a big effort, but in the long run makes for better plant growth and reduced labour. Unlike the outlying trees and shrubs that depend on more than 200 metres of garden hose, the perennial borders benefit from an underground irrigation system installed seven years ago. I still grin when I push down a lever to release the water flow-it's so easy!Garden factsSize: 2 hectaresOrientation: most perennialborders north of houseConditions: sandy soil, very dry conditions in past two years; sunGrowing season: late May to early SeptemberGarden focus: hardy, drought-tolerant trees and shrubs; xeriscape; perennials; creation of forest; bird habitatZone: 2b Top trees and evergreens for sandy, sunny locations Top deciduous treesSara's picks For sandy soil, Zone 2• Amur maple (Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala) A graceful substitute for Japanese maple. Full sun or part shade. 4 m tall x 4 m wide• 'Mancana' ash (Fraxinus mandshurica 'Mancana') A seedless selection from the Agriculture Canada Morden Research Station. Full sun. 8 m x 5 m• 'Patmore' Green ash (F. pennsylvanica) leafs out earlier and keeps its foliage longer. Full sun. 12 m x 7 m• 'Thunderchild' flowering crabapple (Malus x 'Thunderchild') Purple foliage, pink flowers. Resistant to fire- blight. Full sun. 6 m x 4 m• Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) Plant smaller trees as the taproot is often twice the length of the aboveground stem. Full sun. 15 m x 7 m• 'Ivory Silk' japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk') Oval form, cherry-like bark, cream-coloured flower panicles. Full sun to part shade. 6 m x 4 m• Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) White flowers in spring, fruit turns yellow to red to purple-black. Red fall colour. Full sun to part shade. 4 m x 3 mDependable evergreensThese do best in full sun• Alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) Narrowly pyramidal; attractive purple cones. 8 m high x 2 m wide• 'Depressa Aurea' COMMON JUNIPER (Juniperus communis 'Depressa Aurea') Best golden, mid-sized juniper for hardiness and drought tolerance. 1 m x 3 m• Creeping juniper (J. horizontalis) Native groundcover; foliage varies from silver-blue to dark green. 'Prince of Wales' among hardiest. 15 to 20 cm x 175 cm• Savin juniper (J. sabina) Upright to arching and vase-shaped. Stays bright green. 90 cm x 175 cm• Rocky Mountain juniper (J. scopulorum) Cultivars vary in height, width, colour and density. 'Blue Heaven', 'Medora' and 'Grizzly Bear' are choice. 4 m x 1.5 m• Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) Deciduous; better than tamarack for dry conditions. Green needles turn a soft gold before being shed. 5 m x 6 m• White spruce (Picea glauca 'Densata') Dense, compact, symmetrical and slow-growing. 8 m x 3 m• Colorado spruce (P. pungens) Seed-grown trees vary from green to silvery blue. Grows more slowly than pine, with a more shallow, spreading root system. 20 m x 8 m• Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra) Extremely slow-growing with long, soft needles. (Note: attractive to deer.) 8 m x 5 m• Lodgepole pine (P. contorta var. latifolia) Native to the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan and Alberta. 10 m x 3 m• Mugo pine (P. mugo) Variable height, width and density. 2 to 3 m x 2 m• Scots pine (P. sylvestris) Trees grown from Spanish seed won't survive a Prairie winter; those from Siberia thrive. Fast-growing, drought-tolerant. 15 m x 8 m  Shelter and shade for your new plantings Shelter and shadeAlthough perennials are important to me, the backbone of my garden consists of trees and shrubs. Each spring, I plant more than a hundred of them, generally about 20 or so at one go, choosing plants that are hardy to Zone 2 and drought-tolerant, and provide food or habitat for birds and as much four-season ornamental interest as possible. About 20 per cent of what I plant are evergreens, chosen for density, wind protection and winter landscape value. The seedling Scots pines planted in 1980 now provide privacy, snow catchment and songbird habitat. Their informal groupings almost surround my property. The following trees and shrubs have proven indispensable: Manitoba maple, green ash, bur oak, nannyberry, lilac, cotoneaster, pin cherry, chokecherry, sea buckthorn and Scots pine.I have a soft spot for colourful foliage: gold is represented by golden elder, golden mock orange and 'Depressa Aurea' juniper; purple by smoke bush, purpleleaf sand cherry, 'Shubert' chokecherry and barberry; and silver-blue by 'Zempin' wolf willow (also known as silverberry), sea buckthorn, silver buffaloberry and 'Globosa' blue spruce. These complement perennials, such as Adam's needle (Yucca glauca), and ornamental grasses including blue fescue, blue oatgrass, blue lyme grass and Skinner's golden bromegrass.Once the bones of my garden were in place, I began trying odd and unusual species and cultivars of trees and shrubs, relying heavily on their provenance for clues as to whether they'd survive. For example, the white pine (Pinus strobus) I'd purchased from a nursery promptly died in winter, but a seedling dug up by a friend from a ditch along the highway near Thunder Bay, close to its most northerly and western range, has flourished. Another friend brought me a sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedling from west of Ottawa. It, too, is thriving. A Russian mulberry (Morus alba var. tatarica) has made it through three winters with a struggle, and I'm now trying a number of the newly introduced barberry (Berberis spp.) cultivars. Sheltered directly behind the perennial borders, where they receive regular watering, 'Delta' hackberry (Celtis occidentalis 'Delta') and 'Prairie Cascade' weeping willow (Salix 'Prairie Cascade') have also done very well.Mulching is key. Each spring, for the past decade, I've ordered a semi-truckload of post peelings-the stringy pieces of bark and wood removed by a fence post mill. This is enough to mulch new plantings and top up old, decaying mulch. A 10-centimetre-deep layer of post peelings stays effective for three to four years.Not all my plantings have been successful. With winter dieback, a 12-year-old Manchurian walnut (Juglans mandshurica) has attained a height of just 45 centimetres, and the bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) and Ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa) looked so sorrowful that I took them out.A few years ago, I began to sense what the last, uncultivated part of the pasture might look like. In the spring of 2002, I developed a stone circle on the highest knoll, surrounded by two larger circles containing seedling pine, hawthorn and wolf willow. This past spring I planted a ribbon of Siberian pear trees and additional groves of larch and flowering crabapples, as well as mixed shrub borders. I've put in a double row of Manitoba maples in sweeping curves along the inside of the shelter belt, so that someday, I'll be able to walk the dogs, Ben and Eric, in the shade.  Planting in the pasture Planting in the pasture1.(some steps are shown here) Kill existing vegetation by spraying with a herbicide containing glyphosate, such as Roundup, or apply a layer of black plastic mulch in early June and leave it in place for about three weeks-the heat buildup and lack of light will do the job. Remove the plastic before planting, then cover the dead vegetation with organic mulch to help it decay; dig a planting hole right into it.2. Dig generous planting holes at least five times the volume of the root ball for trees and shrubs (if your plant comes in a one-gallon pot, dig a hole the size of a five-gallon pot). Amend sandy soil with organic matter (well-rotted manure, compost or coarse peat moss) or heavier clay soil with equal amounts of coarse sand and organic matter.3. Plant each tree or shrub at the same depth it was previously (indicated by a line on the stem), placing it carefully in the planting hole, spreading out the roots and pruning away any that have girdled or curled.4. Tamp the soil gently to ensure the fine root hairs are in firm contact with it.5. Construct a 15- centimetre dike around the perimeter of the tree or shrub, one metre from the trunk. Water deeply, filling the depression to overflowing, then a second and third time once the day's plantings are done.6. Mulch to a depth of at least 10 centimetres, leaving an area 10 to 12 centimetres from the trunk unmulched to prevent rot.7. Every seven to 10 days during the first growing season, put your hand under the mulch to see if the soil is moist, and water deeply as needed to encourage deep rooting. As long as our annual precipitation is what it should be (30 centimetres of rain and snow), the new trees and shrubs are pretty much on their own after the first year. During their second or third season, they may need occasional watering during unusually prolonged hot or dry weather. Best shrubs and perennials for sun and shade Best shrubs• Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) Best cultivars include 'Honeywood', 'Martin', 'Northline', 'Smoky' and 'Thiessen'. Full sun to part shade. 2 to 3 m high x 1 m wide• Peashrub (Caragana spp.) 'Globosa' Russian peashrub (C. frutex 'Globosa') doesn't flower, no pruning needed; C. pygmaea is a flowering, spikier form. Grown on its own roots, 'Lorbergii' Siberian pea tree (C. arborescens 'Lorbergii') makes a good groundcover. Full sun to part shade. 1 m x 1 m• Hedge cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lucidus) As an unpruned specimen shrub, it's less susceptible to fireblight and silverleaf. Full sun to part shade. 2 m x 1.5 m• 'Zempin' wolf willow a.k.a. silverberry (Elaeagnus commutata 'Zempin') Silver foliage. Suckers much less than the species. Full sun. 2 to 3 m x 2 m• Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Drought- and salt- tolerant; narrow, silver leaves, stout thorns, orange fruit high in vitamin C. Male and female plants needed for fruit. Suckers extensively if roots are wounded. Full sun. 4 m x 4 m• Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) Cultivars resistant to witch's broom: 'Flamingo' (pink flowers), 'Cameo' (white flowers) and 'Honeyrose' (rosy red flowers). Sun or shade. 1.5 to 2.5 m x 2 m• 'Blizzard' mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard') Planted in a corner and neglected for two drought-stricken years, Sara's burst into bloom last summer. Full sun to part shade. 1.8 m x 1.8 m• 'Diablo' ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo') Deep purple leaves, creamy white flowers, deep salmon pink to burgundy seed pods. Full sun. 2 m x 1.5 m• Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) White flowers followed by edible red fruit; golden orange fall colour. Suckers. 'Jumping Pound' is an outstanding weeping cultivar. Full sun to part shade.3 m x 3 m• Purpleleaf sand cherry (P. x cistena) Reddish purple foliage. In Zone 2, it generally dies back to snowline but recovers quickly. Full sun to part shade. 1 m x 60 cm• 'Shubert' choke cherry (P. virginiana 'Shubert') New leaves are green but turn purple; white flowers followed by dark purple fruit excellent for jelly. Suckering varies. Full sun. 5 m x 5 m• Native gooseberry (Ribes oxyacanthoides) Its thin, wiry stems overlap and curve gracefully. Full sun to part shade. 1 m x 1 m• Shrub roses (Rosa spp.) Favourites include 'Hazeldean', 'Yellow Altai' and the red-leaf rose (R. glauca). All sucker moderately, are drought-tolerant and tough. Full sun. 2 to 3 m x 2 to 3 m• European red elder (Sambucus racemosa) White flowers followed by red fruit. Choice cultivars include 'Sutherland Gold', 'Goldenlocks' and 'Dropmore Fernleaf'. Full sun to part shade. 2 to 3 m x 2 m• Silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) Native to the Prairies. Male and female plants needed for fruit. Full sun to part shade. 3 m x 3 m• Lilac (Syringa spp.) Favourites include 'Maiden's Blush' (pink), 'Mount Baker' (white), 'Miss Kim' (blue), 'Pocahontas' (deep violet), little-leaf lilac (rosy lilac), 'Sensation' (purple edged in white), 'Sister Justina' (white) and 'Miss Canada' (coral pink). Full sun. 4 m x 3 m Favourite perennialsThose with an * require a sheltered microclimate. Depending on the weather, Sara waters perennial borders deeply (60 centimetres) once every 10 to 14 days.Sun• Yarrow (Achillea 'Credo') 1 m tall x 45 cm wide•'Variegata' rock cress (Arabis caucasica 'Variegata') 20 cm x 30 cm• Stemless carline thistle (Carlina acaulis ssp. simplex) 10 cm x 15 cm• Tube clematis (Clematis heracleifolia) 1 m x 1 m• Roman wormwood (Corydalis sempervirens) 35 cm x 30 cm• Shooting stars (Dodecatheon meadia) 30 cm x 30 cm• Draba spp. 5 to 10 cm x 10 cm• Mountain avens (Dryas octopetala) 5 to 10 cm x5 to 10 cm• Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) 2 m x 60 cm• Filipendula ulmaria 'Aurea' 1 m x 60 cm• F. u. 'Variegata' 1 m x 60 cm• Crested gentian (Gentiana septemfida) 15 to 20 cm x 30 cm• Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) 1 to 1.25 m x 30 cm• I. spuria 1 m x 30 cm• Blue flag iris (I. versicolor) 60 to 100 cm x 30 cm• Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus 'Plenum') 60 cm x 30 cm• Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) 2.5 m x 2 m• Moss campion (Silene acaulis) 3 cm x 20 cm• Comb speedwell (Veronica pectinata) 5 cm x 20 cm• Adam's needle (Yucca glauca) 1 m x 60 cmShade• purple bugbane (Actaea simplex Atropurpurea Group syn. Cimicifuga racemosa) 1.2 to 1.6 m x 1 m•'Brunette' purple bugbane (see above) 1.2 to 1.6 m x 1 m• American maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) 30 to 60 cm x 30 to 45 cm• Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense) 15 to 30 cm x 30 to 45 cm• European ginger (A. europaeum) 15 cm x 30 cm• Masterwort (Astrantia major) 45 cm x 30 cm*• ‘pictum' japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum') 45 cm x 30 cm• Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) 30 to 45 cm x 45 to 60 cm*• Callianthemum spp. 10 cm x 20 cm• Barrenwort (Epimedium spp.) 30 to 60 cm x 30 cm*• Bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) 30 to 60 cm x 30 to 45 cm• Hepatica transsilvanica 15 cm x 30 cm• 'VARIEGATUM' Fragrant Solomon's seal (Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum') 60 cm x 100 cm• Dusty miller primrose (Primula auricula) 20 cm x 20 cm• Cortusa primrose (P. cortusoides) 20 cm x 25 cm• Cowslip (P. veris) 25 cm x 25 cm• Lungwort (Pulmonaria mollis) 20 to 30 cm x 20 cm• Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) 15 cm x 30 cm*• Meadow rue (Thalictrum kiusianum) 10 cm x 30 cm• Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia) 30 cm x 40 cm*Sun or Shade• Pheasant's eye (Adonis vernalis) 30 to 45 cm x 30 cm• 'chocolate chip' carpet bugleweed (Ajuga reptans 'Chocolate Chip') 15 cm x 50 to 75 cm• Alpine lady's mantle (Alchemilla alpina) 15 cm x 25 cm• Fan columbine (Aquilegia flabellata) 15 to 30 cm x 30 cm• marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) 25 cm x 45 cm• Dragon's head (Dracocephalum spp.) 30 to 45 cm x 35 to 45 cm• 'Cheddar' globeflower (Trollius 'Cheddar') 60 cm x 30 cm• Bird's foot violet (Viola pedata) 30 to 50 cm x 30 to 50 cm

  ©

  Credit

  Sara Williams

  Prairie oasis 

  Published:

  2006-10-12 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Sara Williams

  Updated:

  2006-10-12 00:00:00

• Wonders of a fall garden Wonders of a fall garden

  

  Wonders of a fall garden of

  A unique country setting Strangers stop their cars and stare, and neighbours take pleasure in a glance, no matter how many times they pass by. The scene that so captivates is a collection of heritage buildings surrounded by a botanical landscape, courtesy of gardener Jody Bodnar. A sign at the driveway entrance to his family's home in Norfolk County, near Lynedoch, Ontario, welcomes visitors to Cranberry Creek Gardens-a name taken from a small watercourse that flows through the back end of the Bodnar farm.The creation of this unique country setting began in 1990 when Jody and his wife, Ingrid, bought the 100-acre plot of land, six acres of which are now gardens, including a circa 1890 farmhouse and a large, weathered barn. The only landscaping was lawn and a few mature sugar maple and walnut trees.Within a year or two, Jody, who has a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and a Masters in horticultural science, purchased 1,000 evergreen cuttings with plans to start a nursery. "I couldn't bring myself to sell them because I had a need for landscape material," he recalls. "But I had to get them planted, so I started these allées and pathways. I had no grand plan to begin with. I didn't realize I had created this park until it reached the maturity where you could put a label on it." A self-employed landscape gardener (tending his own property is a full-time job) and "purveyor of special events" (renting out the heritage buildings for weddings and other community events, organizing concerts) he confesses, "One of my desires has always been to create such a setting, not only for my enjoyment, but for that of others as well." Those evergreen-lined allées now dissect garden plots featuring plant materials ranging from the ordinary to the very rare-such as horse gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum), a woodland plant that has what look like miniature pumpkins clustered along its stems-many native to Canada's most southerly climate bordering the north shore of Lake Erie. The driveway, which wanders past the house toward the barn, splits the property in half.Jody is a man who can't bear to see the county's history forgotten. So the first thing visitors see upon entering the garden is the odd assortment of relocated vintage buildings (a collection that, as Jody says, "ranges from outhouse to temple") and pieces of farm equipment that harmonize with the gardens. Within view is an old railway switchman's shack that sits to the left of the driveway, just past a tree with a long rope swing.Gardens spreading out behind the small shack to the east are dissected by a path that passes a 1950s hot dog-stand-turned-potting shed. Close by, strawberry plants form autumnal mats of half-red/half-green leaves beside rows of blueberry bushes, their foliage not quite as vibrantly red as a pair of burning bushes (Euonymus alatus). Behind deep green yews, rows of lettuce in shades from green to burgundy are Nelson's project. Spectacular preserved buildings An eclectic mix of shrubs and herbaceous perennials compete for space in this more informal section of the Bodnar garden. Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) boasts orangey red, elongated berries and the branches of native highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) are heavy with fruit. Fallen yellow maple leaves are caught by a native prickly pear cactus (Opuntia compressa) at the base of a moss-covered stump.Near the barn, a slate-covered "widow's watch" (actually the top portion of a house) overlooks the driveway. On the right side, across the south lawn behind the house, a congregation of orange pumpkins is perched along a weathered church pew, leaning against an old ice house. A corncrib inherited from Jody's ancestors now stores garden implements. Nestled near its foundation, a tiny toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) is at home beside a piece of driftwood and an old wagon wheel.The two most spectacular preserved buildings in his collection anchor the gardens toward the westerly edge of the property: a former Baptist church (circa 1881) and a 1920s Bank of Commerce building from the nearby village of St. Williams, both of which had been abandoned and in disrepair. Jody says his decisions to rescue such structures are often a leap of faith. "When I see a building, I have to envision what it will look like in the landscape; then I think about how I will use it and get it from point A to B." Nearby, lines of clipped globe boxwood contrast with upright cedars, appearing as soldiers guarding meticulously edged, grass-carpeted corridors. They contribute a sense of formality, yes, but it's not a serious formality. On occasion, crowns of renegade sumacs stick out haphazardly from between the "soldiers" – a hint that whimsy is welcome and volunteers are tolerated.Near the horse gentian, the trunks of young eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis) that have self-seeded will be wrapped in chicken wire over the winter so they aren't "mowed down" by rabbits. These, as well as pawpaw (Asimina triloba) seedlings, a tree uncommon to Ontario, are scattered about the property. An avid butterfly collector, Jody's been pleased to see that larvae of the zebra swallowtail have been feeding on the leaves of the pawpaws – a "very rare occurrence where we are," he says. He's also seen giant swallowtails, Canada's largest species. "I would like to create a sanctuary for insects, butterflies and birds-a place where people can come to see these things in a natural setting."On the extreme westerly portion of the property, new rows of maples and more corridors of young evergreens are marching out across an open field-the next phase in the continuing evolution of Jody's masterpiece. "We call this our '100-yard garden,'" he says.While Jody solicits the help of Ingrid and the boys for autumn and spring cleanup, the rest of the garden maintenance falls to him. "It's easy to spend six, eight, 10 hours a day out there. But it's no big deal, you know," he says, philosophically. "If mankind can put someone on the moon, anything is possible-one step at a time." Ideal plant combinations for fall The rise of the fall gardenThere is no lack of ingenuity in the planning of Jody Bodnar's garden, which holds interest throughout the seasons. The true test of Jody's success-and a testament to his talent-is in fall, a season when the prime of many gardens has long passed.Behind corridors of evergreens, plant combinations of shrubs, perennials and annuals provide an ever-changing tapestry of texture and colour. In the fall garden, purple-red leaves of the self-seeding annual kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (Persicaria orientale syn. Polygonum orientale) trap yellow maple leaves as they drop, while pillows of silver-grey lambs' ears collect the burgundy leaves of the burning bush. "[Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate] was a very common plantin the old days," says Jody, who recalls seeing it in his grandparents' garden all the time. (His plant came from his uncle's garden.) "But [nowadays] it's underutilized completely."Meanwhile, the native perennial pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), "a weedy sort of thing," according to Jody, offers beautiful fall colour with fuchsia-red stems, green leaves and green berries that turn dark purple. Garden factsSize: 6 acresOrientation: south, east and westConditions sandy soilGrowing season: April to NovemberGarden focus country heritage-type plantings, especially native to Carolinian forest region and rare specimensZone 5bMakes no amendsExcept for bark around the bases of some shrubs, Jody Bodnar uses very little mulch in his gardens, hoeing weeds daily by hand. The sandy soil also receives very little amendment. "If you amend, you have to amend so much to make a difference. With so many gardens, I couldn't begin to." Only container plantings are given a helping hand with a watering can and soluble fertilizer.

  ©

  Credit

  Lyn Tremblay

  Wonders of a fall garden 

  Published:

  2006-09-15 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Lyn Tremblay

  Updated:

  2006-09-15 00:00:00

• Heavenly country garden Heavenly country garden

  

  Heavenly country garden of

  Let your garden slowly take shape Like a warm welcome, the bright border of orange, red and yellow perennials leads visitors up the driveway of a 150-year-old fieldstone house in Flamborough County, Ontario. Pretty as a picture, old-fashioned flowers frame the front veranda. Planters and troughs decorate the back entranceway, while behind the house, a flower bed packed with plants encircles a small pond. Off to the west beyond a low, drystone wall lies a small cutting garden and a swimming pool, and to the northwest is a wide open meadow. Although these gardens are stunning now, things weren't always this way.In 1989, Brenda Adams' family had just moved in, and she recalls spending hot July days taking stock of the property. The house had been the manse of the nearby Kirkwall Presbyterian Church since 1856, and the few garden beds that existed were filled with plants donated by members of the congregation: tough,old-fashioned perennials that Brenda has since woven into her own borders. The back of the property had been fenced off to provide a pasture for a neighbouring farmer's ponies, so "everything was chewed to the ground," she recalls.With limited gardening know-how ("Why did the forget-me-nots all die?" she once puzzled), Brenda found herself faced with the daunting prospect of taming three and a half acres of dry, crispy lawn, ragged pastureland and a few small flower beds. Over the ensuing years, the Zone 5 garden has slowly taken shape. "It's like gaining weight-it happened gradually," she explains. But with inspiration gleaned from the many garden tours she's made and the horticultural society meetings she's attended, not to mention plants received from her gardening friends, Brenda has created a country-style garden she can be proud of. Originally, Brenda had visions of flanking both sides of the long driveway with colourful twin borders, complete with soaring delphiniums. Her dreams soon gave way to reality when she discovered what a challenge it was to garden between two black walnut trees on a site exposed to drying west winds and scorching sun. Instead, Brenda started working with tougher plants, even though many of these specimens flowered in oranges, reds and yellows-not her favourite colours. The result is a border that provides a succession of season-long bloom that starts with a dazzling springtime display of bulbs. Blooming through early summer are elegant falls of tall bearded irises and soaring, multicoloured spires of lupines, followed by fiery orange poppies, magenta-hued rose campion, a rainbow of daylilies and brightly coloured phlox. Remember old-fashioned perennials Old-fashioned perennials play a big role in all of Brenda's flower beds, but she's unfettered by challenging conditions in other parts of the garden, so she has more leeway over both plant selection and colour scheme. In the flower bed that skirts the front veranda and the garden that surrounds the backyard pond, masses of perennial geraniums, phlox, pinks and speedwell bloom in pastel shades. "I prefer pinks and blues to reds and oranges," she confesses. There are also hundreds of roses in every shade of pink, as well as peonies and several varieties of her favourite plant, the blue-flowered catmint (Nepeta spp.) "If you have a bigger garden, you have to plant in large drifts; otherwise, everything just gets lost," Brenda explains.With such a large garden to tend, she believes in spending a lot of time getting it into shape early in the season. For an entire week in the spring, she digs out weeds, edges the borders and adds mushroom compost to further enrich the loamy soil. This early blitz makes summer maintenance more manageable. For the remainder of the season, tasks are reduced to plucking out stray hollyhock seedlings, pulling up a few weeds, tearing out any errant grass and a bit of deadheading. This gives Brenda plenty of free time to join her friends on local garden tours, work part-time at a nearby greenhouse and relax with her children, Gillian and Ben, and their dogs, Willy and Liam.Garden factsSize: 1 acreOrientation: front faces south, back faces northConditions: windy and dry, sunny most of the day; opens onto fieldsGrowing season: April to early OctoberGarden focus: season-long interestZone: 5Taming garden pestsWhen dealing with pests and diseases in the garden, Brenda Adams chooses not to use synthetic pesticides. Instead, she blitzes aphids with soapy water and cheerfully squishes slugs; she just lives with blackspot on roses-or, at the very most, she might try an application of dormant oil and lime sulfur in early spring. Brenda prefers tough plants that don't need a lot of fuss to keep them healthy. "If you start growing things that need to be sprayed, it's never-ending." Essential plant list for every season Essential plant list - Spring• More daffodils than tulips, because they naturalize and come back in larger clumps year after year• Catmint, especially Nepeta subsessilis and N. sibirica• Lupines• Peonies, including fernleaf (Paeonia tenuifolia)• PulmonariasSummer• Perennial geraniums, such as showy geranium (Geranium x magnificum), a more vigorous form than the popular 'Johnson's Blue'. Brenda has abandoned the small-leafed varieties such as 'Ballerina' in favour of tougher bigroot geranium cultivars (G. macrorrhizum) because "they're so beautiful and you can't kill them!" She also likes Armenian cranesbill (G. psilostemon).• Roses, especially Explorer cultivars, as well as 'The Fairy', 'Ballerina', 'Königin von Dänemark', 'Ferdinand Pichard', 'Fantin-Latour' and Rosa glauca.• Phlox• Clematis• Speedwell (Veronica spp.)Fall• Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.)• Bugbane, including Actaea simplex (syn. Cimicifuga simplex) 'Brunette' and Actaea matsumurae 'White Pearl'• Joe Pye weed• Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora)• Hollyhocks 

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  Credit

  Lorraine Flanigan

  Heavenly country garden 

  Published:

  2006-08-18 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Lorraine Flanigan

  Updated:

  2006-08-18 00:00:00

• The art of gardening The art of gardening

  

  The art of gardening of

  Restricting your colour palette Artists and gardens seem to have a natural affinity for one another. For centuries the garden has been a rich source of inspiration for artists. Some, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Georgia O'Keeffe, were content just to use fruits and flowers as subject matter, while others, such as Claude Monet, were almost as passionate about gardening as they were about painting. For these artists, the garden was a living canvas, the plants and flowers their palette. In the picturesque seaside town of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, three artists, each with a passion for gardening, have created horticultural masterpieces of their own.WaterworksBeds brimming with riotous colour greet you as you enter Carol and John Whitcombe's backyard garden. A hodgepodge of annuals, perennials, herbs and vege-tables borders a deep stream that cuts across the middle of the yard. Roses-climbing ('Viking Queen'), rambling ('Minnehaha'), floribunda ('Arthur Bell', 'Sea Pearl' and 'Lilli Marleen'), Austin English ('Lilian Austin') and grandiflora ('Queen Elizabeth')-keep company with cannas, poppies, hostas ('Fortunei', 'Fortunei Hyacinthina', 'Francee' and 'Wide Brim') delphiniums, phlox, bellflowers (Campanula carpatica ‘Blue Clips') and campion (Lychnis chalcedonica) in the lush beds. An attractive arrangement of boulders, surrounded by heath and heather, lines stairs curving down into the garden, and a small footbridge leads across the stream to the back of the 25-by-43-metre property. Here, a variety of shrubs and fruit trees surround a large vegetable garden.Carol and John moved to Mahone Bay from Winnipeg via New Mexico seven years ago. When they first bought the attractive little house on Main Street, the backyard was completely nondescript. A few weeks after the couple moved in, a torrential downpour caused the banks to crumble into the stream, so new rock retaining walls were built. To soften the effect of the walls, Carol and John built beds along the banks, planting roses, creeping phlox and creeping Jenny to cascade over the rocks.From there, the garden just evolved, although not quite the way Carol would have liked it to. She prefers a restricted colour palette, similar to those used in her luminous watercolour paintings of lilies, roses, tulips, rhododendrons, poppies and peonies. "I would pick two or three colours at most to use in a certain area," she says. Her ideal is an all-white or all-blue garden with just a dash of yellow or soft orange for contrast. "My way of gardening is to plan everything out, work out the colours and heights of plants," she says. John, on the other hand, has a less methodical approach. "He'll plant one of these here and one of those there, while I like to group everything so you've got a big mass of one colour." However, since John, a retired marketing director, does most of the work in the garden these days, Carol is happy to let him make most of the design choices. Although, if you look carefully, you'll find one or two beds dominated by whites and blues among the colourful profusion.Carol views the garden as an almost sacred place, one that inspires creativity. She'd love to be able to paint in the garden, but her realistic style requires a certain amount of control over the watercolours, something for which sun and wind have no regard. Instead, she sketches and photographs among the beds before beginning a painting. The time spent in the garden "just nourishes my soul," she says, "so I'm ready to sit down and paint." Letting the garden evolve on its own Sunken treasurePlanted among the remains of an old house foundation, Vicki Lynn Bardon's sunken garden evokes the spirit of romanticism with its crumbling rock walls, elegant urns and secret nooks. Several roses, including 'American Pillar' and 'New Dawn', climb the rock walls, their heavenly scent hanging in the air. English ivy, feathery ferns, Solomon's seal and a host of hostas provide a foliage backdrop for the blanket flowers (Gaillardia x grandiflora), bleeding hearts, purple coneflowers, peonies, perennial geraniums, hollyhocks, Siberian irises, and lilies lining the perimeter of the walls.Situated next to their gift store on Main Street, the "Secret Garden," – as local children call it – was just a vacant lot for several years after Vicki and her husband, Gary, acquired the property, before Vicki finally found time to turn it into a garden. An internationally recognized clothing and quilt designer, she hadn't done much gardening prior to this project. "Now I'm obsessed with it," she laughs. "I find it very satisfying and creative." The same inimitable sense of colour and style that marks Vicki's work is apparent throughout the garden. "I'm a real sucker for blue flowers," she says. Irises, delphiniums, clematis, monkshood and veronicas are a few of the blue flowers that thrive in her garden. "Intense blue. I like to combine that with pinks and magentas and purples and whites." She also loves the oranges and yellows of the black-eyed Susans and lilies, which come along later in the season. One of those gardeners who can't pass a plant nursery without stopping in and buying something, Vicki says, "There isn't a flower I don't love. I don't think I'm going to live long enough to plant all the flowers I want to have." Her favourites, however, are peonies and irises. She loves the shape of irises; their upright petals and drooping lower petals remind her of a woman wearing a flowing, ruffled skirt.It seems Vicki can transform any space, indoors or out, into something spectacular. When another old building south of the store was demolished last year, she immediately claimed the space for a new garden. This one, a "folk art garden," features such whimsical touches as an antique dress rack (from the store) used as a trellis for morning glories and a rustic, woven willow headboard that serves as a support for a row of sweet peas. Scallop shells line the edges of a few of the beds and, on fine days, Vicki's gorgeous quilts hang from a wooden fence above the garden.Garden factsLocation: on Nova Scotia's south shore, about 70 kilometres southwest of HalifaxConditions: acidic soil, high winds, average annual rainfall: 13 centimetresGrowing season: mid-May to late SeptemberZone: 5b Combining art and gardening Carved nicheGail Logan, a sculptor and landscape designer, didn't have any particular vision in mind when she started her sprawling country garden a few kilometres outside the town. Her main objective, she says, was to create a space filled with "positive energy," a pleasant place to spend time with family and friends. It took her just three years to transform what was a derelict farmyard into an inviting haven that is part of her One Sky Now Gallery and Garden Centre. A proponent of organic gardening, Gail raises all the plants for the garden centre.There's nothing formal, linear or geometric about Gail's 2,000-square-metre garden. Like her personality and her art, the design is natural and unrestrained, with playful flourishes here and there. Gravel and flagstone paths wind around the lavish perennial beds. Woven willow fencing and trellises provide structure and support, and comfy driftwood chairs and loveseats invite lounging. In the centre of the garden is a small, heart-shaped pond filled with duckweed, water hyacinths and lilies. The gurgling and splashing of water created by two waterfalls adds to the serene atmosphere. Then, of course, there are the sculptures. Gail's own creations, as well as those of friends, are artfully arranged throughout the garden. The pieces are often witty and provocative. For example, near the pond is her latest installation: three heads of varying sizes emerging from the soil, a work entitled "The Coming Out Party."For Gail, art and gardening are intricately intertwined. Creating a new perennial bed is as much a part of her artistic expression as sculpting a new stone piece for the garden. Like most visual artists, she loves playing with colour and texture. Striking contrasts, such as 'Blue Butterfly' delphiniums planted next to bright yellow Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam' or the handful of crimson poppies scattered among a drift of delicate white musk mallow (Malva moschata), are visible throughout the garden. Contrasting sizes and textures, such as towering eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus') behind monkshood (Aconitum x cammarum 'Bicolor'), add drama. Many of Gail's unusual plant choices, including bristly headed Fuller's teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) and giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), reflect her sculptor's sense of shape and form.Most of Gail's sculptures are designed for and created in the garden. In summer, she sculpts beneath a massive, old apple tree that dominates one end of the property. "This is a big place in my life," she says. "It's where I work, where I carve stone, where I live ... It's just a wonderful, sweet, spiritual place to be."While it may not be a requisite for an artist to have a gardener's soul, for these three Maritime artists, their gardens inspire and nurture their other creative endeavours.

  ©

  Credit

  Joyce Glasner

  The art of gardening 

  Published:

  2006-07-21 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Joyce Glasner

  Updated:

  2006-07-21 00:00:00

• Victory lap around this New Brunswick garden Victory lap around this New Brunswick garden

  

  Victory lap around this New Brunswick garden of

  Experiment with fruit-bearing trees in a microclimate Réjean Hébert certainly deserves credit for his fearlessness vis-à-vis Mother Nature. In fact, the New Brunswick gardener is probably in denial.Although his garden on the Acadian peninsula is in Zone 4b, Réjean fills it with plants generally at home in more temperate regions of Canada. Along with peach, nectarine and apricot trees, he's also had some success with butterfly bushes, several varieties of grapes and a chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), allegedly hardy only to Zone 6b.A radio journalist who also freelances for television, Réjean lives in St-Simon, in northeastern New Brunswick, and credits the moderating influence of the nearby Baie des Chaleurs with enabling him to grow plants that would never survive in the province's interior. "It's always warmer here near the Gulf of St. Lawrence," he says. "During the winter, the temperature is five to seven degrees Celsius higher."This advantage has emboldened Réjean. Convinced that his garden enjoys a mild microclimate, he has experimented with fruit-bearing trees more often found in the mainly Zone 6b environments of the Niagara Peninsula and Okanagan Valley. "I think the garden is helped by the surrounding white spruce trees, which protect it from wind," he says.Réjean's experimental approach has paid off. A cluster of about 20 Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsis betonicifolia) bloom beside a cedar fence at the back of the property. "I tried for five or six years to grow them," he says. "It was a lot of trial and error. For every 200 seeds I cultivated, I would get only four or five plants." Relishing the horticultural challenge, Réjean did some research and visited Reford Gardens in Grand-Métis, Quebec, renowned for its blue poppies. "I finally realized that this plant doesn't like too much humidity." He was also advised to sow seeds in a cold, shady environment; he uses lots of perlite in the soil for drainage. "By last year, I had 20 plants. I've never seen anyone else around here cultivate them."The garden, which Réjean began planting when he and his spouse, Guylaine Doiron, had their house built 10 years ago, is his first venture into horticulture and has evolved gradually. "When we arrived here, the land was a swamp and full of large sandstone rocks. It had to be cleared of black spruce, and most of the maples and birches. We did it all by hand. We had to take out the rocks, dig down and add eight inches [20 centimetres] of black earth." Réjean also installed underground drainage pipes in the orchard to avoid waterlogged tree roots.  Garden facts; learning from mistakes "I didn't know the difference between an annual and a perennial," he says, "but I learned by watching gardening shows on TV and visiting local nurseries. I have been attracted to plants since I was at school and used to draw landscapes in art class."He started modestly with a small border in front of the house. "That was a learning year," he says. "The following year, I changed everything. For the first three or four years, I was learning what worked and what didn't. I started with perennials that were easy to grow from seed: shasta daisies, blanket flowers [Gaillardia spp.], pinks [Dianthus spp.] and bellflowers [Campanula carpatica]. Each year, I added more to the garden."Garden factsSize: 50 x 100 metresOrientation: southConditions: amended swampy and rocky areas, sunnyGrowing season: mid-May to mid-OctoberGarden focus: part traditional English, part countryZone: 4bLearning from mistakesRéjean admits he's made mistakes. "When I started the garden, I paired plants that were the wrong colours and the wrong heights or that had a short flowering period. For instance, the daisies and blanket flowers were too tall for the front of the border. But everyone does that at first."The property now boasts 10 borders, a vegetable garden, an orchard, 60 varieties of shrubs and 20 varieties of trees, many of which are borderline hardy. Hardscaping, which unifies the various garden areas, includes a gazebo, a pergola and old cedar fencing.Frustrated by a paucity of variety in local garden centres, Réjean spends the winter choosing plants for the following season. He seeds about 70 per cent of his plant material, including many of his shrubs and trees. "I order seeds from Ontario, the U.S. and England," he says. Some trees were shipped as saplings from mail-order services. Choose plants for successive waves of foliage Unfortunately, not all of the saplings can cope with the harshness of the climate. During a recent nasty winter, a fast-growing catalpa tree (Catalpa speciosa) in the white border (see page 84) froze down to a 30-centimetre-tall stump. "It came back, so now I protect it."Other tender plants he wraps in burlap for the winter include a grouping of butterfly bushes beside the house, two hybrid tea roses ('Quasimodo' and 'Sunsprite'), a 'Nikko Blue' hydrangea and a 'Bloodgood' Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood').Réjean takes pains to choose plants that will give him successive waves of bloom and a variety of foliage colours, as well as long bloom period and good looks after the flowers are done. For example, three 'Shubert' choke cherry trees (Prunus virginiana 'Shubert') in his front yard offer red leaves during the summer. Other red-leafed trees and shrubs include the Japanese maple and barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea'). Forsythia and rhododendrons provide colour in spring; roses and weigela, in summer; and hydrangeas, in fall.The garden is also planted to engage the senses. Lavender grows on each side of a pathway that leads to a combination greenhouse and shed. In the greenhouse, Réjean cultivates grapes ('Concord', 'Niagara' and 'Valiant') that might not survive outdoors. Another grape, 'Eona', ramps over the 4.5-metre-long pergola attached to the gazebo.For Réjean, the garden has become a peaceful sanctuary from the stress of work. Because his on-air shift at the radio station begins at 6 a.m., during the gardening season he rises early to tour his plants before leaving for the station, and gardens in the evening. "For me, this is not work. It's a hobby and I don't count the hours I spend doing it."By mid-January every year, he's cultivating the upcoming season's plants from seeds, under grow-lights in his basement. The garden hits its stride toward the end of July, with each season bringing new challenges. But then, Réjean loves to be horticulturally challenged. And he's rarely disappointed. Border guard - try these in your zone Border guardRéjean Hébert cultivates dozens of trees and shrubs that were not bred to withstand the climatic conditions of his Zone 4b garden. Nevertheless, he's had great success. Here are some of the trees that flourish in his garden:Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Blue Mist', Zone 6Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), Zone 6Beautybush (Kolkwitzia amabilis), Zone 5Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), Zone 6Weigela florida 'Variegata', Zone 6'Nikko Blue' hydrangea(Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'), Zone 6'BLOODGOOD' Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood') Zone 6Mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus'), Zone 5Apples: 'Royal Gala', 'Lobo', Zone 5Cherries: 'Stella', 'Hedelfingen', 'Van', Zone 5Nectarine: 'Harblaze', Zone 5Pears: Asiatic 'Shinseiki', 'Bartlett', 'Patten', 'Red Clapp', most Zone 5Plums: 'Mount Royal', 'Early Italian', 'Burbank' and 'Kahinta', Zone 5  

  ©

  Credit

  Stephanie Whittaker

  Victory lap around this New Brunswick garden 

  Published:

  2006-06-16 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Stephanie Whittaker

  Updated:

  2006-06-16 00:00:00

• Award-winning garden style Award-winning garden style

  

  Award-winning garden style of

  Garden renovation as a hobby Garden renovation is nothing new to Jennifer Buckland and Van Eriksen. Over the years, they have owned and renovated a couple of houses and gardens, but their biggest challenge came in 1995 when they moved into their present home on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver.“The people we bought the house from lived here for 40 years, but they hadn't done any gardening,” explains Jennifer. “They moved a large deodar cedar to the backyard to hide a hydro pole and there was an old cherry tree and some lawn. That was the extent of the landscaping.”In no time at all, however, Jennifer and Van, both flight attendants with Air Canada, began to make progress. (They've brought their garden to great heights, winning the grand prize in Canadian Gardening's 2001 Gardens of the Year contest.) They rescued all sorts of mature flowering shrubs-rhododendrons, skimmia, hydrangeas, azaleas, a large cotoneaster and camellias-from demolition sites and started to create the garden. In some cases, they paid less than $20 for sizable, top-quality plants. The recycled shrubs quickly filled space and gave the garden a more established look. And they were happy to accept gifts of perennials and groundcovers from their new neighbours.Unfortunately, as soon as they began their horticultural adventure in 1996, they suffered a setback. Fire destroyed the entire house and they were forced to divert energy into building a new home.But a year later the garden work was back on track. Their first job was to create more privacy by planting some trees and shrubs to make a screen at the bottom of the garden. To pull this off, they planted a pink-leafed ‘Flamingo' box elder (Acer negundo ‘Flamingo') and some recycled hydrangeas. Behind them, they placed a golden-leafed black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia').Next, Van built an attractive cedar arbour-seat and installed a small concrete patio in front, decorated with pebbles and stones gathered from local beaches. On one side of the arbour, Jennifer planted ‘Snow Goose', one of David Austin's popular climbing roses that produces slightly fragrant, white flowers. On the other side, she put in the reddish purple, summer-flowering ‘Ville de Lyon' clematis.The ‘Flamingo' box elder now offers a strong counterbalance to the busy jumble of the back border. A stand of red valerian (Centranthus ruber) shares ground with the silver foliage of a cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) while the tall, slender feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster') immediately catches the eye, as do clumps of non-stop flowering golden yellow ‘Stella de Oro' daylilies, a young, willow-leafed pear (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula'), the upright blades of blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens syn. Avena candida) and orache (Atriplex hortensis ‘Rubra'), with leaves the colour of bruised raspberries. Jennifer says she was inspired to plant this by the books of British garden guru Christopher Lloyd, of Greater Dixter fame. Garden facts Hunting for rare and unusual plants is part of Jennifer's passion. She often comes home with her car packed full of new plant treasures from cottage nurseries on the outskirts of Vancouver. That was how she found silver-leafed Artemisia ‘Huntington', which is similar to the more commonplace ‘Powis Castle' but with a more upright structure and hardier constitution. It was at a specialty nursery that she picked up a fabulous midnight blue bellflower (Campanula ‘Sarasota') and a pink-blossomed toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty'), both of which she has placed in eye-catching locations at the front of the border.GARDENFACTSSize: 24 x 52 metresOrientation: northeastConditions: well-drained soil, full sunGrowing season: most of the yearGarden focus: English styleZone: 7bBefore moving on, it is hard not to notice the beautiful crimson flowers of the hardy bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum ‘Max Frei')-fat clumps on either side of the arbour-seat. Jennifer also points out a planting scheme designed to guarantee a continuity of colour in fall: burning bush (Euonymus alatus) with blue-flowered Aster frikartii ‘Mönch' as its supporting cast. “The blue of the asters and the red fall foliage of the Euonymus look sensa-tional together,” she says. “It's one of my most successful combinations.”Not that Jennifer likes everything she has planted. She is, for instance, rather nonplussed by cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing'), once touted as a must-have perennial. “I don't care for it much any more,” she says. “It looks rather tatty, I think, after it has finished flowering.”A huge Gunnera manicata near the entrance to the backyard is another plant Jennifer has mixed feelings about. On the other hand, Van loves it. But both agree they made a sound decision when they placed an Indian bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea') so that its golden foliage would contrast with the dark red foliage of a neighbour's Japanese maple on the west side of the house. They're also delighted with their planting of Potentilla nepalensis ‘Miss Willmott' mixed with love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) beneath a Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus) in a border below the back deck. And Jennifer and Van wouldn't be without their Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia), which shares space with a mock orange.Van's skill at building structures is evident throughout the garden, especially at the entrance to the backyard, which is framed by an arbour, painted blue, covered with a ‘Madame Grangé' clematis and a trumpet vine. Hanging down from the arbour is an antique street lamp from Copenhagen that Van salvaged.In the centre of the garden, surrounded by a grand sweep of lawn, a pond is filled with water lilies that flourish in the sun. Originally an island bed, Van dug it out and expanded it a little, taking care not to interfere with the attractive curve of the back border. He installed a concrete patio around the edge, embedded with rocks collected from back lanes, beaches and construction sites.The area around the pond has become Jennifer and Van's favourite early-morning spot. “I grab a cup of coffee and sit by the pond with Van,” says Jennifer. “He loves to feed the fish. But I inevitably end up weeding and deadheading in my nightie!” Using containers as a design element On the bank of the pond, Jennifer planted the tall eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Arabesque'), along with the daintier palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis), which resembles papyrus. The sides of the pond are also home to the lilac-purple flowers of Verbena bonariensis and the purple foliage and carmine flowers of an ‘Ellen Huston' dahlia. Many gardeners would also be envious of Jennifer's ability to grow angel's fishing rod (Dierama pulcherrimum), a tricky perennial requiring a sunny, well-drained site to produce its exquisitely dainty pink flowers, which dangle at the ends of long arching stems.Containers play an important decorative role in the garden. Dotted around the pond and in various other spots, they are filled with heat-tolerant plants such as sedum and ornamental grasses, Nemesia ‘Confetti' and geraniums.To the left of the pond, discreetly tucked behind a screen of trellis fencing, a compost and storage area is disguised by a vigorous red ‘Dortmund' rose and a white-flowering Clematis montana. Sweet peas and English ivy (Hedera helix ‘Gold Heart') also do their bit to keep the eyes from probing beyond the fenceline.The compost Jennifer creates is the secret to her healthy plants. She mulches the beds with it all summer. As well as collecting 70 bags of leaves from neighbouring streets in fall, Jennifer picks up bags of coffee grinds from her local Starbucks. She reckons this helps her compost to cook better. She also gathers stinging nettles from wherever she can to make a “nettle compost tea”, which she uses to quench her thirsty borders. And every January, Jennifer shares a truckload of compost provided by the city with two of her neighbours. She spreads a five-centimetre layer over plants before they emerge in spring.Next to the storage is the most intimate and secluded area of the garden: a six-metre, oval-shaped enclosure that Jennifer and Van call their private sitting spot. In the centre, surrounded by a carpet of pink-flowered Himalayan knotweed (Persicaria affinis syn. Polygonum affine ‘Dimity'), there is a sundial made from the remnants of a column salvaged from a house demolition.Elegantly positioned on one side is a bluish grey wooden bench, behind which is an exuberant stand of white mugwort (Artemisia lactiflora ‘Guizhou'), as well as a dense clump of cape fuchsia (Phygelius capensis). Filling space along the back fence is a variegated kiwi vine (Actinidia kolomikta), with its green, heart-shaped leaves that look as if they've been dipped in raspberry jam.The burgundy, pincushion-like flowers of Knautia macedonica (syn. Scabiosa rumelica), the exquisite blue foliage of Rosa glauca and the dainty lavender-mauve flowers of graceful meadow rue (Thalictrum ‘Finetti') grace corners of the private patio.A hubei mountain ash (Sorbus hupehensis ‘Pink Pagoda') provides height as well as more than one season of interest with white blossoms in spring, pink berries in late summer and pink foliage in fall. Hardy to Zone 4, this introduction from University of B.C. Botanical Garden works well as a specimen shrub or vertical accent in a mixed border.Underscoring the mountain ash, Jennifer has found room for masterwort (Astrantia major), calla lilies and variegated gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides ‘Geisha'). In other spots around the patio she grows Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) and orpine (Sedum telephium ‘Mohrchen'), which has dark purple, succulent foliage and produces raspberry pink flowers in late summer.Completing the picture in this pleasant hideaway is a row of white cedars (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd' syn. ‘Emerald'), which creates an effective privacy screen.Has it been worth all the time and effort? Van says: “It was a back-breaking job. I don't know if we could do this much from scratch again, but we've had lots of fun coming this far. And the garden always gives us immense pleasure.”

  ©

  Credit

  Steve Whysall, photos by Bert Klassen

  Award-winning garden style 

  Published:

  2006-05-15 00:00:00

  Author(s):

  Steve Whysall, photos by Bert Klassen

  Updated:

  2006-05-15 00:00:00

• Rhodo scholar Rhodo scholar

  

  Rhodo scholar of

  Nova Scotia's scenic South Shore garden On a winding road that traces the curves and jogs of shoreline near Lunenburg, on Nova Scotia's scenic South Shore, is Bayport Plant Farm, where Capt. Dick Steele works his horticultural magic. The 12 hectares of Dick's breeding and retail operations are awash with rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and other wonderful species of shrubs, trees and perennials.Dick's fascination with plants started in his childhood; he grew up near the Saint John River in New Brunswick. He was particularly taken with rhododendrons. But serving his country as a naval officer in the Second World War as well as family demands kept him from doing much gardening until the late 1940s. He then served in Korea, so his plans for plants were put on hold until the mid-'50s.With limited information or stock available locally, he travelled to England and the eastern U.S. to learn from other breeders and collect seed and cuttings. His numerous test-planting sites included the community of Boulderwood, near Halifax, where he lived for 21 years. Many of the rhododendrons Dick gave to his neighbours there are now nearly 50 years old, and the June to July bloom period is spectacular. By the early 1970s he recognized that he needed more room for his ever-expanding collections, so he established his plant farm in Bayport, which had the acidic soil and moderating temperatures of the nearby ocean that rhodos crave.Some people dismiss rhododendrons as stars of the garden because of their short bloom period or because they can