Parts of Canada are still snow-covered (at least where I garden), but thankfully it’s March and milder spring weather can’t be far behind. Here are two of my favourite spring plant combinations that would be easy to recreate in most Canadian gardens. The first was inspired by a visit to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania last year; the second is a coincidental pairing from my own … [Read more...] about Two spring plant combinations to try
Garden design
Garden design ideas for all season blooms
What do gardeners want? The simple answer is to see beautiful blooms every day of the growing season. What we’re more likely to see are a few bursts of colourful blossoms interspersed with increasingly long periods of green leaves. This scenario is the result of planting only what interests us most (or what recently seduced us at the garden centre), instead of following a … [Read more...] about Garden design ideas for all season blooms
Visit new gardens to explore garden design
One of the best ways to discover new plants or design ideas for your garden is to visit other gardens, regardless if you travel down the block or on an overnight trip. Looking at how someone else arranges plants, combines colours, positions paths or places ornaments reveals the immense creativity of garden design. Admittedly, walking through a grand garden in a climate more … [Read more...] about Visit new gardens to explore garden design
Visits inspire garden design ideas
Visiting a home garden is one of the best ways to learn how certain plants perform in a landscape. It’s an opportunity to see how they mature and what they look like paired with others. If the garden is located in your neighbourhood, so much the better: What grows down the street from you will likely succeed in your own plot, too. However, visiting gardens farther afield also … [Read more...] about Visits inspire garden design ideas
Front garden design changes
I gave myself a shock this week by removing a large fern-leaf beech (Fagus sylvatica var. heterophylla ‘Aspliniifolia’, Zone 6) from the front garden, but it did reveal the possibility for some front garden design changes. I was sorry to lose a beautiful tree, but my acquisitive nature had come back to haunt me, and it had to go. Initially, I was eager to have this tree … [Read more...] about Front garden design changes
