Great Fall Color in a Country Garden in Eramosa Township

Heuchera blossoms in the foreground with Japanese Blood Grass in the background

The expansive roadside flower beds brimming with fall color leave no doubt that this small stone farmhouse in Eramosa township is a gardener's home. 

Tall clumps of Feather Reed Grass stand like sentinels on either side of the home's driveway. Summer flowers which include Annabelle Hydrangea and orange colored daylilies are succeeded in fall by Brown-eyed Susan, Echinacea, Sedum and large clumps of tall grass. In the winter months, evergreens take over the job of providing interest in the garden. 

River rock curves its way across the bottom of the roadside banks of perennials. Large scale boulders were brought in to add permanent, all-season structure to the flower beds. 

The old stone farm house dates from around the 1850's.

River rock was also used to frame the large oval shaped garden at the end of the driveway. A curved set of stone steps lead up into the bed of flowers. Here again sweeping clumps of tall grasses, Sedum and Brown-eyed Susan add dramatic fall color.

At the front of the house, a cluster of different varieties of Phlox, Echinacea (above), Globe Thistle (below) and the last of the pink Holllyhocks (below) were all in bloom, when we visited the garden.

In the back garden, the sea of Periwinkle must look amazing when the purple flowers emerge in spring. Even green, this mass planting is quite striking.

Also in the back garden, this Japanese Blood Grass looks amazing with sedum as a backdrop.

There are two seating areas in the back garden, a circular stone patio just off the back door and this little nook above, with its park bench and small pond (half hidden on the right).

A rustic birdhouse in the back garden

A Chipmunk with a battle-scared face pays a fall visit to the garden

For wild animals and birds, summer can be a fairly quiet time for activity in the garden. Come fall however, birds rediscover the feeders, squirrels and chipmunks scamper about the garden looking for that seed or nut, which will get them through the coming winter.