A Romantic Country Garden

Today I have a romantic country garden to share with you.

This is a very rough plan of the garden. There are two quite spectacular views and a little courtyard garden at the front of the house I that I want to highlight in this post. 

A few of the pictures you may have seen before. Today I place them back in the context of the overall garden.

The back of the house looks out past two large topiaries to an open field and the valley beyond (as you can see in the next image).

And to the left of the house a series of pathways and steps take you to a terrace that overlooks a wooded ravine.

This would be a nice spot for a summer meal don't you think?

At the front of the house there is a flagstone courtyard filled with romantic pink roses. A set of stone steps leads you down and into the little courtyard.

At the top of the stone staircase there is a large bunch of Spotted Bellflower, Campanula punctata (Be warned: Clumps can spread vigorously!) and soft, feathery wands of blue Catmint, Nepeta.

Campanula punctata shining in the late afternoon sun. (Be warned: Clumps can spread vigorously!)

This image of the garden is a personal favourite.

The courtyard looking in the direction of the ravine.

Looking back the other way toward the large shed.

A little path leads you past the shed to the little glade that you may remember as part of my post on object placement.

The Fairy Rose, Polyantha, 'The Fairy'. Height: 60-90 cm. Spread 60-120 cm.  

Sadly it has no fragrance.

White Asiatic Lilies

I am going to make an educated guess that these are two varieties of Campanula carpatica, a short lived perennial that forms low, cushion shaped mounds of lavender or white flowers. Full sun. Height: 20-25 cm, Spread 20-30 cm.  Zones 2-9.

Special pieces of artwork can be found throughout the garden.

And so ends our tour.

10 Great Ways to Dress up a Wall or Fence

Private Garden, Forest Hills ON

Some walls have a beautiful aged patina. The last thing you'd want to do is cover them up or hide them. But other times, a wall or a fence can be anything but attractive. 

It could also be the case that you want to fenced boundaries of your garden to be softer or to disappear all together.

Here are 10 great ways to make that wall or fence just that little bit more attractive.

Patricia and Loren's Garden in Mississauga, ON

1. Layer a decorative garden ornament over vines.

Patricia and Loren's Garden in Mississauga, ON

Private Garden, Mississauga, ON

2. Install a wall fountain.

Private Garden, Brampton, ON

Private Garden, Forest Hills, ON

Private Garden, Grimsby, ON

3. Cover the fence with vines, install a small water feature and surround it with plantings.

Private Garden, Grimsby, ON

Private Garden, Forest Hills, ON

4. Use a decorative trellis support and a flowering vine. Add a decorative element like a planter or birdhouse on top of the trellis for extra color and interest.

Private Garden, Rosedale, ON

My garden

Private Garden, Forest Hills, ON

5. Place a large planter or birdbath in front of the wall.

Private Garden, Mississauga, ON

Private Garden, Brampton, ON

6. Stagger planting boxes or hang baskets down the length of the fence.

Private Garden, Mississauga, ON

Private Garden, Mississauga, ON

7. Use a mirrored window to reflect an attractive part of your garden.

Private Garden on Ward Island

8. Keep it simple and just go green.

Private Garden, Mississauga, ON

9. Create a little seating area.

 Private Garden, Forest Hills, ON

(This seating area was specially made, but I think you could easily accomplish a similar effect by using a ready-made bench, planting vines and installing a decorative hanging lantern like the one below.)

Sandria's Garden in Brampton Ontario

10. Go classical by placing a statue in among the greenery to disguise the wall or fence.

Hope you found a bit of inspiration for your own garden.

Have a wonderful weekend!