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Monday, March 11, 2019

Little Moments


Over the years, I have amassed such a huge archive of garden images that I often can't see the forest for the trees (pun fully intended). For today's post, I thought I would go back and show you gardens that have been missed for one reason or another. Each has a special moment that I think you'll enjoy. The ideas are largely self-explanatory and there are lots of pictures so I will keep the text to a minimum. 

The first set of images is of a home in the countryside near Guelph, Ontario. The pictures show the entrance at the side of the house and a courtyard at the back of the house.


Wishing wells are not a new idea, but I thought this one was nicely done. The star of the show is a patio Clematis (sorry I don't know the specific cultivar) that will only reach a height of five or six feet. 


The purple pom-poms are Verbena Bonariensis (an annual flower).


Salvia is the other flower at the base of the wishing well.


I thought that propping an old door against a blank wall was a rather fun idea. The horseshoes are no doubt for luck. In the foreground, there is a moss-covered stone with a jet of water that empties into a reservoir hidden under a covering of river rocks.





In the courtyard, I liked the baskets hung on the wall. On the table, there is a cute wooden box that you can see in detail in the next shot.


A nice mix of perennials and grasses. Private garden in Caledon, Ontario.

Penstemon 'Dark Towers'


The whimsy of the figure carrying the weight of the flowerbox made me smile.

  Private garden in Stratford, Ontario.

Private garden in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Yet another bit of whimsy that repurposes antiques.

Private Garden Toronto

A little reminder that a vigorous groundcover is not always a bad thing...


Lamium maculatum 'Shell Pink' is a nice change from the more common purple variety.

Although I prefer to play it safe.

  Private garden in Stratford, Ontario.

This arbour at the side of the garage marks the entrance to the back garden. The inclusion of a bench is a nice anchor for the tall structure and elevates the duck container planting to a place where you'll notice it. 

 Private garden in Stratford, Ontario.

Private garden in Stratford, Ontario.

Not every yard or budget has room for a big gazebo. This small wooden structure is just the right size to work in the small space and still offers enough room for a few comfortable chairs.

Private Garden Mississauga, Ontario

Perhaps your taste is more contemporary– then how about this covered deck. The mix of metal and wood is very attractive.

 Private garden in Stratford, Ontario.

And how nice is this firepit area? Imagine sitting by the fire and listening to the pleasant sound of cascading water. 


To be brutally honest, this rental property didn't have the most attractive facade, but boy oh boy did the front garden ever make up for it. The whole yard was wall-to-wall flowers. If I remember correctly the landlord's daughter was a horticultural student (with an obvious gift).



Single Hollyhocks

 Daylilies, Shasta daisies and the silver-grey plant on the right is Lamb's Ears.







It's not often I am stumped by a plant these days, but I have no idea what this purple flower is. A herb perhaps? If you know it, please leave a comment below. I'd love to grow it myself.

 Double hollyhocks





Even in a middle-sized garden, you can have a series of pathways and still have room left over for a lawn.

A small pond in a private garden in Toronto.

A closeup of the Peonies.




Private garden in Toronto.

The only thing going on in this particular front garden was a big patch of bearded Iris. It just goes to show you that even a single type of plant can create a special moment.

9 comments:

  1. It looks like perennial ageratum to me- eupatorium coelestinum.

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    1. It does look quite similar but I blew up the image just to confirm the ID and the flowers aren't the same. Thanks for taking the time to leave the suggestion. Hopefully we can all work together to figure this out.

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  2. Love all the ideas in this post! My oregano looks a little like that mystery plant when it blooms. ???

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    Replies
    1. I think you might be right Karen. I does look like Italian oregano. The only thing that makes me hesitate is the fact that oregano is a member of the mint family and is an aggressive spreader. This plant seemed to be in a clump...curious...

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    2. It looks very much like Oreganum Vulgare - i.e Oregano to me, I have it in my garden in Finland. There are several cultivars, some of them taste better as a spice than others. It does not spread from crawlers. It spreads with seeds very aggressively. I suppose it could be avoided by cutting the flowers when they are over.

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    3. Thank you for the suggestion and the warning about the self-seeding. I have grown Oregano before, but only the short spreading type. I started poking around online after reading your comment and see that there is a tall ornamental form Origanum 'Rosenkuppel'. It has the flower clusters and is 18 inches tall. Now I feel like a want to learn more and will continue with my investigation of different forms of oregano.

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    4. I think the purple flower is verbena bonariensis. It's an annual that is supposed to self seed. It doesn't for me, but I'm in a cold barely zone 5.

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  3. Lovely spaces Jennifer, thanks for the breath of spring!

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