An Asian-Inspired Garden, Part 1: The Pond-less Waterfall

"It was the 60+ year old English house I bought in 1982 that had an established though long neglected garden that started my love of gardening," says Carina Wong.

Originally from Malaysia, Carina had gone to England to study nursing and decided to stay on after she graduated. When she purchased her first house in March, she had no idea there was a large garden sleeping through the final days of winter. 

When spring brought the garden to life, Carina was at a loss how to handle the mature garden she'd inherited. At that time, she had no experience with gardening. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, she hired someone to help her in those early days. Then, slowly over the next seventeen years, the garden ended up teaching her how to be a gardener. 

A move to Canada saw a fresh set of gardening challenges. 

A visitor to the garden sits by the pond.

"I wanted an English-themed garden for the front of my new house," Carina recalls.

The property she bought in Mississauga had two large maple trees in the front yard that cast a tremendous amount of shade. Carina had one removed and limbed up the other to let in a little more sun for the roses she hoped to grow. Other than the two maples, the garden she inherited had a lawn and a narrow flowerbed that ran along the front of the house. 

"I had many lovely roses, but sadly the arrival of Japanese beetles nine or ten years back became too big a problem to keep under control. The roses were sad and any blooms were quickly decimated. In the end, I got rid of over 30 rose plants! How should I put it - gardening phases come and go with the gardeners' aging process!"

The idea of installing a pond in the front yard began as a solution for a grub problem in the lawn. On the advise of her local garden centre, Carina tried to treat the problem with a pesticide. The chemicals smelled horrible and they were expensive. Worst of all, the grub problem persisted even after a couple of treatments. So Carina decided to dig up the lawn and put in a pond.

Over the years the pond went through a number of phases. In its first incarnation, it was a small preformed plastic pond. Not satisfied with that, Carina hired someone to come in and create a larger pond. A number of years later the skimmer broke, and rather than replace it, Carina decided to replace the high maintenance pond with a pond-less waterfall that was a lot less work. 

The interlocking brick was another time saver. No more lawn tomow! 

The garden along the front of the house.

1. Bearded Iris with variegated foliage 2. Tall allium 'Purple Sensation' 3. Rhododendron 4. Stonecrop or Creeping Sedum 5. Allium 6. Thyme 7. Moss Phlox, Phlox subulata 'Emerald Cushion Blue'

A closer look at the Moss Phlox (left) and the Thyme (right)

Phlox subulata 'Emerald Cushion Blue' creates a low mound of green needle-like leaves. In the spring, it is covered with lavender-blue flowers. This is a clump-forming perennial and is not invasive. Good drainage is essential for over-wintering moss phlox. Once established this plant is quite drought tolerant. Height: 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm(18-23 inches). USDA zones: 2-9.

"I have happy memories of sitting on the park bench under the Canadian Maple in the evenings and listening to as many as 13 pairs of frogs' croaking - is there a better way to describe the beautiful sounds they make? Sitting on that bench also offered me the perfect vantage point for improving the layout and making changes over the years as well as enjoying a glass of wine or two!", smiles Carina. 

A birdbath and one of the roses that still remain in the front garden.

In the part 2, we'll head into Carina's wonderful backyard.

A Garden of Many Rooms

Most gardeners focus their efforts on the backyard. In this case, the homeowner has directed much of her energies to a rectangular space at the side of a century home that may at one time have housed a garage. 

I doing so, she transformed a long narrow area into a series of courtyards or rooms. By partitioning the area according to function (outdoor dining, potting shed and seating areas) an awkward space has been made to feel wider and more generous. The view to the backyard is partially obstructed making each new room a delightful surprise.

This is not a Japanese garden, but there are many Asian influences. Although there is no raked sand, there is fine gravel and rocks. The lattice that provides privacy for dining area also has a oriental feel. Even the plantings, which are generally spare and textural rather than floral, have the minimalist aesthetic of a Japanese garden. 

The first "room" is a dining area complete with a table and chairs.

Wooden decking leads past the outdoor eating area to the back porch. The side of the house gets full sun in the hottest part of the day, so a pergola was constructed to create a little afternoon shade (see below).

Providing the dinner music is this classic water fountain.

This is a gardener who appreciates the unique color, shape, size and texture of stone. In the picture above, rocks and pebbles have been combined with pots of green ferns to make a little vignette. 

In other parts of the garden, craggy, moss covered rocks have been used to edge raised beds and flat, grey flagstone is mixed with fine pea gravel to form the central pathway that runs through the garden.

Here a few special rocks and crystals have even been gathered into a raised display.

A lean-to of vines transform the sunny porch into a shady retreat.

A container planting on top of a clay column.

Midway down the side yard is the potting area– the working heart of the garden.

Annuals in a container planting just behind the potting bench.

An nice mix of textures in the flowerbed beside the potting bench.

 

An Euonymus with golden variegation climbs up the side of an arbor.

The restricted color palette makes the journey down the central pathway feel serene. Finely-cut foliage also adds a certain softness to this part of the garden.

A mix of ferns and a Bleeding Heart surround a garden ornament 

that continues the oriental theme.

The plantings in front of the shed emphasize foliage texture and color. The Japanese Maple and the peach Heuchera add a hint of warm color to the mix of greens.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of the color peach, but I have to admit that it looks stunning with the Fescue grass and the two blue-green hostas.

I am not sure of the exact cultivar here, but I will give you a reference to one that looks very similar.

Fancy-leaf Coral Bells, Heuchera 'Champagne' has foliage that changes from peach to gold to golden-champagne color over the season. Tall burgundy stems carry tiny, pale-peach flowers. This plant is adaptable to a range of garden soils and likes average to moist growing conditions. Part-shade to full shade. Height:25-30 cm (10-12 inches, Spread: 30-35 cm (12-14 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

This Buddha seems to have found the perfect spot for meditation.

We're now in the backyard looking at the porch. Under the dappled shade of a lilac is an Alberta Spruce, a variety of ferns, a silvery Heuchera and a low mat of European Ginger.

Stones, at the foot of a concrete birdbath, appear to be casually arranged, but in the way of Japanese gardens, are placed in a way that is intentional.

European Wild Ginger, Asarum europaeum is a groundcover perfect for shady areas. It has glossy, green leaves and insignificant brownish flowers that tend to be hidden by the foliage. European Wild Ginger makes a great understory for hosta and ferns. Height: 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), Spread: 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). USDA zones: 2-9.

The backyard has a large grassy area with plantings 

around the perimeter, a shed and a hot tub.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour.