Before and Afters (with a little Photo Wizardry)

A view that's pretty enough...

Private Garden, near Port Dover ON

but has the possibility of being so much more! 

It is amazing the impact a few carefully chosen, well-placed objects can have. In this post, I look how simple design moves can really effect the way we experience a garden.

Here we have a nondescript corner of a country garden. Now add in a simple ceramic pot.

Private Garden, near Port Dover ON

Before you might have walked straight in, stood there a moment, glanced around quickly and then turned on your heels and left.

Now that a big pot has been added, I think you are much more likely to stroll in a circular fashion around the pot and slowly take in the plantings.

A second look at how a well-placed object can really add that little bit extra.

It is not a clutter of things, but a single ornament that makes the best place for the eye to rest.

In this shot, there is a lawn.

Private Garden, Mississauga, ON

In this version, there is a pathway and a clear invitation to come, sit and relax.

It is always nice to send visitors down a garden path with a destination; a place to sit 

and appreciate the journey.

Larkwhistle Garden, on the Bruce Peninsula 

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Garden Phlox, Phlox Paniculata

Perhaps it is a certain reluctance to let go of summer because every year at this time I find myself searching for  ways to extend the flowering season. I poke around nurseries, which are largely empty in late summer, looking for something to catch my eye. 

The majority of gardeners tend to shop for plants in the spring. A natural inclination is to choose something with a bloom attached. Hey, I do it too! You want to know what you are getting after all. The problem with this selection method is that it often means that you have a garden filled with early summer flowers, and nothing but green come mid-August.

To get further pointers on late bloomers, I also like to visit other gardens and take note of plants in flower. 

For fun, I thought that I would do a series of posts on late summer bloomers based on both these sources of inspiration. The first up has to be a post on that cottage garden favourite: Phlox paniculata.

Phlox is one of my favourite flowers to photograph. I love the way the flowers catch the light. Some are sweetly fragrant, like this soft mauve colored one that I got from another gardener.

The Phlox paniculata in my garden grow in full sun, half-shade, and shade. That is quite a bit of versatility if you ask me! From this experience, I would have to say that full sun and half-shade work best. The plants in deep shade are much slower to establish and have fewer flowers.

Phlox paniculata, 'Laura' and pink colored Phlox paniculata, 'Eva Cullum'

While beautiful, phlox do have a few drawbacks. They are a little slow to form a good-sized clump. The phlox growing along the front of our white picket fence is 3 or 4 years in the making. 

Phlox also don't appreciate drought conditions. Their leaves droop and look downright pathetic. I have had to water my plants regularly to keep them going during this year's drought.

Finally, phlox are prone to white powdery mildew. The good news is that there are lots of mildew-resistant varieties to choose from. Properly spacing the plants to allow good circulation helps to prevent problems and I have always kept this in mind when choosing a location for new plants. I still sometimes find a slight dusting of mildew late in the season, but it is never a big worry. 

Recently, I went shopping for new plants and I thought that I would share my findings, along with a few planting suggestions from my garden and in other gardens that I have admired.

Available at the nursery: Top left: Phlox paniculata, Flame Series, 'Barfourteen' Top right: Phlox paniculata, 'Nicky' Bottom: Phlox paniculata,'Pixie Miracle Grace'

At Larkwhistle Garden on the Bruce Peninsula a magenta colored phlox is combined with pink roses and a creamy colored sedum in the left corner.

 Phlox paniculata, 'Niki', and at its feet, Geranium, 'Rozanne' 

This is a combination in my own garden.

Another mauve and pink phlox available at the nursery: Top left:  Phlox paniculata,'Becky Towe'  Top Right:  Phlox paniculata, 'Laura'Bottom left:  Phlox paniculata, 'Peppermint Twist'  Bottom Right:  Phlox paniculata, 'Light Pink Flame'

A combination from Larkwhistle Gardens on the Bruce Peninsula: a hot pink phlox 

and a blue Globe Thistle, Echinops ritro.

 Another pretty combination: this time it is an unknown pink variety and Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia at the Niagara Botanical Garden

 A few of the warm mauves available at the local nursery: Top left: Phlox paniculata, 'Laura' 'Top Right: Phlox paniculata, "Speed Limit' has smaller, dainty flowers than most phlox 

Bottom: Phlox paniculata, 'Little Boy'

 Phlox at Lost Horizon's Nursery: Filling in at the base of a white hydrangea is a mauve-colored phlox. Below that, there is a mix of plants including a heart-shaped Brunnera, variegated Japanese Sedge and an edging of bronze-colored Ajuga.

I am sorry this is such a terrible picture, but I wanted to show a couple of white options. This is Phlox paniculata,'Jade'. The flowers are smaller (less floppy) than the well-known variety called 'David' and are a pale, greenish-cream.

Phlox paniculata, 'David'  is fragrant, and very mildew resistant. This variety is very tall and may require staking. Remove faded flowers to encourage a second round of flowers. 

White phlox used at Larkwhistle garden. Here it is combined with deep blue Monkshood, red Monarda, a yellow daylily and tall yellow Helenium.

Phlox paniculata,'Creme de Menthe' is similar to variegated 'Nora Leigh' which has leaves accented with cream. 'Creme de Menthe' is splashed with a more of butter color.

I ended up buying this one. Love those creamy-yellow and green leaves! I have decided to plant my  'Creme de Menthe' phlox next to a blue Agastache, 'Blue Fortune'. I think I'll add a sedum into this mix (possibly Sedum 'Autumn Joy' or 'Meteor').

Another beauty at Larkwhistle Gardens. I believe this phlox with lilac-blue flowers and a darker mauve eye is Phlox paniculata, 'Frans Schubert'. Height: 80-90 cm. Unfortunately, you need to watch out for mildew on 'Frans Schubert'.

Not all phlox are cool shades of pink, purple and white! Phlox paniculata, 'Gold Mine' is a mid-sized variety (70-75 cm) with yellow edged leaves.

Phlox paniculata, 'Coral Flame' 

Again at Larkwhistle garden, a hot pink phlox is combined with white phlox, a star-shaped 

Castor Bean Plant, and a tall, yellow Mullein.

I think you'll agree that, if you don't have any Phlox paniculata in your garden, 

you're really missing out on something in the late summer.

Down the Garden Path: Part 2

Lost Horizons Nursery, Acton Ontario.

"May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade your every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that is always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through." Old Irish Blessing.

The plan of Larkwhistle Garden from the book The Art of Perennial Gardening by Patrick Lima, 

Photographs by John Scanlan, Published by Firefly Books in 2000. 

If you look at this drawing of Larkwhistle Garden or at the layout for David Tomlinson's garden called Merlin's Hollow, you will notice that the pathways make up the skeleton or framework for each garden. Pathways link each of these gardens into a cohesive whole.

Merlin's Hollow Garden Plan

With a pathway, a gardener channels visitors through a garden. How a garden is viewed is determined, to some degree, by the nature and even the shape of a path. 

Lost Horizons Nursery, Acton Ontario.

You are more likely to motor down a straight path...

Lost Horizons Nursery, Acton Ontario.

than one that twists and turns.

Merlin's Hollow, Aurora Ontario.

How wide should a path be?  

I personally think that the spacing needs to feel comfortable, not claustrophobic. If a pathway is tight, a visitor has to pay too much heed to each footstep and this can distract from all the visual delights along a path's length.

Brain Folmer's Botanical Gardens near Walkerton, Ontario.

So, what about materials? 

Even an ordinary lawn can function as a pathway between plantings.

Pea gravel is a nice option that has a pleasant crunch underfoot.

Larkwhistle Garden, on the Bruce Peninsula.

This garden has a hard-packed combination of sand and very fine gravel.

Private garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Flagstone is a classic choice. 

(Note here that the gardener here has continued the flagstone onto the lawn and around to the front of the house. In doing so, he saves wear and tear on the grass by directing visitors away from cutting across the lawn.)

Private garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Stonework is more costly and requires a greater degree of skill to install, but is hard-wearing option 

and it looks incredible doesn't it?

Private garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Mulch is yet another alternative and is softer underfoot. It also helps to create a nice woodland effect.

Private garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Of course, you can always combine pathway materials. Here we have mulch combined with flagstone.

Private garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Pea gravel and flagstone.

This is Heather Bradley's Garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Moss and flagstone.

(Deborah of Deb's Garden Blog has written a wonderful post on creating a moss pathway. She has a spectacular woodland garden that you should definitely check out.)

Edwards Gardens, Toronto.

Plantings along a path can be crisp and tidy.

Private garden, Mississauga, Ontario.

Brain Folmer's Botanical Gardens near Walkerton, Ontario.

Or they can be uneven and more natural.

Brain Folmer's Botanical Gardens near Walkerton, Ontario.

In the end, it comes down to the overall look and feeling you are after.

I hope you feel as inspired by these gardens as I do. Have a great weekend!