The Garden that wasn't on the Tour

This is the garden that wasn't on the horticultural society's tour. It was across the street from one of the gardens on the tour.

The neat courtyard-style front garden caught my eye first, and like a moth to the flame, it beckoned to me to cross the road. The homeowners were very busy that afternoon, but graciously agreed to let me take pictures.

For those of you looking for inspiration on a small scale, this garden certainly fits the bill. 

The house is made modest two-story home made from local quarried stone. The front yard is tiny. Rather than trying to maneuver a lawn mover around such a tight area, the homeowner decided to dispense with grass altogether, and opted for a circular courtyard of pea gravel instead. 

The plantings next to the house are older and are more mature. The plants on the other rim of the circle are more recently added. 

That is a Climbing Hydrangea right by the front porch. It's a great option to consider 
if you want a vine for part-shade.

Along the front of the house blue-green and variagted Hosta mix in with Ostrich ferns, Heuchera (deep burgundy leaves peaking out from under a Hosta) and  Pulmonaria (the spotted leaf tucked under one of the Hosta). All these plants are great options for part-shade and shade.

Peaking out from under this large hosta is Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla Mollis. 

Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla Mollis has rounded soft textured foliage. Raindrops cling to its leaves and sparkle. Sprays of chartreuse flowers appear in early summer. (This plant is a good self-seeder, so remove the spent flowers if you don't like unwanted seedlings). You will sometimes see Lady's Mantle on lists of plants suggested for shade, but I find it much prefers part-shade rather than full shade. This plant will grow in a variety of soil types and likes conditions on the average to moist side. Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 2-9.

The pea gravel courtyard at the front of the house extends into a path that leads you around to the backyard. 

This is the first view you see as you turn the corner at the side of the house.

Under the shade of tree, there is a little patio area. The cafe-style chairs and table

gives the area an almost Parisian feel.

Here Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' sits in front of a yellow Baptisia (unknown cultivar).

Hanging across the yard are strings of Tibetan prayer flags.

 Penstemon 'Husker Red' has foliage that is beet-red in spring and fall and somewhat greener in the summer. Butterflies love the flowers which are such a pale pink they are almost white. Full sun. Normal, sandy or clay soils are all suitable. Average to moist growing conditions. Height 75-90 cm, Spread: 30-45 cm. USDA Zones: 3-9

Pink Peonies bow down to the ground with the weight of their many-petaled flowers. A Miscanthus (ornamental grass) and Ostrich Fern are just in behind them.

The view down the length of the property.

 An old metal bucket is a water feature or container planting in the making.

The back garden is a work in progress. This courtyard area next to 

the fence isn't quite completed.

You'll note that the homeowner has used vivid blue ceramic pots as a recurring theme. It's a smart design decision as it links different areas of the garden into a cohesive whole.

This garden might be small, but it's charming. It is amazing what you find when you are looking for something else!

Garden Canadensis: this is one garden you'll want to see!

Welcome to Garden Canadensis. 

Located on two acres just outside of the town of Milton, Garden Canadensis is the creation of Chen and his lovely wife Linda. I asked Chen to tell me the garden's name and a bit about its history:

"Although we started building this garden when we first moved here about 26 years ago, we started a hobby bonsai nursery business (which we called Garden Cnaadensis) shortly after, and struggled for a few years. We soon realized that our professional career commitments and raising two kids etc. made it impossible to keep up with the gardening and the nursery hobbies."

"I did not go back to serious gardening until about 2007/2008: renovating/extending the beds, removing overcrowded trees/shrubs and starting to collect new plant material again. That is why you will find a mix of very mature trees and relatively young trees in the garden. We kept Garden Canadensis as the name of our garden to signify our connection with this land even from a botanical perspective."

From the driveway the garden appears somewhat unassuming, but the moment you come closer, and start moving among the plantings, you realize that you are in the midst of something special.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland'

Geranium 'Rozanne' 

Chen on geraniums: 

"Geraniums may not be the kind of plant that takes your breath away on first sight, or second. After you have a couple of them around for a few years, you may find that their quiet charm in mingling with other plants in shade or sun seems to make your garden more compete. Then you want more...I wish I could say they are easy to grow, but the fact is some of those that I like simply will not live here for more than a few years."

See more pictures and read Chen's notes on Geraniums. Click the 'i' to the top left of the image to have each cultivar identified.

Penstemon 'Dark Towers'

Penstemon 'Dark Towers'

An excerpt from Chen's notes on Heuchera: 

"In terms of ornamental attributes, usefulness, versatility and maintenance I would consider Heucheras as one of the most valuable perennials in our garden; yes I am biased. Heuchera has an interesting and wide color range, a compact neat habit, beautiful textures, and is semi-evergreen...Depending on the varieties, it can be grown in sun and shade." 

Read more notes on the subject of Heuchera on Chen's website. Click the 'i' to the top left of the image to have each cultivar identified.

Penstemon barbatus 'Coccineus'

Penstemon barbatus 'Coccineus'

I asked Chen if there was an overall vision for the garden when they began to create it or if it came together over time:

"Like all 'city folks', our initial dream when we moved here was to create an enchanting 2 acre garden. However, the initial shock of country gardening (extremely poor clay soil, poor drainage, limited water resource, extra vicious weeds and the scale of the garden) quickly limited our initial landscaping efforts to a few beds and patios around the house.

However, I did divide the one acre around the house into a number of imaginary zones (beds) and paths from the beginning, and planted some structure conifers in them...Over the years theses imaginary beds evolved iteratively and took shape (about 70% of them now)."

We are going to head into the back garden now. 

On the left there is a large family swimming pool and to the right is the house. Ahead of us is the winding path that leads into the main part of the back garden.

A rose covered arbor leads into the pool area. Let's stop to admire the roses before we look back 

toward the plantings surrounding the pool.

Rosa 'Climbing Iceberg' 

These overall shots are not as glamourous as closeups of beautiful flowers, but I wanted to include a few of them to show you how well the planting beds have been conceived and executed.

This is the view looking back towards the pool.

Let's step back onto the path and see more of the garden.

Penstemon 'Husker's Red'

What a love best about this garden are the many special moments.

Penstemon hirsutus

This is a garden that is beautiful even when it is quiet and green.

And it is stunning where there are stands of flowers like these tall, graceful Delphinium. 

Delphiniums 'Pacific Giants'

Some of Chen's views on delphiniums: 

"Our Delphiniums all came from inexpensive seed packages. I generally don't like flowers that need to be staked, but I would make an exception for the blue delphiniums; tall or short. Maybe it is because they are sooo...true blue. Their elegant presence in the garden is always noticed first."

Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'

Chen tells me:

'Mercury Rising' was aquired last April and bloomed from June till frost. It was introduced to the marketplace as part of the Big Bang Series, and like 'Red Shift' is supposed to be hardy, but I am not holding my breath. I hope the claim by the breeder/nursery is true."

Chen has a wonderful array of Coreopsis. See additional pictures and read his notes regarding other cultivars here. Click the 'i' to the top left of the image to have each cultivar identified.

A shady area near the house.

 The plant with soft grey foliage is Veronica incana. The tall variegated green plant is Phlox 'Norah Leigh'. In the foreground with orange-red foliage is Heuchera 'Marmalade'.  The pink flower is Veronica spicata 'Giles Van Hees'

This is a very long post I know, but honestly, I haven't shown you the half of it! 

In upcoming posts, I will take a closer look some of the many wonderful planting combinations and offer more excerpts from Chen's notes on specific cultivars.

Have a wonderful weekend!

More Information and Links: You can also read more about the garden and see additional pictures by visiting Chen's website: Garden Canadensis .