A Garden Over Twenty Years in the Making (Part 2)

We will pick up our tour of Liz Maliki's wonderful garden on the curving path 

leading into the back garden.

The plantings along the pathway include (starting along the top row on the left) a spirea, a Pieris Japonica, and a Japanese Maple. In the lower row there is also a hosta with spear-shaped foliage and two white Foam Flowers, Tiarella cordifolia.

Foam Flower, Tiarella cordifolia

Along the length of the back fence are a series of hanging baskets filled with colorful annuals.

Looking back down the pathway.

A closeup of the Golden Japanese Forest Grass, Hakonechloa macra and Jacob's Ladder, Polemonium caeruleum which you can see in the lower left corner of the last shot.

Another close-up of Jacob's Ladder, Polemonium caeruleum

The flowerbeds continue on from the back of the garden shed and run the length of the property.

I want to pause in our tour to show you something which I think was an act of brilliance on Liz's part.  I wish I had thought of this for my own garden!

Running wide flowerbeds parallel to the backyard fence is a very typical thing for many homeowners to do. The problem with this kind of layout is that weeding beds which are several feet deep can be tricky once the garden fills in by mid-summer. The plants block easy access from the front and the fence blocks access from the back.

What Liz did was to run a walkway behind the flowerbeds, right next to the fence using some recycled concrete pavers. When the garden leafs out, you barely see the hidden walkway and yet it gives her an easy way to weed the back of the garden. When we spoke on the phone, Liz also pointed out that this design trick also improves air circulation and helps with problems like powdery mildew.

One of the many things that impressed me about Liz's garden was her talent for growing rhododendrons; a shrub I have had little success with. I have always thought of rhododendrons as fussy shrubs that did not like the dry summers and the harsh Ontario winters. 

When we chatted, Liz advised me that understanding the root systems would make me more successful with growing rhododendrons. These shrubs are surface feeders and they can be damaged by planting them to deeply. 

Plant the top of the root ball at the surface of the soil and then mulch. Rhododendrons like light, sandy acidic soils which is high in organic matter.

We will end our tour in this pretty little corner of the garden.

As I wrote in my last post, Liz Maliki's garden was one of the terrific stops featured on last year's Annual Canadian Cancer Society's Garden Tour in Mississauaga, Ontario. 

This year's tour will again offer a unique opportunity to visit gardens in the Lorne Park neighbourhood of Mississauga and enjoy live instrumental music in select locations. Featured guest, Paul Zammit, director of horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden, will offer tips and garden advice.

For tour details and ticket information:

Do you trust your gut instincts?

Do you trust your gut instincts? I'd like to say that I always trust mine, but the truth is, I often second guess myself. Most of the time, my first ideas are my best ideas. This isn't to say that I act on them. I usually go around the block first and then return to that first burst of inspiration. 


I may not trust my gut instincts, but I do listen to what my heart tells me is true. For example, when I stand in front of a great painting, I know it is an amazing work of art, without anyone telling me it is so. Figuring out and understanding why it is a great work of art comes sometime later. This coming to an understanding of why something is wonderful is a puzzle that I love to consider and solve. 


I know. What does all this have to do with gardening? Well, when I come across a garden that is breathtakingly beautiful, I often return to it again and again to puzzle out what makes it so special. The exquisite woodland display garden at Lost Horizon's Nursery is just such a garden. 


We planned a visit there early this past spring. On a day of our trip, the thermometer had plunged unexpectedly and a fine drizzle made the cold day damp and miserable. I had been looking forward to the short trip there and was not about to be put off with a little bad weather. Dressed in warm coats and coffees in hand, we strolled through the woodland display garden. These are a few of the pictures we took that day. 

A fine gravel path winds its way through the garden. Rockery plantings tumble over natural stone and spill on to the gravel paths. The eye rolls smoothly over the contour of the uneven landscape and the staggered heights of the plantings.

For most gardeners foliage color and texture are not foremost considerations in planning a garden. The opposite is the case at Lost Horizons. Perfect proof that foliage need not be boring. 

Contrast in the size, color and shape of foliage keeps "green" interesting. Natural stone adds extra textural interest to the mix.

The subtly of texture invites a closer look.

The beautiful architecture of ferns emerging from the soil.

A Japanese Maple adds a slash of color. Evergreens  keep the garden interesting even after the snow flies.

Above, bugleweed was given the freedom to spread into a luxuriously large swath of color. On its leaves a deep rose color melts into the cream, copper, and green. Spikes of blue-purple flowers are a bonus feature.

Vanes of green traverse the surface of Brunette's heart shaped leaves and map out the underlying leaf structure.

Lost Horizons Nursery is located on Highway 7, two miles west of Acton, Ontario, on the south side. From the 401, take Highway 25 north and go west on Highway 7 to Crewsons Line. The nursery is on the south west corner of Highway 7 and Crewsons Line. Hours of operation are Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from May until October (weather permitting).