The Lost Garden

The first time I visited this garden, the rain was falling by the bucket load. One whole section of the yard was under several inches of water and walking on the lawn was like slogging across a sponge saturated with cold water.

Imagine struggling to focus a camera while juggling an umbrella. I thought that I dressed for the weather, but even with my umbrella, I was quickly soaked through. 

The formal pond and some beautifully trellised fencing.

An overview of the garden in late May 2017. The layout is quite formal and the plantings are largely green. The combination of these two design elements creates an overall feeling of elegance.

The garden was so pretty, I resolved to battle city traffic to make a second attempt at taking pictures.

On my second visit, the sun was blazing in a cloudless sky and the heat had been cranked up to high–a fresh set of challenges making it less than ideal for great photos, but hey, I did my best.

June 2017

Usually, I download my pictures as soon as I get home, but I was busy that day, so I put it off. Then I somehow managed to misplace the camera's memory card. I searched my camera bag, all my pockets and tore apart my desk looking for that darn memory card! Eventually, I gave up searching and resolved never to be so careless again.

Not too long ago, I was rifling through some plant tags when a memory card dropped onto the desk in front of me. I couldn't believe it! The missing card had been stuck to the back of one of my tags.

So finally, almost two years later, I will now show you the garden I photographed back in June 2017.

"The house was built in 1914," the homeowner tells me. "It's an Edwardian house and we've tried to mirror that in the garden. The period of the house is reflected in the wire planters, the Alice in Wonderland figures in the round garden behind the garage, the gazebo made from an early elevator cage and some old-fashioned plants; peonies, daisies, delphinium, columbines, roses, lavender, iris, violets and ivy topiaries."

"We have lived here for more than 30 years, and our two children grew up here. The playhouse had been moved and converted into a potting shed; the swings came down years ago; now even the basketball hoop is gone, so there is more room to garden."

The entrance to the Alice in Wonderland garden is flanked by two tall metal obelisks. 

Shade Planting: 1. Solomon Seal 2. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' 3. Hellebore 4. Heuchera 5. Lamb's Ear, Stachys byzantina ( a non-flowering form of Lamb's Ears) 6. Coral Bells, Heuchera

The flower-filled birdbath in the Alice in Wonderland shade garden.

The vintage elevator cage.

Looking for something you can plant under a tree with a high canopy (i.e. part-shade)? Here's what this homeowner has planted: 1. Yew 2. Hydrangea arborescens (Unknown cultivar) 3. Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum 4. Hosta 5. Boxwood 6. Hydrangea paniculata standard 

"We share the garden with lots of birds, squirrels, chipmunks and racoons. We feed and house the birds with pleasure; we tolerate and are amused by the antics of the squirrels and we are annoyed by the numerous racoons that live between the garages that abut the property, " the homeowner muses. 

Siberian Iris

"Most of the garden. is in partial shade, so you'll find various shade-loving plants. Many of them have come from a nursery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, including a selection of mini-hostas along the walkway to the potting shed", explains the homeowner.

Here the trellis adds an extra measure of privacy over and

 above the fence at the back of the property.

A Deutzia shrub in part-shade.

You'll have noticed that the color palette of this garden is quite restrained.

"We try to keep the colors to green, white and blue, but you'll also find the occasional pink and mauve, and we planted a Forsythia for color in the spring. Most of the plants are perennials, but the pots contain annuals, as does the bed alongside the garage," says the homeowner.

One of the new varieties of patio clematis in a decorative pot. I think this was added as a quick pop of color. Clematis generally require full sun. Eventually, this Clematis would need to be moved to a sunnier spot.

An exquisite metal plant stand filled to the brim with clay pots, herbs, strawberries 

and annual flowers.

I think you'll agree that this Edwardian garden is understated and quite elegant. Hopefully, it has been worth the two-year wait just to see it.

A Garden as Theatre

A vase of white peonies dress up the trellised seating area

Generally I am not a huge fan of perimeter planting where the garden follows its way around the outer edge of a piece of property. 

It not that there is anything wrong with this type of layout. It's just that there are so many other more interesting and creative approaches to garden design.

The garden I am about to show you would be an exception to this point of view. Here the well executed perimeter planting seems to work in perfect concert with the formal style of the design. 

The fenced-in area between the house and garage.

This garden is a side yard rather than a backyard, but the same approach could easily be taken in a backyard.

Between the house and garage is a private walkway that the owner has transformed into narrow courtyard complete with a patio table and chairs. 

The walkway leads you around the back of the garage to a seating area with a large overhead trellis. 

It is from this vantage point that you get your first glimpse of the garden that stretches out in front of you. Here is a very rough plan of the garden:

Sitting comfortably in the wicker chairs and looking out at the flowers in bloom, listening to the water splash in the fountain, watching the bees flit amongst the flowers seems almost like a bit of garden theatre. 

Certainly, watching the coming and goings of insects and birds must provide hours of relaxing entertainment.

And after you have sipped your morning coffee and want to stroll into the garden to better appreciate what's in bloom, there is a path the leads you all the way around the garden.

These first two images were taken in May when pink tulips were flowering. Clematis vines have just started to make their way up a number of supports that run the length of the fence.

Here we are in June. 

The Clematis have come on strong and are almost hiding the wood fence. There is even a Clematis flower or two.

Gorgeous pink peonies have replaced the tulips.

Opposite the peonies there are more pink flowers. This time it is the tall spires of pink Lupins.

Briefly on growing Lupins:

Lupins do best in well-drained, slightly acidic soil that is on the moist side. They will tolerate average or sandy soil, but dislike clay soil. Plant them in full sun. 

Lupins will sometimes fail to come back a second year, so to maintain the vigour of your Lupin deadhead it once it flowers to prevent it from going to seed. 

Growing Lupins from Seed:

If you want to grow lupins from seed, direct sow them into the ground in the fall. Lupins sown in spring will need cold stratification (a short period of time simulating cold, wintery conditions. Put lupin seeds in a ziplock bag and place them in the refrigerator for approximately 7 days).  Just before you sow them, soak them overnight in lukewarm water. Sow the seed shallowly (about 1/8" deep).

Lupins have long, fragile taproots that don't take kindly to being transplanted. For this reason, it is a good idea to grow them in peat pots.

The pathway leads all the way back to the cool comfort of the shade.

In the corner, there is a small terra cotta fireplace for cool evenings.

Here warm June days have also brought out the first pink roses which climb their way up

 the trellis supports of the seating area.

One of the things I like best about this garden's design is that it's laid out in a way that really enhances the owner's ability to enjoy her garden. 

And isn't pleasure what gardening should be all about?