The Best of 2016 and Looking Forward to 2017

One of the gardens I hope to show you in 2017.

Happy new year everyone! 

I thought I'd begin the new year with a look back at the posts readers liked best and a give you at little preview of what is to come in 2017.

Not surprisingly this shade garden was your favourite.  I showed a number of terrific private gardens, but the mix of shady foliage plants in this backyard made it a standout for readers.

This post that featured a garden filled with hostas was also really popular, 

as was this post on collectable hostas.

The post on creating a butterfly garden was also a big hit with readers. 

And while I'm on the subject of insects, I was very glad to welcome Jean Godawa as a contributor to Three Dogs in a Garden. We gardeners have a tendency to view insects largely as pests. Jean viewpoint was a refreshing reminder that insects can play a positive role in the garden. 

Not surprisingly then, the post that introduced us to five insects whose role in the garden is highly beneficial really resonated with readers. 

Most popular of the craft posts was this one on drying roses and 

making a wreath using the roses you've dried.

Of all the plant posts I did on specific plants, readers responded in the greatest 

numbers to this post on Clematis.

All of the posts on container plantings did especially well. This post on trends I noted in summer containers was both my own personal favourite and that of readers as well.

A close second was this post on the spring baskets. I'll definitely repeat the hanging basket of cherry tomatoes next spring. I loved being able to go out onto the back porch and pick tomatoes for salads.

The hanging baskets of strawberries were fairly successful too, but I found you really have to keep an eye on them. Hanging baskets can dry out so quickly in the full sun! The strawberries did much better when I moved them to a spot where they got dappled sun in the afternoon. 

The spring container post ended with a hanging birdcage project. The lobelia in the birdcage died when I forgot to water it, but the ivy did really well. I brought both the birdcage and the baskets of strawberries onto the enclosed back porch for the winter. 

The post on garden sheds and another one on fences where both well-liked. Every garden needs a place to store tools and equipment and post included lots of shed-spiration.

Now looking to the future, what do readers have to look forward to seeing in 2017? 

Well, I can't wait to show you this garden near Uxbridge, Ontario. Around the bright blue house on a small corner lot there are roses, perennials and vegetables. This modest-sized garden even has a couple of ponds and pens for chickens and other birds.

This garden in Guelph, Ontario is another place I'm super excited to show you. It will probably take me 2 or 3 posts to cover both the wide array of container plantings and the garden itself.

An there will be new posts on herbs, hostas, new plant introductions and even a few posts on roses.

I also hope to have new craft and garden projects with instructions, recipes for you to try and book giveaways.

And speaking of book giveaways.... I decided to extend the deadline of the latest two book giveaways so more readers could have a chance to enter. 

You can enter to win Plant Craft here and Happy Hens & Fresh Eggs here.  If you are not a blogger, you can also enter by emailing me at jenc_art@hotmail.com. The draw will now be open until January 15th.

Photo by Marnie Wright

Up next is a post a new post on Marnie's garden. In 2016, I showed you the sunny sections of Marnie's garden. Next we'll slip under the shade of some pine trees and visit the shady part of her property.   

With the aid of some of Marnie's excellent photography, we'll follow this part of the garden from spring into the fall.

Two Small Back Gardens

The first of the two back gardens in today's post has a cottage feel. Decking, which parodies a wharf, curves its way through the garden. 

A five foot stream cascades over rocks and spills into a large pond filled with goldfish. At night the pond is lit with underwater lights creating a rather magical effect.

The pond is a magnet for little water striders, various types of birds and other wildlife. Even a local mink has taken up residence.

Behind the garage, there is a large deck with a swing and a table for outdoor summer meals. Running along the top of the fence is a cat run.

I don't know if I have ever seen a more elegant looking cat!

The cat run opens into a large enclosure with many perches that are perfect for bird watching.

Nestled in among the Norfolk pines at the back of the garden is a tree house that was built by the homeowner's sixteen year old son.

Wouldn't any pre-teen or teenager just love this fun hideaway?

It's wonderful when a garden invites you inside and this next garden does just that.

In this garden, there is no standing on the lawn and admiring the plantings from a polite distance. Instead pathways lead you into little corners where you can sit within the garden.

Much of the garden is shaded, but there are a few brighter pockets where plants like this tree peony can flourish in dappled sunlight. (Read more about tree peonies here.)

At the back of the house there is a large patio area. A large arbor leads from the patio down to the main part of the garden.

An old iron headboard has been painted black and is hung from the arbor to serve as a unique support for climbing vines like morning glory.

Centred in the garden is a picture-perfect shed. Beyond it, there is a flagstone pathway that leads to a shady corner with yet more seating.

One of the standout plants in this area of the garden is a Bleeding Heart. 

It positively glows in the sunlight!

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Goldheart': This Bleeding Heart has amazing golden foliage and magenta colored  heart-shaped flowers. Height: 60-90 cm, Spread: 60-90 cm. Part or full shade. Average to moist soil. Will go dormant by late summer. Hardy: Zones 2-9.

A garden angel (on the left) and Mountain Bluet, Centaurea montana (on the right).

This is a modest sized backyard, so there isn't a lot of sunny spots for a vegetable garden. Instead the homeowners have opted to mix edible plants, like this rhubarb, in with the other perennials.

The garden shed is both practical and pretty.

If you find that there is a little bit of a lull between tulips and summer perennials in your garden, alliums like these 'Purple Sensation' may be just what you need.

Tools hang in the shelter of the shed's roof.

Have a terrific weekend!