A Late Summer Visit to Lost Horizons Nursery

Any serious plant collector in the Greater Toronto area should be able to give you driving directions, but if you aren't watching carefully for the sign, Lost Horizons Nursery is fairly easy to miss. The nursery, which specializes in rare and unusual plants, sits back from the road and is largely hidden by dense brush. As you head out of the little town of Acton, travelling west on Highway 7, the only hint of this plant lover's paradise is the sign on your left and a glimpse of the nursery owner's home peeking out from amongst the trees.

Should you be lucky enough to visit, take a stroll through the display garden before you go shopping. To find it, wander through the rows of plants, past the hoop greenhouses and over a little wooden bridge. There you'll find yourself in a garden that feels intimate and private in comparison with the more public side of the nursery.

This isn't a "garden" in the traditional sense of the word. For the suburban homeowner, familiar with flowerbeds bordering an expanse of lawn, strolling around the property will feel more like a walk in the woods. On the surface, this planting style feels very casual and informal in comparison to the typical home garden, but make no mistake– what feels quite natural and woodsy is actually carefully edited. The selection of materials and planting combinations have all been well considered.

You may not want to replicate this relaxed style of garden, but there are lots of ideas that might inspire your own plantings at home.

As I walked down this gravel path, it was impossible to miss the solitary, rather striking peduncle of white oriental lilies, but what really captured my imagination was something much more subtle and sophisticated–the interesting mix of foliage textures and colors. The view would fall flat if it wasn't for the deep red of the Japanese maple and Barberry (on the middle left). 

Experienced gardeners know that flowers are fleeting and foliage is around for the long haul. You quickly learn to try to vary the foliage color, shape and texture. I, for one, have always relied heavily on perennials with variegation and colorful foliage to counter the dominance of the color green. This little corner of the display garden was a nice reminder that larger, more structural plants like shrubs and trees continue that interplay of colors and texture above basic ground level.  

While the cream and green of this variegated Knotweed are very attractive, I caution you that this is an aggressive perennial that can spread quickly if left unchecked. Better to try something like the Acer seen in an upcoming photo.

Why have shrubs and trees always tended to slip down my list of priorities? 

They're expensive! My budget feels like it stretches further when I buy perennials, but that's a bit shortsighted. In fact, the one thing I regret most, ten-plus years into making my garden, is not investing more in trees and shrubs back at the beginning. So I'll pass on the wisdom gleaned from my oversight.

Isn't this a lovely view? In the distance, you see a clay pot sitting in front of a wooden bench. Sometimes simple is the best way to go.

I'm not sure of the name of this specific hosta, but there are quite a number of new introductions that have a nice ruffled edge. 

While I love color, I have to say that all this green feels so serene. In parts of the garden where the palette is more restrained, texture becomes the star.

Shape is another design element that is often overlooked. Here the rounded leaves of Solomon Seal contrast so beautifully with the tall, delicate fronds of the fern behind it.

A butterfly on Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata.

Here the tall yellow spires of a Ligularia make the perfect backdrop for the pale lavender trumpets of a number of different hostas. In the lower-left corner, there is a Sedum about to bloom.  On the right, the big, silvery-green leaves of a Brunnera stand out next to the fine, lime-green foliage of the hosta just behind it (on the middle right). 

All the foliage has a different shape, color and texture. Together they make a pretty picture.

Read more about Brunnera here.

Ligularia 'The Rocket' has toothed leaves and dark, erect stems bearing yellow flowers. This plant needs moist, rich soil to be happy. Clumps may be divided every three to four years in the spring. Slugs can be an issue. Full sun to part-shade. Height: 120-180 (47-70 inches), Spread: 80-90 cm (31-15 inches). USDA zones: 4-9. (If you are looking for a smaller plant consider 'Bottle Rocket' or 'Little Rocket'.  

I love the way the Ligularia flower finds a color echo in the foliage of a Japanese Maple.

Carnival Hedge Maple, Acer campestre 'Carnival'

Carnival Hedge Maple, Acer campestre 'Carnival' is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a nice rounded shape. In the spring the leaves emerge with a blush of pink. As the summer progresses, the leaves mature to be green with cream variegation. This is a slow-growing cultivar. Height: 10 ft., Spread: 10 ft. Hardy to USDA zones 5.

 

Yellow Wax Bells, Kirengeshoma palmata is a great foliage plant for moist, part-shade. It has pendulous butter-yellow flowers and medium green foliage that is shaped like a maple leaf. Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches), Spread: 75-90 cm (29-35 inches). USDA zones: 5-8.

You may be too far away to ever visit Lost Horizons Nursery, but I would encourage you to visit local public or private gardens on organized tours this spring. There is no greater inspiration than seeing a garden firsthand.

How was your June Garden?

Salvia

How was your June garden? Mine at it's moments, but there is still lots of room for improvement. I'd like to see less of a lull after the tulips are finished and better companion plantings for the peonies and roses that come later in the month.

Whenever I'm stumped as to what to change or add, I turn to other gardens for inspiration. The gardens at the Toronto Botanical Gardens always inspire me. Let's take a look at what was blooming there in mid-June. 

Let's start off with a look at the alliums. I have lots of Allium 'Purple Sensation' dotted throughout my garden. It looks nice to have them interspersed among the other perennials, but it hadn't occurred to me to group alliums together until I saw this mass planting at the TBG. Gathered together like this, they make a billowy clouds of purple.

Alliums are odd flowers, if you ask me. They look soft and razor sharp all at the same time. I believe these particular alliums are Allium ' Christophii'.

Star of Persia, Allium 'Christophii' is a perennial bulb with umbels that are 10-12 inches in diameter. The star-shaped mauve flowers have a bit of a metallic sheen. Full sun and average, well-drained soil are perfect for these alliums. 'Christophii' may be left for years until fewer blooms indicate the bulbs have become crowded. Separate crowded bulbs after the foliage dies down. The flower dries also well. Note: handling or cutting the plant may cause some skin irritation. Wear garden gloves if you have sensitive skin. Height: 45-60 cm (18-24 inches), Spread: 15-22 cm (6-9 inches). USDA zones: 5-9.

Gillenia

As well as these closeups, I wish I had stepped back to take a picture of this great native plant. 

Gillenia a little larger than a Spirea and a bit more upright in its growth habit. The leaves are bright green and the stems are red, but the real reason to add this perennial to your June garden is the profusion of white flowers it produces.

Gillenia trifoliata: A tough, long-lived native plant with reddish stems, narrow leaves and white star-shaped flowers. Height: 60-120 cm, Spread: 60-75 cm. Full sun or light shade. Prefers rich, moist, well-drained soil. Good fall color. Zones: USDA 4-9

There are so many new and exciting cultivars of Baptisia to choose from these days! A June garden ought to have a least one Baptisia, don't you think?

Astrantia major 'Roma'. Read more about Astrantia in this blog post.

Peonies at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Looking at these single white peonies with their frilly petticoats, it is easy to see why all white gardens have become so popular. Sunlight plays off white petals so beautifully.

The peonies I have in my own garden have little in the way of companion plantings. I'd like to remedy that. Here are a few combinations I noted.

Peonies look great with a backdrop of deep blue Salvia.

Paeonia lactiflora 'Crinkled White'

Planted in front of any peony, Amsonia 'Blue Ice' looks terrific. This is a combination I've already experimented with in my own garden, but it seems to be taking a couple years for my Amsonia to really get established and flower.

Amsonia 'Blue Ice' has starry blue flower and leathery green foliage that becomes golden in the fall. Average moisture conditions and garden soil are fine. Height: 35-40 cm ( 14-16 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

Peonies and Catmint at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

Peonies and Catmint are another great June combination. 

I have say that I have become a big fan of Catmint. It blooms for an extended time, has great grey-green foliage, and if you cut it back hard, it can go on to have a great second act in late to mid-summer.

Last year I added quite a couple of the newer, more compact cultivars to my garden and I am really pleased with them. Catmint, Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low' is still an excellent choice, but I find that these newer varieties work really well at the front of a border. Here are a two:

Catmint 'Junior Walker' is a sterile dwarf form of 'Walker's Low'. The periwinkle blue flowers appear in June and last for weeks. Full sun and average garden soil. Cut back hard to encourage new flowers. Height: 35-40 cm (14-16 inches), Spread: 80-90 cm (31-35 inches). USDA zones: 5-9. 

Catmint 'Prussian Blue' has the same blue flowers on a plant that has a tidy habit. Again, cut back hard to encourage new flowers. Height: 35-45 cm (14-18 inches), Spread: 45-75 cm (18-29 inches). USDA zones: 5-9. 

Penstemon at the Toronto Botanical Gardens.

The delicate trumpet-shaped flowers of Penstemon start blooming toward the end of the month. They bloom for a number of weeks and look great with Veronica or Salvias.

 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.

Phlomis tuberosa 'Amazone' at the Toronto Botanical Gardens.

Super tall, this perennial always stands out in any June garden.

Phlomis tuberosa 'Amazone' is a recent introduction to North America, so the bad news is that this particular cultivar may be a little hard to track down and find. When not in flower this plant makes a large mound of coarse green leaves. Flower shoot skyward on these incredible reddish colored stems. Once finished flowering the spent flowers continue to add architectural interest well into winter. Normal or sandy soil that is on the dry side is best for this plant. Full sun. Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 2-9.

June seems to have passed in the blink of on eye! 

Already a new month has begun with a fresh set of challenges. Yesterday afternoon I startled baby bunny who ducked back back into the undergrowth. Then I noticed one of the first of the Japanese Beetles on a newly opened white rose. 

Monarda 'Purple Rooster' in my herb garden.

Thank goodness there is usually a balance of forces at work in the garden! As I walked to the back of the yard, I noticed that the Monarda in my herb garden has the prettiest grape colored flowers. I think I may just have a new favourite!