I’m truly pleased to have seen some really inspirational gardens over the last few summers. Combining different colours, highlighting dramatic textures and adding drama with a dry creek or water feature were just some of the I-could-do-that! ideas that jumped out at me.

But two gardens stood out because they did something marvellous in the most original way. A great garden can transform an environment or lift your mood. But few actually transport you – as in, take you to another place altogether. That’s what this pair of gardens did.

Romancing the Renaissance

I took the photo above earlier this summer while on a garden tour in metro Toronto hosted by the Toronto Botanical Garden. What you see is the front facade of a pretty typical-for-Toronto stone-clad home. The front garden is tiny and shaded by an enormous tree, as you can see. With not much room for a garden bed, the owners used ivy as a lush ground cover.

I don’t know what inspired the owners to paint a balustrade and an angelic sculpture(?) bas-relief(?) fresco(?) on the front of their house. But as you wend your way up the pathway from the city sidewalk past the enormous tree towards the front door, a glance up sweeps you over to some forgotten villa somewhere in Europe. The leafy vine adds to the effect, lending a sense of depth to the whole thing.

As trompe l’oeil goes, this front garden whimsy is wonderful.

French country charm

This little nook, shown above, was part of a back garden featured on this year’s Gananoque garden tour. The garden itself is small in size and humble in plantings. Nonetheless, the seating area manages to effectively sweep you off to a farm somewhere in the south of France. Can you imagine having your morning coffee here? Just of few steps from the back door of the house, the cafe table and chairs seem right at home, set off by a backdrop that effectively sets the mood while hiding the neighbour’s comings and goings. Tres chic!