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…
Just weeks ago, weather forecasts for warm sunny days were about as reliable as a used lawn mower at a yard sale (and yet so full of promise). And now? The heat is on. If you’re interested in bringing a touch of coolness–real or imagined–to your garden regardless of its size, I have some suggestions.…
For folks who love a little order in their lives, there is something very soothing about the checkerboard pattern. Graphic, precise and, well, neat, those lined up squares bring order to any underfoot situation. So it’s no surprise that checkerboard patterns in the garden have been around a long time (though not without some controversy,…
I’ve seen several living walls, also known as vertical gardens, over the years and I’ve absolutely loved every one of them. They are terrific at livening up a space, quite literally. But I realized this past fall (when I took the photos below) that every “living” wall I’d ever come across so far was an…
If you’re craving a little country in your city garden, it might be easier than you think to add some rural charm. And there are inspirations everywhere. But why would you want to? Because farm love is a real thing. Recently, the New York Times ran an article entitled ‘The Modern Farmhouse is Today’s McMansion.…
Amazing garden design ideas popped up everywhere I turned while on a couple of garden tours held recently (July 9 – 10, 2022) in and around one of my favourite Canadian small towns–Gananoque, Ontario. This vibrant and very scenic town, situated where the Gananoque River meets the great St. Lawrence River with its Thousand Islands,…
One of the biggest challenges for any gardener is trying to make something of the long, thin and usually dark strip between two houses. This stretch of gardening purgatory is often euphemistically referred to as a side garden. But getting the space to look anything like a garden can be really hard. So how do…
Sculpture? Gazebo? Multi-tiered plant container? The Growroom, an “urban farm pavilion” is all that and an elegantly presented political statement. Swedish architects Mads-Ulrik Husum and Sine Lindholm teamed up with Space10, an innovation lab supported by DIY furnishing mega-brand Ikea, to promote local agriculture and came up with the Growroom. They’re hoping the globe-shaped structure…
Want to try growing some of your own food but don’t have a lot of space? Maybe all you’ve got is a small raised bed or a couple of containers, some hanging baskets or a window box. And what if you live in a place where summertime is glorious but all too short? Luckily, there…
Why have one hedge when you can have two layered hedges? Let’s put five separate seating areas in our average-sized backyard! Who wants to settle for a garden gnome when you can have huge shining metallic butterflies! ‘More is more’ seemed to be the mantra at the gardens I visited recently on a tour in…
I thought ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas–with all those minty fresh flower heads the size of my head (see directly below)–were the bee’s knees. Then I discovered ‘Wedding Gown’. The blooms of the aptly named Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Double Delights Wedding Gown’ (also known as ‘Dancing Snow’) really do make you think of ruffles and lace. ‘Limelights’ will always find a…
There were plants everywhere–in the ground, dangling from trellises, stacked over other plants and lining the tops of fences. And yet, despite the sheer number of plants crammed into this garden, there was a distinct sense of calmness and elegance. This was an eye-opening garden. But discovering a place that leaves you gob-smacked is to…
I made and designed succulent arches for a client recently that hand vertically. I was commissioned to make two of them and they would hang in the exterior entryway of their home. Each vertical garden is approximately 7′ tall and almost 2′ wide. During this process I discovered that certain succulents can take longer than…
A pool with its own rain maker, a veggie patch on wheels, complete with pinwheel, and strings of Christmas tree bulbs carefully chosen to match the posies in a June-blooming front garden…. Yup, these can only mean one thing–the annual Cabbagetown garden tour in downtown Toronto. Yesterday, I did this annual walkabout with one of…
At Toronto’s Canada Blooms, the country’s largest flower and garden festival, the trend in growing vertically has grown up–gorgeous, smart, sophisticated examples were everywhere. This should come as no surprise given the appeal: great for small urban spaces and for turning plants into art, literally. Here are some highlights.
Horticulturist, Arborist and Garden Columnist
Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
Garden of Flowers, Beads, and Yarns
ruminate vb. to chew (the cud)
Reflections On A Life in Exile
Saint Andrews Forest Farm Blog
a chat over the garden fence
There's always room for one more plant.
a little garden near Gawler
.....and nurturing my soul
Ministry of the fence 