It’s garden visit time at Glen Villa. Last week a group from Quebec City visited the garden; this week it’s a group from Ontario and the following week it’s another group from Quebec. Then, on August 4, comes the big Open Garden Day when we could realistically have 500 people or more. I think all…
Four weeks ago I wrote about the experiment I’m conducting this year on the Big Lawn. The idea was simple: let the grass grow and see what happens. My husband suggested the idea as a way to discourage the Canada geese who were frequenting the lawn and who don’t like long grass. I was sceptical but he…
A week from today, this year’s first group of garden visitors arrives to tour Glen Villa. The following week, two more groups arrive. And not long after that, I have the first ever Open Garden Day. I am about to panic. After far too long with no rain and unusually hot days,…
One of the first areas we added to the garden at Glen Villa was the Cascade. It came about almost by accident, as we were modifying the entry to the house. Doing this meant lowering the driveway by eight feet; as we did, we uncovered a stream hidden underground. And so the Cascade was born. Unfortunately I have…
The downside of going away in May and June is not being at home. As much as I loved touring some amazing gardens in England and seeing some inspiring outdoor art, I missed being at Glen Villa, my garden in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, during the peak time for planting and transplanting. Not to worry, though,…
Last year, an unbearable number of Canada geese decided they liked our big lawn. We didn’t like them, or what they left behind. Shouting didn’t make them go away, running at them was a joke. But we knew that if our lawn was to be usable, the geese had to go. I asked anyone I…
Sir Frederick Gibberd was an English architect, landscape designer and town planner. His design for Harlow New Town, generally regarded as the most successful of Britain’s post-WWII developments, is his greatest achievement. His garden is his most personal. Located in Essex on the outskirts of the town he designed, the garden is little known…
Memorials are tricky things to get right. In the past, when heroes were celebrated and the power of rulers was exalted in monuments that forced ordinary people to crane their necks skywards, understanding a memorial was easy. A man on horseback was a triumphant military leader. A statue elevated on a Greek-style plinth was a politician, or perhaps…
The weather at this time of year does strange things to the mind — and to the wardrobe. One day is cold, the next is hot. Changing locations makes the uncertainties even worse. What do I pack? Summer dresses or winter woolies? I arrived in England a few days ago on a chilly morning that…
For a year or more I’ve been thinking about opening the garden to the public. Last week I bit the bullet and announced that on August 4, I’ll be holding an Open Garden Day. The Open Garden Day is a fundraiser for Fondation Massawippi Foundation, a community organization that supports land conservation and special projects in the communities…