Welcome to the GVAG Blog

Open Garden Days in 2023

The Open Garden Days are coming soon and you are invited!     I’m pleased to announce the Open Garden Day dates for 2023: Saturday, June 17 Saturday, July 15 Saturday, August 12   Tickets sales will begin in early April.  All tickets must be booked in advance. Spaces for morning and afternoon tours are…

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The linden tree at the end of the Big Lawn on June 2015.

Garden Favourites

As I prepare for another season at Glen Villa Art Garden, I’ve been thinking about other gardens I’ve visited. What lessons can I take from them, that I can adapt and apply to my own? Asking those questions has led me to reflect on something different. Why do some gardens stand out as clearly as…

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Why It Works

I rarely share links with other websites, whether garden related or not. But this morning, I read an article that I found truly thought-provoking. It is called “Head (and eyes) in the clouds” and appears on the Substack blog, Why It Works. Written by Chris Young, landscape designer and consultant and former editor of The…

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Talking Books and Gardens

Recently, I spent a very enjoyable hour speaking online with Heather Andrews, the Thoughtful Gardener. Her emphasis is on helping gardeners to create sustainable gardens that attract wildlife, support pollinators and increase vegetable yield using native plants. You can find her at Garden Thoughtfully. The website is well worth a look — she shares lots…

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Inspirational Ideas from Innisfree Garden

A few weeks ago I visited Innisfree, a wonderful garden in Millbrook, New York which I first visited fifteen years ago. Unless my memory is out of whack, the garden hasn’t changed significantly since then, but I have. In the intervening years, I’ve visited hundreds of gardens around the world, and as I entered Innisfree,…

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