Welcome to the GVAG Blog

The entry to the China Terrace, with old pillars I found in a local antique store cum junk shop.

My Favourite Place in the Garden

For the last few weeks, everything and everyone at Glen Villa has been focused on preparing for the first (annual?) Open Garden Day on August 4. Twenty volunteers are primed and ready to go, each assigned to a three hour time slot and to a specific area in the garden. When one of the volunteers asked…

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The Lower Garden

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…

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The section of green grass is the path we are mowing.

The Big Lawn Becomes The Big Meadow

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…

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This view from October 2005 shows colourful sumac and a crumbling stone wall.

The Cascade: A Work in Progress

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…

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