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…