Sedum

Giving Thanks

  Today is Thanksgiving day in Canada, and there is much to be thankful for. In the garden, colours are bright.     Even when the flowers have faded, I’m thankful for work that’s been done.  At the Aqueduct the catmint ( Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’) has been cut back, making the bed look more like a…

Bales come in different sizes. These are 4.5 ft across.

The Big Meadow, 2017

Is it accurate to call The Big Lawn at Glen Villa The Big Meadow? If you use an American definition, the answer is yes.  If you consult an English dictionary, the answer is less clear. Webster’s Dictionary defines a meadow as a tract of low or level land producing grass which is mown for hay,  and that definition…

Polystichum, or Christmas fern, is found in shady woodlands throughout the Eastern Townships.

Michiko’s Garden

Last week I visited a very special garden, where rock outcroppings enhanced with shade-loving plants create an atmosphere of deep serenity.     Developed over the last fifteen years by designer Michiko Gagnon, the garden is at the end of a cul-de-sac in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, not far from the U.S. border. It’s an idyllic setting, with an old…

Although it doesn

A Colour-full Summer

Even while summer is coming to an end, the garden continues to make me happy. I’m really pleased with the gravel garden.  Early in the summer we adjusted the slate border; now it steps rather than slopes down, giving a firmer definition to the edge. While the yucca didn’t bloom this year, it did produce…

The ligularia add a nice vertical element to the horizontal planting at the Cascade.

You are Invited!

It’s less than a week until our second annual Open Garden Day. I’m ready for it, bilingual volunteers are prepped, and the garden is looking fine. So I hope I’ll see you here, next Saturday between 10 and 4. There’s no need to reserve a spot, and all are welcome, with admission payable on site. (No…