Kiwi Gardens, Perth

I am slowly making my way through the hundreds of pictures I took last summer, scattered between the Canon and the Blackberry. Waiting to edit summer photos while yet another January snow falls softly outside the windows is a reward in itself, and I am thoroughly enjoying the escape to some of the beautiful places and spaces we were able to visit in 2013.

At the end of the first week in June, Paul and I were able to sneak away for a quiet drive to Kiwi Gardens in Perth. Though it is only an hour away, this is the first time we had been there. I was on a quest  for Persicaria Polymorpha, and their website had it listed…the only garden centre, it seemed, anywhere near Kingston that had this particular perennial available...but that is a post (or rant) for another day.

As we pulled into the parking lot, the gardens began, and I instantly regretted leaving the Canon at home.  I said a small prayer to my husband's Blackberry and hoped it would do some justice in capturing what I was seeing. The garden centre is surrounded by lush forest, and overcast skies gave contrast to the vibrancy of the perennial beds, most designed with shade loving perennials and native shrubs…I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Parking lot border

A lesson in the effective use of ground covers,
colour and composition.

Beautiful flagstone pathways -
hostas clearly thrive here

The nursery - I was impressed with the staff as much as the gardens.
Everyone was incredibly friendly and possessed a genuine, passionate
knowledge about the plants they sell. 

Pathways lead you through tantalizing display gardens,
many perennials are identified along the way
for gardeners of all abilities.

Hostas!

Beautiful artwork is displayed along the walkways.

Display bed - perennials are grown and propagated on site.

Kiwi gardens is situated on ten acres near Perth, Ontario. The owners have been in business for twenty-five years and though I did not have the opportunity to meet them, their love of the plants and nature is evident in every beautiful nook and cranny. I look forward to visiting again this spring and perhaps wandering a little longer.

Theirs represents the dream of a life I hope to have someday, working and living amongst gardens, sustaining, nourishing and cherishing diversity. Kiwi Gardens offers a refuge for 3000 perennials, many unique and not easy to find on the tables of our mainstream garden centres. A plant list is available on their website, and I urge you to browse through it as we sit and wait, planning for spring. If you are lucky enough to visit and shop, I urge you to bring your camera and comfortable shoes for strolling the trails.

By the way, I did find my Persicaria, and purchased three healthy plants along with five Carex Rosea and a few more perennial treasures.

Wishing you lovely day!

Beginning Again

It has been quite a while since I’ve written, and I am actually so surprised I remembered my password to login. Making the time to write, something I think of as a gift to myself, lost priority this year to the running of businesses and caring for a home and family. More than once I have wondered why we keep up this crazy notion that running two businesses at the same time is a good idea, but it is hard to imagine life without both of them in it.

Spring!

The doubts and constant soul searching that comes with being an entrepreneur, and a completely self taught one at that, creep in constantly. In a seasonal business like landscaping, when winter feels like it will never end, I find myself worrying what the next season will bring. Will I have amazing clients like last year, will I be challenged, how is the industry truly doing, will I be able to pay the bills, will the bees come back, will I finally make time for tomatoes…

Bachelor's Buttons blooming all summer…one of the few bees we had can be seen nestled in a flower

Nepeta…perhaps a garden's best friend

I am so grateful to report that last spring and summer was a truly amazing season for us. My baby, Stone and Maple Landscpaing, had the opportunity to work with truly wonderful, interesting and inspiring people. We began in the spring teaching a group of volunteers in a three week landscaping program partnered with a not-for-profit daycare centre. A cedar pergola and sandbox was constructed for the children, and our volunteers learned valuable skills, the most important I think being the value of giving and the happiness that working with your hands can bring. I will never forget the last day of the project, as three tough looking guys with tears in their eyes stood watching the kids play in the sandbox for the first time. Priceless.

Found a new geranium at the garden centre…she's so pretty

Chamomile left to self seed

The rest of the summer was a whirlwind. At home inspiration came from that April ice storm. So many branches destined for the fire pit made their way instead into the beginning of a hugelculture garden. The plum trees bloomed, the cherries tried, a carpet of chamomile swept under the apples. I waited for bees. I cursed the mustard garlic pulling it out by the wheelbarrowfull. I planted peas, lettuce and spinach with my sweet Julia, watched in amazement at the progression of the raspberry patch. The old apple tree bloomed. The redbud bloomed, I sat in my wicker swing and meditated on its beauty. I sat grateful everyday for the spring rains, plants that struggled last year burst forth with flower. 

All the world becomes right again after a few moments spent in the swing...

Our youngest daughter Julia and my best garden helper! 

The glorious blue spires of baptisia, luscious peonies, iris, lilac, and the tiny white bells of Deautzia Chardonnay Pearls and Bridal Bush. Bachelors buttons, calendula and daisy erupted everywhere. The clematis was a riot of pink, nepeta Walker’s Low was a froth of lilac/ Carl Foester was stately, but Miscanthus and Pennisteum were sadly missing. 

We watched and waited for the bees. 

Chives, rhubarb and comfrey in the herb garden

Beautiful blue baptisia 

I pulled more mustard garlic. The hedge of comphrey was a magnificant show, I left it to flower for the bees. A few came, but not the hundreds that used to swarm the comfrey flowers, falling asleep in a contented, drunken state to be found asleep every morning snuggled in the blossoms.

I watched Julia play in the garden, marvel at the size of the rhubarb, sit quietly by the pond, play with frogs, run through the stone pathways and gather bouquets of dandelions. She waited for the butterflies.

In the shade gardens the hostas grew, mingling with Solomon’s Seal, hydrangea, geranium and masterwort. Ajuga spread under the boxwoods, jacob’s ladder and brunnera created a sea of palest blue under the japanese maples.

The sweet scent of Miss Kim lilac perfumed the yard for days on end

Clematis finally taking off this year, I thank the spring rains

I added more herb beds and promised myself that I would valiantly make the effort to take care of my vegetable garden, whose fate is very similar to that of this blog. Additional work and maintenance began for two of our favourite long-standing clients at their cottage; a drainage problem was remedied and a new garden was created for Pauline, one of our very first clients, and as such holds a special place in our hearts. We spent a few days on spring maintenance at the Utilities Kingston Water Conversation Garden then spent time throughout the summer working with the summer’s garden intern, another sweet, creative, hard working Julia, who was an absolute joy to be with. 

We worked again with Utilities Kingston to design and install Phase 1 of a water conversation garden, this time at the King Street Water Treatment Plant in Kingston. Everyone we worked with on this project was so truly kind, passionate and supportive of this project, it was a true pleasure. This segued into a three week build of retaining walls during the hottest part of the summer. Our client Tom was a dream to work with, and he made sure he kept us well watered and filled with gingerale as we struggled in the heat and humidity. But it hurt, my muscles ached for weeks and my body reminded my daily that I was definitely not even close to being 29 anymore.


That segued into the bioswale installation in Kingston, which I confess is one of my most rewarding experiences, for many reasons.

Echinacea and switchgrass dancing in the bioswale

Summer gave way to fall, then winter and Christmas and finally this ice locked January where I sit in my snow pants at the keyboard trying to warm body and soul.

The Garden Stars of a Long Hot Summer

It is 3 am as I sit down to write this. An ungodly hour to be up, even for my early rising self. The stomach flu has swept through our house this past week, finally claiming me as a victim on Thursday. After sleeping for the better part of 24 hours, I feel remarkably restored and grateful that we all seem to be getting back to normal.

There is not a lot a girl can do at 3 am especially with a husband snoring softly away on the couch, himself in a state of recovery.  Tip-toing, I brewed some fresh coffee and made my way to the back deck. It is -3 C outside, but not too cold and the sky is brilliantly clear, a deep black cloak bejewelled with stars. The snow still lies a foot deep, the steam rises from the mug in to the clean country air. Somewhere to the southwest the coyotes are wailing in their eery sing song voices.

So much to be grateful for.

I am often guilty of planning so many projects for myself that I tend to feel overwhelmed even before I have started. These projects are then quite often interrupted by a sudden burst of inspiration that takes me off in a completely different direction. My problem really is that I am a problem fixer and I sometimes forget to appreciate all that is right.

So at 3 am this morning, surrounded by a dark and sleeping world, clarity crept in as I let my thoughts wander to the heroes of last summer's gardens...the plants that amazed me, that stood up to the drought with surprising fortitude. There were so many lessons and some pleasant surprises. I am grateful that as gardeners we have such a multitude of colours to paint with, that with a little research, creativity and a freshly sharpened spade we can create a truly personal masterpiece in any part of the world.

Here is a short list of a few plants that I could not live without, that offer beauty with a strong mix of tenacity and tolerance. As I wrote this, I realized they all have similar traits...drought tolerance, interesting texture and scented foliage.

 Nepeta Walker's Low (divisions from my own garden) creates a striking border for a butterfly garden at a school in Kingston. Looks completely natural planted with echinacea, rudbeckia and perovskia. This was an enormously gratifying project...You can read more about the garden here on our website.

Nepeta: I have two varieties, Walker's Low and a border of the more diminutive Blue Cloud. This is one of the first perennials to show life in early spring. At first a soft green mat appears that belies the size it will soon take. Walker's Low flowers in late spring to early summer after which it is cut back for a second show that carries through until the fall. This darling perennial has so many virtues. Very drought tolerant, requiring little extra water. The soft grey-green leaves have a wonderful mint like fragrance which deters insects, but the flower is a huge attractor of the good ones - bees and butterflies love it!

It is cloud of soft purple when in flower, making a casually elegant hedge or a beautiful specimen. I have found it is beneficial in deterring insects from neighbouring plants as well, helping to reduce maintenance in the beds.

Nepetas are what I like to call a "bang-for-your-buck" plant, reaching full size within 2-3 years and very easy to divide. From my original mother plant I have created dozens of offspring. The mature spread is approximately 3' with a flowering height of 18-24". They rarely look good potted up in the nursery, but don't let that deter you, once it has room to grow it will quickly fill out to its full glory.

Hardiness: Zone 3-8

The first flowers of the Nepeta are almost ready to bloom (bottom left)...the timing is perfect with lupine, peony, and iris. Geranium alba (front) provides a nice textural contrast, echoing the rising green spires of delphinium in the background. Picture taken 2009.

And here is a mature nepeta clump as it appeared early September 2012, you can see it survived the drought quite nicely. I can't say that about the rudbeckia which looks surprisingly stressed out. A column of Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' is backed with the remarkable hardy and self-seeded annual Nicotiana alata or night-scented nicotinia.

Caryopteris: Also know as Bluebeard, this hardy shrub provides late season interest, bursting into a cloud of blue in late summer and early fall. I have a small hedge of three beside the patio where I can run my fingers through the scented foliage that is an alluring minty sweetness. Likes the sun by I can report that mine have done nicely with some afternoon shade.

Beautiful grey green foliage adds a softness to the garden, mine is offset with the deep rich green of climbing hydrangea behind, and boxwood in the front. My favourite combination is with Gaura lindheimeri, the airy white whirling butterflies create the illusion that the bluebeard is in flower all summer, a happy planting accident that created a stunning effect. Once in bloom, the plant is alive with bees, who I think must be grateful for such an abundant food source so late in the season.

Hardiness: Zone 5-9. In my zone 5b garden, the plant is treated more like perennial and I cut back the foliage from 6-8" in early spring.

I have the hardest time trying to capture this shrub just right...but here it is, my lovely caryopteris beside the patio. just past its prime. If you look closely you can see the small white flower of the gaura mingling in the background.

And here is a picture from Longwood Gardens...what a stunning display the long borders of caryopteris make!

And for this post I will end with just one more....

Geranium macrorrhizum: I love, love, love this ground cover! This amazing perennial, also known as Big Root Geranium, stands up to extremely tough conditions, like drought, shallow soil, and dry shade. It will grow virtually anywhere in any soil conditions.

Though it spreads quickly, it is not one of those dreadful garden thugs...it is very to control the size and direction you want the clump take. As the plant matures and spreads it performs as a wonderful weed suppressor - I have yet to pull one unwanted invader.

I find this geranium performs better with some shade as mine have displayed burnt leaves in full afternoon sun when the UV warnings have been high. Lovely magenta flowers in spring...you do not have to deadhead unless you so desire as the new growth covers the seed heads nicely.

The foliage is strongly scented (some would say pungent)...to be honest I cannot decide if I like it or not. I find the leaves to be somewhat spicy with a strong hit of lemon. This of course helps repel insects, and I have never had a problem - it also seems to help keep slugs away from the neighbouring hostas.  

Hardiness: Zone 3-8

Geranium macrorrhizum in the shade garden at Utilities KingstonWater Conservation Garden. I divided and potted up over 80 divisions to create the border in this part of the garden...very rewarding!

Another shot of the Utilities KingstonWater Conservation Garden.
After one season this pretty river of geranium is already filling in...
the roots of the large silver maples have not hampered its efforts in the least.

These are but a few of the plants I truly adore...I would love to hear what some of yours are!

Until then I wish you love, light and peace...and take a moment to reflect on what you are grateful for. As gardeners we tend to be too critical of our work, embrace the beauty you have created in your part of the world.