The end of another season

Fall is upon us. The grass is fading and my tiny crop of tomatoes are harvested. I have a list that feels a mile long of unfinished garden (well, yard) business. I expect to have a few days this September to devote to the garden, but most of my energy will have to be directed towards improving the weather-proofing around the (drafty) house. 

I can be happy that we had a tree tour by an Arbourist, and I'm very excited to be starting an online class in Landscape Design.  After a year of surfing the internet for garden design ideas and suggestions, I'm finally going to start getting some credit for it ;) My year of self-imposed "study" of the landscape is nearing an end.

In other news, I'm planning a trip to New York in a couple weeks, once my current gig is over. Some art, some shopping, and a trip to the very tip of Manhattan to see Piet Oudolf's gardens at Battery Park. Unfortunately the Highline won't be open yet. I've generally been more of a shrubs and conifers gal in my garden interests, but lately the Oudolf and Oehme, van Sweden perennials designs have been pulling me elsewhere.... 

So with that in mind, here's a snap of the front steps in summer. Perhaps I'll keep that grass after all!

June Update

Now that it is (almost) the Solstice, perhaps I should reflect back on my first Spring here.

Birds spotted: a Cardinal pair are frequent visitors, along with Chickadees and the occasional Robin. More crows than I'd like, and once in a while the Coopers Hawk will swoop by.

Wildlife: Three rabbits at once is the record - more typically only one at a time. Ducks and geese loved to dive into the neighbours pool before he took the chems to it recently. A gang of raccoons skulked through the back of the property one time, and we might have a skunk living under the crawlspace. And possibly wasps in the soffits. Not to mention the new groundhog who likes to eat my parsley, sweet potato vine and lantana flowers!

May got off to a slow start, with our not-quite-record-breaking snowfall receding slowly away. The ravine got a bit wet at the bottom temporarily. The lack of formal care around here means that we have a lot of native flowers and shrubs, such as this lovely Trillium, several colonies of Trout Lilies, and plenty of Wild Black Currant plants. I've been spending my time thinking about how I will landscape, and trying to ID the trees and plants. And the weeds. The back lawn is at least half weed, primarily creeping charlie. There also seems to be plenty of yellow buttercups, yellow Avens, Wild Strawberry and Wild Violet, ....

Also spotted: Red Baneberry (poisonous) and Bittersweet Nightshade. And a few things I haven't ID'd yet!

Not many real shrubs - a couple (invasive) honeysuckle shrubs, some Virginia Creeper, a mystery shrub that the rabbits almost killed over the winter. Trees include the Weeping Willow and the Eastern White Pines, a few spruce and cedar, a Highbush Cranberry, a White Ash and a poorly planted (bird-sown?) Wild Black Cherry on the north side. Cedars and Maples on the east, along with a dead Hawthorne. The big old Maple and some younger Maples along the ravine, with 3 or 4 Linden trees. Understory along the top of the ravine seems to be Blue-beech (Carpinus carolinana). A few Buckthorn and other weed shrubs. Then another Cedar tree windbreak along the south, with an American Elm partway along.

Garden plants include a few Bleeding hearts, Hosta, Ostrich Ferns, some stray bits of Variegated Goutweed (must eradicate!) and a nice big patch of Periwinkle. Lots of moss along the south yard. There is a proper garden bed along the steps, with some Daylilies hiding, some variegated Sedge, dwarf Iris, Forget-me-Nots, Juniper and Thyme.

A bit of a bed along the north side in the back yard features 6 hybrid Clematis (including the above bloom, which opened today) and more variegated Sedge. I've planted a couple of tomato plants and a raspberry here.

Landscaping or Gardening?

Since we bought the new house, I've had to re-orient my ideas of landscaping and gardening to a much larger scale (which I welcome, although it is a little daunting!). The just-over-1/3 acre plot of land we now own is over 10 times the size of our previous city rowhouse. While tiny, the garden there was my lab, an ongoing experiment in learning how to garden in the earth, not just containers. It evolved drastically over the 5 years we owned it, and I could easily have taken another 10 years to make it into my vision. Not that I actually had much of a vision for it.

So with 16,000 square feet comes a whole new sense of scale. I am trying to consider that I am no longer a gardener, but a landscaper. (Or "lawndscaper" as I just wrote by mistake!) We inherit a distinct lack of garden. Instead, our lot is inspired more by the landscape of the nearby Arboreteum. Dominated by the weeping willow, the lot is bordered on all sides by trees, with swathes of grass underneath. In the front, in addition to the willow, we have two eastern white pine, a spruce and an oak (as well as many cedars). The backyard displays a classic pattern of evergreens (spruce and cedar) on the north side, deciduous trees along the east and south lines. The deciduous trees are mainly maple (sugar, or possibly black, I think) with some alternate-leaf trees TBD. One Ash on the north side as well. One Buckthorn which - well, we'll see if it survives! And a mystery-thorny shrub/small tree bent over drastically. Hawthorne?

So on the one hand we've got some good bones and structure in place. There are several trees in questionable shape (I plan on hiring an arborist to guide me through a tree-care session!). As far as I can tell (still lots of snow out there) little in the way of understory shrubs, perennial gardens etc. I do have a vague sense of a) wanting to keep the naturalistic, woodland feel (and improve it) and b) planting in drifts. Because of the lines of the house, I am trying to think more "horizontal". I also have a weakness for weeping plants, and now I have some slopes with which to show them off.

I've only recently discovered the design ideology of Piet Oudolf's "Wave" gardening, as well as its influences on the designs of firms like Oehme, van Sweden. While I'm generally uncertain about how much I like ornamental grasses (I prefer plants with a tidy habit) - I do like some sedges and grasses. And the plant-in-drifts aspect really speaks to me. I'm pondering how far I could take this design in our garden, or a place like Ottawa in general. Winter interest around here is measured in evergreens - seedheads are buried under the 1-3 feet of snow cover! Carefully selected, I think some swathes/river of plants in a bed sweeping along our steps and across the front of the house could look really good, and not require too much maintenance. I do have a weakness for flowering shrubs (peonies, rugosa roses, hydrangea, rhodos etc) and limiting myself/drawing the line will be an issue. Because - again - it's a question of scale. My old habits of one plant specimens, tiny beds won't work here. I need a Design.

This summer I will be attempting Patience. Learn the property is my task! I want to know about the soil, sun, and drainage. I want to get better at making compost, and learn about the trees. I will think about where to put garden beds (and what to put in them), and learn how to tend a lawn (organically, I hope!). I will see how we actually use the space.

I must still garden (though I imagine mostly I will be pulling out the pruning equipment) - and will try to figure out where I can tend an herb and heirloom vegetable garden. Perhaps some pots here and there as a test case? I am also starting some plants from seed, and will hopefully add some more as well. I'm also considering a "greenhouse bed" for small perennials (started from seed, or little babies) which I can tend and transplant later.

Centre Commons Perennials

Centre Commons perennials available at Make it Green in Kanata.

Athyrium ‘Ocean's Fury’ PPAF
This new deciduous fern has an upright habit, with an unusual combination of fronds that are crested at the tips and also lightly silvered. A unique hybrid of the Japanese Painted Fern ...
Partial shade / Shade

Athyrium otophorum ‘Okanum’
Similar to the Japanese Painted Fern, Athyrium ‘Okanum’ has more subtle colouring and greater winter hardiness. The sturdy, arching, triangular fronds are silvery green with dark red stems ...
Partial shade / Shade

Hakonechloa macra ‘Nicolas’ PPAF
With leaf blades all cascading in the same direction much like a waterfall, this is a fascinating ornamental grass for a partly shaded site. In the cooler days of autumn, the green arching foliage ...
Partial shade / Shade

Heuchera ‘Citronelle’ PPAF
With its dense mounds of chartreuse foliage, Heuchera ‘Citronelle’ makes a beautiful bright display, especially when contrasted with darker plants. Sprays of white flowers rise above its foliage ...
Summer Sun / Partial shade / Shade

and several others...!

Winter Sowing

Wintersown.org

I've been thinking about growing more from seed in the future. I've never had much luck in the past - pale spindly babies reaching for the little light they can find. (OK, I've had a couple minor successes, but my point remains!)

This year I've picked up packets of Cerinthe (a self-seeding annual with drooping purple bells), Lavender angustifolia (destined for the front walk, eventually) and a purple/green annual grass that turns out to actually be rice! Plus three skinny windowbox trays that will snug up next to the kitchen window.

But this winter sowing idea - while I haven't read into it much - could be a great way to grow seeds in the future. I'm thinking of creating a growing bed for a few years where I can raise perennials from seed. Too ambitious?

Rideau Woodland Ramble

This might be my favourite garden centre in Ottawa. A bit of a drive, but the Rideau Woodland Ramble offers a luscious woodland garden with incredible plants and combinations. I still dream of a golden-leaved weeping beech they have.

Possiblities are usually extensive, but here are a few from the "What's New" section of their website that have caught my eye:

Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet'		Zone : 3
Category : Evergreens
Dense golden foliage takes on a third dimension with elongated streamers of new growth appearing to float over the main body of the plant and creep beyond the edges. This carpet takes on mauve tones in winter.

Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Scarletta'		Zone : 5
Category : Broadleaf Evergreens
Description : Scarletta' has beautiful, shiny, dark green foliage that becomes a deep, plum-purple color in cold weather. Great for the shade garden.
Habit : Mounding	Height : 90cm	Width : 60cm

Athyrium 'Branford Beauty'		Zone : 4
Category : Ferns
Description : This hybrid sports silvery gray fronds held upright by reddish stems. It forms an attractive clump and is great for massing in woodland areas or used as a specimen plant.
Habit :	Height : 30cm

Sanguinara canadensis		Zone : 3
Category : Perennials
Description : Pure white anemone like flowers, gray green lobed leaves.
Habit :	Height : 20cm

Cornus alternifolia 'Argentea'		Zone : 4
Category : Flowering shrubs
Description : This is a tree or shrub of incredible beauty when viewed from a distance. It has layers of floating branches clad in silvery green foliage. The leaves are rather slender long ovals with pointed tips, pale green with an irregular white margin. They are held alternately on the branches. In June there are fluffy domed flowers that further enhance the prettiness of this tree. The textural effect is lovely.
Habit : Upright , Mounding	Height : 4m

Name : Halesia carolina tetraptera		Zone : 4
Category : Shade and Flowering Trees
Description : Low branching tree with white bell-shaped flowers. Spring blooming. Prefers acidic soil.
Habit : Narrow, Round	Height : 12m	Width : 6m

"Ottawa is Blooming" Garden Show ... April 18-20, 2008 ... at the Nepean Sportsplex ... Don't Miss It! (formerly the Kanata Garden and Landscape Show)

"Ottawa is Blooming" Garden Show ... April 18-20, 2008

I've always wanted to visit the Canada Blooms garden show (or better yet, Chelsea in London) - but perhaps Kanata can offer a gentle introduction to the world of garden shows?