Well hello there friend, I thought it would be fun to give you a tour of the gardens through each season. This is the spring garden tour. Gardening is so rewarding.
I must say before I begin that my gardens are not perfect or weed free. I haven’t finished mulching or even planting. But if you were my local friend stopping in for a visit they wouldn’t be either. So come on in and see my gardens thorns, thistles and weeds.
I love seeing other people’s gardens and leave feeling inspired with new ideas. I hope this garden tour does the same for you.
The Driveway Garden
So true to its name this garden is situated next to our driveway. When we moved into our homestead eight years ago it was completely let go. There was grass growing in the entire area. It was a big job taking out existing perennials and pulling the grass from their roots before replanting, but looking back I’m glad I did.
This garden features a large rose of sharon tree in the middle of it along with a large rock and some peonies that were already there when we moved it. There is a beautiful euphorbia that gives off a vibrant yellow colour that I just love in the spring time. I’m slowly trying to add daffodils and spring bulbs into this garden. For year round interest there is a miscanthus grass as well as a yew evergreen. Come July this garden is chock full of cone flowers so much so that in the summer months I call it the ‘cone flower’ garden. There is delphinium, veronica, black eyed susan and bee balm as well which are still dormant, but come the summer tour should be blooming profusely.
Plant List:
- Sedum “Autumn Joy”
- Black eyed susan *native
- Yew
- Rose of Sharon tree
- Salsa red coneflower
- Kismet White coneflower
- Sunseekers Salmon coneflower
- Purple Echinacea *native
- Heuchera “Purple Palace” Coral Bells
- Euphorbia polychroma ” Cushion Spurge”
- Hardy Chrysanthemums
- Bees balm ” Scarlet” *native
- Miscanthus sinensus gracillimus “Maiden Grass”
- Vernonica “First Love”
- Blue delphinium
- Red Poppy
- Salvia “Deep Blue”
The Backyard Garden
This garden is situated in the heart of our backyard and near to our house. There is a large Norway maple on the one end from which I feed the birds. Adding feeders to the garden provides beauty and life especially during the winter months. Yes, I do have to pick out rogue sunflowers but the blessing I get from watching the birds makes it all worth it.
Below the maple tree there is rosa multiflora blooming. Its a repeat bloomer and has beautiful rose hips come fall. Beside the roses is my dwarf Alberta spruce. I planted him last year for some year round interest which I think is very important to consider when designing a garden. Below the maple is a collection of shade loving hostas and ladys mantle.
Plant List:
- Sunsprite Magnolia
- Lilac
- Dwarf Albert Spruce
- Columbine
- Spirea “Gold flame”
- Multi flora rose
- Firelight hydrangea
- Geranium “Purple Cranesbill”
- Autumn Frost Hosta
- Hakonechloa grass
- Sedum ” Autumn Joy”
- Barberry “Dwarf Concord
- Penstemon “Midnight Masquerade”
- Japanese Blood Grass
- Allium
- Lady’s Mantle
- Norway Maple
- Weigela
The Deck Garden
The deck garden is right beside our deck. My favourite plant in the whole garden is by far the Viburnum Opulus Roseum bush. In the spring it has snowball flowers and come autumn the leaves turn a vibrant red.
Last year I added the summer wine ninebark into the back of the garden. I love how the burgundy leaves offset the green, yellow and blue tones of the other perennials.
There are a number of hellebore varieties planted in this space. Sadly only three of them survived this past winter though. This garden receives morning sun and afternoon shade. This year I plan to plant some annuals into the edge of the border to add even more colour to this space.
Plant List:
- Ninebark “Summer wine”
- Hosta “Formal Attire”
- Hellebore “Dark and Handsome”
- Lenten Rose/ Hellebore “Green Corsican”
- Hellebore “Tropical Sunset”
- Pulsatilla
- Periwinkle
- Solomon’s Seal
- Miscanthus Gracillimus grass
- Evening Primrose
Front Garden
This is the garden that is situated by our front entrance. It is chock full of spring bulbs that have been multiplying for years.
The spring interest is definitely there for this garden so my focus for this space is to think about summer and autumn interest.
I must admit that I am incredibly impatient as the bulb leaves die back and more often then not head into the garden with my felco pruners and cut them back.
Plant List:
- Spirea “Goldflame”
- Barberry “Red Carasol”
- Allium
- Echinacea
- Peonies
- Salvia “Deep Blue”
- Boxwood “Green Mountain”
- Coral Bells “Firefly”
- Phlox paniculata “David”
- Annabelle Hydrangea
- Sedum “Autumn Joy”
- Hardy Chrysanthemum
- Black Lace Elderberry
- Purple moss phlox
- Pink moss phlox
- Daffodils (various varieties)
- Keizerkroon tulips
- Yellow tulips
- Siberian Squill
- Grape Hyacinth
- Hens and Chicks
- Garden Phlox “Purple Flame”
- Yellow Iris
- Creeping Sedum
- Snow in Summer
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