Green Gardening Tips

It’s definitely that time of year once again, here on the West Coast of British Columbia to really start to get excited about our gardens. We have had an unusually mild winter, although it has certainly been very wet… but that is what we are known for, isn’t it?

My own gardens have now got about 80 Hellebores which are all starting to burst out, together with other lovely colours of the amazing Bergenia, the Heucheras, Skimmias and, of course, the Sorbaria. I will show you a few of the colourful plants that are now blooming in my gardens all around the house.

Of course, I am very partial to the Hellebores. Below, you can see what is coming up now at the edges of what I call the ‘Blue Garden’ which has quite a number of ‘blue’ conifers, from which it gets its name. The first image is of this garden in February, viewed from the street.

The 'Blue' Garden

The east side of the 'Blue' Garden

Beginnings in February...

A Rather Young Hellebore

These mainly white- coloured Hellebores do not have all that much pure colour, but they certainly become a focus in the quiet, somewhat dark, winter garden. Many of mine are coming up near evergreens which provide a very nice backdrop for their brightness.

A 'Light in the Forest'...

Notice the Centre

Many of these Hellebores have what I describe as an ‘Elizabethan Collar”. Some are absolutely frilly and coloured, but you really have to get down on your knees to actually see and appreciate it. A better way is to plant your Hellebores at the top of a stairway, or somewhere that you can look up into their lovely ‘faces’. Some of the newer varieties are now being propagated to have the flowers sit more upright. You can see what I mean with this next photo, although it is a different type of Hellebore but still more upright than the older types. This one, below, was given to us by dear friends in ‘Nicky’s’ memory. I have not yet decided exactly where I shall plant it but it will definitely be where we can see and appreciate it whenever we look outside.

Below, you can see this very lovely Hellebore that has flowers which are much more upright. It is a beautiful specimen, and we were so very glad to get it.

A Gift for 'Nicky'

In a shady garden or on a dull day, ( read most of the winter here, on the Coast) white flowers are always the best to use as they draw your eyes right in to focus on the brightness. Below, you can see more of these ‘lights’.

Another 'Light'...

Hellebore at Garden's Edge

This particular Hellebore is quite new to my gardens. I think that this is only its third year, here. Each year the plants put out more and more flowers, if they have been planted where they are happy. I have one Hellebore that I have been growing for more than 10 years and it produces a very large and showy clump of pale pink flowers every year.

The leaves of this Helleborus argutifolius, together with the blue Euphorbia myrsinites 'Donkey's Tail' (Spurge) provide interesting texture, as well as colour, in the winter garden.

 

One of the best plants for any season is the Bergenia cordifolia. Not only does it provide the garden with great colour all through the winter, sometimes turning almost fire engine red, it also puts out beautiful flowers in the spring. One problem, however….. these flowers seem to be ‘deer candy’…..!!

 

Bergenia's red-tinged leaves work well with the red buds of the Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'

 

Yellow leaves of an Acorus provide a bright spot of colour, all through the year.

 

This Acorus gramineus gives a cheery greeting to all who may be passing by on the street. It is one of the easiest plants to grow and the only downside is, that you must groom it in the spring and ‘comb out’ all of the old leaves. This is not so hard to do if you put on a pair of gloves that have those rubber gripping palms and then just pull through the leaves. Nothing seems to bother it in my gardens.

 

If you have large boulders in any of your gardens, make sure that they have plenty of soil all around the bottom of them. A large stone should look as if it has been buried, and as if it is just pushing up out of the ground, not as if some giant had just dropped it into your garden!! And, if you have any that are in some shade, you should be able to coax some moss or lichen to grow and give you this bright green colour in the colder weather.

 

Lichen and moss add bright colour all through the winter

 

And finally, here is a most beautiful plant, but….. be warned! It can become invasive, and so, I would suggest that you plant it in a large planter and make sure that the roots are not coming out of the drain hole and into your garden proper! But, just look at this colour, at this time of year!! It is really a treat to see the bright new growth. This is the Sorbaria sorbifolia.

 

MY GARDENING TIP:  Whenever I am not really sure how a new (at least new to me…) plant will perform, I grow it on for a while, either in the pot that I bought it in or potted on, into a slightly larger plain black pot. And then, I watch it! If I see that it is starting, rather quickly, to put up new shoots everywhere, especially near the edges of the pot, I know that it is one that ‘wants to escape!!’ Take heed, and only grow this one in a pot, and do not let it get into your garden…. or you may regret it.

 

The very beautiful Sorbaria sorbifolia... but can be invasive. Be warned!

If you would like to be notified of my latest posts, please click on this address,  http://www.greendesign-gardenstolivein.com/html-contact-form.php   and then scroll down to get to the Contact section.

This list will not be sold to, nor shared with anyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{ 0 comments }

A surprising treat as I saw these beautiful blue berries on this Viburnum tinus

This past weekend, I stepped outside to see if I needed to water any of my plants that were underneath the large overhang that protects our back porch. I was trying to follow my own gardening tips ( see the post below…. ) and, sure enough, some of the plants in the large pots did need a drink. But what surprised me the most was my lovely Viburnum tinus. It was looking absolutely beautiful as it had these shiny navy berries all over it! It was raining ( what a surprise for us here, on the Coast? ) and the entire shrub looked so fresh and clean.

Even in the pouring rain this Viburnum tinus looked so cheery with its beautiful berries and new buds.

Now, I must admit that we have certainly had enough rain throughout this winter. It has also been a very mild winter, as well. And so I saw that there were quite a number of new blossoms about to burst out. Really, it felt like such a gift, as I had not been expecting anything so nice at the end of January.

Viburnum in the rain showing its lovely navy - blue berries.

A close-up of the blue berries and the newest buds almost ready to open.

The newest buds about to burst open as soon as it warms up a bit.

This is one of the plants that I would definitely recommend for beginners, as it stays evergreen, requires only a little pruning ( perhaps twice a year ), and some protection from very hot sun. It would definitely be a plant to incorporate into your spring landscaping ideas. Of course, the whole family of Viburnums are some of the loveliest shrubs for your home gardens.

One other thing that I am very keen to watch is the development of my many Hellebores. Several of them are just now beginning to pop up. Next post will be about Hellebores.

Cheers!

{ 0 comments }

Winter planter with Bergenia and Skimmia plants and cut boughs.

 

Lime green and red Christmas colours.

 

Two of my smaller planters that were on the front steps had become a bit dry and so, I carried them into the garage where they could warm up just enough so that the soil would thaw a bit and then I was able to give them a drink.  Larger planters do not need quite as much ‘fussing’ as these smaller ones, but these had become a little dry and so needed my help. I had put some beautiful Hellebores in them and so they certainly were worth saving.

Another winter gardening tip is that if you had done up some Christmas or winter planters earlier, with boughs, etc., they will keep looking good until spring if you keep the soil moist, when it is not freezing. And, again, as soon as it begins to warm up, keep the soil moist and they will be just fine. I have had mine go from November right through until April, and in fact, as you can see, below, these Hellebores continued to bloom for several months. These pink ones are Helleborus ‘Rosemary’, perhaps the longest to bloom.

One of the very best.....H. 'Rosemary'

 

Close-up of Hellebore 'Rosemary'

{ 0 comments }

Many of my clients have been asking for gardening tips for large planters, and so, here is a closer look at how I like to do large planters on my patio or in the Woodland Garden.

First of all, try to get the largest pot or planter that you can, as the plants will always do so much better in more space, especially if you are wanting to put in something that might want to live there, all year ’round. Many of my planters have at least one permanent ‘resident’.

Now, for me, the most important consideration is always colour. ‘Eye goes to colour’, and so I want to have my pots and planters, even the surrounding plants that are already in the gardens nearby, to harmonize with what I will be putting in my planters. However, you may wonder at all this talk about colour, because this first planter’s main colour is white. But of course, in a shady garden, which this is, white is like a light in the darkness, and it definitely gets the focus!

Below, you see the planter that I will now be referring to. It is on the Woodland Path and is quite large. It is one of the main focal points in this shady garden.

One of my large planters on the path in the Woodland Garden. Note the differences in leaf size and texture.

Now for the details….the white plants here, are Begonias and Diffenbachia. I love their different shapes. The glossy round-leaved plant is a Ligusticum which is a perennial, and it has been growing in this pot for about 5 years. See the close-ups of these plants, below.

Also in this planter are a Dracaena ( common name is Spike ), and a very large, lush fern.The photo, below shows the planter from the front view. It provides a very calm and serene feeling in this cool, quiet garden.

Perennials mixing with annuals. Cool white always draws the eye, especially in a shady area.

{ 0 comments }

Well, now here are my thoughts continuing the “Garden Design-101″ article which I wrote for White Rocks Best, the Online Lifestyle Magazine , where you can find many other articles that I have written dealing with garden design.

I had begun by saying that attention to detail can make all the difference between an ordinary garden and an amazing one. One of the most important details that I always first take into consideration is colour. ‘Eye goes to colour’ and without carefully thinking about your colour choices, your gardens will always have a feeling of ‘what do I look at first?’ If there are all colours going on everywhere, all at once, the scene is not going to feel serene nor ‘connected’.

Let’s consider the three main “greens” that play such an important part in Garden Design: the true greens, the yellow greens and the blue greens.

In the photo, below, which is of one of my paths in my Bellingham gardens, we can see that true greens predominate. But what makes it an interesting scene is that there are so many different textures of this same green. There are also so many different shapes, as well. The pointy, sharp tips of the fern,the contrast with the tiny round bits below it and then, the strong shapes of the Rhododendron, near the top of the bank. All of these details, in just shades of green, produce a serene atmosphere, but at the same time it is very inviting, never boring at all.

Pathway with mainly greens. The interest comes from the many different textures, leaf shapes and sizes.

{ 0 comments }

My apologies to my readers from the Online Lifestle Magazine, White Rocks Best,(  where I also write articles, ) as I had promised a continuation of my article re: using the colours of true green in garden design, but life ( aka my own design business ) has become a tad busy just now, and I have not been able to get to this article, yet. However, this photo of one of my garden paths is going to be part of my example, and so, if you would study the details here and be patient, I will have time to finish this, on the weekend….

Cheers!

Susan

{ 0 comments }

Well, I would have to say that one of the best things about this West Coast living is that we actually have flowers (!!) in the winter! Yep, it’s great! Below, are some close-ups of the flowers that are in my gardens, blooming now. I plant my Hellebores whenever it is possible, so that they are just a little higher than normal. For example, across my backyard there are terraces, and so, I have the Hellebores planted so that, as you come up the steps, you get to look into their fabulous faces….really, it is such a boost at this time of year.

One of my newest Hellebores. Just one year old in my garden.

In February, this little pink bunch of buds started to appear and now they are in full bloom. This Hellebore is ‘Rosemary’ and it is one of the longest blooming cultivars and it continues to look lovely ’til May, and then, its flowers turn to a very quiet green. Last year I put it into my front planters in November, and then, as the year progressed, I added these little saxifrages to the pot, below.

Here is Helleborus x ‘Rosemary’….

Here are the new buds of Hellebore ‘Rosemary’. These began to appear in early February and now are blooming away and brightening up the whole area!

Hellebore ‘Rosemary’ in full bloom in my garden, in March of this year.

Just below, you will see the fresh little Saxifrages that I added a little later on. They really make the whole planter come alive.

Two more close-ups of Hellebores from my gardens…

{ 0 comments }

Well, certainly here on the West Coast winter fragrance is a given! And these two plants, below, offer fragrance just when we need it most! Both of these plants have been blooming in my own gardens for about 3 or 4 weeks now, and as soon as a bit of sun appears, the fragrance wafts across the gardens.

At my front door I have Sarcoccocca ruscifolia (Sweet Box is the common name) and in the back yard my Hamamelis X intermedia ‘Jelena’ is planted in front of a hedge of Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’ where its winter flowers show up so well. It has turned into a small tree and is certainly a great favourite! (See above.)

Here is my Sarcoccocca ruscifolia under the front windows, right by the front door, where its fragrance can be appreciated every time we go in or out! Although the flowers are very small, they have a wonderful fragrance.

{ 0 comments }

Well, for those of us who live here, on the West Coast, the weather has taken an unexpectedly mild turn. This is good news, as long as it stays mild and we do not get a sudden hit of cold, nasty frost! However, I think that I am going to take the positive approach and expect good weather. Yesterday I did a clean-up in the front gardens by raking out the last of the fallen leaves and I discovered that so many of my Hellebores are really budding up. Below are some of those shots. These two Hellebores are in what I call the ‘Blue Garden’. This garden has been almost completely renovated this past year. As well as moving most of the plants around to better accomodate the large Fir, I added a number of large stepping stones throughout the garden. This is necessary in a garden of this size as it is otherwise almost impossible to groom and care for all the plants that are there. It is also a very good way to see all of the plants up close, especially when they are blooming!

Below, you will see the ‘Blue Garden’ which has a lot of Junipers and Blue Spruce, as well as other very  ’blue’ plants such as the Euphorbia myrsinites ‘Donkey’s Tail’ which is trailing over the garden edge.

The beautiful blue of these draping Junipers sets off this garden.

Note the architecture of this very blue Euphorbia myrsinites 'Donkey's Tail'.

Basalt stepping stones provide access for pruning and weeding.

Here are other views of the ‘Blue Garden’ as it is to-day.

Notice the stone ‘steps’ that permit grooming of the plants.

{ 0 comments }