Saturday, April 28, 2018

A Passion for Gardening...a peek inside our back garden.


Gardening is a passion of mine...
I've been pottering about in the dirt 
planting and growing things 
since I was a little girl.

Now that I am in my 60's I find my muscles get tired after several hours.
I used to be able to garden for hours on end...
Ah! 
Those were the "giddy days" 
when my escape from the stresses of work 
was simple
 get into my gardening clothes and totally lose myself in the garden.

Last year we hired a gardener to do the lions share of the work
 I am still very involved just not so much hands on...


I do so love the creative process...
finding pots, plants and placing them in the garden.

Hand watering allows me to evaluate what looks good, 
what may need some TLC 
what changes that I might consider making...


Flowers over grasses
as the blooms elevate the ordinary...
variegated foliage 
lime green
whites
mixed with
black plants
are my preferred shades


On Pender I noticed many bright and cheerful flowers in bloom.


Pretty purple blooms absolutely POP when juxtaposed with the grey of the rocks.


A few more pieces of beach glass to add to the jar 
from a beach near Port Washington.


I found a lovely urn at Renaissance Studio Antiques on Pender Island.

It was a beast to move...
it took two people to wrangle it into my Volvo
and another two people to unload it once I returned home!


Popped a hosta plant into the urn...
behind the urn are planted several mop head hydrangeas in a creamy shade.
They get quite tall and bloom for most of the summer then dry into a tan shade
which look very sculptural and add interest in the Fall months.


At the opposite end of the patio are a mix of hostas and black mondo grasses.


We purchased tomato plants for the greenhouse
and 
a rather wonderful rusty coloured metal orb.


Claire Austin David Austin white roses with a boxwood edging.


Raised Asparagus bed
roses and hydrangeas in the middle
pots with Hellebores and Black Mondo Grass on the exposed aggregate pavers.




Hosta in the urn!


Variegated Iris, Hostas, Black Mondo grass and bluebells
beneath the fragrant pink 
Montana Ruebens clematis


Some new plants...
which I will pop into pots early this week when the rain stops.


These two characters Chester and Pepper follow me around the house 
like a couple of dogs.
They are great company too...


Chester wants to come out and help in the garden...


There will be lots more to see once the weather warms up and the plants start blooming.
The Humble Bungalow Garden is at its peak in May and June. 

Hope you enjoyed this wee garden tour.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

45 comments:

Madame Là-bas said...

This showery weekend will create more blooms in the garden (and more weeds!) Isn't it odd that those aches just appear with age. Your cats always look like they're having fun. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your garden.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

What a lovely garden tour and it looks wonderful! The border of roses and boxwood hedging is really spot on. Your color choices all go together so beautifully. I hope you will give us an update of the changes during the summer months -your hydrangeas must be spectacular.

LadyJicky said...

Is the shrub with the white flowers a magnolia? Never seen it before - lovely !

Anonymous said...

Lovely! This urn is meant to be in your garden.
It would be interesting to follow changes in your beautiful garden through season ,both in panoramic photos,as well as close-ups
Dottoressa

Taste of France said...

Your garden is so beautiful.
Do you know the name of the purple flowers on the rock? I am looking for a hardy ground cover that doesn't need much water. Something with color would be wonderful.

Patricia said...

How lovely to have a tour of your very interesting and attractive garden. The new pot is stunning, and looks very at home there. I like to grow flowers too, as well as other grasses or shrubs. Your black mondo is very interesting, and how I'd love to be gardening in a temperate climate :)

Pondside said...

It all looks lovely! I am waiting for the grasses we planted in the fall to mature - they are so attractive! What is the large-leafed plant in front of the bird bath?

Maria said...

You have a lovely garden there! Lots of work went into it and now it's paying back. Chester and Pepper are beautiful cats!
My husband and I are at the sea for a week's break. I have been looking out for sea glass during my strolls on the beach - unfortunately it is a sand beach so I'm out of luck.
Greetings Maria x

Anonymous said...

I love too garden too. I have over 100 boxwood in the garden....
I like the black pillow with the hand that is sitting on the white couch. Where did you purchase it?

Kathryn said...

Thank you for sharing your garden. Mine has plenty of green, some yellow, white,orange and burgandy - but I have been trying to think what else I could plant for some winter colour. Now I have some ideas. Your garden looks a lovely place to sit with a cup of coffee and your cats for company. I would be interested to see the changes in your garden over seasons.

sensitive poet said...

Stunning photography and beautiful colour compositions - you have an artist's eye! Look forward to seeing more of your lovely garden.
A special treat for those of us in the Ottawa area, who only emerged from our own Ice Age in mid-April, after a sudden snowfall.

Anonymous said...

Leslie, it looks wonderful. I have urn envy. It has just the right amount of patina. The rock plant is called Aubretia Someone above asked. It comes in a few different shades. Your garden will be on a tour soon; it’s perfect.....
Ali

KSL said...

My backyard is all shades of green. I've been thinking of adding some color and you've given me great inspiration. Your garden is beautiful and love the new urn.

Jeannine said...

Your garden is just beautiful. Thanks for showing so many pictures of it. Cats are entertaining, aren't they?!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I often wonder why we get so achy as we age...and if there is anything we can do to minimize this issue.
It was rainy here this morning but the sun has come out and everything is aglow.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Things are really sprouting up...it is so exciting to see after so many months. The rest is good though as I don't think I could garden intensively all year long!
Oh yes!! you will see many garden pictures over the course of the summer!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

It is a shrub...sadly the name escapes me!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The urn was definitely on my radar...I love substantial heavy decorative pots and pieces in the garden. They are much more dramatic and last longer than a plastic alternative...the green on the urn may fade as we have placed it in a sunnier spot than where it was located outside the antique shop...time will tell.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I belive they are aubrietia...a ground cover...I think it comes in several shades so you will be able to choose from a few colours!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The black Mondo grass is one of my favourites...I love boxwood too but my husband does not care for it much...but he purchased some electric clippers to help keep it in shape!! Fortunately with our diverse growing zones we have many options for plants and flowers...many plants that I covet are too tender to be planted here...so I admire them from afar!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I cannot remember...my neighbour across the street gave me a small piece a few years ago and it has grown so fast! I can probably give you a piece...the flower is yello with a dark centre...almost like a daisy.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Enjoy your sea adventure and good luck hunting for beach treasures!
Are you travelling by sailboat, a power boat or are you on a cruise?

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I'd love to have 100 boxwood plants!!!! I adore boxwood.
The pillow is from France...it was included in a recent My Stylish French Country box that Sharon Santoni curates...you can visit her blog and go to the links for the information. Good luck!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Garden magazines, books, and visiting other gardens really do inspire us...I will definiteley post more pictures from the garden throughout the season..

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Gosh yes the East has really have been slammed by that cold weather this Spring...hope that its finished and you can get out and enjoy the milder temperatures. Garden plants and flowers offer so many opportunities to capture beauty...with my IPhone which is always close at hand.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Thank you Ali! How nice to hear from you!
Oh I just responded to that comment and knew the name but I am at a loss to name the larger leafed plant in front of the birdbath...it was a freebie from my neighbour across the street...I must ask her again.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Pops of colour do keep the eye wandering...also different textures keep things interesting...our garden is always evolving and changing...we gardeneres are a fickle lot and tend to move things around and are wooed by newer, better more appealing plants!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The cats have such quirky personalities...they are very entertaining and keep us amused. The garden is coming along nicely...I have some plans in mind for improving certain areas and we may plant another asparagus bed....we love asparagus!

materfamilias said...

Your garden is so lovely -- and productive as well! I do envy that asparagus -- I know there's a fair bit of prep involved in getting that established, but you're being well rewarded now. Mmmm.

caitlinsgrandma said...

It looks like it could be one of the many plants from the begonia variety?

Maria said...

Neither one of the three, Leslie - only having a short break in a cottage by the sea.
x

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

It takes about three years for an asparagus bed to start producing but it is worth the wait!
We also have two apple trees, a strawberry bed and my husband grows tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouse and we have peas planted in a pot with supports for them to coil around as they grow.

Lorrie said...

Your garden is just lovely, and so well thought out! This is such a pretty time of year. We're going to be in Port Browning for a boating weekend mid-May. I'm looking forward to a little getaway, and maybe collecting some seaglass along the water's edge.

Sherry said...

beauty and inspiration through and through :)

La Contessa said...

OH I adore this time of year!Everything is SO GREEN in your garden!LOVE THE URN GOOD FIND!I'm only 57 and every time I go into the garden I do something to my lower back!MAKES ME SO ANNOYED as I am VERY VERY CAREFUL!SPending MORE time at the CHIROPRACTOR than working in the GARDEN!
How is that construction going next door?That house must be framed by now?
XX

Rosie said...

So late to the party, but I wanted to add how much I enjoyed strolling around your garden!
Rosie

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Oh I hope the weather is good for your visit to the island...and a long weekend away on the boat is lovely too!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The two houses are framed, one is getting near to being occupied but the other has a long way to go...the lots are still full of construction debris...and look very messy! I would love to get our driveway back...we graciously took down our fence so they could access the building site easily and as a result a portion of our garden is is shambles!!!! I have to turn a blind eye to it or I would get angry....

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Thank you...and I will share more when the roses are out in bloom...

kateR said...

It's a serviceberry (amelanchier) is it not? Such beautiful flowers. There are a number of them flowering near the beach on Salt Spring at Burgoyne.

kateR said...

Could it be Darmera? I'm not as sure of this one as I am about the serviceberry.

kateR said...

No, wait! Ligularia!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I think they call it a wild plum.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Yes!!!! That’s it! 💚💚💚

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Enjoy the change of scenery...always so restorative getting away for some R&R