Garden Photo of the Day

Perennials on Tour

An Ontario Gardener prepares to share her garden with her local community

Denise Lajoei started creating her garden in Cambridge, Ontario Canada 7 or 8 years ago. After the years of work and adding to the garden every year, she was chosen to have her garden on a special garden tour organized by the Cambridge Gardening Club in August. For those of us not lucky to live close enough to go on the tour ourselves, here’s a little taste of her beautiful collection of plants!

The beautiful pink goblets of autumn crocus (Colchicum speciosum, Zone 4 – 9)  bloom in late summer/early autumn without any leaves. Here in Denise’s garden, a carpet of other plants provides a backdrop to these elegant flowers that end the season on a high note. The leaves emerge in the spring, and then die back completely by mid summer.

A diverse collection of perennials and annuals provide color and interest in the garden. Here, a bird bath and garden bench invite visitors both human and feathered to stop a moment and enjoy the garden.

Big leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5 – 9) lend bright color to the shade in the height of summer. For colder climate gardens, look for varieties that can rebloom in the summer.  Older, once-blooming varieties can set their flower buds in the fall, and in hard winters sometimes freeze off.

Brilliant garden phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4 – 8) blooms in front of the huge, green flower heads of smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens, Zones 3 – 9).

The green flower buds of Sedum spectabile (stone crop, Zones 3 – 9) serve as a subtle, understated prelude to the bright pink flowers to come.

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    treasuresmom 03/14/2018

    What an unusual birdbath!!

  2. user-1020932 03/14/2018

    Good to see this green and colorful garden on yet another snowy morning. I am hungry for spring

    1. User avater
      meander_michaele 03/14/2018

      We missed the snow although it is cold. Hopefully, your white stuff will melt quickly and spring can fully take hold.

  3. Maggieat11 03/14/2018

    Very nice! And did you make your birdbath top? With a foot and a half + of snow here, these photos are an especially welcome sight! Thanks for sharing!

  4. User avater
    meander_michaele 03/14/2018

    Looks like you have the perfect setting for your big leaf hydrangeas and are being well rewarded with the bountiful blooms. Hmm, and why have I never bought and planted any fall blooming crocus? They look so appealing popping up amongst some green ground cover.

  5. cheryl_c 03/14/2018

    Love your plant choices and how you have arranged them. Congratulations on being chosen to be part of the garden tour!
    Send some more pictures soon - these were so nice to see.

  6. Chris_N 03/14/2018

    Autumn crocus are great plants. I need to put some in. I see you have peonies showing among the phlox. Makes me think of spring to come. We have various bulbs sticking their noses out but I need more. Thanks for sharing the photos.

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