Garden Photo of the Day

Year-Round Color

A Canadian garden for the seasons

July from my chair, with the fish doing a nice job echoing the color of the day-lilies. That the great thing about gardening…wonderful things happen quite by accident.

Pam Fraser sent in these photos of her garden in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island in western Canada. She shared some images of her garden in summer, and some of how she achieves color and interest in right through the winter.

June 2017 in the garden with shrub roses going full tilt.
Mid-January and a rare sunny day. Rain drops are glistening on the barberry (Berberis thunbergii, Zones 4 – 8) and the primroses in foreground are budding up. The chocolate vine (Akebia quintata, Zones 4 – 8) on the wall keeps its leaves through the winter which I like. Its a much less messy vine than evergreen clematis.
We don’t get much snow here and it doesn’t last, but we had a rare white Christmas this year. I think the heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica, zones 6 – 9) makes a nice outdoor “northern poinsettia”.
My favorite winter flower, the pink dawn viburnum (Viburnum × bodnantense ‘Pink Dawn’, zones 5 – 7). Tiny pink flowers, heavenly perfume. Typically this shrub starts to bloom in December and continues till March. Its not in my yard, my attempt to grow it has not been very successful. This is closer to the water in a Memorial Garden where I volunteer.

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Comments

  1. user-1020932 02/14/2018

    Ah, to live in Vancouver! All of it looks beautiful

  2. Chris_N 02/14/2018

    Northern poinsettia indeed! Thanks, Pam for the photos. Good break from the Wisconsin winter.

  3. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 02/14/2018

    Great Garden, Pam. Have we seen it before? Love your plants and arrangements. That super dark lily is a beauty and I love how floriferous the hosta is. I'm not that well-traveled, but I've been to Vancouver Island twice and it's one of my favorite places I've visited. Thanks for sharing.

  4. user-7003263 02/14/2018

    Pam lovely garden. Love the 'Canadian Poinsettia" against the snow with the snow draped conifers. Your pond is really pretty; I like the plant combinations you have used. What is the floriferous (thanks Tim) hosta? Thanks for sharing.

  5. sheila_schultz 02/14/2018

    I echo Jeff and Chris' comments, Pam. Vancouver surely is the place where a gardeners dreams can come true, and that heavenly bamboo is a winter Rock Star! You have created a cramscaper's dream. love it!

  6. Maggieat11 02/14/2018

    Lovely gardens! That pond is wonderful. You are fortunate to be able to have a water feature. Did you do the rock work yourself?

  7. User avater
    meander_michaele 02/14/2018

    What a fun color echo happening between the little fish in the pond and the orange daylilies blooms nodding above them. Love your description of the flaming leaves of the winter nandina to a poinsettia...works for me!

  8. btucker9675 02/14/2018

    Suffering mightily from garden envy seeing this beautiful place!! : )

  9. user-7017435 02/14/2018

    Thank you for your terrific post this morning. The peninsula jutting out into the pond is unique. I like the winter blooming viburnum & will research it for my zone while resting. . This is the 2nd. attempt to reply this morning & if it show twice I apologize. Good luck, Joe

  10. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 02/14/2018

    Hi Pam and thanks for showing us a bit of your garden. You must love that spot that you’ve created to sit by the pond. We’re trying to get an akebia vine going but the deer keep pruning it. I guess they didn’t see the “deerproof” tag . We have very similar growing conditions on Whidbey to VI and I’m sure you love it as much as we do. I hope you’ll share some more photos.

  11. User avater
    Vel Rhodes 02/14/2018

    Lovely! I really enjoy seeing the gardens that are from my neck of the woods!

  12. User avater
    Vel Rhodes 02/14/2018

    Can anyone explain how to put a photo in place of your user #. Also, does everyone have to type in their e-mail and password every time they want to comment? Thanks!

    1. User avater
      Kevin_PaGardener 02/14/2018

      If you go up to the top right, you should see you user name (the number). Click on the area and follow the link to your account. You can update it from there.

      1. User avater
        Vel Rhodes 02/15/2018

        Thanks! I will try this. I was happy to see that someone had answered me. I didn’t ge

      2. User avater
        Vel Rhodes 02/15/2018

        Thanks! I will try this! I am happy to see that someone answered me but am disappointed that I didn’t get any notice from the site to indicate that you had responded. I’m finding this new site to be a little less handy than the previous format.

    2. User avater
      treasuresmom 02/15/2018

      @user 6946736 - I have type mine in everytime. I really miss that about Disqus.

      1. User avater
        Vel Rhodes 02/15/2018

        Thanks for your response! I had asked the administrator for help but didn’t receive a reply.

  13. caroldt 02/14/2018

    Gorgeous photos! Your garden makes me happy! My nandinas will be nicknamed "NCarolina" Poinsettias when I think of them now. I love them because of their color and that they remind me of my childhood. So beautiful against the snow!

    Who would have ever thought of placing orange blooms along the pond to echo the Koi. Serendipity for sure!

  14. wittyone 02/14/2018

    A beautiful garden you have there. I particularly like the little frog preparing for a back flip into that nice little pond.

  15. Cenepk10 02/14/2018

    My My Fantastic ! Amazing we can grow the same plants so far south. Looks better from there !!!!

  16. User avater
    Kevin_PaGardener 02/14/2018

    Great post today, Pam. I love the pond, and the nankin looks great against the snow.

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