Garden Photo of the Day

A Tantilizing Taste

By Kim Charles

Charlotte and Paul Vorstermans have created garden "rooms" full of unique surprises.

"We live in Creemore, Ontario, Canada and we have a property of 4/10 of an acre with the garden divided into 7 garden rooms, all with different features. Our garden is open to garden tours throughout the summer and we enjoy the opportunity to display it to visitors.  Although we have lived here for 37 years, most of what is seen in the garden, particularly the hardscape, is only about 15 years old.  The rooms are well hidden by trees, shrubs and archways so that there is a surprise when you enter each room.  There are tantalizing hints of what is to come as you wander through. Below are a few pictures of the garden; more can be seen at our website: www.creemoregarden.ca."

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Comments

  1. bsavage 03/28/2017

    Wow! I love your hardscape, and the privacy, and the creativity of your different garden rooms! Very beautiful!

  2. Jay_Sifford 03/28/2017

    I love the garden rooms, how the grade changes add dimensionality, and how turf is used in certain areas as pathway material. Great job!

  3. Maggieat11 03/28/2017

    Charlotte and Paul, I checked out your web site... you two are quite a team and have accomplished so much. What an undertaking! It is easy to see why your gardens are a destination. I enjoyed also, the unique faces... what are they made of? Did you design them as well?

    1. paulvorstermans 03/28/2017

      The faces are made of clay. I am a potter, so I made them.

      1. Maggieat11 03/28/2017

        Great touch of whimsy to your wonderful landscapes!!

  4. user-4691082 03/28/2017

    Great creative use of different materials! If I lived there, I would come!

  5. NCYarden 03/28/2017

    Whoa. Really really cool. Love the plants but have to make note of the exceptional hardscaping. Well done.

  6. User avater
    treasuresmom 03/28/2017

    Just unbelievable! A small piece of land that looks much, much larger. You have really done an amazing job.

  7. User avater
    meander_michaele 03/28/2017

    Just came back from visiting your website, Paul and Charlotte and you are obviously people of great talents and creativity both inside and outside your home. You are blessed with being big picture visionaries as well as having the patience and personality type to immerse yourself in making small details beautiful. I have always been fascinated by the woodworking craftsmanship involved in the intarsia technique. What you have done with your kitchen cabinetry is amazing. Love all your garden hardscape and your lush healthy hosta make my heart go pitter patter.

    1. chantalrand 03/29/2017

      Do you have a link or name of the website? Thanks

        1. User avater
          meander_michaele 03/29/2017

          Yes, that's the address for the website I found pictures of their other creative projects...inside and outside the house.

  8. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 03/28/2017

    Like Brenda and NCyarden, it's not that I don't appreciate the garden, but the hardscaping really grabs my attention because of the great function it serves to create the rooms and give the garden a sense of space.
    That being said, I am completely floor by the curving brick walls that meet at a tumbling rock garden. Brilliant.
    I look forward to checking out your website.
    Thanks.

  9. Quiltingmamma 03/28/2017

    The sunken garden is very intriguing. I would be interested in the inspiration of it. I particularly like the variation in the wall brickwork. Lovely garden.

    1. paulvorstermans 03/30/2017

      My grandmother has a small sunken garden, more of a large well really, but the idea of walking down into a space always fascinated me. The brickwork are interlocking brick that were seconds or show left overs, so there was a huge variety to work with. So the variety was a necessity to be creative in the design. I like it better that way, actually.

  10. sheila_schultz 03/28/2017

    Holy Cow... my jaw dropped a little bit more with each photo! The hardscape designs are beautifully unique to each room, and I love the depth and breadth of each space. It is also incredibly clever to change fence color in the various rooms that quietly changes the mood with each space! Like Tim, I'm completely enamored with the image of the curved wall and tumbling rock garden. That's a big WOW from me.

  11. paulvorstermans 03/28/2017

    Charlotte does all the planting and I have done all the hardscape; no outside help was used.

  12. Doxnmomx2 03/28/2017

    Yes, yes, yes to all the comments! Just fabulous!

  13. GrannyCC 03/28/2017

    Amazing landscaping and hardscaping. You have created beautiful rooms and I would love to stroll through them all. Enjoyed your website.

  14. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 03/28/2017

    Charlotte and Paul, my back hurts a little looking at all of the labor that has gone in to creating your interesting garden. What fun it must be to wander through these rooms and take in the beauty of what you've created. Thanks for sharing and getting us excited for spring....which is about a month behind last year here on Whidbey.

  15. schatzi 03/28/2017

    Absolutely incredible! The amount of work and imagination staggers both mind and body! Beautiful!! Ditto to all other comments.

  16. user-6536305 03/29/2017

    WOW, Beautiful art work inside and out. I am speechless. Thanks for sharing!!!

  17. tennisluv 03/29/2017

    Amazing amount of work and creativity. These pictures and the ones on
    your website certainly make your property look much larger than 4/10 of
    an acre. Lovely work by you and your husband. I am intrigued by the
    tall sheets (metal or stone?) at the end of the sunken garden and would
    love to have a closer look at them. Thanks for sharing.

    1. paulvorstermans 03/30/2017

      The end of the sunken garden is made from clay ( I am a potter). When finished it will be a water wall with the water dribbling over the various projections down into the pool at the bottom.

  18. anitaberlanga 03/30/2017

    what stunning garden rooms! I am in awe at the amount of work you've done there - it is all gorgeous (love the tile insets in the trellis wall - what a delightful touch!)

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