Today’s artful photos come from Bindy Jane French-Wright.
I reside year round in a tiny house in the beautiful Georgian Bay area in Ontario, Canada. I purchased my property some time ago but only started having permanent residence here 15 years ago. I spent a lot of my spare time sailing on Georgian Bay and sailing offshore in the Bahamas, so I never got a garden started until 15 years ago.
The only thing that adorned my property besides a forest of trees was the occasional orange ditch lily (Hemerocallis fulva, Zones 3–9).
I was gifted with the love of gardening by my grandad in New Zealand, who never planted a flower without a prayer and kept everything manicured to perfection.
I am not able to do that here, with the only soil being sand, but as a labor of love I have carried hundreds and even thousands of bags of soil into this yard. I also have dug every flower bed myself and searched out every rock from here to the beach.
Gold bearded iris (Iris germanica, Zones 4–9) blooming against a backdrop of green hostas.
Bright Asiatic lilies (Lilium, Asiatic group) in shades of pink are almost as bright as the paint job!
Sculptures are tucked between the flowering plants.
Choosing the flowers I can grow has been a challenge due to the vast number of trees, especially in one spot with a lack of sun. Given that situation, I have planted many pots of annuals that have added an array of glorious summer colors to the landscape.
People say I have a green thumb, but everything I do is from trial and error. Take these gnomes, which I discovered add some garden whimsy to a place near the guest cabin.
The faux outhouse is a perfect place to store garden tools. A vintage washing machine works as a fountain, providing the calm and peaceful sound of fresh flowing water. View our video on how to build a garden shed here.
This is a sample of the work I do in recycling and harvesting old pieces of furniture, wood, and other mysterious items. I procure the material wherever I may, and with a little imagination, I start creating a recipe for new items of furniture and interesting artifacts. This table is made out of a hundred-year-old chair turned upside down and a table top created out of old wood and then adorned with different hardware to make it a little more interesting. Click here to learn how to make beautiful mosaic art to add to your garden.
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Comments
All your efforts have certainly paid off with nice plantings and interesting hardscape. Looks like it was a lot of fun putting your personality into your décor as well. Thanks for sharing. Do send it more photos sometime!
Fellow Canadian: You have done wonders! Just absolutely fantastic! A happy little oasis on Georgian Bay. I love it!
Sandy from Toronto Canada. Happy Canada Day! ??
You have done wonders! Just absolutely fantastic! A happy little oasis on Georgian Bay. I love it!
Sandy from Toronto Canada. Happy Canada Day! ??
Hi, Bindy, why do I think that any person who wandered into your garden would be greeted like an old friend and made to feel very welcome? Must be because your plantings and colorful objects of ornamentation communicate a joy filled spirit and a loving heart. Thanks for sharing your kaleidoscopic world.
Love that paint job! Unlikely color combinations are sometimes wonderful and sometimes well, just awful. Your's qualify as wonderful. Gorgeous flowers as well.
My, my, your top pic reminds me of gardens you see in New Orleans. Love it!
Forgot to say - nothing like a Koro to garden with.
You have created a delightful, whimsical garden.
Your colorful garden looks as though it was a lot of fun to create. Free spirited, vibrant, unusual and charming.
Enchanted is the only word I can add to what others have described as how this garden makes us feel. I also love to put 'purple' and 'chartreuse' together, so your little house endeared me right from the start. Is that what you are calling your 'outhouse'? Do you have a picture of your tiny home? We would love for you to share that, if you do! Thanks for sharing - and let us visit you again soon!
Love your garden, and your house! I too am a lover of color, and lots of it! Beautiful!
What a perfectly magical garden! I'll bet everyone, but especially imaginative children, must love coming for a visit.
I'm just adding to the other posts to say that yours caught my attention after another long day of settling into our new abode. You have created a bit of magic that I adore! It is perfect!
Looks so bright and delicate!
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