My name is Alice Fleurkens, and I live in Sweaburg, Ontario. This year has been special because we made quite a few changes, and I can hardly wait for spring to see what things are going to look like.
This fall clematis (Clematis paniculata, Zones 4–8) is a new addition that I had never seen before until a lady showed me a picture of hers. I may just have to get another one for the back fence.
The sedums (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Zones 3–9) are always so beautiful in the fall, and I leave some all winter long for color in the garden. The bees absolutely love them. They are always swarming with honeybees, and so are the blue salvia.
Wide view of the garden in fall
My Christmas arrangements are made with free greenery. I pick up branches that people dispose of at the city yard every November.
All the different colors make the garden nice to look at in the winter
My favorite tree. I lay the big pot next to it sideways for easy storage in winter.
There is certainly nothing boring about the winter garden. But normally it would be full of snow. The beautiful rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis, Zones 5–7), full of red berries, is really the best kind to plant. It grows so gracefully over the rocks and is just loaded with beautiful red berries in winter and white flowers in spring. It also is much loved by the honeybees and bumblebees.
And the lavender also looks great all winter. We have had no snow for most of December—so strange. My husband took a picture of a flowering dandelion in our front yard on December 28.
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Comments
You've done such a good job of placing your shrubs. I'm in the midst of adding a good many to established beds so having some examples to go by is a great help. The Cotoneaster sprawling over those large rocks is just lovely. That's one shrub that just never enters my mind when considering possibilities.
Do be careful with that fall blooming clematis-----it reseeds like crazy!
Thanks for the Nice comments. I read about the clematis that it had to be cut down to about a foot from the ground and that is what I did, time will tell what happens.
That cotoneaster is amazing as is that Christmas container.
One of the great bonuses about gardening is what a gratifying factor 'anticipation" is...before, during and after doing a project, "anticipation" gives energy and motivation.
I love your mix of evergreen and deciduous trees and bushes and, of course, your choices of perennials like the tall sedum and lavender. Your pictured Christmas container is gorgeous...great job making it so festive.
Dear michaelle.
You are so right about the anticipation. About the Christmas container. They are so easy to make I don’t know why anyone should buy one. In the past I have also used dried Hydreangeas, Sedum, and Sumak. With the greenery. It all looks good. The festive is the added artificial berries and some glitters. That works every time. The White Birtch Will last for years if kept in the shed in summer.
Such an artistic holiday arrangement, and especially impressive because you made it from from disposed garden clippings!
Yup, you're a gardener...you have a favorite tree! LOL!
Nice use of the big stones mixed into the beds.
Everything looks really nice and it's not even peak season in the garden...you accomplished a "four season garden."
I think that's important to be able to look out the window and still see a garden even though perennials are not around.
You sure do have good luck with the Autumn Blooming Clematis and for sure you should buy another!
Thank you Sue. And yup I love that tree, and i love this website.
Your Christmas/Winter arrangement is just lovely!!
I also love your "favorite tree". Do you know the variety?
Great job with your plantings and placement! Easy to see that it looks great year around. Wish I could visit!
very beautiful!
Lovely
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