Garden Photo of the Day

GPOD on the Road: Niagara-on-the-Lake

A walk down Queen Street

container full of different green foliage plants

Cherry Ong is again taking us along to visit beautiful gardens, this time plantings in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario.

One of the top reasons I love walking along Queen Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake is to experience the amazing summer annual display along the street and fronting the stores and hotels. I walked the street twice to study the garden and container-garden designs (patterns and colors and all) hoping to take inspiration home with me for planting my own summer garden.

window boxes full of purple and blue flowersThis photo along the Prince of Wales Hotel includes spectacular window boxes planted with Streptocarpella saxorum (Zones 10–11 or as an annual) and Petunia hybrids (Zones 9–11 or as an annual).

floral plantings around a old hotelThis view of the hotel, shows the planter boxes full of flowers on the fence around the little patio area.

container planting with lots of different foliage plantsThis study in foliage color includes tall papyrus (Cyperus papyrus, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) at the top growing through lime-green coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides hybrid, Zones 10–11 or as an annual), which contrasts with the coppery-colored sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas, Zones 10–11 or as an annual), and zebra plant (Tradescantia zebrina, Zones 10–11, or as an annual or houseplant). A few blooms of wishbone flower (Torenia hybrid, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) are scattered here and there but are totally upstaged by the great leaves around them.

variegated hosta with bright green ornamental grassHostas (Hosta hybrid, Zones 4–9) and Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9) are always a good combination. Both thrive in the shade and have beautiful contrasting and complementing textures.

row of plantings with vines growing on stakesMandevilla (Mandevilla hybrid, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) vines give a great vertical accent in this planting. Most mandevilla are twining tropical vines, but some of the newer varieties stay as shorter, bushy plants. Both are beautiful, but the vines are very useful for adding height to annual plantings.

close up of bright red flowers on a vineThe red flowers of the mandevilla vines are intense.

container planting with massive black leavesThese huge, dramatically colored elephant’s ears (Colocasia hybrid, Zones 7–10 or as an annual) look all the more intense for being paired with bright yellow-green sweet potato vine.

garden bed full of red flowers and red leavesPurple spider plant (Tradescantia pallida, Zones 7–10 or as an annual) makes a dark background for this fiery planting: New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri, Zones 10–11 or as an annual), coleus, and yellow cannas (Canna hybrid, Zones 7–10 or as an annual).

container planting with pink flowers and different foliage plantsA pink Rieger begonia (Begonia hybrid, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) takes center stage in this planting. These hybrid begonias are abundant bloomers and generally perform best in climates with cooler summers.

planting with colorful flowers and foliageBrilliant orange canna and coleus foliage is the star here, backed up by a cool ring of purple petunias.

garden bed behind garden bench with purple foliage and white flowersToning things down a little, this planting is a sophisticated mix of white flowers and the purple leaves of Strobelanthes dyerianus (Zones 10–11 or as an annual).

container full of different green foliage plantsA final container is also elegant in its restraint: white variegated caladium (Caladium hybrid, Zones 9–11 or as a tender bulb) and spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum, Zones 8–10 or as an annual or houseplant), with the bright yellow foliage of creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, Zones 3–9).

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

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  1. User avater
    simplesue 07/29/2022

    I've never heard of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario until you posted this!
    I googled it and wonder why I don't pack up and move there now!
    What a gorgeous place with all the plantings!
    Thanks for sharing another great adventure with us!

    1. perenniallycrazy 07/29/2022

      You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed the post. Hope you get to visit or even live there someday. The wineries around the area are beautiful too.

    2. skgabriel 08/01/2022

      Having visited briefly only once ... I have fond memories of the beautiful flowers and can't wait for another trip. As to packing up and moving there ... it's way too cold!

  2. [email protected] 07/29/2022

    I love that you wander, then share the beautiful sights with us! I always enjoy your postings. Thanks!

  3. btucker9675 07/29/2022

    Especially love the window boxes planted in blues - so beautiful. What a place!

  4. jos29803 07/29/2022

    Lovely displays. Thanks for sharing.

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