Garden Photo of the Day

GPOD on the Road: The Doris Page Winter Garden

Worth visiting even in the spring

garden path with rhododendron of various colors on both sides

Cherry Ong is taking us along again to visit a beautiful space, the Doris Page Winter Garden in the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia.

As the name suggests, this garden is focused on winter interest and blooms, but it is full of beauty in other times of the year as well. Cherry visited in spring.

covered garden patio surrounded by spring plantsA spot to sit sheltered from the elements and look out at the garden

crevice rock garden with lots of tiny plantsA crevice garden is a style of rock garden that creates the perfect conditions for a wide range of special alpine plants.

plant with bright pink berriesI love the color of these little berries—but I’m drawing a blank on the name! Anyone know this plant? Please let us know in the comments.

bright green ground cover with black ornamental grassIn this high-contrast foliage planting, the bright gold leaves of Angelina sedum (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’, Zones 5–8) glow even brighter against the nearly black foliage of black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, Zones 5–9).

plant with multicolored leaves creeping over rocksGoing by the common name of strawberry begonia, Saxifraga stolonifera (Zones 6–9) is neither a strawberry nor a begonia, but its colorfully patterned leaves look a little like those of a begonia, and it spreads by runners like a strawberry does. A wonderful ground cover for shade, it adapts to life as a houseplant where it isn’t hardy.

plants with lots of flower budsSolomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum, Zones 3–8) unfurls new leaves in the spring with the dangling buds that will open into small white flowers.

garden path with rhododendron of various colors on both sidesA walk between big, mature rhododendrons (Rhododendron hybrids; hardiness varies by cultivar)

drooping blooms of a patterned purple spring bulbThe distinctive checkered blooms of snake’s head fritillary (Frillaria meleagris, Zones 3–8)

black metal garden sculpture next to a maple tree with pealing barkA piece of garden sculpture sits next to the equally sculptural and beautiful peeling bark of a paperbark maple (Acer griseum, Zones 4–8).

Rhododendron with white and pink speckled flowersThe marvelous speckled blooms of Rhododendron ‘Princess Abkazi’

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

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Comments

  1. User avater
    cynthia2020 08/05/2022

    Hi, Cherry.
    I especially like your photo of the Rhododendron ‘Princess Abkazi’.
    Maybe the plant with the pink berries is Gaultheria mucronata? A prickly heath in the Ericaceae family?

  2. User avater
    treasuresmom 08/05/2022

    Cherry, great pics as always.

  3. btucker9675 08/05/2022

    What a magnificent garden!

  4. margotnavarre 08/06/2022

    Beautiful pictures. I am a gardener at Bellevue Botanical Garden and the we have Gaultheria mucronata in the courtyard garden and looks like the same one you posted.

  5. User avater
    simplesue 08/09/2022

    Fun to see this beautiful garden...I had no idea strawberry begonia, Saxifraga stolonifera were hardy to zone 6!!!!!
    Always good to learn such things!

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