BLOOMS

When Chris or one of our children see me crossing a bit of grassy lawn with the garden hose in tow and a can of spray paint in hand, they know that it’s just a matter of time before another garden appears. They’re used to it now expressing idle curiosity at what might be up my sleeve (the kids) or wondering just how many rocks need to be moved into place this time (Chris). My passion for gardening is ignited by the design element of landscaping and for me, there is nothing more satisfying than to take a piece of barren land and create something beautiful.

before

after

For a number of years now, I’ve been "creating" and the result is a country garden that bursts into a riot of colour and attracts birds, bees and butterflies alike. Various rustic structures and pathways dot the gardens as does a garden pond and waterfall, much loved by frogs (one day we counted over 100) as well as a few opportunistic garter snakes (yikes).

While I’m not a collector of plants and prefer an eclectic mix of plantings I do have some favourite varieties including the ruffled and regal blooms of peonies, the varied foliage colours of Huchera (coral bells) and Oriental and Asiatic lilies including lily trees.

I was indeed fortunate to be planting new gardens at the same time that two other gardeners, whom I knew, were redesigning and downsizing their garden plots. I was very privileged to come away with literally carloads of plants and bulbs that really helped establish the gardens here at Chimney Ridge Buckets and Blooms.

A hit with visitors last year was our new potager garden featuring vegetables, herbs and edible blooms, companion planted for colour, leaf texture, etc. Come visit and see cucumbers and squash scrambling up trellises and how much can be planted in a small space.