Happy Friday, GPODers!
We’re closing out the week in Canada, as Deborah Sanders shares the trials and tribulations that led her to creating this luscious garden on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. If gardening on an island with a very unique ecosystem wasn’t enough, her property on a small mountain with lots of towering trees added to the one-of-a-kind conditions. However, some trial and error along the way has given her the vibrant, charming, and unique garden she has today.
Hello,
I live on Triangle Mountain, located just outside of Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. I often joke that I do yoga in the garden, having made a couple of big mistakes early in planting my garden. When the mountain was developed, they knocked down a few trees, brought in loads of fill, and built the houses in the trees. The front “slope” was in the deep shade of cedars and Douglas fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Zones 4–6), with only English ivy (Hedera helix and cvs., Zones 5–11) growing. I had a brilliant idea and ripped out all of the ivy and planted seeds. Not a thing grew. We then cut down a cherry, cedar, and two Douglas firs. Yikes—every weed seed saw daylight and grew. While I still had cedars and Douglas firs giving me full shade through part sun, I ran with it.
I bought one of everything and started planting. Going up the slope is challenging, as is coming back down without stepping on anything. Did I say yoga? The first mistake was not terracing; the second is taking the Master Gardeners course after I planted one of everything, only to learn about continuity!
A photo from 2017, when we were using soaker hoses on a sand base, to now with an irrigation system installed with the help of my hubby and friend
The continuity came along with a waterfall of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9) coming down through the rhododendrons.
Another view of the Japanese forest grass waterfall from underneath one of Deborah’s rhododendrons—such a lush scene of greenery.
Then I put in microclover (Trifolium repens var.‘Pipolina’ and ‘Pirouette’, Zones 3–10) instead of grass and have since developed the lower garden around a slate patio, where I can sit and watch my garden grow.
It’s been a journey of learning, exposures, soils, and falling in love with so many species of plants. Many are now in pots spread around the property. Japanese maples—who knew deer love them, hence the pots on decks—peonies, and rhodos: Can you have too many? I have much more, but this is my start and what has kept me busy and agile.
If planting on this extreme slope wasn’t enough, Deborah also made a point to inject extra personality and color with some garden art. A fun metal flower adds even more flair to a colorful section of foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4–9) and orange Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria aurea, Zones 7–10).
Bright magenta peony and dianthus flowers with silvery blue foliage is a captivating combination in this vignette.
Another fun piece of metal garden art, a funky blue heron, is the perfect complement to the bright yellow blooms of upright wild ginger (Saruma henryi, Zones 5–8).
One last photo, looking down from Deborah’s slope on some bright red poppies (Papaver orientale, Zones 3–7) and a chartreuse Japanese maple: A peek of the small circular patio in the top corner shows what an excellent vantage point that seating area is for enjoying great views of the garden.
Thank you so much for sharing your vibrant and lively garden with us, Deborah! Despite your very challenging conditions, you have managed to create a beautiful landscape that has tons of personality and lots of exciting plant combinations.
How do you manage your garden’s conditions? Are you a meticulous planner, writing to-do lists and crafting site plans? Or do you work on a trial and error basis like Deborah has in her garden? Let us know in the comments, or considering sharing your garden journey with the blog. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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