Garden Inspiration - Collaging

Sometimes the length of the winter just drags on....all I want to do is dig in the garden.

Over the years I have collected many gardening magazines and if I were to have kept them all, I'd have to buy a bigger house to store them.  Instead, I cut out memorable snip-its of what caught my attention for the moment.

Collecting them for ages, I have seen how my tastes have changed and how much I have learned over the years.

The easiest way to get started is being organized.  I have categorized items based on colour and based on my knowledge of plant requirements. Groupings: sun vs shade conditions, garden designs, specific  cultivars and contrasting colours. This way arranging photos is simplified.

Beginning with a blank canvas, I just arrange plant photos, laying them out on the page - rearranging until they click.  I have come up with many plant combinations this way. Complete garden inspiration.

I go back to the collage scrapbook each winter and engage in arrangements, plant variations and it refreshes my love for gardening every time.

By doing this, you find plant cultivars that catch your eye and help you remember them for any future gardening plans.

Pure eye candy for me.

I get so engulfed in arranging that I lose all track of time.

In the spring, I keep it as a invaluable resource for gardening ideas.

It's a great way to recycle old gardening magazines and it keeps me inspired. Try it yourself!

Looking Forward, Looking Back

Even though this winter has been harsh, I am grateful for it. Looking back, I see the beauty in seasonal change. Winter's bleakness brings forth renewal come spring. Looking at these photos in succession really help to balance the change and the need for the seasons. For without the winter, spring would never reveal such beauty and vibrant colour! It helps me cope with the upcoming forecasted 10cm snow fall we are expecting in the next few days. Ugh!

Yet, the few degrees milder weather today, makes me anxious to get my garden plans ready for spring.  In the autumn I planted several shades of Crocus chrysanthus, or known as Snow Crocus (early flowering variety). I can hardly wait to see how they'll bloom in spring. Given this harsh winter, I hope they will fair alright.

Ok, start planning...what to do next spring....

The Dead of Winter - Part One

Dead? Not so much. 

Winter interest in the garden is key to keep it "alive" during the bleakness of dormancy. Fruit, seed-pods, evergreen foliage, texture and movement is what helps to keep the garden interesting during the cold days of winter.

This is the time of year to take a long look, to ponder what can fill some holes and offer some ideas for your garden.

Here is part one of some of my favourite choices to help keep winter interest alive.

Cornus serica "Flaviramea" - Yellow Twig Dogwood  
I tend to enjoy seeing this in gardens more than the average red twig dogwoods. Grouped side by side would make a huge impact. Their yellow/green stems just say 'I'm alive', when all else is brown.

Lavendula augustifolia - Mundstead Lavender
I love silver foliage in all seasons. The silver covering of lavender is commonly mistaken for ground cover junipers. It drapes rockery really well and helps attract snow - making softer edges. You can still cut sprigs of lavender and use for pot-puree even in winter.  Bonus!

Callicarpa dichotoma - Purple Beautyberry Bush 
You don't see these coloured berries every day. What a delightful bush to plant next to an evergreen. The purple/pink berries against a back drop of green just says - "look my direction!"

Rudbeckia Goldstrum

Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' -Black Eyed Susan
 Nearly every garden has them. Why not! They are such a versatile perennial. One of my pet peeves however, is many whack them down to the ground in late fall. I see no sense in doing that, when against snow, they offer such texture and dark contrasts with their seed heads. Not only that, but they provide a wonderful food source for various birds. I've witnessed Chickadees, Warblers, Juncos, and Finch feed off them in my backyard! 

Berberis thunbergii - Barberry
Given the height and its grouping, I gather this Barberry is "Ruby Carousel". Used often now for contrast colour in summer months and great red leaf fall demonstration - yet most folks don't realize the great red berries on Barberries. When they are healthy and happy, they produce and retain red berries throughout the winter.

Sedum x "Autumn Joy" - Stone Crop
Like the Hydrangea below, the umbrella, mushroom flower head holds just enough snow to make this perennial a keeper for winter interest. The seed heads and rigid stems stand a lot of wind and make the garden still seem to bloom in the middle of winter.

Ilex meserveae - Blue Holly  
Holly has some troubles growing in Ontario, but as our zones seem to become warmer, I find more and more areas where holly thrive. Plant a male and female holly together and not only do you get rich dark green foliage (most evergreens turn bronze in winter), but you'll get a great display of red berries too.

Calamagrostis Karl Forester - Karl Forester Feather Reed Grass
I love this grass for its vertical growth habit. Karl Forester grass remains rigid and upright in the most exposed areas. I took this picture down by  Lake Ontario, a stones throw away from the water. Winds and traffic have whipped this grass about, and yet it remains standing tall. Grasses add such great texture and provide visual interest when other vertical elements just stand there.

Hydrangea paniculata  - Conical Flowering Hydrangea
Not sure which variety of Hydrangea paniculata, but its dried flower heads make a great display, even in winter. Don't cut them back in the fall, let the snow and the birds make use of their dried flowers. Beats looking at sticks all winter.

More to come in part two!

Winter...what winter?

My tiny townhouse garden - Feb 2012

I am certainly not complaining. I can't get over it. It's February and a mild 4°C out there - hey, even the grass is slightly green. Although looking out my window to my tiny garden, I can't wait until I see some life emerge from below. I planted several bulbs in the fall, since this is my second growing season here.

Folks have been commenting on the mild weather, saying it's due to global warming. I don't side with that thought. To me it's just a gift of mild temperatures to our region - which considering last year, averages out some. Look at our friends in Europe (France, Italy and Poland) and Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Siberia). If global warming is happening, well, our friends over the ocean aren't feeling any of it. They have been bearing down for one of the worst winters on record. That essentially could be us next round.

For what it's worth, I am thankful and will accept whatever comes. You know the saying: March rolls in like a lion and out like a lamb.  We don't know what tomorrow will bring. Those of us in Southern Ontario should be enjoying it for what it's worth.

I will say, I miss the exercise of shoveling snow and the sharp cold on my cheeks. Let's hope we've had cold enough temperatures to kill off unwanted molds/diseases and other pesky insect colonies. I hope our friends in Europe and Eastern Europe will have a milder March - rolling in like a lamb.

Winter is upon us.

Living in Ontario, there is limited gardening at this point outdoors. Ah, yet for the gardener, there are always things we can work on indoors and plans for outdoors come spring. Many plans. Stay tuned...