< BACK

Discovering Nature

When I was a child I used to go out and plant carrots and potatoes. I was so amazed that if you put them in the ground and watered, nature would take care of the rest. It didn't take anything special but it was so magical in the ability of nature. Of course my mother never really cared for this nor the the carrots and potaotes that grew. We onced lived in a old english mansion full of botanical and kitchen gardens, left in dilapidation. I tried to restore the kitchen gardens at the age of 9 and I still recall wondering in those gardens and have never forgotten them.

Creating A Garden

If you come to my garden I have planted every square inch, several times over. The reason, you go through stages of likes and dislikes. Reading about, collecting books, and visiting gardens on my travels I have continued to evolve. In the begining, it was all perennials and annuals. Then it was all about colour. But over time, I now see that gardens, including the most oldest and famous, can be all green with all its many textures and tones, replacing perennial with shrubs and trees and creating something more. Gardens should be, alomost, romantic for lack of better words. Add a beautiful cut lawn and it is beyond words.

Landscape Gardening

The phrase "landscape gardening" is attributed to William Shenstone who was a poet and one of the earliest practioners of landscape gardening during his lifetime in the 1700's. But of course gardens go back to ancient times whether Greek, Roman, and going even further back with Bhuddist/Zen gardens. Either way gardens have transcended just plants and nature and have evolved to a secondary living space that for some is a must. Having said this, not all realize the importance of a green space, even those who have taken apartment balconies and made them the tiniest of gardens just to feel that balance from indoors to outdoors. I have been lucky enough to plant many styles of gardens, from Italian to Japanese and anything in between. Only to overhaul these gardens and make them something even more. Each an expression of yourself and to create an inner peace. This balance of indoor space and outdoor space, once realized, is the most rewarding and giving aspects of gardening. I would encourage anyone whether you hire a proffesional, or not, to attempt this, for which you will realize these rewards.

Design

Plant choice can be very personal, but over the years many will realize that plant choice changes and evolves. In the beginning, it is all perennials and annuals, then it is colour. But hopefully, you take the bold choice to start planting shrubs and trees and enjoying the many textures and tones of green. As gardens age, these shrubs and trees need to be trimmed and shaped and it is at this point your garden begins to take on a new aspect. If you walk into an old famous botanical garden you will see the similarities and the rarity of having these kinds of plants that have been sculpted into pieces of art.

As I have mentioned before, hiring a landscape gardener that has an indepth knowledge of plants, placement, and viability is important. Poor choices now can cause dissapointment and costs later.

Water Features

If and when you add a pond to your garden, there is one realization you will have once built. 'I should have made it bigger!'. Adding a pond to a garden, no matter what size, is in my opinion profound. Watching water in a garden is so mezmerizing in visuals and sound and you'll wonder why you hadn't done this before. To watch goldfish and koi and water plants, like Nymphaea in flower (water lily), is an absolute pleasure. You don't have to make it a pond or have goldfish/ koi. The look and sound of water is hypnotizing in any kind of water feature, whether a fountain, waterless fountain, or a large water bowl, even on deck or patio.

Design & Maintenance

If you have a pond, maintenance is a must! Why not let someone else do the dirty work and clean and maintain your pond. Using someone knowlegeable is key! When designing a pond there are several important factors to get right from the beginning. If these are not implemented disapointments will come, especialy if there are fish involved.

Equipment

Knowing when to use the right equipment - pumps, ultra violet, skimmers, filters, etc., are an important role when creating and maintaining water features and knowing how to scale this equipment to water volume. Especially when you have goldfish or koi, having someone who is informed will help keep health optimal. The final aspect are predators, it could be two weeks or two years until they show up, eventually they will come, knowing how to protect your fish is paramount when this occurs.

Soft Scaping

A great deal can be accomplished from softscaping, that is, planting with design, hedging, garden beds, etc. This can transform the way a garden looks with out heavy equipment or costly hardscaping.

Hedging of large and small shrubs can create separation and division and give diversity to a garden. This is when plant knowledge is key with whom you hire. Not all landscapers or even gardeners for that matter have this knowledge and can cause unecessary costs through poor plant choice and placement.