Pages

Wednesday 16 June 2010

What does your say about YOU ?

I really am interested in what other gardeners find most pleasing in their own gardens.
Is is colour ? .. form ? .. texture? .. height, width? .. impact ? the list is endless.
So that is why I would like to hear what you look for in your own garden that simply sooths or excites you as just that .. a gardener ! ( astilbe "Peach Blossom" .. one of my favorites)
I love everything for the most part .. I have crammed trees in as much as possible .. shrubs .. vines .. roses .. perennials with flowers ... perennials with foliage ..
All plants interest me .. but now after several years of gardening I have fallen prey to the ...
"Collectors Syndrome" eeeekkkkkkkkkk ! (Henryii and Niobe, who are beautiful this year)
I have been having a love affair with hellebore thanks to Andrea who sent me some beauties last year .. she kicked off this HUNGER for Hellebore ! (geranium Wargrave Pink)
I have a thing for brunnera, heuchera, heucherella, and tiarella .... (Morden Sunrise rose)
I have always loved ferns since I was a little girl .. they comfort me with their fresh clean smell. (Husker's Red )
I love many of the old fashioned perennials that are not grabbing attention (Helenium : )
I love the combination of shrubs and flowers ... vines and ferns .. and all with my much loved trees : ) .. (Centerglow Ninebark)
Repeating colours and shades .. dark with light to compliment each other and catch the eye with the contrast. (Hillside Black Beauty and Royal Purple Smokebush)
Small delicate with large and leafy ... many can hold their own ground very well ! (Campanula, Marmalade heuchera and gold Barberry)
Foliage Foliage Foliage ............................ and yet again FOLIAGE !! (Ghost fern and Fred the Red Dragon Japanese Maple)
.... and natives .... most seem so hardy and rugged don't they ?
That is why they are native plants .. but .. we all know the impact that "alien" plants are having on our native environments .. it is scary to think we may lose them.
This quiet beauty that is taking her time to grace me with her gorgeousness is called
Canada Lily .. aptly so since I am CANADIAN ... EH ! (Kyna if you are reading this stand up and shout that out girl !! haha)
In the end of it all, when you think of it .. what you do in your garden is your own business isn't it ? .. but there is a link to other gardeners that is almost unspoken .. we could visit each others garden and almost know what that person is like without out having met them ..
Your garden is a reflection of who you are in a way ..
Heaven knows if anyone can figure out WHO I may be ??? eeekkkkkkk !
Seriously .. I believe it does let us in to what kind of soul you are , quiet, flashy, thoughtful, expressive .. artistic ... the list goes on and on .. and no matter what .. if you are a gardener, you are a positive person .. you believe in the future or you wouldn't be bothered with a garden !

28 comments:

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Very interesting post Joy, and your garden is looking absolutely fabulous (so you must be too? By extension...). You have a wonderful eye for combinations. What does my garden say about me? That I like to have 1 of everything but am not particularly organized! :)

Bonnie said...

I love everything in the garden (except the bugs that eat my flowers.) It might be a good thing that I live in the city and not the country. I have limited space. I want one of everything but have to be selective. As I look at my garden over the growing season, I realize I gravitate towards pinks and purples. I have very little in the way of "hot" colors. I would love more trees and shrubs, but I do still want some grass! Right now, my feverfew and bell flowers are in full bloom. I tend to let the feverfew reseed wherever it wants. It adds pockets of brilliant white to my yard.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I love everything!
Your garden is beautiful just like you(-:
I was just out working in the yard doing this and that thinking what a glorious day it is! Not to hot and a wonderful breeze. Heaven for sure!
It would be easier to say what I don't love.(-: Weedsssssss(-:
I love the trees and the shade/shadows they create. It is a whole different world here compared to a few hundred yards away from the house where there are few trees. Yup I love the green and the lovely smells of the earth! Everything else just adds to my love of gardening! I can not imagine living anywhere else!
What about people that have a landscaper do all their design/and upkeep? I have a few friends that have that type of yard. Its so boringgggggggggggggg(-:

Anonymous said...

Color is important, but I like texture as well. And, I want things that give the garden some shape in the winter. You know, things that poke up through the snow!

You have some beautiful plants, and photograph them so well.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Bonnie : )
I am one of those collectors too .. one of everything that I saw or read about from the net ! LOL ..you are so right about pockets of brilliance with white .. I like that a lot .. I don't have a lot of hot colours either .. just a few here and there for exclamation points ? ;-)
It is wonderful to know we can grow just about anything we want isn't it ?and we can totally lose ourselves in our gardens .. it is a sanity saver for me : )

Thank you Rebecca girl ! I look nothing as good as my garden ? LOL
What you have said is what I am like , more so when I first started out .. one of everything and so NOT organized either ! ;-)

Cindee girl are you well enough to be doing that ? ;-) and thank you : ) .. don't you just love those days when it is perfect ! It happens more in early Spring and Autumn for me not to be too hot .. I boil so easily it isn't funny ?ha ! .. I can't imagine not being here with my garden and loving it to bits, so I understand how you feel .. and those people that have other people make and keep a garden or landscape for them ? They are so NOT gardeners so I don't even consider them into the equation AT ALL !! LOL

Sandy girl thank you !
I hear you about winter interest .. I just found another obelisk to place over the bulb garden .. I want to see something out there that looks different during our dull winter months !
I think I am a hardcore foliage fan if I was pressed to admit to it ? ;-) but I know what you mean too !

Vetsy said...

You are so right about Gardener's believing in the future.

We have hope and expectations of a better day every time we walk into our gardens.

I too" like the Old Fashioned plants like that lovely " Husker Red Penstemon" I have some too" and just love them.

Texture, form and color is always nice to construct in the garden, it adds dimension and interest and You have done a Fabulous job doing so.

What does my garden say about me? I hope it says that I'm natural, relaxed and a little
unconventional.

I seldom garden by the rules and just grow what I like.

Barry said...

Joy:
Perhaps more than anything, my garden says that I am a certifiably obsessed collector! Shady character should also be included. Its all about texture and foliage. Blue blue and more blue! Somewhat scatterbrained, I have the attention of a fruit fly.... apt dontcha think? Great post. I think I shall do a follow up and link back to yours!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

I think your garden says you know how to put things together. I bet if unexpected company showed up you could whip up a plate of munchies that looked like you slaved over it. :-)

My garden is so new to me that it is saying "fill me up!!" ;-) I think eventually it will be a private, enclosed retreat that will say, "sit back and relax and listen to the birds and water. It's okay to take a snooze here too." How's that for garden dreaming!

Rebecca said...

I'm no longer surprised that we find each other :)

I can relate to almost everything you've said - I just couldn't have said it as well.

It's hard to put it into words, but when I see another kindred soul's garden, I KNOW it. You have a larger variety of plants than me, and clearly are more familiar with their official names...but our end results are similar.

I agree with your statement that our gardens reflect our personalities & enjoyed this post thoroughly!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Vetsy girl !
You are like I am .. I grow what I like and I don't follow any rules other than perhaps light requirements for the plants and even at that ? I have tried to bend the rules a bit ? LOL
Yes .. unconventional and relaxed ! after all our gardens are our refuge aren't they ? .. we need that little corner of our souls to be able to BREATH : )


Dearest Barry .. YES : ) You are an obsessed gardener in but in most wonderful way .. and I wish I had just a smidge of the beautiful plants you have and in particular those "blues" ! .. I think most of us are at least a little scatterbrained .. it allows us that lee way to experiment ? and ... you are one of my most favorite "shady characters" ? LOL
I'll be checking on your post sir !

Ms S girl : ) if unexpected company showed up it would be an order out meal affair !! LOLOL
I am not good with whipping up anything unless it is a garden plant ? LOL .. but I thank you for that thought : )
YES ! one of my most favorite parts of living in Holland was that we had a walled courtyard garden ..small .. but with a little pond, with gold fish and that wonderful element of an almost secret garden .. I crave that here too , so I understand what you mean exactly girl : )

Rebecca you are so kind ! Thank you : )
It has taken many years and actually living in one spot for this amount of time (which has never happened in my life !) to have a garden that is my very own for so long .. it is actually maturing .. even if I'm not .. mentally I mean ! haha .. heaven knows the outside of me is ! ;-)
Yes .. gardeners have that connection .. I have no doubt of that at all about our links .. some more than others but it is definitely there : )
No matter the size or number of plants we know a kindred soul absolutely !

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Oh my goodness, Joy, where do I start? I love so many things about my garden. But I'll list my favourites. I really like hot colours for flowers - red, orange - orange being my favourite. And I love yellow and purple too. Not that I don't like the others; I like just about any colour, but I do have my favourites. So I enjoy a lot of colour from blooms. But I'm also very much a foliage girl. I like variegated leaves but also big, bold ones. I love tall plants that don't get too wide. I adore coneflowers and will be contributing an entire planting area to them, all different kinds. But my favourite thing in the world is baby plants. I enjoy planting tiny plants, nurturing them and watching them grow into large, gorgeous specimens. Must be the mother in me :)

I pretty much enjoy everything about my garden and am so grateful that I have one to enjoy!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

My garden has said a lot about me over the years I am sure. My garden philosophy, likes and dislikes have changed much as I have over the years too. Right now I am into foliage form and color. Can't get enough of it. Yet I am also leaning toward shrubs that are less labor intensive. This very day you would think me a Hydrangeafile. I love the way they are blooming in my garden this year. I don't have rooom for any more shrubs unless I start taking out some that are here. Which I am seriously considering. It all depends upon if I can talk my DB into digging them out. ha...

F Cameron said...

Joy - your plants are far more exotic and unique than what I grow! :-)

I want flowers among a deer herd. Seeing all those blooms out in my deer resistant garden -- without repellents, netting or fencing -- that's what makes me feel good. Harmony with herd.

Growing a flower from seed is a thrill for me. Collecting seeds is another thrill. Cutting flowers to bring inside is heavenly.

As far as design goes -- I like it all mixed up for a "meadow look" -- but, I want the meadow to be within defined, consistently edged borders. Perennial heliotrope is my biggest flowering edger as it blooms for six months here. Chaos between the lines!

Dave said...

My name is Dave and I'm a plant addict. ;) At least that's what my garden says. I call myself a collector! I think our garden is turning into a quasi-cottage garden with plants filling out nearly every open space.

Vetsy said...

Hello Joy..Hey I have a question.

What format are you using? Is it of your own? or bloggers?

I can't post all the photo's I would like to on my post because it's either limited or I don't know what I'm doing!

I love the way your blog looks and the fact that you have room to post extra photo's in the side bars"

MWebster said...

I am definitely a sucker for variety. This includes types of plants, color, sizes, form, texture...
But it's a fine line - I don't like the flower garden looking too organized, but neither do I want it to look like it's completely random, so I do take care to try to organize the colors a bit so that there isn't a huge clump of hot pinks somewhere beside a single plant with white flowers, for example. And I arrange them by size, too.
My only lament is that I don't have a larger backyard so that we can plant fruit trees in addition to our berry bushes and vegetables, and a larger front yard so that I can cram in more flowers!
Your garden is looking absolutely lovely.

Anonymous said...

For me, without question, it is always the combination of colours that sets my heart a-pitter-pat. :-) Your beds look marvelous!

Ginny said...

Trees, shrubs, flowers, ferns, foliage - combined in such a way that they complement each other in color and texture is what I love. I like bright "pops" of color, but primarily go for blues and pinks. There are so many plants that I'm just learning about and my wish list gets longer by the day.

Lona said...

Joy your garden is beautiful.
I have the awful problem of loving too many different plants.I want them all and with under an acre of land stuck in the woods it makes it impossible. So because of limits I do not have grasses in my gardens or just foliage growing plants except a very few in the shade beds.I am not into orange as you may know but I am trying to add some to the garden.I like the blues, reds, purples and pinks with white thrown in.
My project has been to have blooms in all the seasons and added some shrubs with berries this spring for winter interest. If I could afford it there would be no lawn around here but paths and flowerbeds taking up all of the yard. LOL!

Carrie said...

Oh it's got to be foliage. I adore trees, grasses, bamboo, moss etc I need to hear things in my garden and to see colour and texture through out the year. Green and red are my favourites together or green and white. Andrew and I have a love affair with silver birches too. I do need roses and poppies and bulbs etc to make a splash in the different seasons but without a great background what would be the point?

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Martha girl I think it can be said you are a total garden nut that has been unleashed finally ? I know you love those hot button colours to pop in the garden .. and this absolute pure excitement of seeing "baby" plants grow big and strong and look gorgeous .. and yes .. we are both of the same mind .. it took us a long time to have a garden of our own and we totally LOVE IT !! : )


Lisa girl I find that is true about me as well .. because the garden has been able to mature and YES .. we go through some funny phases don't we ? .. and as we calculate "how much labor do we want to put into a certain aspect of our garden " .. I am also in that hydrangeafile stage still .. it is a big experiment this year with so many out front .. it might be overwhelming .. I'll be looking for opinions about it in other posts ! that is what I love about gardeners .. they can look at your garden from another view point and give advice !! : )

Dear Dave .. my name is Joy and I am a plantaholic ! haha .. I think we all are Dave : ) .. and yes, I have noticed that about your garden .. you like to try out different plants .. me too ! and that quasi-style is what we form because of our experimental nature?
I want to be totally lost in my garden .. no hint of civilization ? LOL

Thank you Freda and I can understand that need to be able to have all the flowering plants you love without it being a buffet for the deer .. peace on both sides for sure ! I wish I was better at seeds .. I completely forgot to plant any this year and I feel like an idiot !! I have the unopened packs here still but they should be ok for next year , right ? .. now that sounds like the perfect plan and plant : )

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thank you Vetsy .. I'll come over to your blog and explain what I have : )

Hello Monica ! : ) and thank you so much ! .. I think we all wonder how much more could we fill if we had a larger garden .. and that quest for fruit trees .. having had some fruit trees and not being successful .. well .. I go for the "maple" family except for our beautiful Serviceberry Autumn Brilliance .. You are such a wonderful cook , having it all grown in your own garden would be ideal for you ! talk about organically grown ? perfect !!
I know what you mean about the fine line of too organized and too chaotic .. it is tricky : )

Thank you Nancy girl : ) .. the funny thing about colours and what happened to me one year while we lived in Holland .. my Dutch neighbor brought me the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen in my life in hues of green and white .. I doubt I will ever see another one like it .. so perhaps my subconscious mind craves a monotone garden ? LOL

Ginny girl hello there ! I love your hydrangea avatar picture ! I have one almost like it : )
It never stops .. no matter how long you garden there is always that excitement of new plants and that is such a comfort .. it can be a love hate relationship at times .. when you are overwhelmed with work and bugs and powdery mildew etc .. but those moments when you fall in love all over again with the plants .. it is heaven : )

Lona girl thank you ! and you head the nail on the head with the aspect of having something blooming in all of our seasons .. nix the winter part of course .. and I think you are doing wonderfully trying to add a colour you aren't too crazy about .. we are experimenters when it comes down to the real deal of what gardeners are like and that is what makes us special .. tolerance for the unknown really when you think of it. Listen girl .. I have grasses in my garden so you have no excuse !!! LOLOLOL
I hear you absolutely .. I would have the same thing .. NO grass .. but paths and plants that envelop me , keeping the rest of the world at bay .. now that is a piece of heaven ? LOL

Carrie girl : ) You brought up a great point ! .. having something to hear in the garden is a wonderful aspect .. wind whipping through trees, grasses .. water ? glass chimes and deep soothing ones .. I have neither but some day I will : ) Silver birches are so beautiful .. I wish I had them too .. but I have been pushing the limits with all of what I am cramming in here ? LOL
You are right about the back ground .. many of us are challenged .. like me with my neighbors right against our back fence .. I am trying everything to block her out !!! LOL
In the end though .. we all love our gardens dearly don't we .. and soon you will be in your own little nest and your own little garden girl !!

debsgarden said...

Joy, your garden is wonderful! This is a great post, and I have enjoyed the comments, too.

What I love best about my garden is the atmosphere it conveys. I love the light as it shines through the trees in the late afternoon. I love all the shades of green, and I love gold, purple, and rosy colored foliage. I love sounds and textures and all the living creatures. I love plants with character, that have a history or can tell a story. I like my garden to say welcome!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Deb and thank you so much !
It is interesting to hear another gardener's view point on what they "need" from their own garden.
Atmosphere is a huge mood conveyance that has to seem right to us .. early morning and late afternoon light is my favorite .. it sets up that glow factor we love ? and yes .. each plant has a story to tell for sure ! : )

Jean Campbell said...

I see flowers of sophistication in your photos.

I am never good at putting these kinds of answers into words. While I was thinking about it, I found the perfect answer in Julie Ryan's book:

"...gardeners include a disproportionate number of nice people to know, and ... gardening naturally improves one's patience, health, hopefulness, and delight in life.

A garden is a collection of surprise packages. One never knows which will open next, and every season is different."

I look forward to all the surprises that my garden holds, season by season.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

NellJean : ) .. some how I never think of flowers in a sophisticated way .. intricate is a description I think of for some.
I understand that putting this thought into words is complicated .. I have a very difficult time expressing my self.
That was a wonderful quote though and it does put into words exactly what i think of what happens in our gardens that delight us so much "surprise packages" that made me smile BIG time ! : )

Kylee Baumle said...

Just beautiful, Joy! I too love ferns and yours are gorgeous and so healthy! You have wonderful combinations!
*hugs*

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thanks Kylee : ) I love my ferns and lush plantings .. I just now realized that I forgot to put "your GARDEN" in the what ? LOL
I'm sitting here laughing like an idiot over that one ! jeez !!!