02/10/2022
During the 2 months I worked on this garden with my two helpers, it became (mostly) affectionately known as "The Hill Garden", the little stone girl with flower cart was named Petunia and given quartz rock for her cart instead of flowers, in memory of all the rocks we carried, rolled (sometimes over feet) and dropped (sometimes on toes).
Through it all, the homeowner, Christina, gave me free reign for creative design; it was a genuine pleasure to search for plants and materials that would speak to her.
The challenge to find just the right way to get both functional needs met (erosion control was a constant concern here), while also meeting her desire for beauty was a wonderful way for me to educate myself on both function and beauty. In addition to the necessary erosion control plants, Christina also wanted lots of colour, which meant lots of flowers!
We planted everything from cone and blanket flowers and sedums to stately hydrangeas, lilacs and flowering creeping thyme. For the shaded areas I chose a wide variety of hostas, ranging in colours from dark blue green to variegated light green; for year round colour, I added coral bells and lobelia; for variety in texture, I used grasses such as fountain grass, dwarf hemlin and Lil Bunny grass, and red barren grass for additional colour.
To add to texture and create interest, I also added small log stumps, then planted creeping thyme and Sweet Woodruff around them to balance the hard rocks. Speaking of rocks, I used cascading plants such as ice plants and trailing sedums around the rocks to help soften the edges.
During the course of the weeks, something happened which I've never had the pleasure of witnessing; when I first started, there were very few flowering plants. As the frequency of my trips to garden centres increased and flowers began to line the path and fence, I started to hear the buzz of happy bees and busy insects. By mid August, I could pause my work at any given point, look around and count over 20 bees working away, lifting from flower to flower.
The vast majority of the rocks were sources from other gardeners and the bridge was built by Christina's dad.
Truly an oasis full of personal touches.
