My garden is a work in progress, and it has been for a long time. This year I am celebrating two decades in the home I never thought I would be in for this long but now can’t imagine being anywhere else. I love my vibrant community, my fun and supportive neighbours, my imperfectly perfect 130-year-old Victorian house and best of all, my everchanging urban garden.
The transformations in my backyard (that was a sand pit when I moved in) have been well documented in other magazines and on several HGTV shows. Every time I look back on those images, I can’t believe that the gingko trees were so small, that there were no birds (because I hadn’t planted the crabapples or the firethorn (yet) and that at one time there was a small lawn for my toddler to kick a soccer ball around.
That baby is all grown up and that sunny lawn is now shady because I planted too many trees and then added an underplanting of ferns, Liguria, heuchera, hydrangeas and an assortment of ivies (that are not supposed to overwinter in our climate, but they do because they are so sheltered).
As I continue to reminisce about the evolution of the now-wild back part of my garden, I can’t help but think how grateful I am today for the 15 square-foot space I designated as my “holding bed.” Between late fall and early spring, the bed is jammed packed with the hostas, hydrangeas, small cyprus, astilbe and other perennials I enjoy in pots throughout the growing season (I love the look of robust foliage plants and planting them in pots saves money from buying annuals every year). I tuck my perennial herbs like sage, thyme, oregano and mint in there too and leave space for two white oak trees I bought six years ago and have been taking in and out of that bed ever since. Each spring these trees get planted into large pots — one on my upper deck and one on my lower garden-level patio. It’s funny that every year I think it’s a miracle that all of these plants survive the my constant transplanting efforts but they do. It’s amazing!
Nature is incredible and I love watching it up close while I’m in my backyard where there’s always something new. For instance, last year was the first time I saw a black swallowtail butterfly. If you want to hear more about that and all of the projects and ideas that happen in my happy place.
Related posts:
Jennifer Reynolds, our previous Editor-in-Chief, is a long-time authority in gardening, do-it-yourself projects, urban sustainability, parenting, placemaking and community matters. Her features and columns have been published in Canadian Living, Canadian Family, Gardening Life, House & Home, Globe & Mail, National Post, Toronto Star & more. Plus, her designs and expertise have been featured on dozens of HGTV, W Network and CTV shows.
