Making a garden into a landscape

Our new magnolia

Last Sunday, we had a number of events come together which have been a long time coming. Last March, our very beloved parrotlet Dreidle died quite suddenly. As it was still cold and the ground was frozen, we decided to wait until things warmed up to have a small funeral. The decision was taken that he would have his final resting place in one of the tea boxes which he loved to use as a hiding spot, in our garden, and that we would plant a magnolia tree in his honour. Over the past few months, intermittently, Josh was researching where we could buy a purple tulip magnolia tree. He also was doing his research on finding a new parrotlet, as both he and Orianne our youngest daughter, deeply missed having a bird in the house and loved parrotlets. Dreidle's untimely death is likely related to the fact that he was a colour morph, not a naturally occurring colour of parrotlet. Colour morphs are inbred for amazing colours but simultaneously have other health issues seen in inbred animals, various dangerous recessive traits that come out. We were leery about having another colour morph. Josh found an ad on Kijiji from a family who had a 5 year old parrotlet looking for a new home where he could be given more attention. Just as I found a nursery with purple tulip magnolia trees in stock, Josh made the connection with Coco's owners and we picked a date to have a funeral for Dreidle

Creeping thyme

Josh went to pick up the tree, and found some really pretty cascading dark purple petunias, as well as some pineapple mint and rosemary and some other mint-like plant whose name I lost with pretty pale purple flowers (we seem to be in purple mode this year). We invited Naomi, Lisa and Olivier to join us as all three had a special relationship with Dreidle. Olivier brought over some rum which we served in some left-over paper cups from a Chanuka party, which appropriately were decorated with dreidles. The tree was planted on the corner of my garden in front of the driveway, in view of Iulia and Ovidiu's windows as well as ours.

Back in April, we finally redid our ancient windows and leaky doors. The owner of the company who did the job mentioned to Josh that he was redoing the façade of his own house, and Josh asked what he was doing with the stones. The owner offered to give them to us, and back in May dropped them off on the side of our house, where they sat providing a wonderful breeding spot for snails right next to the lilacs until Sunday when Josh and Olivier rolled them to strategic spots in the front garden. Josh and I had intended to use the stones to make borders and walls for the areas of the garden on the edges of the property, until Olivier gave me a talk about rethinking how I plan a garden.

Ollie pointed out to me that in designing a garden one should bear certain principles in mind. One was that straight flat lines were dismal, that lines should not be borders but should be used as means to guide the eye in certain directions. Lines should create patterns that repeat, circles or arcs. Plants should be planted on both sides of a line of stones. Colours should be in bold clusters. He complimented the work I had done on the side of the house, with a wave pattern of tall and short plants (not intentional, really, I had no idea how tall plants would be when I planted them.) He also told me it is not proper feng shui to have a plastic container in the front yard (I removed my planter to the side of the house onto the shelves under the window).

So instead of neatly aligning the stones in a row, we left them in a meandering and broken line with little curves that will hopefully house clusters of lilies next year. I also spent time moving some of the plants that were lost and drowned out from the front to the area beside the driveway and to the front of the house. I moved the bricks which outlined the small garden on the left side of the house so that instead of a flat straight line, they curved outwards. The whole look of the front yard changed. I picked up a few annuals and transplanted some of the creeping thyme to the new curved space I created and Wow! It really looks good.

 I realized that I have moved up a notch in my career as a gardener. I started out putting all my energy into not killing things. I had no idea what needed more light, I trusted the little plastic tickets which promised me astilbes are fine in the shade (I gave up and moved them into the sun), I was not sure what I had planted and what was a weed, and what things looked good together and which plants would get really big or spread and drown out everything around them. I am still moving things around that looked great where I put them three years ago. I am also still learning what is really dead and what is just fooling me. My small, new lavender started to come back this week but the big one looks pretty dead still. I cut it back and I am hoping for some new life. I went on-line and confirmed that Blue bird rose of Sharon bushes are late bloomers and may appear to be dead sticks, just hang in there as they eventually get started again.I never took the time to think of my yard as a landscape, and the same principles that make a landscape painting appealing make a real landscape appealing.

Young robin on tomato cage

Roses

As for other garden news, Julie called me this week to tell me she had a revelation about her “off the wall” garden, that she had no idea what chemicals the flat she was using had been treated with and if there was a risk eating herbs grown in it. She decided not to take chances and transplanted all the herbs from the flat to pots, and replanted with flowers. I will have updates on it later in the summer.

Aphids on crabapple

Orpine with aphids

We also have been having problems with aphids, on the orpine in the backyard, on both crab apples and on the Jersey Mac apple tree. I have been spraying with diluted dish soap every couple of days. As for pests, I noticed an orange beetle on the orpine and decided to identify it as I wanted to know if it was eating my plants before I crushed it as I have been doing to the red beetles eating my lilies. I brought it inside and it flew off my hand the minute I walked in the door. So I went about my errands and later in the day saw it again on the wall near the back door, and called Josh to bring a container. I caught it, and went on-line with Mr. Beetle in a cup next to me for easy consultation. I could not find it on garden pest links, so tried beetles. Turns out well, it is some type of soldier beetle which dines on aphids. I felt very happy I took the time to identify him, and promptly dropped him back on my orpines. I have been seeing a lot of these orange beetles around, which is good. I hope they don't mind dishsoap flavoured aphids. We received our shipment of coyote pee from the p-mart. It has been raining often this week so we did not bother marking our territory. Josh plans to make our own dispensers. I put in a lot of sunflowers, so we will be needing this later in the summer when the flowers come out. 

Mint and horseradish

Garlic galore!