verria in the summer. Almost as much of the rock is underground as can be seen above ground. These rocks and stones spoke to Judy
and Alex in the way that woody things seem to do as well. They have a veritable forest of fascinating trees and shrubs and a wooden totem pole that Alex carved from a piece of cedar that he got from Ontario Hydro. One of the trees is a beautiful Weeping Nootka False Cypress, (Chamaecyparis
nootkatensis
‘Pendula’) that looms over the front driveway. Behind it, there is a tall, slen- der Purple Fountain beech – the two are competing for space, but Judy is philo- sophical. (‘We’ll see who wins,” she says.) They have larch, Dawn redwood, Douglas fir, ash, lovely redbud, a cork- screw hazel and a big old spruce tree. There’s a burning bush that Judy loves for its square stems with their corky ridges and its brilliant red colouring in fall. She has three of these gowing in the birch grove (probably planted by the birds) and each leaf, she says, is so bright and beautiful. They have a wild garden near the
entry to the lot and the birch clumps graced by Solomon’s seal, trilliums (four types), Jack-in-the-pulpit (so prolific hat they give many away), bloodroot, spring beauty, nodding bellwort and False Solomon’s seal, to name just a few. All the trees and the wildness may
have attracted the screech owl. Judy is pretty sure it’s a female and she loves having this extra bit of life in the garden. People come to get a look at her. They talk to her and her call animates the air in the night. There are three ponds in the garden.
The largest was dug 20 years ago, with the filling from the pond going to create a raised bed in the garden where now corkscrew hazel and redbud grow happily in the clay base. They won first prize in a contest run by Harper’s Nursery in Hamilton that year for this creation. The raised garden is now the white garden, featuring, in turn, such lovely things as snowdrops and white scilla, white tulips, Deutzia and a Quince japonica. There’s a white buddle- ia and a white bleeding heart. There’s a very large tree peony that lends its white blossoms to the white garden. Lovely though they are, Judy is still making up her mind about the quite aggres- sive gooseneck loosestrife and the white obedient plant. The pond that the earth in this garden
gave way for is six feet by 16 feet, not a miniature, although a smaller pond nearby is used to help recirculate water
10 SPRING 2013
Right: the totem that Alex carved from a cedar hydro pole.
from one space to the other. In fall the pond is emptied to get the fish out. It is cleaned, then refilled with rainwater. It is so well lined with rocks, that you can’t see the thick rubber liner that has stood up so well over all these years. Overhanging the margin of the pond
with oriental grace is a lovely Japanese maple. Bits of weathered wood – old roots, interesting relics of trees that have passed on – find purchase amongst the rocks. They provide perching places for the birds and perhaps winter homes for the squirrels. Like ghostly sentinels in springtime, two large bamboos stand in their winter-worn colours of beige, waiting for the sun to green them up once again by sending up new shoots. Bamboo can be invasive, but Alex keeps it sternly under control. These two flank the stately trunk of the Dawn redwood. Alex says bamboo is the greatest way
to get rid of unwanted friends. “Just give them a piece of that bamboo and they’ll never speak to you again!” The potting shed takes a special place
in the garden. This was originally an aviary for their bird collection here, but gradually the birds passed on, a new shed with skylights was built and the garden took over. It is still a wonderful place and well used.
There are so many stories in this
garden. The scilla that spreads out like blue water in springtime took 15 years to make this their home. The spring- time heather ‘Erica’ stains the ground with pink and there are the waves of white, starting with the snowdrops that emerge in January. There are white scilla, too and yellow daffodils and checkered fritillaria. They grow some herbs and Swiss
chard, garlic and peas, beans and toma- toes in the raised gardens. Judy is plan- ning to put in some butternut squash
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