the pond is one of the truly enchanting tableaux.


there are at least a dozen different trees in the garden including aspen, linden, pine, spruce, lilac, korean maple, crab apples, apples and weeping pine.


H


er garden's been likened to a living landscape painting in the past, but in reality it is so


much more. Irene Ryder's garden is a sanctum that welcomes visitors to bask in the beauty that surrounds them. There is no shortage of seats, 44 at the last count, for guests to sit and enjoy the many eye pleasing views. Irene Ryder, a former nurse, decided


to take up a career in landscaping after spending time working in a greenhouse. She began her career in part to plan her own garden paradise. "Creating a garden is 'detail-centric' and the more information I can gather from a client, the more fulfilled the design becomes. It's creating a living painting and it is a very satisfying endeavour." Now retired, she has designed gardens for over 200 homeowners including her own. When Irene and her husband David


first moved into their Sherwood Park home, the yard was barren save for the odd young tree and a couple of boulders – an empty canvas waiting for an artist's touch. Like Monet, from nothing Irene created greatness, a series of living tableaux. Her gardens offer variations in colour and texture through the exqui- site beauty of the numerous flowers and trees living in unity, each adding to the whole yet stunning on its own. Irene's favourite place is her pond.


This tableau is vivacious and enchant- ing; seeing it, you would think it had been there forever. Birch, pine and massive flagstones provide the back- drop, while lilies, reeds, marsh mari- Espalier is a technique to train plant growth; it was refined into an art in the Middle Ages.


localgardener.net Beautiful Gardens 2014 • 17


Marsh marigolds, lilies, reeds and irises provide colour around the pond.


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