The architect’s garden


An urban retreat in Edmonton Story and photos by Dorothy Dobbie


A wide swath of juniper creates a calming effect.


charm the visitor with clean lines and understated elegance. Doug is an architect and his design sensibilities make a


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strong mark on his property, where the plants are allowed room to breathe and an Zen-like quality underlies the way some elements are laid out. Take the creative, cooling plantation of juniper that lines


the front walk. A wide swathe of blue contrasts with the emerald green of a well-tended lawn and sets a calming


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ot every garden has to be a riot of colour and cheek- by-jowl plants. Some, like the garden of Clair Derochers and Doug McConnell in Edmonton,


stage for a spreading Ohio buckeye (complete with fruit). The buckeye flanks a high-up Tuscan window box of orange nasturtiums. The purple foliage of Schubert chokecherry speaks out on the other side of the window. The effect is soothing and exciting all at the same time. Close up, the buckeye is surrounded by a stone mulching,


edged with Tyndal stone blocks that join up with a walk- way into the back yard. Here, Doug has created a beauti- ful architectural feature that serves as a privacy wall while providing shelter for a dining area that can be screened in from mosquitoes.


Spring 2016 • 17


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