Today we’ve got photos from regular GPOD contributor Cherry Ong in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. (See a couple of her previous posts here and here, or follow her on Instagram.)
I haven’t sent any garden photos for a while. . . . I realized that I’ve been gardening for about 12 years now and thankful to the folks at Fine Gardening for nurturing the passion.
My garden has been aging, and I’ve coped and learned to nurse, repair, and replace its growing parts. Sometimes it’s sad when you lose to the elements and pests, and sometimes it’s viewed as an opportunity to try a new plant. Although all of you know that it’s futile not to succumb to new plants!
So here are some snapshots of my late spring, early summer garden.
This and the next few shots are from the front yard.
The tractor disc planter is a very generous gift from a gardening friend that we hauled in our rental all the way from California last December. I have so many people to thank for this amazing piece!
I’m so into fuchsias this year, as you can see fuchsia versicolor (Fuchsia mangellanica ‘Versicolor’ Zones 7–10) tucked into the container in this photo.
The Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel, Zones 4–9) blooms are glorious this year. It seems to bloom profusely every other year. I’ve been warned by gardening friends locally that the plant is short-lived here on the West Coast, so I’m enjoying it as much as I can.
Wide shot of the front yard, with the pink flowers of the kalmia.
This and the remainder of the photos are from my backyard. I’ve had to replace several patches in my backyard in the last two to three years as some perennials and shrubs have bitten the dust.
The dark leaves of a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) contrast with the yellow-green Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’, Zones 5–9).
I continue to grow a lot of container gardens. Sempervivum (hens and chicks, Zones 3–9) are an increasing fave.
And of course one has to have annuals for summer excitement!
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Comments
These are richly knitted gardens filled with diverse textures and colored foliage. But I hope, if the Editor is paying attention he/she realizes that several of the photos came up with horizontal orientation despite being taken as verticals. With such a garden we want to see all the pictures without turning our heads sideways. Please correct those!
Thank you. Looks like he has fixed it! (Thanks Joseph.)
Cherry, everything is out of this world drop dead gorgeous!
Thank you. How's your garden these days?
Cherry, you are the master at planting lush combinations. Your designs are truly professional as they incorporate texture, color and layering beautifully. I found myself studying and admiring each photo several times. Simply lovely!
Thank you Kielian. Congratulations on your garden features in FG this summer!
What an amazing display you've created! Such a wonderful combination of colors and textures...and your succulents are absolutely fabulous. I'm so glad you shared this outstanding garden with us.
Thank you.
Your succulent planters are wonderful! I have two on my back deck now and enjoy them immensely. My husband thinks they look prehistoric... Your gardens are stunning.
Thank you. If your husband thinks succulents look prehistoric then they've garnered his attention which is a good thing!
Cherry, Cherry, Cherry... your gardens continue to grow more beautiful with every season, if that is even possible? I totally agree with Kielian, you are a gifted professional gardener plus your photography skills ain't half bad either! Your use of textural differences is visually extraordinary. This might just be your best season ever. I'm in awe. Love it.
All your garden photos are beautiful but I just loved the "wide shot of the front yard", such a gorgeous garden!
Thank you. Hope you're enjoying your garden each and every day during this difficult time.
Thanks for these inspirational and beautiful photos! I especially love those wide, shallow terracotta pots (They look like terracotta, anyway). And the combinations are awesome!
Thank you. You are right, they are terra cotta and fabulous finds from a local nursery... frostproof too!
Good to see your garden again, Cherry. Gorgeous, as usual. The sedums are extraordinary, blooms and all. The color and texture contrasts are all that one could want. As for the Kalmias, I have had mine for over 30 years and they are showing no signs of stopping. I live 35 miles south of Seattle, at 500 ft elevation. Greetings to you, Sheila and Kielian. We all met at the Seattle F&GS some years back.
I'm glad to hear your Kalmias have aged beautifully in your garden. Gives me hope. I'm guessing who you are?
[email protected]
I love everything you have going on here. I am in the PNW, so we share a lot of common plants. I too LOVE sempervivum. They are so easy to stick in pots, and then just sit back and watch them go. Great, great job!
Thank you. I've had some sempervivums in containers for several years now and they are still looking good. I can never get their names right though so I don't even try.
Hi Cherry, sorry I'm a bit late here but wanted to say how very much I enjoyed touring your plantings. ALWAYS so interesting and beautiful. You have out done your 'lushness' this year, so lovely and the tractor disc planter is wonderful !
Happy Gardening ;)
Thank you Linda. Better late than never. It took awhile to figure out where to place the tractor disc planter. It was quite the challenge to fit it in our rental to haul home especially since we were travelling as a whole family - dog included. There were two and we could only fit one in. How I wish we could've brought both but I am very thankful for the one!
Your garden is looking lush and full as always from your post earlier this year. Hope to see another one this summer. I sure miss visiting the beautiful gardens and nurseries in Washington!
Cherry, I would love to visit your garden in person for a tour just to take in all of those exciting plant combinations! They all look so well thought out and tended to, especially the photo showing the Hostas, ferns, a Tiarella or Heucherella? and that beautiful Podophyllum, sheltered under a Japanese Maple, WOW! That is a great vignette with some awesome plants included! Nicely done, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind words.
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