Garden Photo of the Day

Maria’s Québec Garden

Some favorite plants

By GPOD Contributor
front yard garden bed with pink lupins and foliage plants

My name is Maria Nieuwenhof. I grew up on a dairy farm with parents who loved flowers and grew a large vegetable garden. So when I got married it was only normal for me to do the same thing. I moved 17 years ago to a new home in Ormstown, in southeastern Québec, where I took the gardens that the previous owner had started and went to work slowly “tweeking” them to my hand. I do not have the names of many of the varieties of flowers; lots of them were given to me by my father and friends. I usually come home with something when I visit friends and their gardens!

close up of shade garden with large hostasMy favorite hosta is ‘Sum and Substance’ (Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’, Zones 3–8), which has loved the wetter and cooler weather this spring.

close up of yellow bearded irisesBearded irises (Iris hybrids, Zones 3–8) are a big part of my gardens in spring. These yellow ones have been blooming for over a month now.

garden bed with lots of yellow celandine poppies and blue irises behindI got these celandine poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum, Zones 4–8) at a garden exchange. They reseed themselves, but I try to keep them in bounds by pulling a lot out before they reseed. Bearded irises are in the background.

bright bed poppies with purple irises underneathThese oriental poppies (Papaver orientale, Zones 3–8) are blooming for the first time. I started them from seeds last year.

large planting of Dames RocketI also reseed this pink and white dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis, Zones 3–9). I am trying to get it to go wild at the edge of my bush. It was given to me by a patient of mine when I worked as a home-care nurse.

vegetable garden with plants just beginning to sproutHere’s my vegetable garden, 2023, with Brussels sprouts and cabbages under floating row cover. I’m trying that this year because I had so many worms last year.

dark purple bearded irises behind light blue/white bearded irisesMore bearded irises

close up of light pink/white columbine flowersMy columbines (Aquilegia hybrids, Zones 4–9) reseed themselves all over and fill in the gaps.

front yard garden bed with pink lupins and foliage plantsLupins (Lupinus polyphyllus, Zones 4–9) are growing in my front bed at the road, with Vanhoutte spireas (Spiraea × vanhouttei, Zones 3–8) blooming beautifully in the background.

 

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Comments

  1. user-7821942 06/23/2023

    Beautiful! I enjoy seeing the amazing flowers that do so well in your climate such as the poppies and lupine. Your irises are stunning; one of my favorite flowers as well. Thanks for sharing.

    1. [email protected] 07/26/2023

      I just saw the comment sections...sorry for the late reply, Thank you so much.

  2. islandlover 06/23/2023

    Your story is as wonderful as the flowers. Bearded iris and lupine are my favorite flowers and your are stunning.

    1. [email protected] 07/26/2023

      Thank you so much

  3. islandlover 06/23/2023

    Your story is as wonderful as the flowers. Bearded iris and lupine are my favorite flowers and yours are stunning.

  4. User avater
    simplesue 06/23/2023

    Flowers and vegetables- a perfect world you've created!
    Love those white columbines!

    1. [email protected] 07/26/2023

      They are gorgeous and so easy to grow!

    2. [email protected] 09/27/2023

      Thank you

  5. User avater
    vanhatalosuomi 06/23/2023

    Thank you for sharing your garden. Lovely flowers & plants.

    1. [email protected] 09/27/2023

      Thank you

  6. btucker9675 06/23/2023

    Oh those poppies!!! We love them but have had no luck here in North Carolina even after amending the soil. Your gardens are truly beautiful.

    1. [email protected] 07/26/2023

      Thank you

    2. [email protected] 09/27/2023

      Thank you, my father always tells me that there is something in my soil that just makes things grow!

  7. User avater
    cynthia2020 06/26/2023

    Maria - I enjoyed seeing some of your garden. I hope we will see more another time.

    1. [email protected] 07/26/2023

      I am taking lots of pictures hoping to submit more pictures someday!

    2. [email protected] 09/27/2023

      Will be sending some more pictures soon...

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