The Girardin garden; places to play, swim and relax

This stop during the Vancouver BC Study Weekend event felt different from the rest, like the garden was specifically meant to be enjoyed as an extension of the house. I do wish that we'd have been allowed to tour the house as well as the outside areas.

The description: "The garden of  Elise Girardin in North Vancouver sits on the edge of a ravine, under a canopy of Doug Firs. A gem of a garden wrapping around a recently renovated mid-century home. From shady front to a sunny back, it has many interesting plant choices and combinations." (a very understated description!)

Every person I saw respected the "lawn" as a no walking zone and used the curvy border to venture out across the front garden.

The materials met in an artistic fashion.

Another swing that I didn't make use of (there was a similar one in Monday's post).

Walking into the back garden the swing made sense as part of a playtime trend.

Turning to the right...

What a fantastic pool.

With plants surrounding it, of course.

Behind the trampoline was this fun fort/A-frame.

The temptation to play was strong!

The views from the back of the house must be amazing.

In the trees at the back of the property now.

Looks like a nice office/studio going in over-looking the ravine.

It goes down, down, down from there...

Making good use of fallen moss.

Allium seeds

Robinia pseudoacacia Twisty Baby

Magnolia virginiana 'Moonglow'

A different view of the pool and play area.

And the back patio with those huge windows.

A final look back out towards the garden.

The fabulous use of materials continues around this side of the house.

And this garden visit draws to a close...

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

The Hume and Johnstone gardens

Today we're headed back to June in Vancouver BC and the 2023 Study Weekend garden tours. First up is Diana Hume's garden, if I'd been with friends (or not on a tight schedule) I might have found that swing impossible to resist...

From our tour booklet: "This older 1920’s/1950’s 2/3 of an acre character house and garden has a bit of everything; from trees, including the old apple orchard that was originally here, shrubs, vegetables, herbs… many of the plants have been started from seed. There is also a greenhouse which mainly houses citrus trees in winter, seedlings too when appropriate."

I love it when gardeners have work spaces open for us to explore.

There's the greenhouse. I intended to get closer and snap a photo or two but never did.

Those wheelbarrows look like they're about to be called into action.

This garden seemed like an old friend. Comfortable to walk thru, like I really could have just sat down and spent the afternoon.

Wide swaths of orchid foliage (Cypripedium formosanum I believe?) were a common sight in the Vancouver gardens we toured.

Imagine when those plants at the base of the stairs are producing ripe tomatoes and the geraniums, stairsteps, and tomatoes are all displaying pops of red...

Now we've jumped to Delphia Johnstone's garden: "Thirty years in the making, this garden is full of unusual plant treasures that will intrigue gardeners of all levels of expertise and areas of interest. It is a treasure trove of herbaceous perennials, where hostas, from mini to mammoth, play a key role. (there are over 350 different varieties of hosta in the garden)"...

Yes, there were A LOT of hosta, but many other fabulous plants as well.

Next to the front door.

And heading into the back garden...

What an impressive patch of Syneilesis aconitifolia (shredded umbrella plant)!

It's always nice to see Pyrrosia sheareri.

I really liked the way this gardener raised her hosta collection so some were near eye level. It makes them more interesting than just a sea on the ground plane.

Rodgersia blooms I believe.  

This was the last garden I toured as part of the 3-day event. I mixed things up for posting though and there are still three more gardens to come...

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.