When you find the right home, what can be overlooked is the process of landscaping it to make it your perfect home.
When these homeowners moved, they always wanted a garden. It was one of the things that drew them to this house. This front yard bed was a feature that even the neighbors worried would be removed from their streetscape when the house sold, as not everyone can take on a garden renovation and make it stronger. Many walkers stopped to voice their concerns about the renovation project as we began, knowing many landscape companies are not gardeners’ first and the existing plants might be destroyed in the process.
Blossoms and Stone knows from 30 years of gardening in Calgary, and building residential landscapes in many styles, how to add what is needed to bring a space back to life. You can take a look at some of our interesting ideas and solutions on our Instagram page.
- Experienced eyes can see the potential in the chaos,
- Designers create planting plans to organize what you have to showcase the beauty of your plants,
- Horticulturalists think about plant health when executing the project,
- Knowledgeable gardeners use plants you never thought you could have,
- They can foresee issues and plan ahead to give you the outcome you desire.
Being knowledgeable about Calgary’s unique growing conditions, we knew what this overgrown space needed to bring it back to a healthy, well-tended space that would be as grand as the home. We could identify the plants, their bloom times, and we could tell that many of them needed to be split and thinned out to ensure their continued longevity in the garden. We knew how to care for the plants throughout the garden rebuild and lost none of the original plants while adding more to increase the biodiversity in the garden.
Step 1: Amend the soil with compost and split the overgrown perennials.
- invites new healthy growth as the center of the plant has “died out”
- allows for airflow between plants, reducing blight and mildew
- reduces the plant to a size that works with the other plantings
- lets us use the same plant across the whole space, creating unity when there is a wide selection of plants.
For more information on this process, see the University of Minnesota extension page, on dividing perennials.
Splitting and moving plants also allowed us to add in new flowers to bloom earlier in the season, as we found June and July lacking in blossoms. New spring bulbs were added, nestled in the shadow of the late summer perennials so they would not be dug out when the new plants went in.
Having a company that cares about the plants changes how your garden project is completed
Taking our time to work on the project over a full season let us see what was growing and what gaps there were in seasonal blooms. The new owners wanted to have full season color, food for the bees and butterflies, and of course keep the love and respect of the neighborhood pedestrians. Together, we decided the collection of many colored phlox and iris was a perfect staring point. It was important that the established rose hedge that stretched to length of the house should also be spared.
Hardscaping to fix functional issues was set in motion. Pouring a new front sidewalk to include the addition of a sitting spot to enjoy the flowers would mean we would have to change the size of the bed. Now was a great opportunity to work on reviving the soil and flowers. Before the new concrete was poured, we laid out the new bed and began the work of protecting the flowers.
Ensuring plant roots stay covered and crews stay out of the beds preserves the soil and plants during construction.
Reducing the bed size meant we had to move the roses to maintain their linear flush of red blooms across the beds. It is not hard to grow roses in Calgary providing; they are well fed, consistently watered (but not water logged), protected from winter chinooks and freezing weeks with mulches, and are located in a bright sunny spot.
- Planting holes were amended with compost and a more porous soil mix as the roses need a slightly different soil consistency than drought friendly phlox and Iris.
- They were spaced 60 cm apart to allow for future growth.
- Plants were placed with the graft point just below the soil line for protection.
- Drip irrigation was added around the rose hedge root zone for a consistent efficient water source.
The result was a brilliant display of flowers that bloomed from early spring through to fall. In fact we were still harvesting flowers until Thanksgiving when the first frost of the year set in.
It is very satisfying to watch a project come together. Starting with a walk through with the homeowners sharing their hopes and ideas. Next drafting the plan and overseeing it come to life is an exciting experience no matter how many times the process is repeated.
Reviving 1990s landscaping trends adds a nostalgic touch to modern outdoor spaces, thanks for it. What’s your favorite era for design inspiration?
Every homeowner has a uniqueness that I like to showcase in the design of their gardens. This garden was inspired by Edwardian design showcased by Gertude Jekyll, https://www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk/gertrude-jekyll.html#:~:text=Gertrude%20Jekyll%20is%20well%20known,Sir%20Edwin%20Lutyens%2C%20the%20architect.