Bonjour

I returned three weeks ago from a one-in-a-lifetime trip to the south of France for my cousins wedding. I started the trip by staying with my relatives for five days in a sixteenth century villa near the Spain border. During the day we commuted to neighboring villages, like Tarbes and Mirande, to check out the markets and architecture. It certainly had the French charm of romantic effortless beauty, rambling vines and a large expanse of vineyards and farmland.  Drooping seedheads of sunflowers massed the hillsides. It would have been such an incredible sight to have arrived a month earlier, when the sunflowers were in full bloom, to witness the shock of yellow. Walking through the villages it seemed as if flower seeds were deposited in every crack in the pavement- bright blooming annuals sprung out of any available vacant space. It made me scratch my head. I spend so much time creating the perfect environment for plants to grow and in France gardening seems so effortless.

I questioned if anything could top that relaxing
escape to the French countryside. But, as we drove up to our next accommodation I knew we had reached the plateau. We took the turn off down a long winding driveway and arrived at a massive stone castle covered in lush green vines. We spent three glorious days at the Chataeau de Lisse, a castle in the Gascony region, just a short drive from Toulouse.  Some parts of the castle date back the the twelve century. The chataeau resides on 550 hectares of land, consisting of a swimming pool, a lake, vineyards, hedgerows and an expanse of forest. My day consisted of walking through the grounds, chatting with people and deciding when I should eat my next course of cheese and wine. I felt like a Princess, which doesn't happen often for a Gardener. The grounds were well maintained within walking distance from the castle and left to naturalize beyond the boundaries. Large canopy trees and lush green grass were the main attractions to this landscape and vines and groundcovers hugged any available stone wall or pathway. I went for a walk around the grounds and came across fresh figs, peaches, pears, rosehips and herbs. It was a beautiful surprise.  

Gardens in France don't seem to be observed from afar but rather worked into every facet of life - edible plants on the dining table, vases filled with flowers, floral perfumes, botanical images painted on ceramics and woven into tapestries. I noticed that a big part of French culture is the appreciation of nature and the inclusion of its beauty everywhere. That's the French garden design style and I will try to implement that into my own life. 

2 Week Break

Just a quick note to inform you that I will be out of town until the second week of September. I'm attending my cousins wedding in the South of France and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'll try to take some beautiful garden shots to add to this blog when I return.  I hear it's predicted to rain this weekend in the Lower Mainland. That's a relief for the gardens and our cities water supply.  I'll be sure to bring the sun back with me when I return!

Hibiscus Sighting

I've been asked recently about the plant near the putting green that has "dinner plate" sized flowers and looks like it is made of "paper mache" Ding Ding Ding - it's a Hibiscus. The common name for this species is Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos 'Super Rose) and it has the largest flower of any perennial. It likes acidic soil and full sun exposure. This beauty attracts butterflies, that's a definite bonus to your perennial garden bed.

I purchased it from a nursery in the Fraser Valley two years ago. It's been moved from location to location. It's finally settled into a home that really showcases it's grande beauty.

If you spot any other plants around the golf course that you're curious the name of. Don't hesitate to ask me.

FYI It's 5 am right now and incredibly dark. Winter is coming!

July Heat

It's July 15 and we've had quite the streak of dry sunny weather on the Westcoast so far this year. The sun has been magnification for all the sun loving perennials and annuals. The trick is to make sure the plants have a constant drink of water. This proves a challenge when the majority of the garden beds do not have irrigation and watering restrictions are in place. Fortunately, hand watering reduces excess water waste but it truly is a full time job at this course. Priority watering is definitely awarded to the hanging baskets - gravity is not in their favor for retaining moisture. Secondly, container plants require more frequent watering than plants in a garden bed - so they jump the queue. Ultimately, the smaller the volume of soil, the more watering is required. But, the added labour of consistent watering has definitely paid off this year. I would say the plants have taken on Amazonian characteristics - large and lush.

Here is some pictures of the plants in the new garden bed at #9.

The sea of Calamogrostis 'Karl Foerster' grasses have grown taller then me (excellent place to hide by the way).  They look so effortless when they sway in the breeze. A large mass planting of Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia) has attracted numerous pollinators...and members asking for cuttings to add fragrance to their homes. There is also a selection of prairie perennials, which were really fun to pair together, like painting with flowers. Ultimately, I think I achieved my goal of creating an accessible, relaxed, and inviting space.

June Snapshots

The blooms are bountiful at Quilchena. I had the opportunity to take some snapshots today of the showstoppers. I was noticing that the gardens are a month ahead in maturity then normal. Spring disguised itself as Summer this year and our rainfall levels were at a record low for May. All these hot "Summer" like Spring days have really confused the plants. The Sea of Calamagrostis that is planted near the #9 green was a big flop the other day. The high amounts of nitrogen in the soil and the record levels of sunshine sped up the growth of this upright ornamental grass and it found itself weighed down after a brief evening of wind and heavy rain that we received. We have since tied it up to keep some order to that border of grasses.

The lavender around the property has started to bud out and has even started to bloom in certain micro-climates around the course. The iris's around the pond have been soldiering on and standing strong with a combination of purple and yellow erect blooms over the last month or so. They are just starting to dry out and leave some food for the birds. The dark purple perennial Salvia has been an excellent bold pairing to the prairie perennials around the course, along with the soft lavender purple of the perennial catmint. My personal favourite Spring blooming perennial, Astilbe 'Visions in Pink', has started to bud out at bed #18. The alien-like foliage of the perennial Sea Holly is sharpening to a shiny silver at bed #18 as well. The sea holly would be a well suited prop to any sci-fi movie. I've also been thoroughly appreciating the bold firecracker coloured blooms of the the Red Hot Poker over the last month. They are scattered all over the golf course and have been attracting many interesting bird species to eat the seeds from the cones. I have one right beside my office which has been creating a lot of entertainment with the hummingbirds coming by to feed. The Jerusalem Sage and Mexican Feather grass have been mellowing out the appearance of the garden beds with their characteristic relaxed beauty. And let's not forget all the traditional  lilies and roses that add that classic beauty to every garden bed. 

Plant Spotlight: Black Elder

The plant I get asked about the most at the golf course is definitely the Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace').  It is a tall, elegant, woody shrub that has beautiful dark chocolate lacy foliage and produces fluffy white fragrant plumes in June.

We have two Black Elder at Quilchena- one located at the bed at #18 and another located in the #12 bed.

For a woody shrub they sure have a lot of visual impact. They stand tall at a mature height of about 10 feet. With wide arching branches they add a strong visual impact to a garden bed. These low maintenance shrubs do very well in a full sun location. And have the added appeal of producing edible berries that are very attractive to birds in the Fall.

Plant these beauties in moist but well drained soil and give them ample room to put on a show. They are sure to wow!

A Spring Recap

Spring came and went in a hurry. It's always a hectic time for Gardeners- cutting down spent plant material, edging beds, applying soil and adding new plants to the mix. The tulips and daffodils pop up to let you know that it's time to wake up and get ready for the Summer. What a relief that pop of colour is! Needless to say, I've been incredibly busy in the gardens at Quilchena and I haven't had a chance to sit down and contemplate the season so far. A few items of interest that I recall were the island beds in the parking lot were planted with thousands of multi-colour tulips to brighten up the joint. The photinia hedges around the parking lot blazed there red new growth in symphony with the tulips. Azaleas and rhododendrons throughout the property lit up in celebration as well. It was quite the show. Additionally, the front entrance was decorated with Easter cheer. 

At the beginning of Spring, the female members met up to discuss business matters for the upcoming season. I was asked to give a quick talk on container gardening. To my surprise there was over forty members attending. Yikes! With my fear of public speaking I recall thinking forty people might as well be ALL the viewers of the Superbowl! Either way, despite my bumbling I got through it and I'm thankful that I was asked to participate in the event. I wanted to give a gift to the members who attended (for enduring my speech). I picked out juicy Ranunculus Spring annuals for everyone that attended and put together a few Spring planters as a prize. I snapped a shot of a faded coral coloured Ranunculus. How gorgeous is that?

To my greater surprise, I was asked to give a talk

on container gardening the following month. Interested members signed up at the Spring Fling.  It was a great day! I gave a quick introduction to the fundamentals of assembling a planter then everyone was set free to choose plants to fill there containers that they brought from home. There was a huge selection of vibrant coloured annuals to inspire some very creative planters. I was really impressed by the taste value of all the planters. Any of them could have graced the cover of any garden magazine. We have a bunch of green thumbs here at Quilchena. The clubhouse supplied mini quiches, fruit platter, coffee and mimosas (of course). The best part is that the sun came out to shine!  Here is a few pics from the event.