Sussex Gardens

The Front landscape of Walter Folkins' home proves you don't need a lot of colour to make an impact.  Mature Birch, Flowering crab, Mugo Pine and pyramid cedars set the stage for a stunning treescape.  

I live in a Zone 4b-5a and I must say, I think that's ideal for a wide variety of interesting and unusual plants.  There are many cold hardy plants we can grow here that you just couldn't in warmer climes and they are absolutely stunning!  For instance... did you know that tulips won't bloom unless they've had a period of deep cold?  Pansies love the cold and seem to do best when nights are chilly and as well, snapdragons, dusty miller and heather do very well with cooler weather.

With the introduction of new cultivars, we are now growing an even wider variety of plants in this region.  Wisteria is something that is  very hard to get established in this region but now there are cold hardy varieties so that even we Zone 4's can enjoy wisterias heavenly fragrance.  However, having said that, most of the gardeners in this area stick with the tried and true. 

Sylvia Colpits has a magnificent French hybrid lilac by her front driveway.  The scent is to die for and it is one of the nicest lilacs in the whole town.  the blooms were almost past their prime by the time I got by to photograph them, but as you can see, the colour is a deep purple and quite striking.

These roses are from my own garden.  They are a hardy shrub rose that does very well in this zone. 

Peony's and ants just seem to go hand in hand.  It's a common misconception that you need ants on your peonys in order for them to flower out.  In fact, the ants are just sipping the nectar coating the peony buds.

Allium, peony and a buttercup which found it's way into the garden, make quite an pretty ensemble.  Once the buttercup flowered, I pulled it out.  How I allowed it to get that far is a mystery but the results were quite lovely!

This exquisite lily was discovered on my daily walk on Maple Avenue.  As soon as I discover the variety, I'll post it here!

Joyce McQuarrie has the most beautiful garden in her back yard and this delightful little chair garden with the spitting frogs beside it is ample evidence of things to come as you begin the adventure down her garden path.  Or rather I should say, Up her garden path.  Joyce took an overgrown hillside and turned it into a lovely woodland garden oasis.  The following pics are some of what you'll find in her garden.

This proper little lady stands under a bouquet of columbine and points the way up Joyce's garden path.

The evening sunlight slants through Joyce's hillside garden and dapples a garden bench which is placed beside some handmade birdhouses, mounted on old tree stumps.  It's a lovely spot to take a load off tired feet while enjoying the ferns, hostas and columbine planted nearby.

***NOTE***  For all of the above gardens you'll want your planting bed prepared right for the types of plants you decide upon.  It's not hard, but please visit the "Organic Gardening" page of my website to find out how to prepare your soil.  It's my guess that the majority of people reading this won't have to do much to their soil to make it OK for planting.  But for those of you who can't seem to grow anything, your soil is the key...

Garden Quote

The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw