The Townhouse Garden 2007 - The Front Garden Grows

2007 wasn't a busy gardening year, with no big projects ahead, I can take time to watch the front garden grow.

The Crocus's are the first flower to bloom in my garden. I've planted them in front of the Lavender bushes, the Daffodils are planted just behind and are just starting to bloom. Later in the season the Lavender hides both the Crocus and the Daffodil leaves, as they can be kind of ugly at that stage.

Spring time and the Daffodils are in full bloom and the Japanese Maple is just starting the leaf out. The "Basket of Gold" Aurinia saxatilis is also just starting to bloom, I love how this plant will cascade over the rocks.

The "Basket of Gold" is starting to cascade over the rock border and the small yellow Rhododendron is blooming.

I don't know the name of this pale yellow Rhododendron, but is looks like it can be kept small. I transplanted it from the back garden last year and it seems to be doing much better in this location.

Closer to the house is mostly a shade garden, the small cedar hedge make sure of that. It's the perfect spot for some Ferns and a Hosta. I've also planted a Hydrangea, Astilbe and a "Nelly Moser" Clematis growing up a trellis on the down spout.

I added interest to the entrance way by removing some of the agrigate bricks and plastic edging that were there when we moved in and replacing it with some flagstone and re-worked the planting area with some more of the bricks. This to is shaded 80% of the day, I've planted some Bleeding Hearts, Ferns and more Hosta's. I tried growing some moss between the flagstone but this area was just to shaded. I'll have to rethink what I should use to replace the moss.

The red Rhododendron in the distance is a well know variety, Jean De'Montague. I've always loved the Rhodo's that have big clusters of red blooms and dark green leathery leaves, and now I have one of my own. The Dahlia's are just starting to come up. Shasta Daisy's are planted just below the living room window and a Rosemary and Bay Leaf bush are planted below the kitchen window. A Late Dutch Honeysuckle is climbing up a trellis attached to the downspout. I started this plant from a cutting off a 30 year old Honeysuckle that's at my parents house.

The west facing side of the townhouse is a tough area to grown plant's in. It needs watering every day in the summer, to solve this problem I installed a drip irrigation systems to water all of the front garden. Sherri from Lee Valley Tools was a speaker at a recent Richmond Garden Club meeting, she talked all about installing a drip irrigation system, using the products offered by Lee Valley. I looked really simple, so I gave it a shot, and I'd have to say it was money well spent. What use to take me at least 30 minutes to do, now takes me about 2 minutes, to hook up the hose and turn it on, and if I get really lazy I could always hook up a automatic timer.

The Townhouse Garden 2006, Armed And Dangerous

It was early one morning in April 2006, I was 6 months pregnant at the time and there was an itch I needed to scratch. I just had to start gardening. I got my shovel, and my large pruners and I was ready to rumble. Times run out on that Peries Japonica, that plastic edging, some sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.

The start of the remodel, gone are the over grown, sad looking bushes, it's off to the city recycle yard for you.

The Japanese Maple "Bloodgood" I've had growing in a half barrel container, on the balcony at the apartment finally gets planted in the ground, It as I, can now spread it's roots.

I dug up all the sandy soil that was out front and piled it up. It was in serious need of some amendment.

Some examples of the brick I was thinking of using to border the new improved garden bed.

I know that your garden is as only as good and the soil it's grown in. I pain stakingly screen out all of the existing soil and got rid of all the rocks, roots, pieces of concrete and other building material that mysteriously appeared in the soil.

I got a load of compost from the Vancouver Landfill, really economical, $5 for a utility trailer full. I used this to amend the existing soil. 5 parts compost to 2 parts existing sandy soil. Mixed by hand in my wheelbarrow, and dumped into place. Anything was better than what was there before.

Recycling what I had, I used the red bricks from the side of the townhouse to use as a base for the brick edging. I picked this up at the Home Depot for .89 per brick not to bad, looks great. When I needed to make a few cuts on the bricks to fill in the odd spot I marked it, and took it the BC Brick on #5 Rd. and Bridgeport. and for a reasonable fee, they were happy to help me. I'm not an expert in masonry, I cheated on leveling the edging. I put half of the brick on the red brick base and half of the brick on the sidewalk. Looks nice and level, I'm sure I'll need to adjust the brick in a few years as it begins to settle, but I'll deal with that later.

Starting to show some promise.

The front entrance is getting a makeover as well.

Bye bye brick, hello prime growing real estate.

The first year had some challenges, one of which was then we had the roof replaced in July, I thought that all my hard work was going to be ruined, plant's broken by roofing material, but that wasn't the case. The roofers were very good about not destroying my plant material. As you can see the Dahlia's were just starting to grow along the west side of the townhouse. The Japanese Maple has leaved out and I added a little weight to the garden in the form of a concrete bird bath. It adds that little something that was missing.



As you can see, the Dahlia's are in bloom and the side of the townhouse is now bursting with colour and interest. Everyone who drives or walks down the sidewalk into the complex is greeted with my colourful garden improvements.


The edging wasn't quite completed this year, the ornamental cherry is slated for removal the next year, and the root will be ground down. It will be finished then.



I planted some giant sunflower seeds for fun, and boy they didn't disappoint. I'm sure they brought a smile to many faces.

And that was that, with a now newborn to take care of my gardening for this year is done.