A Water Garden of Wonder

Niagara seems to be home to some wonderful homes, and this is a special one with a water garden outside the living room window that is on display all year. We were on a garden tour recently (July 2013), and had a great experience at the garden of Terri and Wayne Rubel.  

The garden has been featured in magazines and blogs - Wayne's creative water garden feature is the source of the curiosity.  He has set  a vase filled with water upside-down vase above the pond water line. When he puts some fish food in the vase, the fish swim 'up' to get it.   Here's the wonderful combination of water feature and special feature. 

Roses Galore in Niagara

Bakker's grows a lot of nursery stock in the Niagara region and particularly in St. Catharines.   The Third Street pop-up nursery had Bakker rose bushes for $10 a few weeks ago, so I have four new roses.

They have a splendid show on 5th Street where my brother, Brian Bergman's Lilycrest Garden hybridizing field is.

Here's the show a week ago - a little like Holland and those rows of tulips...

St. Catharines Gardens on Tour 2013

The St. Catharines Horticultural Society had its Garden Tour this past Sunday, July 7th 2013.  I had the privilege of photographing the 8 gardens prior to the tour.  It was wonderful to meet the gardeners and to experience their gardens.  Then I also got to go on the tour on Sunday and have the garden tour experience.

Garden tours are wonderful when there is a thoughtful selection of gardens - each distinctive and all are different, so the experience is inviting and inspiring - this is what made the St. Catharines tour an achievement. 

Congratulations to the St. Catharines Horticultural Society for making a difference to gardeners and appreciators.

Here's the Summary with 2 images from each garden.

And here's the Society's website: http://www.gardenontario.org/site.php/stcatherhs

The Wow of Rose Arbours is Right Near Door

Hi everyone,

If you live near the St. Catharines area, there's a stunning set of rose arbours on Junkin Street.  Junkin is  between Geneva and Niagara Streets near the QEW.  The roses are located mid-way down the street on the south side.  I estimate the height to be over 10 feet and the width is almost that much too.  It is the absolute abundance of the roses, though, that makes this a stunning find.  

Please let me know the variety of rose, if you know it, in the comments.  

Take a few minutes to go out of your way to see this beautiful living sculpture.  Or enjoy the photos below.  It has been a splendid month for roses in Niagara this year.

Have a great Floral Drive-by!
Marilyn

Niagara's Garden Tours Galore

Hi everyone,

It is the start of the garden tour season - well it already started, didn't it?  The Niagara Region has some great events that to add to the tour list.

This week (June 24th 2013) is the Hamilton Open Garden Week organized by the Hamilton Spectator - here's the link:

http://www.thespec.com/living-story/2201037-open-garden-week-your-spectator-guide/

Dundurn Castle (Now Dundurn National Historic Site)  in Hamilton is having an 1812 celebration with quite a few tours and events:

http://www2.hamilton.ca/CultureandRecreation/Arts_Culture_And_Museums/HamiltonCivicMuseums/Events/Dundurn.asp?site=DUNDURN

The Buffalo Garden Walk is part of a garden festival that lasts more than a month.  Here are the 2 links:

Here's the Buffalo Garden Walk:

http://www.gardenwalkbuffalo.com

Here's the National Buffalo Garden Festival - this is what has grown out of the 2 day Garden Walk

http://www.nationalgardenfestival.com

Here's one of my favourite garden elements from the St. Catharines Garden Tour July 7th.  I've done photographs of each garden this week, so have a preview of the highlights.

This is a willow twig sculpture.  The twigs are placed in a pot in a woven pattern. The willow sprouts leaves at the top to form this living sculpture.  

Royal Botanical Gardens - A Rock Garden Splendour

The Royal Botanical Gardens Rock Garden display in the spring is wonderful.  Tulips grace the gardens in contrasting and complimentary colours.  Their scent is in the air along with the sound of water babbling in the stream.  The gardens are located in Burlington Ontario - here are a few selections from the visit last week.

13th Street Winery

Hi everyone,

This little seating area is between the greenhouses and the barn at 13th Street Winery.  It is located in St. Catharines, in the heart of the Niagara Wine Region.  The winery was purchased by Whitty Farms some years ago, and they have located the winery at the tomato and blackberry production greenhouses.  My mother and I really like this location as it is next door to where good friends, Jake and Marg Litke, had lived for many years.  The winery owner, Doug Whitty, knew them well, so we have a great chat when we see him. He knows the story of the Mennonite Exodus, but turns out to have been of Irish descent.  His great grandfather was orphaned on the boat coming over to Canada and had to make his way in Canada alone as a child - a wonder of accomplishment with the farms that he accumulated.

There's a bakery cafe in the barn and the winery is in an elegant white building on a hill.  Last weekend was Passport Weekend, so the winery was abuzz with visitors.  This coming weekend they are unveiling the new bacon butter tart…I wonder what wine they will pair that one with.  

The winery is located on 4th Avenue just west of Seventh Street.  Exit the QEW at Seventh Street, go away from the Lake (South) and the signs will point you to the Winery.

Here's more:

http://www.13thstreetwinery.com/bakery_marketplace/category/whitty_farms

Don't forget to look at the wonderful orchards along the route:

We're Ready for Our Blossom Trail!

Niagara boasts a beautiful landscape and wonderful fruit orchards that are full of blossoms in the spring.  We're not there yet - but it will be soon...here's a peak of what to expect.  

This image comes from Scott Arboretum, on the grounds of Swathmore College, located just south of Philadelphia.

The little Chionodoxas and Scillas are blooming under my Maple tree...so we're close behind.

Welcome to opengardensniagara

It's April 1st, 2013, and this is a traditional day of fun and pranks.  In European countries it is celebrated with chocolate fish!  

This is the first edition of opengardensniagara, a blog celebrating the Niagara region and its natural and cultivated gardens!  The objective is to showcase Niagara area gardens with an open gardens scheme in the style of Britain's Open Gardens Scheme  - Gardens Open for Charity.  You can find it at http://www.ngs.org.uk

There's also the Australian equivalent and I had the privilege to meet the CEO, Richard Barley, at the recent Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto.  They are at http://www.opengarden.org.au.

While Britain's and Australia's scopes are nation-wide, I am going to concentrate on this beautiful Niagara region - from the Niagara river with its wonderful Niagara Falls, through to the Hamilton and Burlington area.

I am going to start today with an appreciation of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Parks Floral Showcase.  Here is one of my favourite images from the conservatory at Easter time 2 years ago.

I'll introduce myself tomorrow and tell you more about opengardensniagara.

Marilyn