 A row of very old giant maples line a 1908 garden. The Heritage Vancouver Society offered up a fundraiser I couldn’t resist; a self-guided tour of 15 exclusive gardens in the prestigious Vancouver's West Side. A special thank you goes to all the homeowners and designers that allowed me to feature their gardens in this blog. For more information on Heritage Vancouver Society click here. Garden #1 An unusual find, a Deinanthe caerulea, also called 'false hydrangea'. The tour started with an unassuming shady front garden, which did not hint of what lay beyond. The back garden is long and languid. This huge lot, 66 ft x 342 ft, has a huge main grassy area in the back garden bordered by undulating beds filled with trees, shrubs and perennials. In the centre, a golden Julia Child rose invites visitors to come closer and enjoy its fragrance and beauty. In contrast, a shady narrow path runs along the fence providing another perspective. Harmonious colour schemes, complimentary plant shapes and varying leaf textures give this garden an easy and relaxing feel.  False hydrangea plant grows to 18 inches x 30 inches, prefers part shade and is hardy from zones 5 to 7.  Julia Child, a scented floribunda, disease resistant rose.
 A Shirley poppy.
 A rounded bed is full of shade loving plants.  A double flowering mock orange. 
 A bench is tucked away at the shady end of this long garden.
 Pure yellow Sneezeweed (Helenium) is an easy perennial that adores full sun.  The feathery flowers of the Rodgersia, combine with a white rimmed hosta.  Tiny flowers make up the flower spike of the shade loving Rodgersia. Garden #2 Easy Does Rose is an easy to grow reblooming, fragrant floribunda growing to 4 feet. A self-confessed plant addict, the owner has adorned her garden with some lovely specimens, especially roses. It was a spectacular rose, the Pink Martini, which grabbed everyone's attention. It was smothered with fragrant, brilliant, deep pink blossoms. Right beside it was the Carefree Delight rose donning scented, large single soft pink flowers. The long narrow back garden was accented by a rustic arbor accented by a deep red rose called Take It Easy. Hostas, astilbes and other shade loving plants filled the beds – and more roses wherever the light allowed, took center stage.  A garden bed with artfully arranged shade loving plants.  The generously curved front garden contains roses and perennials.
 Westerland climbing rose is hardy from zones 4 to 9, fragrant, disease resistant, continuous blooming.  Pink Martini blossoms stay perfect as they do not fade with age.  Pink Martini is a continuous bloomer with fragrant flowers on 3ft plants. Disease resistant. Zones 5 to 9.  A rustic arbor provides a focal point in the back garden.  A big leaf hosta and a chartreuse Japanese maple pair well.  Take It Easy, a disease free, continuous flowering shrub rose. Grows to 5 feet, zones 5 to 9.  Graham Thomas, a David Austin rose, have a light tea scent with repeat flowering. Disease resistant, vigorous grower to 5 feet. Zones 5 to 9.  An easy care, free-flowering , Meijocos Pink Drift. Zones 4 to 11, 18 inches tall, 3 ft spread.
 The easy care and fragrant, Take It Easy rose and a blue peachleaf bellflower.  The feathery flowers of a white astilbe.  Twist & Shout hydrangea is an Endless Summer reblooming hydrangea, hardy from Zone 4 to 9.  Blanc Double de Coubert is a tough, hardy and fragrant rugose rose.
 Carefree Delight is fragrant, easy care shrub rose growing to 4 feet and flowers continuously.  Carefree Delight Garden #3 An attractive urn provides a focal point for this woodland garden. There are two basic gardens surrounding this 1940 CBK Van Norman tudor styled home. A large ceramic urn in the front garden provides a focal point to the lush woodland shade plants. Stairs flanked by a smooth barked eucalyptus invites people down the stone steps to the garden below where the woodland theme continues. The sumptuous garden is punctuated by unusual plants such as the Spotty Dotty Podophyllym with its huge flat crinkled leaves and the funky Jack-in-the-Pulpit plant. The woodland settings gradually evolves to a more formal scene. Trimmed boxwoods define a large seating area under the white hanging lanterns. A dining area with an Asian feel hides under the balcony. It’s intimate and restful with a rustic stone head as its focal point. Trimmed boxwoods edge the deep garden beds to provide a loose formality. Feathery astilbes peak out among the greenery, a bold gunnera pairs well with white trimmed hosta and tall ferns compete with rhododendrons. It’s an appealing loose formality.  A casual path meanders through the lower verdant garden.
 A silvery globe thistle.
 The dining area sits underneath white lanterns for nighttime dining al fresco.  This Buddha looks like an ancient relic.  The lower back garden turns semi-formal with clipped boxwood hedges that seem to retain the burgeoning plants within their boundaries.  The lower woodland garden receives dappled shade from the huge Douglas fir in its center.
 Spotty Dotty may apple prefers shade in rich, moist soil. Zones 6 to 9.  Ligularia flowers shine brightly in the shaded woodland garden. Garden #4 This sculptural Japanese themed garden is dramatic in its use of rocks, water and plants. It was designed as a miniature Japanese landscape with rocks mimicking mountain ranges. The water features simulate waterfalls, streams and lakes. Stark pines replicate wind ravaged evergreens atop craggy mountaintops. It’s so well done that this garden has been featured in movies, television and magazines.  A pagoda sits in front of a trickling waterfall.
 The still water of the pond acts like a mirror to a spruce bonsai .  An unusual shaped pagoda imitates a home in the mountains.  A large pool is the main attraction of the back garden.
 A pathway leads to the tea house and a Japanese style gate.  A stone path simulates a mountain trail located behind the large pond.  The use of stone as a landing to the stairs is ingenious. Garden #5 Mexican Feather grass, a yellow flowered stonecrop and lavender. There’s no lawn in front of this delightful Craftsman house, but it does have a meadow. It consists of numerous low growing sun loving perennials, but it was the Mexican Feather Grass that stole the show. Its flaxen, silky, hay-coloured stalks partnered well with lavender, blue cranesbill geranium and yellow stonecrop sedums. A turquois ceramic urn topped with red geraniums provided a dramatic focal point. A productive vegetable garden plus raspberries and blueberries takes up the back yard. This lovely garden was designed by Linda Shulman.  An elegant container with red geraniums is a simple but effective focal point.  There's no lawn, but there is a meadow.  Visitors on the tour explore the garden.  The back garden is dedicated to growing food including a serious raspberry patch.  A quaint and handy bench in the veggie garden.  The meadow includes Moonbeam coreopsis, lavender, stonecrop sedum, Mexican Feather Grass and blue cranesbill geranium. Garden #7 Blue accents tie everything together. Blue accents bring harmony to this creative and colourful garden. It starts with a deep blue bench atop thyme rimmed flagstone taking the place of a lawn in the front garden. It is repeated out back with cobalt blue planters, blue and yellow striped cushions, the flowing azure starry flowers of the Waterfall Serbian bellflower and the deep navy spires of the Royal Candles speedwell. There’s a charming pond in the back yard, replete with a water sprouting frog. Artistic and colourful combinations of plants and ornaments are used throughout.  The front lawn was eventually replaced by flagstone strewn with thyme and a dramatic blue bench.  A charming pond is the focal point of the back garden.
 A perfect pairing of an ostrich fern and Waterfall blue Serbian bellflower.  An unobtrusive frog fountain hits the mark.  Framed succulents featuring numerous types of sedums.  A perfect combo of small stonecrop sedums.  A blue wall adds to the blue theme and provides a great backdrop for a pink rose and the geranium baskets above.  A country themed water feature is one of the many vignettes.
 A pink, salmon and white floribunda rose.  This restful spot is perfect to enjoy the birds enticed to the garden with the many bird houses and feeders.  The frog fountain in action. Cute!  Blue Candles speedwell pairs well with a green and cream coloured hosta. Garden #8 The front garden, framed by a black arbor, is full of food, flowers, ornamental grasses, shrubs and no lawn. There’s no need for a lawn when food and flowers take priority. Raspberries, blueberries and veggies take up one side of the front garden while a birdbath surrounded with bluestone pavers provides a focal point on the opposite side. Ornamental grasses, flowers and shrubs comprise the rest of the gardens including more veggies in the backyard. Designed by Linda Shulman.  Blue ceramic pots hold Japanese forest grass on the left and a purple leaf ligularia on the right.  The front garden is accented by a birdbath and bluestone pavers.  Ripening raspberries are one of the many plants in the food garden.  The leopard plant, Ligularia looks great in a pot with its bold round foliage.  The path to the front garden is framed by a Japanese maple. Garden #9 As visitors enter the ivy covered arched pergola, they are transported into a magical world of gnomes, dragons, moss covered statues and other old world ornaments. The path made from recycled old red bricks winds its way throughout this gothic English style cottage garden. Lush green plants intertwine, cascade and intermingle with the art pieces and drip into the numerous water features. The piece de resistance is a black Victorian gazebo. A wisteria and rose drape across the top providing a green lacy ceiling. Inside there’s a small table draped in a white tablecloth and two chairs inviting visitors to sit and enjoy the enchanted surroundings.
 A wee pond is a place for flower fairies to take a dip.
 A dog-like gargoyle overlooks the pond below.
 A small water feature is nestled among yellow loosestrife and a white edged hosta.
garden #10 A water feature made from recycled and reclaimed materials, including an air duct. The owner and the designer, Anne-Talbot Kelly, worked together to create this eclectic garden. It has touches of industrial, Asian and West Coast beach, and practically everything is recycled. The most impressive feature is the waterfall made from an old air duct pipe with bins atop to collect rainwater. Water cascades down the chains into a large elongated metal bin below. It was made by Robert Delahanty, a bike mechanic and welder. Cooking oil cylinders and semi-truck wheel drums make unusual but effective planters. This garden has numerous areas to entertain, but the crushed shell beach area is a cool place to hang out. There’s even a fireplace for chilly nights made out of an old barrel with a gas insert. It’s an ingenious and very functional garden made for entertaining.  A shade garden and small path.
 Metal rims surround Evergold Japanese sedge.  A tiny pond reflects the sky and foliage above.  An industrial style metal planter is filled with upright yews and pretty cherry pink zinnias.  A single pine brings a country element to the scene.  The wooden deck chairs offer a casual beachy feel to this part of the garden.  The rush of water trickling down the chains is very soothing and rather hypnotic. Garden #11 The Arthur Erickson Foundation is the sole owner and caretaker of this iconic home and garden. The foundation offers tour from July to October. Click here for more info. "A clearing in the forest." is how Arthur Erickson, famed architect, described the garden he enjoyed for over fifty years. It's more of a contemplative retreat rather than a traditional garden as there are no floriferous, colourful garden beds, nor a veggie bed waiting to be harvested. Instead there is a stand of Douglas fir and dogwoods framing the pond. Glossy green water lily leaves coat the serene water. Rhododendrons become bold statements especially when combined with the tall graceful bamboo. Large ferns sprout from the bare undergrowth in the dappled shade. It's a serene setting, with simple rustic benches placed to view the artistic vistas made by the light playing upon the scene, changing slowly with the moods of the sun.  Trees planted on a berm facing the pond resembles a forest.  A crow lands on a waterlily.  This idyllic scene belies the fact that it's located in the middle of the city.
 A bamboo and rhododendron lined path is forest-like.
 Nestled in the undergrowth a simple bench resides.  A white waterlily interrupts the shiny green leafy blanket.  A view from the bamboo and rhododendron 'forest'.  A concrete pad allows visitors to extend into the pond area.  A simple stone bench allows a view of the pond while being part of the forest.  The trimmed trunks of English laurels become a graphic piece of art against the wooden fence. Garden #12 Sweetly scented daphne and jasmine greet visitors as they arrive. An arbor shadowing the style of the house provides an entrance to the front garden. Jasmine’s sweet fragrance fills the air. Their pure white star-like flowers drape over the wooden fence enhancing the attached bench accented with lime green cushions. Designed by Anne Talbot-Kelly, the numerous seating areas are cleverly placed to enjoy this multilevel garden.  A blue deck chair provides a private place to sit next to the stone raised bed.
 The repeated use of cobalt blue ceramic pots provides unity throughout the garden.
 A blue wall serves double duty as a screen for the fence behind. The window becomes a frame a colourful moss planter full of annuals.
 A white tuberous begonia and a Johnson's Blue cranesbill geranium.  A tuberous begonia flower and Johnson's Blue geraniums.  The view from the deck above.  Japanese spurge surrounds a potted geranium on a stone retaining wall.  A view from the deck above provides a great vantage point to view the gardens below.  A fragrant jasmine scents the garden besides a built in stone bench. Garden #13 Under the shade of magnolia planted in 1908. This 1908 house still has the original wrought iron fence that wraps around an old fashioned garden, but it doesn’t stop there. The garden spills out with all sorts of shrubs and some small trees past the fence, much to the delight of people passing by. A memorial bench located at the corner of the lot is dedicated to the previous owner and avid gardener, Diana Snow. It is tucked in and wrapped by a lush green hedge for passing pedestrians to rest and view the ocean beyond. Within the fenced area the garden lends itself to comfort and conversation with two curved, green wooden benches arranged in a circle. A huge and original magnolia provides a rich green canopy overhead. Its dappled shade extends far and wide creating lacy speckles of light below.  This burgeoning garden with a flashy pink dogwood, is enjoyed by all those that pass by.  The gated old vegetable garden still exists.  This climbing rose has been here a long time.  A big leaf maple shows its old bones.  Grapes cover an arbour.  The canopy of a majestic magnolia is the perfect spot for this red tuberous begonia.  This bench sits on the corner of the lot for those that need to rest and to enjoy the view.  The purple daisy fleabane flowers are surrounded by lungwort's spotted leaves.  Potted pink verbena.  A view over the fence from the vegetable garden creates a floriferous vista.
 The conversation pit fits snugly under the magnolia.  Dappled shade makes patterns on the old antique window.  The view from the garden captures the Burrard Inlet. Garden #14Outdoor living is the focus on this design and installation by De Haas Landscape Design Ltd. A clipped formal yew hedge is accented by black granite pavers that leads to the back garden. An elegant white covered patio looks over this inviting garden designed for entertaining. There are numerous areas to sit and enjoy the flora including a separate seating tucked up against the wooden fence.  A trimmed yew hedge provides a deep green backdrop to the skimmia and helleborus in the foreground.  A central raised bed softens the surrounding hardscape.
 Orange coral bells provide a frilly skirt for the dwarf blue spruce. Garden #15 A goblet fill with succulents. A number of large trees shade this 1925 Craftsman home and the accompanying small paved courtyard. It features a rock fountain that gently cascades into a quaint pond. Tall bamboo becomes a striking form against the pale walls and wooden fence. The Italian inspired patio is is dotted with pottery and art from the owner’s travels. In addition to the delightful art and keepsakes, Keith Rice-Jones sculptures were discretely displayed among the ferns, the hostas and coral bells for this special event.  Containers line up along the steps.
 A single coleus fills its container with bronze foliage rimmed in chartreuse.
 An eager gargoyle begging for attention.
 Bamboo lines the fence creating an airy screen.  The light from above filters through the tree and into the garden below.
 A natural looking water feature.
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