RECENT PICTURES (late May, 2025)

Pathway on the west side.

Flowerbed on the west side, with variegated dogwood tree, rhododendrons, bluebells.

Pathway leading to side door on the west side. White flowers are on viburnum tree;
yellow-leafed shrub at centre is a red-twig dogwood. The seldom-used pathway, made
from broken-up pieces of concrete, has been taken over by moss.

Pathway on west side, looking north. The antique edging bricks were obtained from
a friend in our garden club; the wood-chip path has replaced grass, which did not get
enough sunlight to grow well, suffering from being beneath the blue spruce trees
on the west side of the property, which shed lots of needles.

The ravine on the north side of the property catches the morning sun. A 'fish-bearing'
stream runs through the bottom of the ravine, where salamanders also sometimes appear.
Sword ferns grow in profusion in the ravine.

A bank of sweet-smelling flowers (evening primrose, a native plant) self-seed on the
side of the north ravine.

Clematis (Polish Spirit) just coming into flower over a bench, central garden.
Our newly-assembled 6' x 10' greenhouse, purchased from Rona Building Supplies,
is in the background. Volunteer Welsh poppies in the right foreground.

Pathway leading to garden shed. To the upper right is a copper beech tree (Fagus sylvatica),
with sedums and Siberian iris in front. Apparently the copper beech produces a lot
of oxygen, making it a good plan to breathe deeply when passing by!

Circle lawn as seen from steps leading up to the house, looking north-west. Branches of
the copper beech tree overhang the steps, with giant goats' beard (Aruncus sinensis) to
the left, soon to come into flower. The old iron-wheeled wheelbarrow at the centre was
found on the property when we first moved in.

Circle lawn from steps leading up to the house, looking north-east, with stainless-steel
white archway fabricated by one of our nephews. Giant goatsbeard in left foreground,
hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass) to the right. In the background to the left of the
arch, a hop vine (large yellowish leaves) flourishes, covering a fence. The wooden box
positioned on a maple-tree trunk (upper left) is a bat-house, unfortunately as yet
unoccupied. Although bats were often to be seen in the past at dusk on summer evenings,
they now seem to have altogether disappeared. This might be due to either the dramatic
loss of insect life recently, or to the spread of disease in the bat population.
We remain hopeful they will return!

Pathway on west side, looking south. Vertical tree at the centre is a weeping beech,
speckled leaves at right are from an aucuba; branches in front left are from a barberry.
The area was made intentionally wide to serve as a turning circle for my lawn tractor.

Pathway from garden shed, looking east. To the left are branches of copper beech, with
Sky Pencil Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) in foreground. Shrub in rear is a Rose of Sharon,
soon to come into spectacular flower.

Pathway and steps, west side. Shrub at centre is a lovely purple-flowering rhododendron
(just past flowering) which was purchased from Milner Gardens & Woodland on
Vancouver Island.

Pathway, west side. Plant in front is a white mugwort (Artemesia lactiflora).

Pathway, west side. Overhanging bush at centre is an extremely fragrant Lewis's
Wild Mock Orange (Philadelphus Lewisii) which attracts swallowtail butterflies
and hummingbirds.

View from bridge over pond, west side. Variegated rhodo in foreground, flowering
shrub behind is a rescued azalea; behind it to the left is a wild rosebush, in the right
background is a Hinoki cypress.

View from pathway on the west side next to the house, looking north.

View of bridge over pond from pathway on the west side next to the house, looking west.
In front is a harts-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium).

Winding steps lead down through hostas to the lower area.

View of circle lawn from inside gazebo, looking south. Large tree in background is
a ginkgo biloba, the leaves of which turn a glorious golden colour in the fall.

Lawn on the east side, looking east toward the white shed. In the right foreground
is a flowering cherry (now finished blooming); in the centre, with white flowers,
is a viburnum. Although the flowers look pretty, the smell they emit is disgusting,
being reminiscent of rotting meat!

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A video of our garden is featured on the Youtube site of Garden Gate magazine
under the title of "Taming the Slope: Tour a Vancouver Garden in Spring"

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