Forget Me Not

While driving behind One North last spring, Carleigh and I spotted 2 or 3 forget me not plants in bloom. They were so pretty we couldn’t leave them stranded in a field! We dug them up and placed them carefully in a prominent spot beneath some newly planted peonies and were pleased to see they survived the transplant.

Well, you can imagine how thrilled we are this spring to see they have seeded themselves into a nice healthy crop! This year we will certainly deadhead most of them so that they don’t produce too many more seeds. They are a lovely plant for spring gardens, but can become invasive if care is not taken to control their population.

In the meantime, we will enjoy the cute blossoms and hope that the peonies will bloom soon so they become perfect companions.

Stephanie Osborne

York Downs Golf and Country Club

Gardener

Anticipation

The anticipation of summer is heightened when I see perennials emerging from the ground. These ferns and hostas are really interesting even as they unfurl!

Stephanie Osborne

Gardener

York Downs Golf and Country Club

New Garden on the Patio

There are a lot of pictures I've taken in the past few weeks that I have wanted to post but Carleigh and I have been very busy dividing and moving perennials.

One major renovation I'd like to share is on our patio. It was a group effort with help from Mike Jackson last fall, using the skid steer to pull out the less than desirable shrubs. Mike Olizarevitch helped with the sod lifter and the stone cutter to even out the interlock. I removed remaining roots, amended the soil and placed stones along the edge to hold in the soil. Carleigh and I chose some beautiful plants that I'm sure will look great throughout the season. Heuchera "Dolce Blackcurrant" is a relatively new cultivar and the three hydrangea serrata "Fujinotaki's" are sure to be knock outs!

It's projects like this that make me so happy because it is a beautiful improvement on an otherwise dull corner of the patio.

Stephanie Osborne

Gardener
York Downs Golf and Country Club

Daffodils

Daffodils and tulips are the most well known flowers to ring in the spring. Although tulips always seem to have won the popularity race (due to their wide range of colours), I believe daffodils are becoming much more stylish.

Not too long ago, daffodils were only available in their natural colour of yellow. Due to some clever cultivation, they are now available in many forms, colours and sizes. I’ve snipped a few daffodils which are growing in our gardens to show how beautiful they can be. What do you think?

Stephanie Osborne
Gardener
York Downs Golf and Country Club