Teresa’s Ontario Garden – FineGardening

Today we’re visiting with Teresa Gordon.

We live in Zone 6, Thornbury, Ontario, Canada. We retired here almost five years ago and have been establishing a new garden. Leaving behind a house we had for almost 30 years along with an established garden was difficult. Now that we are living here and our garden is becoming mature, it makes the transition easier and very rewarding. I am the main gardener, but my husband helps a lot and is very good at the layout and hardscaping aspects of our garden. I especially like the backdrop of our old rustic garage, which adds to the garden.

The backyard in winter is made a lot more lively with the red garage. The garage was this color when we moved in, and I plan on leaving it as is since we really like the color.

This is my favorite photo from 2020. It includes Echinacea ‘Santa Fe’ (Zones 4–8), Rosa ‘Bonica’ (Zones 4–9), Rudbeckia ‘Indian Summer’ (Zones 3–7 but often performs as an annual), Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’ (Zones 3–8), summer phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4–8), and dwarf grasses. The garden bird ornament was a gift from my sister, who is also a gardener and inspired me to begin gardening. It is made entirely from rebar and other rusted metals, and I have always loved it.

My favorite small tree, Cornus kousa (Zones 5–8).

Although the property extends behind the garage, I have not gardened there except for a few raised beds for cutting gardens.

This picture was taken on October 25, 2019, and is one of my favorite shots of the garden.

In this photo from later in the summer of 2019, the tall perennial at the corner of the garage is Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum, Zones 3–9), and the large, gold-colored plant is Rudbeckia triloba (Zones 4–8), which reseeds in my garden. The yellow plants in the front of the garage garden are annual marigolds (Tagetes).

These delphiniums (Delphinium × elatum, Zones 3–7) were spectacular but, sadly, were knocked down, as I did not stake them.

In this late summer shot of the garden, the long white wands are bugbane (Actaea simplex, Zones 4–8).

I enjoyed how the cones of the echinacea echoed the color of the rudbeckia.

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