About where inspiration comes from
Dear Reader,
Beneath Grimsby’s last remaining old growth oaks, near the fairytale Grimsby beach homes, grows a partly shaded garden. Its steel blue and burgundy foliage, highlighted by white margins, display annually on a carpet of black mulch. But as enchanting as are the globe blue spruces, Japanese maples and carpets of variegated hostas, what interested me most last Thursday was a small patch of fine bright green grass.
The grass, planted a few years ago, has established well in its sandy dry shade corner. Last Thursday it was already blooming. Atop thin little green stems sat little plaited dark brown tips crowned by halos of white fluff. It was good to see it was happy in its home.
This little native grass, sometimes called Oak sedge or Pennsylvania sedge, is in its element. When we were exploring design options, there was already a small established patch of the grass under the Japanese Maple, which itself stood under the towering White Oak. Dry shade is a demanding condition for most plants, so why reinvent the wheel? The fine green flow of the grass fit well within the design.
As the season progresses, other plants will poke through the grassy groundcover: tulips, then hostas, and on its sunny edge, echinaceas. The grass, like all groundcovers, is a canvas. The old White Oak, whose roots reach far and wide, may even appreciate the cooling moisture retention of the little patch of Oak sedge.
There’s another dry, shaded garden in Grimsby. This one is downtown, close to the Escarpment. You may have seen it if you’ve visited Station 1 coffeehouse’s back patio; it’s the slope behind it. Over the next few weeks its grassy, mossy surface will be welcoming a fresh batch of leafy residents.
When designing gardens, slopes require special consideration. Erosion is always a factor. Grimsby’s glacially deposited sandy soil makes this particular slope prone to it. This is why groundcovers are the first ones going in.
A large part of the slope is shaded due to the south facing wall of trees at the top of the hill. The situation reminded me of that other dry shaded garden on the other side of Grimsby. When there’s a shade loving native grass whose rhizomatous roots will cling to the sandy soil, which will provide habitat and food for native insects, and whose little spring blooms are adorable, why reinvent the wheel? Besides, it’ll pair well with the other goodies going in.
On another, unrelated note, as I’m writing these last words a few days after “last Thursday” became “the Thursday before last Thursday”, I had a think about why I’m writing blog posts in the middle of a gardener’s busiest season. There’s plenty of time in winter, when the ground is frozen and plants asleep. During a recent visit to north Burlington’s Hutchinson Farm, the same thought came up as they were writing fresh signs for their ever evolving catalogue of herbs, veggies and perennials. As it was said there, and rings true here too, “I could do the signs in winter, when there’s time. But the inspiration comes now.”
Garden inspiration has many forms. Back at the garden beneath the old White Oak, a new household member is making his mark. The retired racing greyhound has etched a dirt loop in the lush lawn around the sauna garden bed. I believe the mulched area may soon be expanding.
Wishing you garden inspiration, whatever form it may take. Take care,
Mélanie