My pal Lee-Anne is easily the most creative gardener I know. We met 15 years ago in Horticulture School, and I have seen her transform more than a few boring, plain or even dilapidated yards into colourful, productive gardens filled with old tin pails, metal folk-art, and once, most memorably, the rusted out cab of a model-T Ford that she had found and then hauled out of the backwoods around Nanaimo.
Her most recent creation surrounds her pretty blue miner's cottage, and works perfectly with its storied surroundings. It is whimsical, with a nod to the past in its antique adornments, including an old toy truck which peaks out between the fronds of a variegated Agropyron.
Fruit and vegetable plants are planted not in rows or raised beds as in most gardens, but instead poke out through flowering plants and intermingle with herbs, shrubs and grasses throughout the garden.
In the back corner the base of an early Singer sewing machine serves as a table on which an old tin pot and kettle are displayed. The effect is homey and comforting, yet still manages to feel fresh.
In every one of Lee-Anne's gardens, I have felt that I am in the presence of a true creative mind, one not bound by trends, but focused instead on function and beauty, and always, always improvisation.Her gardens are built on a budget, and with mostly found materials. They are great examples of what can be done with a little searching around. If you are lucky enough to live in the Nanaimo area, Lee-Anne designs gardens there professionally and can bring her talents to your site.
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Her most recent creation surrounds her pretty blue miner's cottage, and works perfectly with its storied surroundings. It is whimsical, with a nod to the past in its antique adornments, including an old toy truck which peaks out between the fronds of a variegated Agropyron.
Fruit and vegetable plants are planted not in rows or raised beds as in most gardens, but instead poke out through flowering plants and intermingle with herbs, shrubs and grasses throughout the garden.
In the back corner the base of an early Singer sewing machine serves as a table on which an old tin pot and kettle are displayed. The effect is homey and comforting, yet still manages to feel fresh.
In every one of Lee-Anne's gardens, I have felt that I am in the presence of a true creative mind, one not bound by trends, but focused instead on function and beauty, and always, always improvisation.Her gardens are built on a budget, and with mostly found materials. They are great examples of what can be done with a little searching around. If you are lucky enough to live in the Nanaimo area, Lee-Anne designs gardens there professionally and can bring her talents to your site.