Garden makeover

Credit: Ruth Olde/Blasig Design

The inside was complete and finished to perfection. Outside, the backyard had problems, recalls Ruth Olde of Blasig Landscape.

Lack of privacy, little shade and no developed outdoor living area made the garden mostly unusable. The beds were too sparsely planted, allowing weeds to grow. A favoured large stump, a dominant feature, did not look like the treasure it was. The two back entries had separate steps, with no connection between them. Enter the garden design.

A patio extending across the back of the house ties the doors together and connects to a breakfast nook outside the sliding doors. A lushly planted raised area between the two stairways softens the back wall and creates a colourful vista from the kitchen window.

The stump, nestled into a berm, provides a natural focal point with the waterfall and pond. The lawn leads around the berm to an arbour and bench in the northwest corner of the garden, a cool haven that provides a different perspective.

Two Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ (Chinese dogwoods with pink flowers) form an arch at the entrance to the back garden and provide privacy from the neighbour’s family-room window. The perimeter beds are larger; the original plants have been regrouped and new purchases added – helping reduce maintenance while adding colour and interest throughout the seasons.

The plan worked! The homeowners love it, their friends admire it, and the BCLNA has acknowledged it with an award of excellence.