GPOD on the Road: Gardens Around Niagara

Came for the falls, but stayed for the flowers

Happy Friday , GPODers !

Last summertime I went on a bucket - list trip , taking my camper caravan from my place State Department of Connecticut across Canada to Vancouver Island , and back across the US . It was a untamed ride that exceeded all of my first moment , and I captured some awe-inspiring garden and flowers along the way .

Today I ’m sharing a treat from the very first of my journeying — garden in and around Niagara Falls , Ontario . Across from the hollering falls isOakes Garden Theatre , which serves as the entrance toQueen Victoria Park , and the quiet you ’ll notice there is unlikely considering the monolithic crowds jostling for pic just tread by .

Unfortunately , I did n’t have time to enjoy all that Queen Victoria Park had to offer , but I did make another stop nearby that had more planting worth sharing .

When you approach Oakes Garden Theatre , you recall you ’re go into the grounds of an eclectic individual estate , and the con and bustle of the holidaymaker attractions that palisade the fall quickly slip aside .

It make a truly surreal form of experience . I could n’t help thinking that some of the plant selection also added to this “ where the heck am I ? ” intuitive feeling . You do n’t often seecastor bean(Ricinus communis , zone 9 - 11 or as an annual ) grown in public gardens because of the perniciousness of their seed . I opine these get replaced long before they go to seed , but an eye - catching gamble none the less !

But the plant are n’t the only element that strike you — though this long border ofelephant ’s ear(Colocasiaesculenta , Zones 8–10 or as a tender bulb ) with red begonia is massively impressive — the computer architecture gives the delusion that this garden was teleported from another era .

To give some linear perspective on just how faithful this garden is to the fall … you may still see the mist ! This was a beautiful Saturday morning in July , so the gang were abundant . After fighting through the crowds , these gardens were a much - needed sanctuary of peace and quiet .

Formal garden be intimate not your cup of afternoon tea ? you’re able to explore through the more realistic planting on presentation . Not much was blooming in this area , but plenty of gorgeous foliage from all sorts of shrubs and trees .

And even shaded garden ponds ! If Niagara Falls was n’t enough water for you in one twenty-four hour period , enjoy the cool ghost and sit down by a pond much less exhilarating and far more relaxing .

Though formal garden are n’t often my favorite designs , these unambiguously - form hedge were a highlighting of this visit . The swirling , wave shapes were a great representation of the nightfall , cat up their mist in the background , while still maintaining a very sophisticated look .

Yet another unexpected garden feature , these meticulously pleached trees . Pleaching ( the geomorphological training of any trees by manipulating branches ) requires serious provision , religious pruning , and lots of metre . Something you ’d expect to see at the Gardens of Versailles , not at a public car park across the street from Niagara Falls .

OK , OK – my last exposure of super acid . But I just had to apportion these towering Alaskan cedars ( Cupressus nootkatensis , Zones 4–8 ) . This garden was full of gems for any woody - plant lover .

Lastly , a gorgeous garden bed with plenty of room to sit and look up to this incredible cornucopia of color .

Thanks for joining me on this looking back at a wonderful memory board . More gardens , stories , and photos from this tripper to come . And let me screw if you project on traveling to any garden this summer !

Have photos to share ? We ’d bed to see your garden , a particular aggregation of plant you make love , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit !

To defer , send 5 - 10 photo to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the pic . We ’d love to try where you are locate , how long you ’ve been garden , successes you are proud of , failures you learn from , hopes for the future , preferent plant life , or funny stories from your garden .

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