YORKTON -
Summer is now officially here! It arrived on June 20, and marks the point where the sun reaches its most northern point in our hemisphere.
Meanwhile, for our friends Down Under, it marks the winter solstice, or the shortest day and longest night of the year. While we get the longest day of the year, Aussies have the opposite as the south pole tilts away from the sun.
So even though the solstice, the longest day of the year, has passed, there are still beautifully long days for our gardening time!
Let’s take a garden tour to the islands! What are you thinking…Caribbean? Hawaiian? I’m thinking about the islands right here at home: garden islands!
I’m talking about the lovely and creative garden islands that some gardeners use in their landscaping. These are not raised flowerbeds against the house; these are separate and distinct islands of planting that can be anywhere in a yard, and are meant as a creative ‘accent’ planting that we will view from all sides.
When you’re out for a walk or a drive, take notice of yards that have this appealing landscaping feature. We have seen some that are simply beautiful, with all the plants in proportion to the others and to the size of the island. These “model” islands are what we should strive for: islands that have lovely interest, like stunning drifts of irises for spring beauty, and colorful dwarf shrubs like certain varieties of spirea, potentilla, lilacs, or barberry. Even cedars and junipers are kept in check to fit the space. The islands that are shade islands hold beautiful hostas, one of my favorites, with color provided by the endless varieties of colored and variegated hosta.
How do we begin? First, choose a location and shape. Make them round, square, kidney-shaped; lay out a garden hose in the shape we might want, just to see how it looks. Then, make them manageable in size. For a starting project, I have read that gardeners may want to size them so that they can reach the middle with arm’s length from all sides. When I read this, I recalled watching a show on home decorating that had a huge island in the middle of the kitchen. Yes, it looked stunning and that kind of work-space would be a dream come true…but I wondered as soon as I saw it: how do they reach to clean the middle of it? Likewise with a garden island: unless you want to physically step into your island, make it a size that can be reached from the edges.
The island can be at ground level, or slightly raised with retaining wall or landscaping blocks.
Your island location will determine plant choice. Full sun? Dappled shade? Choice of plants is important. Try and choose a variety of plants that offer interesting beauty through the seasons: spring blooms, summer color, and fall color. This means including perennials, some annuals, and small shrubs or cedars.
Now, the words of caution with islands. Gardeners must be vigilant. Plants grow. If gardeners do not stay attentive to pruning and dividing as needed, islands can quickly become crowded, overgrown, weedy, and messy. Do an assessment each year, and keep that island beautiful!
Islands are a project that can bring new interest to our yards, and great fun to pick out extra-special specimen plants. If you have space, you might want to give them a try!
Thank you to our friends at YTW for their fine work. Gardeners, visit the Hort Society at www.yorktonhort.ca Have a great week and a special Canada Day!
