Planting a cool garden
Create a green sanctuary to temper summer heat
It’s not often that I sit in the garden with my feet up — but a Muskoka chair on the patio, a soft breath of cool air and the sound of splashing water proved irresistible.
With all the crazy heat we’ve had this week, the cool evening shade is all the more inviting — it’s the perfect tonic after a busy day at the office.
What makes a garden feel cool and refreshing, even though the thermometer reads 30 Celsius?
Let me begin with the trees. In the beginning, I deliberately did not plant many trees, my intention was to create a sunny perennial border. But as the intersection behind the house became busier (and noisier) trees and shrubs were introduced to create a privacy screen and noise barrier.
As the garden matured, native trees and shrubs were added, along with interesting Japanese maples, magnolias, Katsura, dawn redwood, hornbeams and conifers — trees introduce a feeling of enclosure and cooling shade, while creating a habitat for wildlife. Today, it’s my green sanctuary.
Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) was an early addition to the garden. With showy, star-shaped glossy leaves and open branching that creates lacy patterns of shade on the lawn, it is the perfect spot for a chair and book on warm July day. Tonight, the arching branches provide a perch for a male cardinal as he serenades his love across the garden … if you listen carefully, you can hear her echo his song.
In the back corner, a silver maple (Acer saccharinum) offers glints of light as the leaves flutter in the breeze; the canopy now towers above our little greenhouse, almost reaching the lines of overhead wires that line the road. This maple travelled to our house in a bag of mulched leaves from my parents’ yard more than a quarter-century ago. The spunky seedling filled a gap along the back of the garden, eventually screening a busy (and noisy) intersection, and offering a little shade for people waiting for the bus. It was only supposed to stay until the rest of the border filled in — now it’s a sentimental favourite — so it will stay.
Tucked in beside the silver maple, an Amur maple (Acer ginnala) holds court over the young shade border, with a tidy crown of pointy, dark green leaves that effectively block out the hot sun. Suitable for today’s smaller yards, the Amur maple is unassuming until the autumn when it throws all caution to the wind and turns vibrant shades of scarlet, orange and gold — a spectacular finale.
Softening the fence along the south-facing border, a row of hornbeam (Carpinus) trees have woven their canopies together to form a generous, leafy screen that now stands shoulder to shoulder with the silver maple. This screen gives the garden a feeling of privacy and enclosure, effectively tripling the height of the fence. A man-made wall this high would be imposing, but the trees are alive and vibrant, sheltering the property from the incessant winds that once plagued the garden. Today, the trees offer habitat for the sparrows, finches, cardinals, blue jays, robins, mockingbirds, grackles and starlings that enliven the garden with their antics and songs. I love to hear the wind rustle the leaves on cool summer evenings.
A palette of refreshing white, lavender, violet and chartreuse flowers help to invoke a sense of serenity and peace in the garden. Colour schemes evolve with the seasons, but pastel colours set against a tableau of soft greens cool the garden at this time of the year.
In the circle garden, silvery violet clematis ‘Diamond Ball’ (from Proven Winners) clambers up the obelisk above a cloud of white and violet salvia. To reinforce the relaxed theme, fragrant basil, thyme, lavender and dill perfume the air. A ring of silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’) with greygreen leaves edged in white, swish and sway in the slightest breeze, enhancing the feeling of cool. Don’t be deceived by the delicate demeanour of these plants — they can all take the heat and are self-sufficient — there’s no point planting a garden that will wilt when the going gets tough.
Overhead, a substantial lattice-covered pergola shelters the deck. Variegated white and green porcelain vine and fragrant honeysuckle soften the structure, planters brimming with violet and white pansies and purple salvia decorate the patio. The patio enjoys a north-east exposure, sunny for morning coffee and deep shade for an alfresco dinner. Nearby, a sun drenched terrace is home to a menagerie of heirloom tomatoes, stretching above their lime-green metal cages as if to soak up every bit of sun. Even the tomatoes add to the relaxed atmosphere, it’s easy to give them a drink of water or a little trim as required, and the fruit will be accessible as it ripens. Tomato plants are surprisingly fragrant and, to me, tomatoes smell like summer.
To make most of your summer garden, introduce trees to create a sense of enclosure and to shade the garden. A palette of pastel colours with a generous base of soft greens will help the garden feel cool and serene. Sit back and listen for the sound of a summer breeze swishing through the trees and tall grasses — it’s feeling cooler already.