Midsummer Makeovers
Revive your garden with eight stunning solutions to lacklustre landscaping
1 ESTABLISH A FOCAL POINT
Framed by centuryold red oaks, an antique English birdbath planted with striking largeleafed Kong coleus serves as an eyecatching centrepiece on the carpet of green lawn. “I always keep my eye out for interesting garden ornamentation,” says Hawke. Once you have found the perfect object, accentuate it by keeping the surroundings uncluttered, as Hawke has done with the boxwood hedge and subtly coloured foliage that includes hostas, coralbells and a Japanese maple.
The dog days of summer are the perfect time to cast a critical eye on your yard and and tackle a pesky problem or two. For pretty, practical fixes, look no further than Naneve Hawke’s charming Toronto garden. With its trim boxwood hedges and antique urns, Hawke’s elegant landscaping has a decidedly French twist, but expertly mixes styles, periods, price points and, of course, a lush array of plants. The savvy ideas taking root here are guaranteed to add éclat and can be readily transplanted to your own garden, regardless of its size or style. It’s never too late in the season to reinvent an outdoor space. Here are eight ways to breathe life into your backyard, long after
spring’s blossoms are spent.
2 HAVE FUN WITH FIGURES
Play Euclid with a dynamic mix of circles, squares and parallel lines as seen in Hawke’s front entry. The topiary orbs (composed of annual Eugenia) with skirts of white Sunshine impatiens are displayed in gorgeous 19thcentury French urns placed on 21st-century fibreglass stands for added height. The geometric shapes get a boost from a dramatic black-and-white colour scheme (“The tile reminds me of movies from the ’40s,” Hawke says), but you don’t have to break the bank with fancy tile work. Now available in a dizzying range of colours and designs, many affordable outdoor rugs are modelled on vintage tile patterns.
SWEETEN THE POT
Containers are a garden’s MVPs (most versatile players), taking on starring roles, supporting parts, cameo appearances and ensemble work with equal aplomb. Tuck them into bare spots in the garden, or place them near sitting areas, on stairways and walls, or beside a path, as Hawke has done here. This oval container showcases a selection of tender succulents, including echeverias, aloe, haworthia and an unusual cascading crassula. For a hardier succulent mix, try hens and chicks (Sempervivum), sedums and summer-blooming ice plants (Delosperma spp.), all of which thrive in hot weather.
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INSTALL A NO-FUSS FOUNTAIN
The sound of trickling water adds another layer of sensory allure to the garden and also attracts birds, which are desirable for their own sweet songs and the role they play in pest control. Easily installed on any fence or outdoor wall, a prefab wall fountain usually requires nothing more than a weatherproof electrical outlet with a ground fault circuit interrupter to power a hidden pump. Hawke takes her handsome lion’s-head fountain into her conservatory to use as a humidifier in the winter, then rehangs him here in summer, where he is set off beautifully by ivy and a ‘ Morden Sunrise’ rose.
PAVE THE WAY
Grass paths are pretty but, with regular traffic, can quickly deteriorate into muddy tracks. Here, plain patio pavers come to the rescue. When set into the lawn, they act as nonskid stepping stones and provide a pleasing pattern. Eminently versatile, they can be arranged in a straight, formal-looking run as seen here, or made to follow a curve. Just be sure to set them at ground level so the mower can run over them without catching.
ADD ARCHITECTURE
Whether it’s an elaborate wooden pergola like Hawke’s or a simple prefab metal arch, a structural element adds instant impact. It can act as an all-season focal point, serve as a lovely transition from one area of the garden to another, distract the eye from neighbouring buildings or frame a show-stopping feature like the waterfall shown here. Choose a style that suits your garden – rustic wood, fanciful Victorian metal or formal trelliswork, for example – then site it to best advantage, making sure there are proper footings to keep it strong and straight. Few things look more unkempt than a listing arbour.
GET ROLLING
8 LINES DEFINE THE
Adding a crisp, delineated edge instantly makes any bed or border look more orderly and refined. A tidy little boxwood hedge does the trick here, but keeping a clean edge on your lawn will achieve the
same result. Use a sharp spade or half-moon lawn edger to slice down through the turf (it’s usually about two inches thick) and create a neat line. Prune plants if they start to flop over and blur the border, and use a trimmer or shears to maintain the turf’s straight edge. For
more permanent definition, consider installing a row of bricks or straight-sided stone laid flush with the grass to outline the garden.
6 When it comes to fences, furniture and garden structures, a fresh coat of paint can work wonders. Hawke’s elegant fence in a rich charcoal (get the look with TIMBERCARE SOLID- COLOUR STAIN IN HERITAGE BLUE, PARA.COM) commands attention without overpowering the greenery.