GARDEN DESIGNS I GREAT SPACE

Here’s where Kitchener design judge goes to relax (and pursue her passion, of course)

Kitchener property showcases owner’s extensive experience.

VERDANT LANDSCAPE surrounding the handsome 1945 brick house is every bit as lovely as one would expect, given that its designer and caregiver is a past-president of Garden Clubs of Ontario.

The straight lines of Ann and Kenneth Diebel’s Georgian-style home in Kitchener >>

>> are in striking contrast to the curvy beds of glossy ground cover, hosta and spiral-cut boxwoods that border the walk to the front door. The effect is a sophisticated variation on the symmetrical houses with windows on either side and a path leading to the centre door that Ann drew as a small child growing up in England.

The overall impression front and back is serene and restful. Water pours gently through a whimsical frog spout into a small pond set into a stone terrace. Flowers springing up among the greenery range from white to pale pink and yellow, with delphinium contributing a splash of blue.

A few errant red tulips appeared near the Diebels’ front door last spring, apparently the result of bulbs reverting to their original colour, but they were a one-season wonder. They’ve been replaced by daffodils and hyacinth, which have a dual advantage: their colours are softer and squirrels don’t like them.

Ann’s love of plants may have its roots in what was an unusual birthday gift for

a child: a rose plant given to her by her grandmother. Or perhaps it began with nosegays she was allowed to take home after helping a nearby flower shop owner stuff greens into funeral wreaths. In any case, she was no more than three when she assembled her first bouquet with flowers growing in her family’s garden. The passion endures, sending her out early on even the hottest summer days to walk the property, inspecting plants and pulling stray weeds, nipping off dying blooms and watching for buds to open in an orchestrated sequence that ensures there are always plants at their peak.

Even during this writer’s visit in late August, when many gardens look tired out, the Diebel landscape is fresh with pale pink Japanese anemone and toad lilies primed to flower, and sedum showing hints of its rosy blooms. A small white begonia is a pretty contrast to the delicate painted fern nearby. A tall Annabelle hydrangea is loaded with flowers, some still bright white while others have turned pale green, signalling they >>

Ann and Kenneth Diebel moved to their Kitchener property in 1995 and set to work making it their own.

The Diebels have added several structures to the garden, partly to add interest for yearround viewing. Here a stone terrace sets off a small pond — and whimsical frog.