Sunday, June 20, 2010

HomeCourtyardinBloom




Dear All, These are a couple of photos of the front courtyard of our home in Vancouver BC. Summer has officially arrived ..... please, please let us have some warm weather at last.
We live very close to downtown (about 12 minutes by car) and most homes in this area have small lots with a small front and back gardens. Most front gardens are exposed to the street. Many years ago we decided we would create a private space by hedging the front garden. This area faces north and as a result it was always a struggle to keep the moss out of the lawn. We resolved this by paving the whole area, building screens to baffle the entry from the street and planted boxwood to define the inner area. On the screens we planted hydranga petiolaris and clematis, in front of this are skimmia japonica and boxwood.
A spreading small leaf maple and bee attracting hawthorn shade this area in the summer but as they lose their leaves in the Fall it is a sheltered spot catching any available light in winter.
In the large planters we have the same clematis as on the screen, a fragrant honeysuckle and annual sweet peas, white impatens and bacopa.
It is a heavenly spot to take tea and read.

7 comments:

  1. Your courtyardis a Beautiful place! :)

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  2. Now that's just beautiful! A peaceful paradise.

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  3. What a lovely place to be. Summer has finally arrived in Scotland too!

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  4. It is beautiful. I love the fountain on the trellis.

    I love Vancouver and have a lot of family who live there.

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  5. What a lovely courtyard. Hope you get that requested warm weather, and if you do, can you send some to the east coast of Canada as well!! Thanks for sharing your pictures!

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  6. What a wonderful courtyard, it looks so relaxing, not easy to achieve when you almost live 'downtown' :)

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  7. Gorgeous! I love the use of green, grays and white, so calming and restful.

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