PICTURE PERFECT (Above) A peach heuchera
and red Japanese maple take centre stage
in this mixed border of hostas, ornamental
grasses and shrubs. (Left) The formal garden
is a favourite setting for summer al fresco
dinners and as a photo backdrop for weddings
or parties.
Bev and Gerhard set about designing two new
gardens. The first was an intimate enclosure in
front of the new house filled with hostas, hydrangeas and other shade-loving plants. The second
was a spectacular formal garden linking the house
with the restaurant. On some points, designer and
client agreed to disagree, with Bev winning her
argument for using clipped boxwood shrubs to
edge the intersecting paths that define the four
quadrants and contain the ebullient mix of perennials and shrubs. The paths are made of crushed
gravel, with one leading from the wisteria-clad
arbour under the Koffels' bedroom window to the
dining terrace, the other leading from a trellised
fence adjacent to the parking lot to the undulating edge where the garden meets the lawn overlooking the ocean. While Gerhard designed the
general layout and hardscaping of the gardens, the
choice of plants and actual planting was done with
the help and guidance of master gardener Tanya
Tomlinson and artist/gardener Elizabeth Kerfoot.
62 | BC HOME & gardEn February 2013
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