Neighborhood Walk

Recently Kris at Late to the Garden Party shared photos of landscapes around her neighborhood and I thought it was a great idea because I love seeing what others are doing (or not doing) in their gardens. I also love to look at houses. About a month ago, I started walking regularly, something I've never done in the past, and I like it so much that I feel guilty if I miss a day. A neighbor has been walking with me and she introduced me to her 4-mile route (10,000 steps) that goes through a very nice neighborhood that borders our own. 

There is not a great deal to see garden-wise because of the time of year so I am looking forward to seeing these in the spring. For the past week, the weather has been awful with cold temperatures barely getting into the 40s and rain, rain, rain. 

This neighborhood is on a bluff that overlooks Vancouver Lake.

Flowers are beginning to make an appearance, however, such as this Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'. Blue seems to be the "in" color with houses. This one is really nice but there is another that is our favorite but I don't have a photo. 

I love this and I would like to do a smaller version in our front garden instead of the urn water feature that we have now.

This one is really nice with an Asian influence. As much as I love it, I would not have the restraint to pull it off. The entry goes into an open courtyard from what I can tell by looking from the street.

I would add more plants to fill in the bare spots although there could be something planted here that is dormant.

Yes, there is a lot of ivy and juniper here but I think this is so well done. I've seen the gardeners out working from time to time. They are elderly and hats off to them for working on this steep slope. 

When I first began to plan our garden, my first thought was to do something like this - a low raised bed. I went the cheaper route (a rail fence) but still envision this. I would go with totally different plants though.

This is my favorite and I can't wait to see this later in the year. 

So beautifully done, I hope to see the gardeners out one day and ask them about it. I would change the rocks on the light post to match the darker rock work.

Another garden with an Asian design. The column with the bell is a nice touch.

I include this one because I love the shrub. I'm not sure what it is. It totally blocks the front door but a very nice specimen.

So, assuming I keep up the walking, I will include more in later posts.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy