Keith’s Zone 3 Garden

Decades of creating beauty in a cold climate

My name is Keith Irvine . I am 70 year old , and I am guess that I set out my first garden somewhere between the ages of 6 and 10 . I develop up on a farm about three minute south of where we presently live . That first garden was about an 8 - foot by 8 - foot plot that I put a crudefencearound within my parent ’ poulet range to take advantage of well - amended territory . It would have contained some canonic vegetables likecarrots , Cucumis sativus , radish , and probably a few marigolds for coloring material .

The photos I am institutionalize you today are from the fiddling oasis we have created on the 40 - acre property we purchased as a clean slate piece of bush in 1977 , one year after our marriage . It has work through a lot of development from the simplevegetable gardenI come out in 1978 that was quite a distance from the building internet site because there just happened to be a small clearing there .

We are situate about halfway between Thunder Bay , Ontario , and Winnipeg , Manitoba , in Zone 3 . Many challenge are presented by that !

The other class saw the vegetable garden strike to the edifice site once we got enough land cleared . It go through constant elaboration , and soon the growth switch more and more into flowers and accompanyinghardscapessuch as pergola , spindle , and a pagoda .

I have always favoredannualsbecause I wish to be able to totally work on the ground and pop with a clean slate each year . However , as I am aging , perennials are finding their manner into the landscape painting as well .

This is a relatively tumid landscape with many rambling forms within it . We have aJapanese gardenwith a background of an give up chicken coop from our early eld , now embellish with straggle Virginia creepers . There is a picket - fence English garden with paths paved in large magnetic disk of salvaged tamarack from the holding , a enceinte goldfish pond with waterfall , several rock garden , and various - regulate bloom bed .

There is a 40 - foot - long by 4 - foot - highlatticewall with a plantation owner all along the top and an annual bottom at the fundament that was built as a backdrop for our eldest daughter ’ wedding ceremony in 2004 .

I would have to say that the successes I am most proud of are the pond , the Japanese garden , and our in style creation — a completely made - over veggie garden . It is 32 feet by 40 foot , to the full fenced for deer proofing . I strongly dissent a fencing for many age just because most fence I ’ve seen are so unsightly ! But the deer became such a trouble that it was either scrap the vegetable garden or put up a fencing . I am a staunch jockstrap of Bobbex for keep cervid out of the flower beds , but you ca n’t use that on your intellectual nourishment craw . So in the winter of 2019 - 2020 I spent century of hour on Pinterest assemblage ideas for deer fences and shank - highraised bedsthat aesthetically I could put beside my house . I am very proud of the result .

We have agreenhousethat has grow along with the garden and is now 12 foot by 28 feet . It is always bursting at the crinkle by planting time . I set off all my ownseedlings .

I have a very declamatory aggregation ofcoleusandsucculentsthat I keep in the basement over winter along with boxes of canna , genus Calla , elephant ’s ear , begoniaroots , etc . , in the cold room .

I retired in the winter of 2014 . At the same time , since my wife was still working and I was proceed to be making frequent road trips alone to visit my aging parents , I got my first - ever cell phone . When shopping for that phone my main headache was that it have a very high - quality camera . Samsung has been very skilful for me . I started figure an annual picture contest on theDave ’s Garden websiteand have score several wins . Some of those pic are among those I am get off you .

I have a particular passion forcontainer gardeningwith both yearbook ( particularly flame nettle ) and succulents . I am constantly try newcombinationsand thrive on the creativeness aspect . In addition topotsof all sizes , I use many other detail for container , large and humble . Some of the more unequaled ones are antiques from my parent ’ farm .

I have a blacksmith ’s forge that was my neat grandfathers ; I stuff it with a unlike assortment of succulent every twelvemonth . I also have a roll - iron maple - sirup cauldron that was my gran ’s . The succulent montage in the picture is a close - up of one of the plantings in the forge .

The large container I flora is an ox handcart that I re - created with wheel from my cracking granddad ’s pushcart .

Have photos to share ? We ’d have intercourse to see your garden , a special collection of plants you love , or a fantastic garden you had the chance to natter !

To render , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some entropy about the plants in the picture and where you took the photos . We ’d love to hear where you are locate , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are proud of , failures you learned from , hope for the future , favorite plant , or laughable stories from your garden .

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Stars in Keith’s Garden

Keith’s Japanese-Inspired Garden

Keith’s Spring Highlights

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