I went there with a friend last weekend. We ended up planting troughs and shallow planters for my friend to take home. I didn't realize HOW MUCH they do have. All kinds of unusual sedums, hens and chicks and much, much more. Frankly, I hadn't heard of quite of few of these plants. Bakemom, knowing how much you like sedums...I saw a few with "your name" on them. *giggle* My friend got about a dozen different plants and, happily, I got a start from almost all of them. I am a happy gardener! Made my first hypertufa planter this summer with help of a neighbor. Now I have some neat plants to put in it. ....Beverly

We live in eastern Washington (five miles from Idaho) and have a zone 4 garden....with zone 3 on the edges. Lots of snow and the wind chill can really be rough, so zone 3 is the safest bet, if it's very far from the house. Another issue you may have to deal with is deer. We have a few and they are very good about not eating the roses....if they're up against the house, not too tall, and surrounded by herbs! That being said, it's something to think about, when you plan your garden. I love roses, especially mixed in with other plants! Canadian roses, some of the rugosa hybrids....and if you can plant near any kind of wind shelter (or by the house) you might have some luck with a few damasks, like Celsiana. Floribundas and some shrub roses do well in zone 4, as do some Gallicas. Celsiana.... Snow Pavement is a Rugosa hybrid and very hardy.... As for shrubs, potentillia is a nice, small shrub. I don't know if it will give you the English garden look, but it blooms all summer and is very forgiving. I like lavender....but Hidcote is the hardiest for me and that's really a zone 4. Walker's Low Catmint will give you a similar (slightly larger) effect...and it's zone 3 :) There are also lots of clematis, daisies, coneflowers, bulbs, fruit trees and other plants that will do well in zone 4...even to zone 3. Lilacs are wonderful and they are very hardy! Full disclosure...none of these pictures are from my garden, but they will give you a good idea of what they look like, especially at their peak. Have fun with your garden :)

I agree with Laceyvail on most of her points, both on bed shape and plant selection, and based on the landscape company's design and suggestions, would go looking for another company that is more realistic. I would probably go with a mix of low care perennials and smaller shrubs and make the bed about 4' deep to allow for a couple of layers and slightly larger shrubs. I am not fond of the look of a single line of plants. I do like that they used most of the types of plants several times; too many different types in a small garden looks too chaotic. Lilac, smokebush and holly are all far too large for the space, and I wouldn't use boxwood since they have unfortunately developed two different problems in New England (one disease and one insect) that may leave them looking homely. Endless Summer hydrangeas can be unpredictable this far north, and so I wouldn't give them space in such a small garden. You could look at Hydrangea Tough Stuff, which is smaller and has been more reliable for me (just north of Concord, NH.) Of the shrubs listed, I would consider keeping Bobo hydrangea, which is rock hardy, long blooming, and low maintenance. It needs about 4'. The dwarf spireas will be fine in that setting but generally aren't to my taste since many combine chartreuse foliage with pink flowers. I do like Spiraea 'Ogon' (sometimes is listed under the unfortunate name of Mellow Yellow), which has a graceful, slightly weeping form, gold foliage, and white flowers. It also will be about 4'. Look at Virginia sweetspire, Itea virginica Henry's Garnet (3'-4') or Little Henry (2'-2 1/2') for late summer flowers and stunning red fall color. Some of the half-high or lowbush blueberries would be nice as well, with spring flowers, fruit for either you or the birds, and gorgeous fall color. Rhododendron Checkmate is a small form of PJM (under 3' after many years in my garden), and looks nice all season, including during the winter when its foliage develops a mahogany cast. For easy care perennials, single peonies are great with nice spring flowers and tidy healthy foliage. You would want to cut down and remove the foliage after freeze in the fall to prevent disease problems. Veronica 'Georgia blue' is a great ground cover that will slowly spread by doesn't ever overwhelm other plants. Blue spring flowers and tidy dark green evergreen foliage. Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy' has green and white variegated foliage and blue fall flowers. One of the smaller clematis (type 3 hard prune) on a wire obelisk or trellis or rambling over the Bobos would give summer flowers. The only maintenance any of these require in my garden is cutting back after fall freeze, though you will want to be sure that the soil is improved before planting and that a layer of shredded organic mulch is kept on the beds to keep moisture even and discourage weeds. The bed will need to be edged to keep out the grass, and every couple of weeks look for and pull any weeds that have appeared so it stays looking tidy. I would put in some daffodils for spring color, tucked behind where one of the deciduous shrubs or perennials such as the peonies will cover the dying foliage as they leaf out. Does your dog patrol the fence line? If so, leave space for her/him to run without having to deal with plants. A final suggestion - I wouldn't go with the tag size, which is often given at 5 years. I use the Missouri Botanical Garden's plant finder to look up a more realistic size at maturity.

You can put just about anything down to interpretation but meanings would become so hazy that no one would know what anyone else was talking about. We live in a country of rampant relativism using phrases like "to each his own" or "thats fine for you but I believe this" on any given subject which makes any discussion break down into nonsense. I guess Canada is no different. I suppose if I wanted to call a garden in my back yard a cloister garden since it was closed in by a chain link fence I could do so according to my own personal interpretation but it would be considered ridiculous to most gardeners. Personally I think its important that words retain universally understood meanings but that seems to be a lost cause nowadays. We can now call things whatever we like or prefer, never mind if none of it is accurate because who is to say we are wrong? Its just our interpretation after all. I'd be ticked off if I'd spent the money to make the drive to see a 'Rock Garden" if I hadn't read before hand it wasn't one at all. Camps, you guys over there seem to go through national garden phases. I suppose we do here too but I don't notice it so much but of course down here in Oklahoma its not like we are on any kind of cutting edge.