Jackie Morra at WestVan Garden Club 2024
Topic: “Garden Design Ideas for a Changing Climate.”
Our speaker Jackie Morra was introduced by Sally McDermott.
Jackie was initially an interior designer who has now branched out into garden design. Two years ago, she moved to Vancouver from Toronto and she shared some of the challenges in dealing with starting a garden from bare ground.
Jackie emphasized the need to use resilient plants to avoid climate stress. It doesn’t need to be flowers – contrasting leaf colours, heights and shapes can be combined to compose a garden that is beautiful all year round.
Bigger shrubs and trees provide frost protection. Grouping shrubs and adding fast growing ground covers, hides bare soil while the new garden is still growing in. If you suffer the occasional plant loss that happens with transplants, it does not leave gaps.
Dealing with Frost in Winter
Leaf mulch will protected plants from winter damage. She recommends burlap for bigger shrubs(used coffee sacks can be obtained at Lee Valley). They are cheap and absorbent. Plastic will not work except overnight in an emergency.
Dealing with drought in Summer
A 3-4 inch mulch of pine nuggets can be helpful. This can be fairly expensive but will last several years and will provide some winter protection. Deep watering is essential and plants will develop longer roots if watered properly once a week.
Jackie noted that it takes two years for a plant to become properly established and for new additions, spot watering will also be needed. To prevent slug damage, beer traps are a cheap option.
Hardy plants
Breeders are becoming involved and introducing varieties of many plants that are more tolerant of weather fluctuation. Plants should be mixed to give a long season with different interest.
Jackie then discussed plants that are quite resistant to climate fluctuation. A few examples are Jacob’s ladder, iceplant, sea holly, guara, hosta, solomon’s seal, purple beech, salvias, stonecrops, agapanthus and lavender.
Lots of grasses are hardy, including blank mondo grass, weigela, ninebark, smokebush, euonymus and sedum. Trees such as Yew, yukka and Blue Arrow Juniper are also a good choice. Some plants like Salvias come in many colours, sizes and varieties.
Some new varieties such as the Hydrangea ‘Eclipse’ have flowers with two colours as well as attractive leaves. It is important to prune this shrub at the right time (as the new growth emerges in the spring) to encourage strong stems for the large flowers.
Submitted by Lois Woolley