A. 2191 Hidden Valley Cres. -- Sharon & Fred Keogh Please note: The back terrain is steep on this property. Though you are welcome to explore the whole property, we highly recommend viewing the rear of the property from the tiered deck. When I spoke with Sharon about her garden and what it means to her, I was met with a passionate answer. She, along with her whole family share in the Love when it comes to gardening. As she explained, being raised in Britain ‘was there really a chance that she wouldn’t have a great adoration for gardening!’ Sharon attributes the glory of gardening to her Father, his desire and attraction to flowers, flowers and more flowers. The home is a stately 1½ storey with brick resembling lime stone. The front façade was originally designed by Eleanor LaPorte of Not Just For The Garden, but Sharon is quick to remind me that she has made her mark since its origin by planting ‘odds and sods’ of varying plant material throughout. Sharon has disposed of the repetitiveness of the original landscape material and now calls it her ‘gardeners dream’. The front property she refers to as the public garden with a hint of formality, splashes of colour and a variety of interesting plant material. There is a sweeping walk way to the front door which in itself is a work of art. I didn’t ask Sharon if they colour matched the door to their darling orange coloured standard poodle, but I certainly had the thought! If the colour of the door doesn’t beckon one to take a closer look, the glass insets which are an original work of art from an establishment in Elora will take your breath away. Varying textures are used in combination with broken glass and wire to create a master piece worthy of a Rembrandt. Prepare yourself as you enter the back of the property. The scenery is breath taking, the multi layered deck filled to capacity with flora filled containers while the waterfall tumbles naturally with the steep terrain. Sharon has some interesting water features throughout the property and prides herself in developing her trough gardens which are her signature mark. We encourage you to breathe in the beauty this property beholds. It is a home and garden that has been featured on a number of influential tours for charity and we are very honoured to be allowed this opportunity for our members to enjoy. If I walked away from talking to Sharon with anything it was definitely an appreciation for the language I learned on this visit. She used terminology like ‘little bitty’ and ‘a bit of a kettle’ to describe her garden among other descriptive phrases of which I just had to chuckle and surmise the connotation. B. 2205 Hidden Valley Cres. --Sandra & Paul Dirksen This is a home where you won’t find a single blade of grass, but the masses of flowing and meandering greenery will make you forget the forgoing fact. Sandra and Paul have called this home for the past 12 years. Once a nurse, Sandra attributes her love of gardening to the fact that she has this overpowering desire to nurture things. She loves to spend time outdoors and doesn’t like to sit still, with a garden this powerful; I imagine she doesn’t have much time to contemplate laziness during the summer months. A demanding flagstone walk will draw you from the road side or the driveway to the welcoming front entrance. The home she describes as New England style, with its cedar shake roof and cream painted wood siding. The gardens, originally designed by Sue Pfeister, are so well executed, perfection is the key word to describe. Favorite colours of Sandra are blue, purple and white which are the hues that methodically repeat within this magnum opus. Waterfall campanula, Russian sage, astilbe, shasta daisy, iris, daylily, hydrangea and self-seeding alyssum are just some of the plant material covering the grounds. Sandra explains she has absolutely no time or patience to fiddle with finicky plants, so it’s fend for yourself in this garden, or be gone! She claims a ‘casual’ approach to gardening – Sandra explains, if something wants to take over, it is more than welcome to as long as it isn’t cotoneaster (She has had a battle with these guys that she is not sure who is winning)! As you explore this property, be sure to stomp your feet good and hard! That is of course unless you are a fan of slithery things. Sandra has been known to come face to face with an unwelcome guest….it, thank God, was in hiding when I visited. Though she explains, ‘unwanted’ is more afraid of you than you are of him, that had absolutely no relevance in my rationalisation of “do I really want to go here knowing what could be lurking around any corner”! There is a charming sun room overlooking the back property, the large upper deck offers a panoramic view of the Grand River Flood Plain. Sandra loves that there are no real defining edges where the meadow meets the real property. If you spot the mail box in the meadow and are questioning its position - no the mail man does not deliver to their back door! Paul did as instructed and placed it there for the swallows to nest. One of my favorite parts of this garden is the soapwort cascading down the back steps. A big hats off to the rain which inadvertently washed the seeds down the hill providing a soft covering for this hard scape that no human could have ever executed. The home has a wall of windows that overlooks the real kicker to this property, the vista…it doesn’t surprise me in the least that this couple purchased the Flood Plane property to assure the future of its beauty for all those who cherish it, including us. How privileged we are to engage this view, if only for a mere couple hours for this tour. C. 2296 Hidden Valley Cres. -- Jon Nother & Brian Kuppers In approaching this home, I felt as though I should be exiting a stretch limo through the white gloved open door of a distinguished chauffeur instead of my middle class Toyota Camry driven by moa. None the less, it is always nice to dream! Designed by an architect, this garden is nothing less of formal at its finest. The cobblestone drive delivers all to the authentically prestigious wood front doors. When ringing the doorbell to meet with John, I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz as she nervously awaited the great and mighty! Unfortunately John forgot about our appointment and Oz turned out to be the pet puppy sheepishly looking at me through the side lights expressing his concerns through intermittent barks and whines. I guess one could say, my one and only chance to meet the mighty Oz came and went! I will do my best at describing this property, though there isn’t much I can say that will adequately govern the distinguishing attributes of this home and landscape. Mass plantings surround the home of varying plant material. White and purple seemed to have a say in this colour story; and why it shouldn’t with their nod to royalty. The hosta seem extremely happy in this setting, as does the Russian sage, shasta daisy, astilbi, hydrangea, sedum and liatris. Stepping stones ushered me diligently to the rear where a stately quatrefoil shaped pool takes center stage. The pool house overlooks its playful counterpart and plays a huge role in the outdoor entertainment aspect of this home. The home literally opens up to the back yard space with a wall of French doors that faultlessly mask the perimeter of interior and exterior. The conversational clusters created on the covered living area are worthy of only the finest decorating magazines. Outdoor area rugs, designer seating, apothecary lighting, and mood setting ambiance is abundantly apparent. Unfortunately, the door was open, but no one was home so I had to entertain my own thoughts as to how spectacular the parties at this home could be. My synopsis of this home is that the owners have a relevant taste for the luxurious, have executed it to perfection and have personalities to match their striking and perfectly prestigious home and life style. The inscription Clashmore Haus greets those who visit…and I’m thinking this, ‘what happens at Clashmore Haus, stays at Clashmore Haus!’ D. 74 Canters Close -- Christina & Mike Panayi Behind the beauty of this home lies a family of 4 that have utilized their property to perfection. Jerusalem stone eloquently leads the way up and around a center planting garden to the front porch. Clad in porcelain tile, the veranda was deliberately treated as an extension of the interior. Much like the show Let’s Make A Deal, at this home you have the choice of knocking on door #1, door #2 or door #3! Not too many can boast having a triple front door. The mass plantings are a nod to formality and feature the likes of daylily, spruce, spirea, hydrangea, grasses, barberry, hosta and Japanese maple. As you approach the side property you will enter the loveliest courtyard garden. Designer Sue Pfeister definitely hit a bulls eye with this feature area. Surrounding the Hauser furniture are peoni, lilac, honey suckle, boxwood, lavender and climbing hydrangea. Of course the decadent water feature plays multi-function as focal point and auditory ambiance. Upon entering this area, I felt like I never wanted to depart. Passing beyond the gate of court yard heaven you will find what the family has dubbed, Eleni’s garden. Twin sisters Eleni and Jacqueline have along with their parents planted a vegetable garden in a raised bed just off the kitchen and enjoy creating culinary treats from it every night. There are amusement areas in this back yard for big and small. The play yard equipment is like non I have ever seen on a residential property, the pool and pool house appeal to all ages, and Dad has his own 5 hole putting green discretely tucked away from the rest of the world. The property is a recreational smorgasbord for this family who love to entertain. Big lesson in this garden is how you can utilize every square inch of real estate to maximize living, create outdoor rooms and how to live life to its fullest without leaving home. *Garden selections and narratives composed by Sandi Loreen Duclos and Carol Kay.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 00:29:40 +0000
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