A long time gardener, Catherine John’s interest in native plants expanded after retirement while hiking in Gatineau Park with friends who would identify the spring ephemerals and other plants. Her large Manitoba Maple and other nearby trees, gave her the opportunity to recreate the woodland setting in her small Glebe backyard. Her first native plants were purchased at a neighbour’s annual plant sale. Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Wood Poppy, Mayapple, Great Blue Lobelia were placed among the hostas and astilbe, the only shade plants in the early 1990s. Over time, Bloodroot, and trilliums from a friend’s farm were added to the mix.
Late summer 2020, Catherine looked critically at some of those hostas. One was 4 feet in diameter! She figured she could get a lot of native plants into the space occupied by one hosta. Over the course of two summers, all the hostas were replaced by native plants.
In 2024, the focus turned to the tiny, 2-square-metre front garden on the north side of the house, beside the neighbour’s cedar. Astilbe and other plants were removed and replaced with Wood Poppy, Wild Geranium, Bloodroot, Heuchera, Hepatica, Columbine, and Wild Ginger.
There have been challenges. The large Manitoba Maple, creating dappled shade, had to come down. The woodland garden became part shade garden, Some plants didn’t like the sun and had to be relocated. Others, like the Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Bloodroot have adapted. One shady garden is under the neighbour’s Norway Maple. Many plants, native and non-native, did not survive the dense roots and dry soil, others were relocated. A portion of this garden would get runoff from the parking lot next door, washing soil into the flagstone path. The garden has been tiered, a channel created for runoff, and Inournature.ca recommended plants for dry shade. Some free plants – mislabeled and not appropriate for the space – had to be replaced. Others grown from seed have taken a while to become established or not returned the second year. Others thrived, put proved to be inappropriate for the location. It is a work-in-progess.
