Denise Motard's Garden

This garden is in perpetual motion.  As her plants grow and reseed, Denise moves them to new spots, sometimes more than once, as her vision of perfection changes.  This garden was started six years ago with a clean slate, when Denise moved  to her house in Stratford.  Since then, she has worked to amend the clay soil with lots of organic matter, and has designed beds and arbours for countless varieties of trees, shrubs, vegetables, annuals, and perennials.
The garden has a wide row of trees behind it, and is open to a view of the Northumberland Strait.  The prevailing winds blow hard across the garden and towards the sea, making it tough for many of the trees and plants that dare grow too high.  Without the support of stakes and arbours and fences, the plants wouldn't hold up to the wind.

She has installed fiberglass bands all along the base of the fence in the garden to mitigate the cold winds in the late fall, winter, and early spring, and to allow the snow to stay where it falls. She says that especially around the junipers and cedars, when the snow falls the wind usually digs a deep circle around those 'obstacles' down to the bare ground, and the roots have no snow protection.
Many of the plants are grown for culinary or medicinal uses.  Lemon balm and peppermint are grown for tea.  Chickory root is a coffee replacement, and the young roots can be cooked like carrots.  Jerusalem artichoke replaces potatoes.  Boneset,  licorice, butterfly weed, painted daisies - the list of plants is truly endless.

milk thistle

The front of the house has a wide bed filled with Dreamcatcher beautybush, creeping thyme, and creeping jenny, all intended to spare Denise the chore of mowing the ditch.

By the front door, the dark leaves of bugbane contrast with the chartreuse flowers of lady's mantle.

Pasque flower (Anenome pulsatilla) produces fuzzy purple flowers in spring, and then these fluffy seed heads.

In every beautiful garden, there is always a beast.  In this case, one of the worst invasive "weeds" in this garden is the ground nut, a member of the pea family that Denise planted for its edible tubers.  Now it has spread almost out of control, and is constantly popping up where it isn't wanted.

Denise's pride and joy - three edelweiss, an alpine plant.  The soil has been amended with pebbles, sand and lime to make the plant feel at home, which is in the Swiss Alps.

Garden Tours 2012

          

                                                To Our Members:

 

Please feel welcome to bring family, friends, and supervised children. Please leave pets at home. You are invited to visit these private gardens on the listed date from 2:00-4:00 pm. Please feel free to ask questions and take notes. Please do not pick weeds or flowers without permission. Take a map of the area you are  visiting.

To Our Hosts:

Please place balloons or signage to mark your property; use ribbon or twine to mark out of bounds areas. Please be available on site to answer any questions. tours will take place, rain or shine, from 2:00-4:00 pm. Visitors may ask for the names of plants; if you do not know maybe other gardeners will. Relax and enjoy showing your hard work. Feel free to attend all other gardens in the Summer Garden Tour.

Ø  June 24 - Summerside - The Summerside Garden Club invites everyone to their tours. This tour is from 1:00 to 4:00pm

·         Peter Jendrick - 74 Granville St

This is the street that has the malls.

·         Tom and Betty Hall - 705 Water Street

Coming in to Summerside on Water Street East, the Halls are on the right past the Cairns Motel.

·         Toy and Sandy Gallant

117 Bay Ave As you come in to Summerside on Water St East, Bay Ave is on your right just past the Halls.

·         Yvon and Mavis Arsenault - 79 Balcom Dr 

As you come in to Summerside on water St, turn right at the lights at MacEwen Rd; Balcom Dr is on your right.

·         Elma Sonier - 83 MacDonald Crescent

Drive through Summerside on Water St and turn left on Bayview Drive  just past John's Nursery. Turn right on to Spruce Drive (first right) to Tupper drive (on right), then on to MacDonald Crescent on the left.

  
Sunday July 8 - Charlottetown:

·         Cathy, Lois, Gemma and Judy Callaghan - 153 Mason Road, Stratford

Turn left on to Rte 21 off the Hillsborough Bridge from Charlottetown. turn right on to Mason Rd. See lots of  hosta

·          

Cathie and Brian Arsenault - 10 Kelly Court, Charlottetown

Going NW on North River Road turn on to Warburton Dr just past Skyview Dr. Kelly Ct is on your right.

·          

Lynn Gorveatt - 26 Skyview Dr, Charlottetown

Going NW on North River Road, Skyview is just past Belvedere Ave; house is on the right.

Ø  Sunday July 15:

·          

Pat and Peter LeGrow - 19 Woodlands Blvd, Elliot Park, Cornwall

Heading west on the TCH, you turn left on to 248 (York Point Road) then right on to continuation of 248 (Ferry Road).. Eliot Park is on the right and Woodlands Blvd is the second left.

·        

 Portshell Crafts - Morley and Marilyn LeBelle - 250 Long Creek Rd, Rte 19A

From Cornwall take Rte 19 over the West River Bridge continuing on 19A past a service station on the right. Look for a green house on the right about 1.5 km past the service station.

·          

Don and Beverley Ridley - 6077 Rte 19, Rice Point -From Cornwall take Route 19 over the West River bridges continuing on Rte 19A past Gas's ESSO station. Continue on Route 19A (past Portshell Crafts) until you reach the old yellow Canoe Cove school house. Turn left on to Route 19 and continue 2 km. Ridley home is on the right and is the first paved driveway past Highland Park Road. There are grey wooden posts making the drive. Please park on the road.

  Sunday July 22- Charlottetown Area :

• Denise Motard - 58 Nottinghill Dr - Stratford

On TCH turn right at light at Sobeys on to Kinlock Rd. Proceed to Stratford Rd and turn left. Nottinghill Dr is the first street on the right and house is near the end of the street on the left

·        

 Doreen and Gordon Fraser - 20 Carvell Ct - Charlottetown

On Belvedere Ave between North River Road and Queen Street take Atlantic Rd (next to Island Tel). Carvell Ct is the second street on the right.

·          

Cranford Inn - 177 Fitzroy St Charlottetown

·          

Maureen and Stu Constable - 124 Southland Drive - Hillsborough Park Charlottetown

From the Charlottetown bypass proceed to  the lights take South Gate Lane then turn right on to Patterson Dr. The second street on the right is Southland Drive.

·             

Jean and Dale Mader - 23 Lighthouse Lane, Bellvue Cove (Stratford) - On TCH turn right at Sobeys on to Kinlock Rd. Proceed to Keppoch Rd and turn left.Lighthouse lane is on the right.