“I was admiring her forget-me-nots,” Carol recalls, “So, she invited me to see her backyard and gave me some of her divided perennials. Her gardening advice to me was ‘You’ll learn.’”

Carol doesn’t grow forget-me-nots anymore (because they spread everywhere), but she continues to grow perennials. Loads and loads of perennials. It took twenty minivan loads — about 500 plants — to move her divided perennials from her London, Ontario home to her current residence in Brampton.

Self taught and self trained, Carol has learnt many of her gardening fundamentals — gardening 101, Carol calls them — from online courses and from observation.

“What I wanted originally was a yellow, purple and red garden,” Carol says, but I found out that purple recedes in the garden. So I started getting books on plant combinations.”

“Formal gardens are not for me, I prefer the natural cottagey look … curves, plants touching each other”, Carol says. “As far as gardening information I wish I knew when I first started gardening: I wish I had known to use annuals with perennials for lasting colour.”

Photo Gallery of Carol’s Brampton garden

Photo Gallery of Carol’s London garden

Carol’s advice for beginner gardeners:

• Start off small… a plot size 10 feet by 5 feet
• Use the maximum of 3 rows
• Keep tall plants at the back
• Always have a feature — a focal point — to catch your eye
• Always know your soil type
• Know how much sun/shade your garden gets (ie exposure)
• Know your plant hardiness zone
• Pick the colours you want and also get plants that work with that colour
• Pick easy-to-care plants that are drought tolerant (90% of Carol’s plants are drought-tolerant)

Carol’s perennials for beginners:

• Daylily ‘Stella d’Oro’ [Hemerocallis 'Stella d'Oro]
• Coneflowers [Echinacea spp.]
• Hostas
• Shasta daisy ‘Becky’ [Leucanthemum × superbum 'Becky']
• Black-eyed Susan [Rudbeckia spp.]

Carol’s favourite plants

• Pincushion flower [Scabiosa spp.]
• Butterfly weed [Asclepias tuberosa]