Don & Patricia Endicott

The spring approach to our front door features rose daphne in full bloom and a variety of spring bulbs.

A portion of the shade garden in spring displays various primula in bloom with hosta, lily-of-the-valley, and anemone promising a later show.

Here more primula and spring bulbs enjoy the spring sun while astilbe, fritillaria and clematis await their turn.


Tall ostrich ferns and wild Canadian Ginger create a tropical feel to this shady zone 5 nook.


Tall garden phlox, black eyed susan, white & purple asters highlight this raised border bed.

Our place.

Don & Patricia Endicott, Hope Township, Ont. (dendicott@sympatico.ca)

Located near Port Hope, Ont., our rural zone 5 place is just over three acres, with half of that mixed bush and the balance house, outbuildings, gardens & lawn. We are bordered by 15 additional acres of bush, a mixture of aspen, ash, black cherry, maple, ironwood and white birch. Further into the bush are balsam & pine and of white cedar. The shade, as you can imagine, runs from dappled through partial to full.

We are developing our shade gardens along the edge of this bush, mostly to the north side of the east-facing house. They consist of several island-type beds among the trees with a variety of pathways and trails providing for cool, relaxing wandering.

The balance consists of several sunny border and island beds of various sizes, mostly planted with perennials but complimented by annuals and interspersed with flowering shrubs. We also grow a variety of vegetables in 8 - 1.5 x 8 metre raised beds to the south.

We start most of our perennials and almost all of our annuals and vegetables from seed but can't resist the occasional nursery-grown plant for "instant" gratification. Partly because of this our gardens are very eclectic and we haven't really specialized in anything, although aquilegia, hosta, rudbeckia and spring bulbs are favourites.