If you look at landscape design through the centuries, statuary has always been an integral part of gardens. Figures, vases and urns occupy prominent positions in gardens or are surprises in small tucked away corners.I’m a traditionalist in that I usually have 2 urns full of shade-loving plants on my front porch. Every year I try variations on the begonias/coleus theme. I enjoy designing the urns as well as seeing how well they compliment the front door area.
My next door neighbour also does wonderful things with urns and large vases. As with any container, you must be sure to keep the plants well-watered or they wither in a (hot) day if you’re not careful.
On a Garden Tour through Guelph in 2006 or 7, we saw sculpture used as a decorative element in a large country property. Even their urns were very “artsy”.
At The Dunes in P.E.I, owner Peter Jansons, a sculptor and potter himself, has many wonderful statues and urns in his store/restaurant garden. I couldn’t help photographing many of them while on vacation there a few summers ago.
Lastly, I have 3 statues in my garden and a stone bench. All were chosen with great care and I love looking at them, regardless of the season. Here are a few shots taken during different times of the year:
which have large white flowers in spring on interesting horizontal branches. Some prostrate spreading evergreens in front: Moor-Dense juniper (Juniperus Sabina ‘Moor-Dense’) or Blue Rug Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’). The focal point could be a birdbath, sundial or urn surrounded by daylilies or hydrangea. 
A second variation could be a mix of shrubs, perennials, grasses and a wooden bench as the focal point. A common lilac bush (Syringa vulgaris) has lovely, fragrant flowers in the spring as well as good architectural form in winter. Three dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’) could be the strong evergreen background in winter with perhaps a Globe Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’) as the additional conifer. Add some Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempirvirens) and some bright raspberry pink geraniums and you’ve got a lovely picture from spring until fall.
The last variation could be a soft picture of green and white during spring and summer, exploding into riotous colour in autumn!
Well-designed yards provide pleasure for the owners and visitors as well as undeniable re-sale value. Planning always pays off!
Other unexpected treats: I planted a clematis so that it would “grow into” some pussywillow branches. It didn’t bloom all summer but all of a sudden there was one purple flower “suspended” in the air! 
It was a good idea to plant ornamental cabbages in the front yard because they really come into their own in autumn. I’ll have to write down to plant lots more next spring. 
Last summer I planted out most of the chrysanthemums from the deck containers. Lots did not come back but the brightest yellow ones sure did! 
Roses usually bloom one more time before a killing frost and because the garden is becoming so devoid of flowers, these were extra special to see: my David Austin rose “Mary” and of course “The Fairy” with some silver Artemisia. 
Fall is also an excellent time to travel! A few weeks ago we took a vacation to New England. We visited Portland, Maine as well as Cape Cod and Boston.
Do you remember the 1940’s award-winning children’s story Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey? A special tribute to the story appears in Boston Commons. Look!
Straight back from the pool is an interesting set of columns which add formality to a yard which is otherwise elegantly informal. The trees and shrubs have grown big enough now that they soften the strong white vertical lines
The next step was a cabana/pool house. It has a lovely bar area in front with a sink and frig. In the back is a washroom and shower! It’s meant to keep all the “wet guests” outside so that they don’t drag towels and drippy feet all through the house. Cheryl has decorated the small building with all the right touches including a framed mirror.
I can think of nothing better in the summer than being invited next door for a wonderful dinner al fresco! Not only are the neighbours gracious hosts (and fantastic cooks!) but the setting is magnificent.
Conversation and funny stories continue in the comfy outdoor chairs while Felice barbeques.
Then we move to the “Dining Room”. They have a large wooden table with comfy seating for at least 8. A dresser, a mirror and a hanging lamp add to the indoor/outdoor feel. 
We’ve stayed long into the night, drinking coffee, eating dessert and finishing off with a glass or two of grappa. And the best part? We just hop over the fence – and we’re home!
I start most of my annuals from seed. Some I collect, some I purchase. This year I started Zinnias, Daturas, Celosias, Sweet Peas, Dahlias (Figaro and Star Gazer series), Geraniums and tomatoes for myself and my neighbours. I will go into a little more detail about the Geraniums. The seeds I chose were from the William Dam seed catalogue. They were white ones from the Orbit series. I bought 2 packages of seed with 10 seeds in each. As a rule I use “Jiffy 7” peat pellets for germinating all my seeds. On January 23rd I sowed one seed per pellet and in a couple of days, the first signs of growth appeared. Within 5-7 days, I had 19 little geranium plants. On Feb 9th, I replanted them into 4” pots. Then in about 4-5 weeks I pinched the top portion (about 2”) and stuck them into a Vermiculite/Perlite/Potting soil mixture (equal amounts of each.) Once they rooted, I ended up with about 32 geranium plants! I have found the geraniums are kind of slow to get established but the end result has been very good. The flower heads are quite large and tend to grow quite tall. 
I had enough white ones for my front and back flower beds. I’ve also had good luck with celosias the past few years. This year I’m going to try collecting the seeds from my own Celosias and Zinnias and see what happens.
In the fall of 2005, I was given a small envelope of Golden Clematis Tangutica seeds 
Within a month I started about 10 seeds under my grow lights in the basement. Some did not survive, other I gave away, but I planted 3 little plants into my own backyard that spring. One of them really liked its location, I guess, because it’s done extremely well. The other 2 “gave up” and disappeared. The Happy One is over 6’ tall and in mid-August is covered with bright yellow bell-shaped flowers. 
I have read this in books and magazine articles and I truly believe it: in one place in your garden, a plant will flourish, but in another it will wither. If you find the right location, you’ve got it made!
My climbing hydrangea, which I planted 7 years ago on a N-W corner also likes its spot and is doing just fine.
Now a bit about my vegetable garden. For the second year in a row, I have tried what is known as ‘Square Foot Gardening’, based on a book by Mel Bartholomew. You build your garden in a slightly raised bed with a series of 16 one foot squares. Each square can hold a different vegetable, fruit or herb planted in quantities that are practical to use!
By re-planting squares as soon as you harvest, you’ll guarantee a steady crop of vegetables throughout the growing season. Right now I am on my third batch of spinach (Tetragonia New Zealand). I have had very good results with spinach, radishes, different kinds of lettuce, sugar peas and now cucumbers. It’s my first season with cukes. Here’s some advice: use lots of netting because they love to “climb” and watch them closely, because within a matter of days they can change from small to HUGE!
This year I tried to experiment with upside-down planters.