Shao’s Garden · No. 11

Shao’s Garden

No. 11 · September 2026

This month7Plants25The plan9

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58 moments on record
4 of 25 in bloom

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Shao’s Garden · No. 05

April

2 moments · 2 days · 0 of 0 in bloom

SEPAUGJULJUNMAYJUNAPRAUGJULAUGJUL

April 26

One moment

1 MOMENT

I started getting into roses—specifically, David Austin roses. I went out to pick up 'Boscobel' for the garden. They were so hard to find; I couldn't find them anywhere except for one garden center that carried them, so I ended up buying three. They were definitely on the pricier end, costing around $69 or $79 per plant—very expensive for roses! But they were David Austin, so I decided to give them a try. I actually got inspired by a YouTube channel called Garden Answer. The host has a massive garden in the U.S. (I think she lives in Oregon or somewhere around there). In one of her videos, she planted three 'Boscobel' roses together to create this massive, impact-filled effect with tons of deeply cupped, coral-pink blooms, and that’s what really got me hooked. So when I found three of them at the garden center, I loaded up a trolley with bags of container mix, garden booster, and bark, and brought them home. I planted two in the southwest garden—you can see in the photos and videos where I dug the holes, planted them, and brought in fresh soil. They looked great in the garden, with their upright red-tinged stems and lush green foliage already carrying tight round flower buds at the tips! I left the third one in a pot on the patio so I could enjoy its blooms while hanging out outside. I really love 'Boscobel', and it has become one of my absolute favorites—especially looking ahead into 2026, as they’ve been blooming amazingly well and making me want even more David Austin roses. Funny story: my lovely neighbor actually gave me a David Austin rose when I first moved in! Back then, I didn't know much about roses, so I actually removed it from the pot she gave me to plant hydrangeas instead. To this day, I can't remember which variety it was—just that it was a lovely yellowish color. Looking back now, it feels like everything has come full circle.

South West Garden

April 25

One moment

1 MOMENT

Picked up 3 Boscobel and planned to plant in the south garden bed in ground.

Boscobel

Shao’s Garden · No. 04

August

1 moment · 1 day · 0 of 0 in bloom

August 30

One moment

1 MOMENT

About a month later—around late August—I went for a walk around the garden center just to browse, and I learned about adding winter interest and pops of color to the garden. I came across this really striking plant with white flowers. It blooms for quite a long time and stays evergreen over the winter without dying back completely, so when everything else dies back to the ground, these start blooming with tight erect spikes of tiny flowers. (I'm talking about the Heather / Calluna, by the way!). I picked up four or five of them to add along the front border, and even now, a few of them are still hanging on here and there looking good with their bright white blooms. I did notice that they really benefit from heavy pruning—it keeps the base from getting leggy and woody, helping them come back much more lush, dense, and full of flowers.

Shao’s Garden · No. 03

July

2 moments · 2 days · 0 of 0 in bloom

July 28

One moment

1 MOMENT

Finished planting the garden, putting down one Quick Fire hydrangea tree with its panicles aging from white to blush pink, two 'White Swan' coneflowers with white ray florets around greenish-yellow cones, and a few dwarf mounding groundcovers in the foreground. Also planted four Quick Fire Fab hydrangeas, which I propagated from the mother plant, and watered the bed thoroughly. Definitely a lot of hard work but it is gonna be worth it and I know it.

South West Garden

Shao’s Garden · No. 02

August

1 moment · 1 day · 0 of 0 in bloom

August 8

One moment

1 MOMENT

This is what it looks like before the transformation for the south west garden, with the lawn edged by a thick drift of tall ornamental grasses, lavender planted behind the bench, and a line of upright birch trees along the perimeter.

South West Garden

Shao’s Garden · No. 01

July

1 moment · 1 day · 0 of 0 in bloom

July 27

One moment

1 MOMENT

Trained from a shrub into a standard/tree form over multiple seasons

Selected a central leader and removed lower/competing growth to build a single-trunk tree

Little Lime Hydrangea (tree form)

♥1

The first issue. Nothing earlier.

South West Garden

July 21

One moment

1 MOMENT

Checking out the southwest garden and planning out what plants to replace the low mounding California lilac lining the mulched bed with its small green foliage. Thinking about putting some lilies and panicle hydrangeas here, like the white and deep pink blooms and the 'Quick Fire' panicles turning soft pink nearby. The garden design is inspired by Tracy's garden, a lady's garden who I found on YouTube in Ontario.

South West Garden