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. 08

June

6 moments · 4 days · 0 of 0 in bloom

SEPAUGJULJUNMAYJUNAPRAUGJULAUGJUL

June 27

One moment

1 MOMENT

Repotted into the terracotta pot and lightly pruned

Terracotta breathes for healthier roots; pruned to train canes onto the trellis

Leonardo da Vinci Rose

June 20

One moment

1 MOMENT

Acquired from a private collector; repotted into a temporary plastic pot

Ease transplant shock and let roots settle before a permanent home

Leonardo da Vinci Rose

June 15

Two moments

2 MOMENTS

Queen of Sweden, planted in a pot and bloomed the first time in 2026. Very light pink and given more light & heat, the pink would fade to almost white. Very upright rose.

Queen of Sweden Rose

This is the first bloom of the season, full of deep pink cupped rosettes while everything else in the garden is just lush green. She adds an extra pop of color and amazing smell. She made me fall in love with David Austin roses and I want to plant more.

June 2

Two moments

2 MOMENTS

Captured Boscobel Rose bloomed the first time of the 2026 season. This one is in a self-watering pot. It has very strong scent and pink flowers.

Boscobel Rose

Second year in the garden and it finally bloomed with its fiery pink pointed bracts around the central flower heads. Really like the simplicity of the flower.

Scarlet Fire Kousa dogwood

Shao’s Garden · No. 07

May

3 moments · 2 days · 0 of 0 in bloom

May 24

Two moments

2 MOMENTS

It started flowering. Lacey flower first time blooming in my garden.

Fairytrail Fresco Cascade Hydrangea

Shao’s Garden · No. 06

June

2 moments · 2 days · 0 of 0 in bloom

June 21

One moment

1 MOMENT

First time planting a tree and it turns out much more requirement and consideration. The tree is just as tall as me, with dark green wavy leaves and pointed creamy-white bracts around the central flower heads. I thought Scarlet Fire dogwood has pink flowers, so fingers crossed it is just temporary. Feeling accomplished today.

Scarlet Fire Kousa dogwood

Shao’s Garden · No. 05

April

2 moments · 2 days · 0 of 0 in bloom

April 26

One moment

1 MOMENT

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.

Boscobel

Started to bloom. Soft pink. It's very top heavy & branching a lot. I plan to add support and prune it in late season.

Strawberry Hill Rose

May 2

One moment

1 MOMENT

Acquired from Phoenixie Nursery; repotted into a self-watering pot

Self-watering reservoir keeps moisture consistent for a container standard rose

Lady of Shalott Rose (tree form)

June 18

One moment

1 MOMENT

After 3 garden store visits and countless back and forth on the type of dogwood tree I want in the garden, I finally picked up this Scarlet Fire Dogwood. It barely fit in my car with its single trunk and canopy of green leaves pressed right against the roof, but I am so happy I found one that has good structure and shape!

Scarlet Fire Kousa dogwood

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
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