Photography by Christin Geall, except where noted.
The home of Barbara and Michael Gergel sits on a corner city lot in Victoria British Columbia, one block from the ocean. With such extremes in mind, designer and master gardener Barbara Gergel looked south of the equator for plants to shape her home garden.
Entryway
Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Fens Ruby’ spills onto the sidewalk in front of the Gergels’ 1925 bungalow.
An underplanting of Persicaria ‘Purple Fantasy’ softens a planter in the reclaimed driveway. One of the defining features of the property is the creation of an outdoor living space between the rear of the house and Gergel’s studio.
Gravel Courtyard
Photograph by Megan Hansen via Flickr.
Osmanthus ‘Sussex Silver’. By controlling temperature and moisture, Gergel has succeed in creating a privacy hedge with Ozothamnus ‘Sussex Silver’.
To add interest to a north-facing wall in the courtyard, Gergel uses tall planters with Elegia capensis, a member of the Restionaceae family. As epiphytic plants, the ferns require no soil.
Retaining Walls
The retaining walls have been softened with plantings of succulents in moss.
Sempervivums tolerate light freezing and summer drought.
A planting of Salix argentea drapes over a wall, echoing the grey stone of the steps.
Stairway
Autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora, harmonizing with Acer griseum.
“I try to use repetition to add harmony.”
Barbara Gergel with Olearia in bloom.