Every once in a while, a GPOD submission lands in my inbox that makes me stop what I’m doing. Marni’s garden was one of those. I opened the first wide view of those white hydrangeas and immediately wanted to see every corner of the space. Today we’re visiting Marni (@LWHGarden) in Raymond, Alberta, Canada, where seven years of work have transformed a former cutting garden into something completely different.
We have a lovely hydrangea garden with more than 600 blooms at its peak. The garden began as a raised-bed seasonal cutting garden, but over the years we converted it into a mass planting of ‘Annabelle’ smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, Zones 3–9), Incrediball smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens ‘Abetwo’, Zones 3–8), and panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata and cvs., Zones 3–8).
We finished the garden with pieces we collected and repurposed, including Victorian tiles, carved doors, lattice details, and vintage red brick. Our old lean-to greenhouse became a garden room where we can prep flowers, have iced tea, or simply sit out of the sun.
We’ve spent seven years creating the garden, and this year we were able to use it for a small ceremony and a baby shower. The thick lawn works beautifully for chairs, while the vintage red brick patio provides a lovely space for gatherings.
Our aisle of ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas
Creating wow
Growing in full sun means making sure each shrub gets consistent moisture. We installed irrigation to every hydrangea, use deep black mulch, and added PVC sleeves throughout the beds so large beach umbrellas can be put up when the blooms need protection from sun scorch, wind, or heavy rain.
Our sad house before
Living our makeover dream
From barn disaster to Dutch Colonial renovation
Our old lean-to greenhouse became the garden room
Our little garden room now—a place to prep flowers, have iced tea, or simply sit out of the sun
Our upcycled screen became a lace-covered swinging door
Collecting vintage Victorian tiles and red brick gave us some of the finishing details that now appear throughout the garden.
Marni, the aisle through those ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas stopped me in my tracks! I love the sheer abundance of the planting, but seeing the before photo makes the whole garden even more impressive. The vintage brick, lace-covered door, garden room, and all those collected details give the space so much personality beyond the flowers themselves. Thank you for sharing seven years of transformation with us!
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