Happy Friday, GPODers!
If you received the Fall 2025 issue of Fine Gardening magazine in your mailbox, you would have seen Lynn Fournier’s incredible garden in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, gracing the pages. We were first introduced to Lynn’s lush designs last fall (check out that feature here: Lynn’s Garden in Ontario), and it didn’t take us long to fall in love with the stunning landscape she created with the help of her husband, Ray. Today she is back with a look at this year’s growing season and some fantastic additions made to the garden.
This has been quite a long, hot, and humid summer in my neck of the woods, and I’ve had to restrict my gardening chores to mornings. This year’s spring and early summer didn’t disappoint, but as we now head into late summer I feel a bit of sadness as plants begin to look a little tired. Also, rabbits have been feasting on some of my favorites, and it’s been a challenging exercise trying various methods to discourage them . . . mostly they’re winning!
New this year are the ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’, Zones 4–8), and three little boxwoods (Buxus spp. and cvs., Zones 4–9) planted in pots and being trained into birds.
These beautiful stone steps are an access point through a sloped section of Lynn’s garden, and the perfect spot for her new potted topiary birds.
The other addition to Lynn’s garden this year, ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ foxgloves, is showing off those peachy pink blooms that give the cultivar its name. It’s a wonderful shade to mix and mingle with the other pink and purple blooms that are prominent in the garden.
A closer look at the small topiaries that Lynn is training: I wonder if she is planning on keeping these container-sized, or if she will let them grow to eventually plant with her large creations?
And speaking of those larger plants, it’s great to see them still looking pristine this summer. Boxwood blight and the box tree moth are constant threats to these creatively cultivated plants, but Lynn is diligent in their care.
Aside from creating whimsical and wonderful shapes with her topiary, Lynn is also intentional with the shapes and forms of flowers in the garden. With this diversity she is able to create really exciting scenes, even when many of the colors are similar.
While pink and purple are the predominant colors in the landscape, blooms in other hues are utilized to provide contrast and act as accents. Compared to the cooler tones of many of the plants in Lynn’s garden, these bright yellow bearded irises absolutely glow.
Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous garden and incredible topiary creations with us again, Lynn! Your ability to mix a little whimsy with a sophisticated plant palette results in a wonderfully unique and inspiring design.
We love to hear about new garden additions and exciting plant projects here at Garden Photo of the Day. As summer comes to a close and we start reflecting on this year’s growing season, consider sharing your garden updates and upgrades with the blog. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #FineGardening!
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Fine Gardening Recommended Products
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Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
This revised and updated edition of Jessica Walliser’s award-winning Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden offers a valuable and science-backed plan for bringing balance back to the garden. With this indispensable gardening reference—now updated with new research, insights, and voices—learn how to create a healthy, balanced, and diverse garden capable of supporting a hard-working crew of beneficial pest-eating insects and eliminate the need for synthetic chemical pesticides.
Razor-Back Potato/Refuse Hook
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ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner
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Telescopes from 4 to 7′. Cut and Hold (160) Blades. Drop forged blades for unsurpassed long lasting sharpness. Lightweight, 2.3 lbs., for continued use. Perfectly balanced for easy pruning.
