A Peek Into Garden House

The two-acre garden surrounding Gàrradh (Gaelic for “garden”) House is an ongoing labour of love that was started in 1976 by Jackie and Jim Barker. Inspired by the Delderfield novels and answering the call of his farming ancestors, Jim, the primary gardener, set out to transform the fir and cedartreed property into a series of garden rooms featuring Japanese garden elements and accents while maintaining the naturalized West Coast flora. “I was always impressed by the tranquility and beauty of Japanese gardens,” Jim says, “and that inspired me to incorporate their most defining components such as stones, gravel, ponds, bridges, lanterns and specific flowers, trees and shrubs into my landscaping designs.” Features of the garden include several orchard areas containing Bosc and Bartlett pears, yellow and purple plums, Bing cherries, Transparent apples, and various semi-dwarf and dwarf apples, including Gala. Two fish ponds each provide movement and sound, involving artfully hidden water circulation systems, a cobble stone “river” and a bamboo waterspout which juts out from large quarry rocks. A natural dry marsh pond and structures such as a Japanese arched bridge, rustic open tea room, and weathered deck which provides a wisteria-shaded space from which to overlook the back garden, provide interesting vistas while strolling the grounds. A re-purposed chicken house and ivy-covered greenhouse, now used for garden tool and pot storage, are reminders of the many homesteading activities the Barkers have undertaken in the past and continue to explore. The vegetable garden, overseen by Jackie, was designed with the seven elements of an edible food forest in mind. Nestled amongst encircling chestnut, cherry and towering evergreen trees, the garden harbours well-established blueberry and raspberry bushes, perennial herbs, mint, rhubarb, horseradish, overwintering garlic, root crops and other vegetables are planted in raised beds, pots, hanging baskets, and the small greenhouse and cold frame. Cheery tulips, marigolds, and alyssum line the beds to provide colour and attract pollinating insects.

Everything flows together along winding paths, through natural and hand-built archways and alongside hedgerows that harbour small birds, hawks, raccoons and squirrels, all overseen by the occasional gnome. The curving front and back lawns are bordered by a wonderful array of mature flowering shrubs, including 67 rhododendron bushes ranging in height from three to thirty feet which bloom from December through early summer and 33 varied and fragrant azaleas. At least eight varieties of Japanese Maples as well as many other ornamental trees are sprinkled throughout the property, providing accents of colour from spring to late fall. Of note is a spectacular Honey Locust tree which rivals the height of those found in the quarry area at Butchart Gardens. In the summer, naturalized fruit such as huckleberries, small blackberries and Oregon grape hiding in the corners make great snacks.

The garden is maintained with the help of over a third of a kilometer of hand-dug underground sprinklers and seven drip zones. In the spirit of xeriscaping, where low water usage is the goal, plants are being gradually replaced with those that are more drought-tolerant. Gàrradh House is one of six gardens that you can explore during the 2022 CFLA Self Directed Garden Tour on May 29th from 10 am to 4:30 pm. For more details please call (250) 748-8281 or visit: https:// cowichanfamilylife.org/gardentour-fund-raiser

Submitted by Jackie Barker CFLA Garden Tour