A perfect oasis

The clock is ticking for landscape projects to be completed before the ground freezes.

Typically, in Winnipeg, the first frost occurs in mid to late September. Could we have a milder autumn like last year which allowed landscaping crews to get trees, shrubs and perennials into the ground well into early November?

That’s what landscape designers and homeowners with outdoor projects are eagerly hoping for.

Jennifer Salamon’s plants went into the ground last year on the very last day of October. On top of that, she tended the potted shrubs, trees and perennials that she purchased in spring 2025 during Winnipeg’s smokiest summer on record. Nonetheless, the mild temperatures and warm soil conditions in late October proved optimal, with a nearly 100 per cent plant survival rate over the winter.

Salamon’s pie-shaped lot in a residential area in south St. Vital has undergone two phases of landscaping. The first phase was a makeover of her spacious backyard a few years ago. The beautiful design by Classic Landscapes received an award of merit at the Manitoba Nursery Landscape Association (MBNLA) Grow26 Conference earlier this year.

Phase two of Salamon’s landscape project, initiated last year, focused on her front yard, a uniquely narrow wedge-shaped space in dramatic contrast to the property’s expansive backyard. A portion of the front yard is deeply shaded while the remainder is in full sun. Thinking outside of the box was required to transform the front yard into a visibly appealing garden.

Kevin Versteeg, landscape designer and owner of Classic Landscapes, knew from the outset that Salamon wanted a gardener’s garden.

“In most cases, low maintenance is everything right now. Clients want a project to look good, but I think a lot of people would see that long, narrow space and say, ‘There’s nothing you can do with this — just fill it with rock.’ Many clients also want a finished project, not something they will evolve or get creative with.

“I think that Jennifer’s front yard demonstrates that even with such a small space, you can do a fair bit. I worked with her to plan out the shape of the bed in the front yard, but she picked out all the plants herself. We actually reshaped the design a couple of times until it was what she wanted.”

To create a sense of depth and structural dimension, Versteeg added boulders to the curved planting bed and created a small berm. The bed is surrounded by crushed granite, but Salamon wanted bark mulch, not rocks, in the bed itself.

“I didn’t want rocks because it makes it so difficult to add plants or replant,” she says.

“When a client wants to be able to dig into the soil, move plants around or add new plants, (landscape) fabric and rocks won’t do,” Versteeg said. “To build the front garden, we added 25 cm of fresh soil and topped it with bark mulch. It was clear from the start that Jennifer wanted to be able to garden in her yard. She was quite engaged in the design process.”

Salamon is close to achieving her vision for the new front bed. This year she visited garden centres across Winnipeg and in surrounding communities to search for plants. She has fallen in love with peonies.

“The peony that started it all is Raspberry Sundae,” she says.

Raspberry Sundae is a double-flowered pink and white herbaceous peony with raspberry crests in the centre. “It is so pretty.”

But then her next door neighbour, an avid gardener, suggested Itoh peonies which don’t require staking. Salamon has now added Itoh peony varieties, which include Garden Candy All That Jazz, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Anderson’s Kaleidoscope and Old Rose Dandy.

Salamon prefers to plant in multiples. Three well-spaced panicle hydrangea tree forms add vertical elements. This fall, the large cone-shaped flower clusters of Berry White panicle hydrangea have transitioned from strawberry pink to a rich raspberry red. The front bed also includes three Hydrangea Firelight Tidbit shrubs along with a single Hydrangea Mojito. Perennials include Hosta So Sweet, obedient plant, Russian Sage and Dazzleberry stonecrop. She has added weather-resistant metal plant markers to make the new perennials easier to find next spring.

Salamon admits to feeling some impatience as she waits for all the plants to grow. The perennials in her backyard are much further along. But plants are like people. Salamon knows that healthy plant growth takes time and can’t be rushed. It doesn’t stop her from being excited at what her front yard garden will look like in a couple of years.

A pathway of massive stone slabs — Rosetta Grand Flagstone from Barkman — with the texture and scale of large natural flagstone leads from the front bed and carries through to the entrance into the backyard where Classic Landscapes has designed an outdoor oasis.

Salamon and her husband work full-time and manage a busy household with three children.

“We purchased our home in 2004, but it’s only been in recent years that we could design our backyard the way we wanted because we no longer needed a sandbox, trampoline or play structure,” she says.

The purpose of the backyard has shifted to a different kind of play — entertainment and relaxation.

“We can relax on the patio, read a book, relax. In the evenings, we sit around the firepit. My husband wanted a hot tub, and the kids enjoy it, too,” says Salamon.

The backyard design features multiple patio areas, including a large raised-bed vegetable garden in a separate area on one side of the house.

“The fire pit area situated at the back of the yard is its own sort of destination,” says Versteeg. “The backdrop of mature trees and shrubs accentuates that feel.”

Versteeg built a wooden pergola over the hot tub.

“Again, it’s a way to give a hot tub its own space rather than making it look as though it was dropped on the patio thoughtlessly. A vine can be planted on the pergola or LED string lights can be hung across the overhead beams.”

The backyard plant palette — although on a much larger scale — is similar to Salamon’s selections for her front yard. There are peonies, Russian Sage and hydrangeas. Dramatic groupings consisting of three large Royal Purple Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) shrubs and three even larger Diablo Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) shrubs with dark purple foliage anchor the landscape. The startling beauty of two Montgomery Dwarf Blue Spruce trees with their bright blue needles is an instant magnet.

A notable distinction in the planting scheme is the spacing between plants.

“I want to be able to see the natural shape of each plant,” she says.

Salamon knows she won’t be able to resist shopping for more unique plants next spring, but she also plans to enjoy entertaining and relaxing in her new landscape this fall.

The most satisfying landscape projects are the ones that give clients exactly what they want. Salamon is thrilled with the design created by Versteeg and his team at Classic Landscapes. It is a living framework that inspires her creativity.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com