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[SHADEGARDENS] Bio

January 18, l998

Dear Sombreros (in Spanish shade is sombra),

I am a 55 year old Buenos Aires born, freelance photographer (editorial)
married to a  Canadian from New Dublin, Ontario. We have 2, well over 20
year old, daughters who were born in Mexico. We lived there until we moved
to Vancouver 21 years ago. We have a mature corner lot garden with many
trees (and many that are gone, cherry trees that succumbed to winter moth
and old age, and Lawson Cypresses that died of root rot).
Because of the shade in our garden Rosemary and I have to deal with shade
plants that must prosper in our all too frequent rain. Our zone is a 7/8 buy
sometimes 6 situation.
Our Heucheras die, not because of the cold, but because of the overly wet
winters. Rosemary and I are interested in many types of plants including
roses, ferns, shrubs, and trees. She is more of a snob than I am. She is a
Master Gardener and a volunteer guide in our local VanDusen Botanical
Garden. We are members of the local Rose Society, the Alpine Garden Club and
I am a member of the American Hosta Society. Our garden has been in many
city tours and last year was one of the feature gardens in the Northwest
Hardy Perennial Alliance whose study weekend was held in Vancouver. Although
not a hosta garden, our garden has more hostas than any others in our area.
Rosemary is the one who is interested in Primulas but I don't much share her
like for them because, after their flowers are gone, they look so tired and
their leaves are all chewed up by slugs. We are friends of the very pleasant
Doctor John Kerridge, the local man, who I believe is still the president of
the American Primula Society. We run into him at garden shows. He is
recently divorced and has moved to a nearby island. He has a very dry sense
of humour. We have many roses and besides having a circular rose bed we put
roses in all our perennial beds. A couple of years ago I discovered that the
David Austin Rose, Leander was shade tolerant. After sending a letter to
David Austin I was rewarded with a fax advising me to try also Shropshire
Lass, Shropshire Lad and Mistress Quickly. Because Leander, and Shropshire
Lass grow to 6 feet we use them to prop up the tall Aconitum that flop down
in our Summer rains. We have many ferns, having visited Judith Jones in
Washington State a few times. It is very difficult not to get enthused by
her. I have a fondness for Hydrangea so I have many varieties including a
rare serratifolia obtained from Heronswood. My Villosa does well in what is
almost absolute shade. Rosemary likes Clematis and the new varieties of
phlox that don't get mold. Although too old to qualify as yuppies (and
perhaps because of it) we have planted many yuppie trees in our garden. We
have a Ginkgo, a Stuartia pseudocamellia, a Betula utilis var. jacquemontii,
Acer griseum, Styrax japonica and a few Japanese Acers such as Senkaki and
Butterfly. I contrubute garden pieces to a local glossy shelter magazine
called Western Living and wrote a piece on hosta for Candain Harrowsmith.

Alex, Vancouver B.C. Canada, Zone 7/8 sometimes 6.
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