A Weeping Larch, its branches trained horizontally, overlooks plants in shades of green adjacent to a pond.
Greg Boguski grows several brugmansia trees with their exotic, pendulous blooms.
Photos by Colleen Zacharias / Winnipeg Free Press
Double herbaceous borders in Greg Boguski’s front yard flow with a visual rhythm.
Photos by Colleen Zacharias / Winnipeg Free Press
A trellis and curved pathway edged with Salvia Mystic Spires and clematis combine to create a lush garden room.
Situated on one-third of an acre in the city of Brandon, Greg Boguski’s garden is a tour de force of rich plant diversity and impeccable style.
When I visited his garden at the end of July, double herbaceous borders in his front yard were fully in bloom. Planted with rudbeckia, salvia, zinnias, daylilies, Suncredible sunflowers, false sunflower, Verbena bonariensis, and more, and edged with the globe-shaped lilac-purple flowers of Millenium Allium, the beds flow with a visual rhythm. There are also hydrangea shrubs, roses, ornamental grasses, vines, and numerous healthy trees.
As beautiful as the front yard design is, it belies what awaits the visitor. Boguski’s backyard is a completely immersive experience. He has skillfully created outdoor rooms with superlative views, elegant flow, and intrigue.
The entrance to the garden, through an attractive weathered cedar gate, is framed by a cedar pergola on which Boguski has trained grape vines. A Weeping Larch grows upward against the outer edge of the pergola, its branches with their soft green needles trained to extend horizontally across the upper beam like a living curtain.
Stone steps lead to a wide bed with drifts of texture in varying shades of green and contrasting leaf size. A tapestry of tall evergreens and conifers form the backdrop. A dwarf Eastern white pine has been skillfully pruned and shaped by Boguski’s partner, Joe Stouffer, to show off the scales and ridges of its handsome bark. A Silverado hybrid olive, which is a cross between the wolf willow and Russian olive, grows next to the pyramidal form of a Swiss Stone pine and provides a beautiful contrast to the surrounding evergreens with its silver-gray foliage. Silverado is naturally as wide as it is tall (three metres), but Boguski selectively prunes it to have a sleeker form. Boguski and Stouffer are looking forward to when the Swiss Stone pine produces its pine nuts which are supposed to be edible.
The viewer’s eye is led gently along a curved path to the large pond with beautiful water lilies floating on its surface. A large hornwort with bright green leaves like pine needles is completely submerged in the pond. Low profile bowls sit alongside the pool’s edge. One is filled with a collection of colourful Sarracenia pitcher plants; another is planted with a large echeveria rosette, many of which can be found throughout the landscape. Two large-sized plants, an agave and Eucomis pineapple lily, flank opposite sides of the pond. Across from the pond is Boguski’s year-round greenhouse.
Clematis vines are one of Boguski’s mainstays. Varieties include Clematis koreana var. lutea with nodding pale yellow flowers and numerous non-vining varieties that grow in his garden. Arabella, one of his favourites, blooms throughout the summer and has violet-blue flowers that fade to a soft blue as they age. "What I have found is that I can’t grow large-flowered varieties very well unless they are against the house so most of my clematis vines are crosses with Clematis integrifolia which is non-climbing," says Boguski.
Grape vines are another mainstay in his garden. Boguski says that once, on a visit to Wisconsin, he had the honour of meeting Elmer Swenson, a pioneering American grape breeder who introduced numerous cold hardy grape cultivars over his lifetime. The many grape cultivars in Boguski’s garden that were introduced by Swenson include Somerset, a very early, red seedless grape as well as Brianna, a white wine grape; Louise Swenson which produces clusters of grapes that turn yellow-gold when ripe, and Frontenac blanc, a white-fruited mutation of Frontenac. Boguski grew Prairie Star but it did not survive a cold winter a few years ago. He also grows three other grape varieties developed by Swenson that were never named.
And then there are the potted Brugmansia Angel’s Trumpets, impressive in their size and beauty. Boguski maintains several of the exotic, small trees which are native to the Central and South Americas. They range in size from 1.2 metres to an imposing three metres. The bloom colours of the extravagant, pendulous flowers include white, pink, and orange. Some have single flowers and others are double-flowered. On my visit, the brugmansia were just starting to come into bloom.
In spring, Boguski applies Osmocote 24-8-16 slow-release fertilizer. Once the plants are actively growing, he gives them one weekly application of Miracle Gro water soluble fertilizer.
In fall, prior to freezing, Boguski cuts the brugmansia back, transfers them to smaller pots then moves them into his heated garage to go dormant.
Boguski has started brugmansia from seed and purchased cuttings from a breeder in Slovakia as well as other brugmansia enthusiasts in B.C.
He also has a passion for primroses. His collection includes Primula Assiniboine which was introduced in 1965 by Dr. Frank Skinner. Other species that he grows include P. auricula, P. sieboldii, P. denticulata, and P. florindae.
Boguski has a keen eye for unusual specimen plants. Trost’s dwarf European Birch has deeply and finely dissected leaves on weeping branches. The dark green foliage turns golden yellow in fall. It has a compact mature height of 125 to 150 cm. "It is the closest plant I could find to a Japanese maple," he says.
Boguski is an active member of The Brandon Garden Club. He trades plants and seeds with his fellow members. He also sources plants and seeds from afar. One very unique plant is Fuchsia Willie Tamarus which Boguski grows in a hanging basket. He purchased starter plants from the Greenery Garden Centre in Kelowna. He and Stouffer enjoy watching hummingbirds visit the trailing blooms, one after another.
If any of Boguski’s plant choices were driven by impulse, one would never suspect it. Every plant acquisition is seamlessly integrated into a border, pot, or backdrop.
Boguski’s container designs are multi-layered visual feasts. In two large containers flanking a seating area, Boguski has combined the expansive, purple-black foliage of Colocasia Royal Hawaiian Black Coral elephant’s ear with Coleus ColorBlaze Royale Pineapple Brandy which has chartreuse foliage and accents of burgundy bronze. At 76 cm tall, Pineapple Brandy, a new introduction for 2021, also serves as an ideal and creative choice for a curved hedge along some of Boguski’s pathways.
There are also enviable mass plantings of Salvia Mystic Spires with purple-blue flowers that bloom from early summer to frost.
A row of overflowing hanging baskets filled with vibrantly coloured Supertunia Mini Vista petunias are elevated at the top of a sturdy trellis which also supports a grape vine and clematis. Planted in the front of the trellis is a row of Strawberry Sundae Hydrangea shrubs, their bountiful panicles strategically decorating either side of the trellis which separates one garden room from another.
Boguski and Stouffer also maintain an expansive fruit and vegetable garden that runs the length of their property, sloping gently down towards the valley. Bogusky enjoys grafting apple trees with several different varieties of apples. Varieties include Winter Cheeks, Norda, Zestar, Morden Russet, Prairie Magic, and Honeycrisp. There are also sweet potatoes, squash, cucumbers, and several different varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and garlic. Stunning Orienpet lilies are planted throughout.
A captivating garden that merits further exploration.
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