Build your dream garden with tips from an expert | Canada Voices

Thirty years ago, Leanne Johnson bought a little white house, on a busy street in North Vancouver, with a modest yard and limited curb appeal.

It had an open lawn with a couple of shrubs, a straight concrete path to the front door and a cherry tree out back that her two boys practically lived in as they grew up.

Johnson, who is president and chief executive of Gardenworks, British Columbia’s largest independent garden centre, acknowledges the property did not have a lot of redeeming features. She fell in love anyway.

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“It was a blank canvas, and maybe that’s what appealed to me,” she says. “I started dreaming of the garden I might have some day, when we had the money.”

Eight years ago, the time was finally right. Johnson combined her expertise with that of a professional landscape designer to build a garden oasis in the heart of the city.

Even if you’re new to a home, starting from scratch, or short on money, Johnson says you can build a garden you love over time – and it doesn’t require a lavish budget to get there.

Back when they first bought the house, Johnson – who calls herself a “recovering accountant” – was an employee of KPMG. She liked gardening but was no expert. However, her favourite client was Gardenworks, a firm that was grappling with a succession plan. On a whim, she raised her hand and got the job. “Twenty-three years later, I still pinch myself,” she says.

She started slowly, adding plants to the borders. Then a strawberry patch for the kids. But with two active boys and a demanding new role, the garden of her dreams lived mostly in her imagination.

Eventually, the dream and the budget meshed. In 2018, Johnson and her husband, Michael, did a whole-home renovation of their 1928 craftsman. The roof came off. The inside was stripped back to the studs. And the yard, which was a construction site, was ripe for a makeover.

“I had been in the garden industry for 15 years when I finally went looking for someone to help bring my vision to life,” Johnson says. “I knew that translating a dream into a livable space required a different level of expertise.”

She turned to Campbell Whitehead of Para Space Landscaping – “a man of few words but an amazing listener.” For Johnson, that was a sign she’d found the right collaborator.

“Never hire a professional who does all the talking, she says. “You know you are working with the right person if they ask question after question.”

Those questions mattered: Did she need shade? A family-friendly lawn? A quiet reading nook? A place for birds and pollinators? A productive urban garden? The answers shaped everything.

Whitehead sharpened her ideas and added one Johnson hadn’t considered: two distinct levels in the back garden. The upper level, accessible from the back lane, would hold the greenhouse and vegetable beds. Steps down would lead to a sunken sitting area with a water feature and pergola.

“It’s pure magic,” Johnson says. “When you step into that lower space, you feel tucked away from the world.”

Her advice to anyone hiring a pro is simple. “An experienced landscape designer won’t override your vision. They’ll sharpen it. The collaboration between a homeowner who knows what they love and a professional who knows what’s possible is where the real magic happens.”

Now that her landscaping has matured, we asked Johnson to reflect on her design decisions, walk us through her outdoor spaces and share budget-friendly tips you can bring to your front porch, backyard deck or small garden.

The front porch

When the family moved in, the front entry was purely functional: a straight concrete path leading to a tiny porch with a white front door. Two sad, overgrown lily of the valley shrubs were at the base of the stairs. “It did the job,” Johnson says. “Nothing more.”

She wanted the front of the house to say something; for guests to feel welcomed and inspired before they rang the bell. She also wanted to create a quiet nook where she could steal away with a stack of gardening magazines.

What they did

They added two dormers to the roofline and enlarged the porch – not a lot, but enough to hold a chair and tiny end table. “It changed the entire character of the house,” she says. “A porch isn’t just for passing through. It hints at the personalities of the people who live there.”

She painted the front door Benjamin Moore Orange Blossom (2168-30), a happy colour that warms up the grey/white stucco exterior. She also installed a knocker in the shape of a garden trowel. “I love when guests knock. They know a gardener lives here.”

Design tips

Look at the materials of your home and let them guide your plant container choices. Johnson’s Arts and Crafts exterior inspired weathered terra cotta and aged stone finishes rather than sleek modern planters. “Cohesion matters, even in a small space,” she says. “Your pots need to reflect the overall style of your garden or home.”

A unified colour palette matters too. Johnson loves orange and it shines through in the plants, cushions, blankets and outdoor dishes.

If you have the space, alternate high and low planters for visual rhythm; different levels create interest. This also works well on small balconies and patios. If space is tight, go vertical: Hanging baskets and wall-mounted planters provide beauty without crowding a small entry.

Use trees and shrubs around the porch to complement the overall aesthetic. Johnson planted Stewartia pseudocamellia – a tree with white flowers in early summer, vivid orange-red leaves in autumn and exfoliating bark in shades of grey, orange and cinnamon through winter. When they first moved in, a friend gave Johnson a sapling Bloodgood Japanese maple tree to commemorate the birth of her second son. Today it offers shade and privacy, and is a touching reminder of friends and family.

“Trees are like life partners,” she says. “They grow old with you.”

The covered deck

This space prolongs the family’s outdoor living season dramatically. “With so much rain in Vancouver, it is an extension of our home that I couldn’t imagine living without. On a crisp winter evening with the heaters on and candles flickering, there’s nowhere I would rather be,” she says.

What they did

The original backyard was lawn, a sandbox and a cherry tree. They added a 16-by-24-foot extension across the back of the house. “For anyone building a new deck, always go as big as your budget allows,” Johnson says. “We underestimated how much joy this space would bring us.”

The space has ceiling-mounted gas heaters, as well as a gas fireplace. The table has seating for eight.

Design tips

Furniture can be a sizable investment. In addition to your local garden centre, big-box retailers such as IKEA and HomeSense are often good options. Look for outdoor-rated fabrics (such as Sunbrella), for longevity; they resist fading, mould and moisture. If you have children, choose furniture with rounded edges.

Look for end tables, chairs and accent pieces at antique markets and garage sales.

Rechargeable lamps add instant warmth and elegance to any setting, Johnson says, with no wiring required.

Blankets, cushions and outdoor rugs anchor a lounge space and make it feel like home. If you have multiple seating areas, use stripes in one and a floral pattern in another, but carry your accent colour through everything.

If your space gets windy, consider creating a windbreak wall made from plants such as evergreen clematis or camellia, which are both great trellis climbers.

Wheeled caddies are indispensable for heavy planters. Move them into full sun during the day, then push them aside to make room for guests.

For storage, consider a built-in bench, a weatherproof chest or even a simple wicker basket for cushions and accessories.

The sunken garden

The lower, sunken seating area, with its water feature and pergola covered in wisteria, is the family’s favourite place.

“There’s something instinctively comforting about stepping down into a more enclosed space,” she says. “It feels private, intentional and completely separate from the rest of the world.”

What they did

The landscaper laid interlocking patio pavers and added a stone wall to separate the tiers. Johnson turned it into a natural wall by planting three espalier fruit trees. (Espalier refers to a horticultural technique where the horizontal branches are trained to follow a wall or building). On the fence with a neighbour, she has a climbing hydrangea. They also added a fire table and a fountain.

“I knew from the beginning that I wanted the sound of water in our garden,” Johnson says. “It’s so incredibly soothing.”

Design tips

A quality umbrella with a weighted base is the most accessible starting point if you need shade. Look for UV-resistant fabric and a tilt mechanism.

If a fountain isn’t in your budget, a bird bath is a cost-friendly alternative and brings extraordinary life to a garden.

A pergola built from cost-effective materials (cedar is a Canadian favourite) can be a DIY weekend project or a surprisingly affordable addition through a contractor.

String solar-powered lights across a pergola or between posts, eliminating the need for outdoor wiring.

Every great garden has a quiet reading corner. It requires nothing more than a comfortable chair and the right plants around it. Hummingbirds love Vermillionaire.

Plant perennials. They come with a higher upfront cost than annuals, but they dutifully return every year with zero effort. Keep an eye on end-of-season sales at independent garden centres. Late June is prime time and they are a wonderful way to fill gaps in a summer garden.

Don’t grow boring plants. “Why would you grow a plain green hosta when you could grow Hosta ‘Silly String’ or ‘Sagae,’ with its grey-green centre and delicate yellow leaf edge?” Johnson says. Interesting plants elevate a garden from pleasant to memorable – often for the same cost.