My Great Outdoors: Gursk's Vancouver Paradise

Name: Gursk
Location: Vancouver, BC
Type of space: Patio

Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it:
When spring arrives, its like a new room suddenly appears in my West End apartment! My back patio adds over 450 sq ft of living space and I use it every day, from sitting & reading to having friends over for a BBQ to getting elbow deep in the dirt. With all the trees & fences, the bustle & busyness of downtown Vancouver life fade away. I love my outdoor space.

How did you create it?:
The first year I was here, I zealously planted lilies, roses and vegetables to only have them wither & die for lack of light. Slowly, I learned what plants would grow in my shady city garden. I added a fountain, stepping stones, lovely rusty grates, some mirrors and a seating area & voila. The word "paradise" may be derived from "walled" and "garden" - I'm so happy to have my own little paradise in the centre of the city.

Recommended store, site, product or resource?
Ikea, Home Depot & Homesense. The city gardener's best friends!
The second picture is the "before" - how the garden looked when I first moved in...

See all Reader My Great Outdoors submissions here

Comments (7)

Lush and lovely.

posted by bromeliad on June 10th 2009 at 3:51pm
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Love the colour of the fence, the raised beds, and the mysterious quality of shade plants... love textural green gardens... very Vancouver!

posted by mschatelaine on June 10th 2009 at 4:00pm
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Perfectly proportioned. No wonder you are enjoying the view out of the window.

posted by baileyb on June 10th 2009 at 4:44pm
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I'll echo the lush and lovely. It looks very serene.

posted by junklover on June 10th 2009 at 7:31pm
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Love the raised beds.

And tyhank you for putting "BC" in there.

People seem to forget that Vancouver also refers to a US city with very similar weather.

You Canucks have a distinct advantage though in having easier access to BC Bud than those of us south of the border. :->

posted by Zaphod on June 10th 2009 at 8:30pm
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Thanks for all the positive feedback! There are some amazing entries here - makes me wish I'd tarted my place
up a bit more for the pictures! :) (The second picture in the series is the "before" picture.)

posted by Gursk on June 14th 2009 at 1:20pm
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Plus, the rope you can see in the last photo is for the hammock - nothing hanging in a hammock out with a book & glass of wine!

posted by Gursk on June 14th 2009 at 1:22pm
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