Beautiful Gardens of 2026

August 13, 2026 · by Admin2017 · 0

For Daisy De la Cruz, gardening is more than a hobby – it is a source of happiness and hope.
Originally from the Philippines, De la Cruz has enjoyed gardening for many years. After moving to Slave Lake in 2014, she began building a new collection of plants, starting with one special houseplant that she still keeps today.

A beautiful garden with the vibrant Daisy De la Cruz stands among the colourful flowers. A lifelong gardening enthusiast, De la Cruz has spent years growing a wide variety of flowers and houseplants, creating a peaceful outdoor space filled with blooms throughout the summer.

“I already had a garden back in the Philippines,” De la Cruz says. “When we moved here in 2014, I started gardening again.”
Today, her home is filled with approximately 150 indoor plants, while colourful flowers such as daisies, cosmos and rosemary brighten her outdoor garden. Friends often tease that her home has become a jungle, but De la Cruz happily embraces the nickname.

“I really love gardening,” she says. “I love flowers.”

**A colourful collection of daisies blooms in Daisy De la Cruz’s garden. Daisies are among her favourite flowers because they are easy to grow and add bright colour to her yard each summer.**

**Bright yellow daisies fill another section of Daisy De la Cruz’s garden, creating a cheerful display of colour.**

**Bachelor’s Button adds a splash of blue and purple to Daisy De la Cruz’s garden. The unique flower is one of the many varieties she grows each summer.**

Cosmos flowers flourish in Daisy De la Cruz’s garden after being grown from seeds she collected from dried blooms.
She says saving and replanting the seeds each year has allowed her to grow dozens of colourful cosmos.

Many of her plants come from stores such as Costco, Home Depot, and IKEA, where she says she has found healthy plants at reasonable prices. She recommends spider plants, daisies, and rosemary for beginners because they are easy to grow, while admitting orchids have been the most challenging plants she has cared for.

Over the years, De la Cruz says she has also learned to collect seeds from her own flowers and propagate many of her houseplants, allowing her collection to continue growing.

Some plants do not survive, she says, adding that she accepts that such setbacks are common to gardening.
For those just beginning their gardening journey, De la Cruz offers simple advice.

“If you love plants and planting, it means there’s always hope,” she says. “Something will grow, something will sprout, and you’ll always have something to look forward to.”

And if a plant doesn’t make it?

“Just buy another one,” she says with a laugh. “Until you find one that lives.”