20 Jul 2011

The Work Is Paid Off – Garden Tour Day

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Have I told you that I love my second job! Being allowed the privilege of maintaining a garden of such beauty and magnitude, and being given an opportunity to introduce new and exciting plant materials [read: some of my all time favourites!] is like a dream come true! Imagine then the thrill of preparing for a garden tour – a busload of people coming out of Toronto, led by Frank Kershaw no less! With all the finishing touches in place, all that was left was to sit back and wait for the onslaught of visitors to arrive! Priming and pruning during the week leading up to the grand event ensured that the gardens were at their peak in pristine beauty!

DSC_0610The fence line that introduces visitors to the potage was brimming with bloom: Rosa, Alcea, Allium [albeit spent heads to add texture!], Chelome…. the epitome of country charm!

DSC_0613  A view of the central border – albeit slightly skewed from where the photo was taken. It was a scorcher of a day and I knew that without fail the Petasites would have to be watered at just the right moment in order to ensure that it wasn’t flopping when the guests arrived.

DSC_0614 DSC_0617 DSC_0619 I intuited that the guests would gravitate towards the shaded White Garden so encouraged that they enter the property at the potage, work their way down to the river and then back up around the central border and up into the shade. It worked, almost! I had to laugh, knowing that if I were a guest, I too would have made a beeline for the woodland garden.

DSC_0620 DSC_0625 DSC_0635 The guests arrived precisely to the minute and began milling around the property. I had contemplated a guided tour but shunned the idea when I pondered what I would look forward to as a participant. D and I were both on hand to answer any questions, and there were plenty! Did I have personal quarters on the property was the best!

The host of the tour, Frank Kershaw, kindly reciprocated with three pots of plants from his own garden, including the native yellow Lady Slipper Orchid. I simply couldn’t resist taking him to a sheltered spot within the woodland garden to show him where our Cypripedium reginae and Meconopsis grandis are planted. Methinks he realized at that precise moment that as a horticulturalist, I can hold my own, thank you very much! Sadly, with another garden yet to partake of, the tour was over in the blink of the eye!

DSC_0645 DSC_0653 DSC_0687 Heartfelt thanks to D for allowing me this exciting opportunity to be an active participant in an event such as this. I have never entertained the idea of opening my garden to the public, but was more than reciprocated for the weeks of effort with the comments that we received.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

This is the first time I have seen your garden spaces so well. Your are obviously a consummate plalntsman and not bad with design either. Congratulations on a great tour.

Shirley @ The Gardening Life said...

What a wonderful tour! Your hard work and love of plants shows in every turn. I'm glad you shared it with us.

Barbarapc said...

The garden was absolutely tip-top gorgeous - could have been on any tour, anywhere - Congratulations. Well done. You should get a medal for the box alone. Do hope this encourages you to put yours on a tour. It's a lot of work, but so important for gardeners & garden appreciators to see that there's more to gardens than 26 blue hydrangeas, 15 mop heads and 65 ladies mantles.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Sweetie .. I swear I could almost hear you purring all the way over here ;-)
Fabulous garden with a fabulous guide who could wish for anything more ?
Joy : )

cheryl said...

O Barry that garden is gorgeous! I love the round one around the fountain. It's so pleasing yet I enjoy the wild scape. What a garden tour, I'm envious. Do you know of Marjorie Harris? You two would work so well together. O yeah.