It was a rainy day last Saturday in Weymouth, Nova Scotia and the crowds at the Sissiboo Home Hardware celebration had gathered early. We were celebrating the 15th 'Mark Cullen Approved' Garden Centre in the country. When I arrived at 10 a.m. there was a line up of people wanting to talk, ask gardening questions and some even brought copies of my books for signing. I 'hit the ground running'.
Consistent with their reputation, I find Maritimers are some of the most friendly and open folks around. In this regard they have a lot in common with Prairie people. Perhaps it is their physical situation - living as they do near a sea full of water or a sea of flat land that brings them together from great distances and encourages them to welcome strangers into their mist.
As the line up dwindled, customers moved on to the punch bowl and into the new garden centre in search of great deals, a woman approached me with her hand outstretched. As she shook mine she said, "My name is Heather and I really wish that you could meet my daughter. She is in the garden all of the time - LOVES it! But you know, I just didn't have the strength to lift her out of her wheelchair and into the car."
Heather likely could have read my mind by the incredulous look on my face. "A wheelchair? Your daughter? A passionate gardener?" Somehow, in that brief snap shot of time this did not make sense.
So I replied as I always do when I hear that someone can't be with us: I asked Heather to tell her daughter that she was missed and that I hoped that she has a great gardening season.
I can be as un-original as anyone when thinking on my feet.
It was not until the event ended several hours later and I was in my car racing for the Halifax Airport that the full impact of her words hit me. There is a young woman in Nova Scotia who is not fully mobile but somehow getting around the garden. She relies on her mother for transportation. Picture that. I did, and suddenly the rush to return home to my own garden seemed less important. The limitations of time; to plant, weed and prune were relegated in my mind and replaced with a deeper gratitude for the use of all of my limbs and the efficiency with which I am able to use them.
A sore back from a day of planting and weeding? Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.
A Charlie Horse while eating dinner? A minor inconvenience; should have stretched this morning.
Sunburn? Dirty knees? Calluses? Aggravated dry skin on the palms of my hands? The experience of gardening has been put into a new perspective based on two statements: "She loves to garden" and "I couldn't lift her out of her wheelchair."
This is the beginning of a long Canadian summer. One of the great moments in our calendar when the planting is all but done, the weeds are young (and easy to control), the harvest is ahead of us and full of promise. Mid winter dreams are being realized with each sunny day and every drop of rain.
For Heather's daughter I wish the realization of her mid winter dreams also. And the ability to touch, smell and experience all of the wonders of nature, brought to her by her garden.
Have a great summer!
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Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens
The world class Historic Gardens is a 17 acre horticultural paradise located in historic Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
Historically themed areas tell the story of Nova Scotia settlement from an agricultural and horticultural perspective, showcasing gardening methods, designs and materials representing more than four hundred years of local history.
The historically based core gardens are linked by paths through many other display areas featuring plant collections, garden art, water features and natural areas. Connecting pathways look westward over dykelands, evocative of a way of life centuries ago.
One of the most magnificent of the collections, by any standards, is the Rose Collection which has more than 270 cultivars, from ancient roses like the Apothecary Rose through to modern hybrids including roses of the Canadian Explorer, Parkland and Artist series'. With thousands of colourful and fragrant blossoms, it is the largest rose collection in the Maritime region.
Within its relatively intimate confines, the Gardens contain an astonishing array of horticultural diversity, with carefully designed transitions between the rock garden, the hydrangea and day lily collections, the azaleas and rhododendrons, the perennial bed, the heather collection, the evergreen collection and ornamental grasses as well as spring and winter collections.
Then there are the trees - exotic specimens like the blossoming Paulownia (Chinese Empress), the iconic Laburnum Arbour, the fruit bearing PawPaw (unique in the Maritime region), living fossils such as the Dawn Redwood and Ginkgo Biloba, and the majestic weeping American Elm, a provincially designated heritage tree.
See for yourself. Visit today! For more info visit http://www.historicgardens.com/index.php
Sign up for The Bloom Report, a list of when all the favourites in the Gardens are at their best!
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Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour
July 7, 2012
Tickets are selling like hotcakes for the 2012 edition of the Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour, on Saturday, July 7, 10am -4pm.
With 5 private properties and Annapolis Royal's own Historic Gardens at the height of rose season, it promises to be a very special day indeed.
Tour Tickets include a visit to the Historic Gardens in peak rose season and a special tour with Horticulturist Karen Achenbach at 4pm. Also included are refreshments at the Historic Gardens from 1-5pm. And to add even more value, Tour Tickets entitle participants to a discount on admission at several local attractions, and to a special ticket price for "Wine & Roses" in the Gardens on Friday, July 6, 7-9pm!
What a deal!
House & Garden Tour tickets may be purchased at the Historic Gardens or online at www.historicgardens.com. Tickets are $25 per person. 2012 Garden members (aka season passholders) can purchase Tour Tickets at a reduced rate of $20.
For further information, call 532-7018 or visit www.ExploreOurGardens.com.
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Presentation: Heritage Tree - Preserving Our Natural Roots
Edith George has a passion for heritage trees. She travels all over the Province of Ontario and answers the questions, "What is a heritage tree?" and "Why is it important to protect them?" using the Heritage Tree toolkit.
There are several categories of requirements in determining whether a tree is worthy of heritage tree recognition and Edith touches on all of them in her presentation.
Edith George will be speaking at Climate Action Niagara, Centennial Public Library, 50 Church St., St. Catharines, Ontario on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
And
At the London Museum, Eldon House, 481 Ridout St. North, London, Ontario on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
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- Weeds ARE young and easy to knock down this time of year. Be sure to hoe them out once a week or every 10 days. The job is easy at this point. 
Designed to reduce water use, Mark's Choice Sprinklers break-up water droplets into a fine mist. The tiny droplets improve delivery of water to the root zone and prevent water from pooling and running off. The heart-shaped sprinklers operate at low pressure, will not clog, and provide even coverage to an area of up to 2,000 square feet.
I was happy to receive an email and garden photo from Sandra Baker a few weeks ago.
Congratulations to Beth Edney CLD. 
Do you have a 'gardening' event you would like to promote? I would be happy to include your event listing in my monthly E-newsletter. 
In celebration of their 90th anniversary, the Bobcaygeon Horticultural Society invites everyone to "Please, step into our gardens!" The gates to seven private Bobcaygeon gardens will be open from 10am to 4pm on July 7th. Finally, an anniversary tea amidst the pioneer gardens of Kawartha Settlers' Village. 
Enjoy a self-guided tour of 8 inspiring gardens: enjoy beautiful spaces and tranquil retreats and meet enthusiastic gardeners. 
This is a special year for the Carpenter Hospice in Burlington as it is celebrating its 10th anniversary - 10 years in bringing physical, emotional and spiritual comfort to those in its palliative care. 
