Dans l'ouest Canadien et en particulier sur notre petite île Protection la période vers la fin du mois de mai correspond au plein épanouissement des jardins alors les gens sont fier d'ouvrir leur portes (barrières) et laisser les voisins admirer leur prouesses jardinières. Voilà pourquoi nous avons une visite annuelle des jardins. L'île n'est pas un grand territoire mais il serait quand même difficile de visiter plusieurs places en une matinée. Alors cette fois-ci c'est la section nord de l'île qui a accueilli les visiteurs.
End of May! On the Canadian West Coast and specially on our small Protection Island gardens are in full production. It's time to show around the gardener's accomplishment by opening the gates and inviting neighbours. The annual Garden tour is divided in 2 sections, this year it is the North part of the Island who is the guest.
J'étais du nombre et me suis permis de prendre quelques photos. Comme c'est le cas dans la plupart de mes derniers bloque, je ne ferai aucun commentaires, je vais laisser parler les photos, vous allez comprendre! Aussi, je ne couvre pas tous les aspects de chaque endroit, ce qui stimulera les prochains visiteurs à voir de leur propres yeux!
Les textes inclus ont été rédigés par Heather Coolings membre de la Société historique de l'île. Ils présentent chacun des huit jardins ouverts au public. Malheureusement il n'y aura pas de traduction complète de ces textes.
Of course I took part in this event hoping to satisfy my curiosity about what some fences hide...... I will not comment on the many pictures showed, I think the images will talk by themselves. Also, my photos show just a small portions of all the marvels of the sites so for the next visitors discoveries will still exist!
The next texts have been written by Heather Coolings member of the Island Historical society.
Welcome to the 23rd annual tour! It is a pleasure to offer this wonderful event for islanders, their families, and others from ‘across-the-way’. If you have attended our garden tours before, we have three new gardens for your enjoyment making a total of eight.
May finally brought us good weather, unusually hot and dry, after the lingering wet and cool winter and early spring. We are now relishing time in our gardens, and planting early the annuals, perennials, shrubs & vegetables bought at the recent DIGS plant sale.
Our thanks to the gardeners on this year’s tour. Their support, and yours by attending, are appreciated by the PI Cultural Historical Society. The funds raised today help keep the Museum and Archives thriving.
A common thread became apparent when we pre-toured these gardens – everyone was in the midst of change, of flux – building new paths and beds, propagating, moving plants, and planning for future garden features. Change seems to be the normal. Sign of the true gardener?
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9 Captain Kidd’s Terrace. It’s Barb Neild’s 6th year in her compact grey-green cottage with the purple trim, and the second garden this octogenarian has built on the island (first tour visit here). A hard-working, strong and knowledgeable gardener, she has chosen to keep her garden natural and is close to eradicating the blackberries which covered the yard, revealing many natives - star flowers, ferns, Oregon grape, chatterbox orchid, foxgloves, Indian plum, fawn lilies, trilliums and oxalis. Spring in this garden is a joy with bulbs and primroses offering welcome colour. Barb works successfully with the high canopy, which shades the yard most of the day, with rocks and poor soil, while creating and building up borders and beds. Ask her about the several intriguing hugles in the yard. On the park side, there is a deer-proofed little garden where she can grow cultivated plants, hostas and hydrangeas, and her favourite tree peonies grown from seed. She is a patient gardener, always with an eye to the next season and year, and we look forward to viewing the changes in future tours.
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21 Pirates Lane. For 13 years Jim Lawton and Karen Berg have tended this corner lot, building on a garden established 5 years before. They have transformed the plot to reveal their own preferences, and created a serene oasis on the busiest corner of PI. So much to admire it is almost impossible to describe in a short hand-out. We especially love the serenity, the textures and forms of leaves, subtle and bright colour, movement of sun and shade, the choices of groundcovers and mature shrubs and trees. A garden planned to create interest throughout the year, from the magnificent sweep of white fawn lilies in early spring, on to rhododendrons with incredible flower heads, and magnolias, camellias, clematis and dogwood in spring, to thriving summer vegetables and fruits in the sunny corner. Roses and choisya and mock orange are now delighting us with their scent. There is a feeling of restraint and tranquility here with the semi-formal new paths and carefully chosen annuals and perennials. Jim is an incredible worker – outside throughout the year – mulching, digging, moving and screening! He’ll be pleased to point out some choice plants in this beautiful garden.
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12 Captain Kidd’s Terrace. Next down the lane is a garden we will come right out and call exuberant. Five years of gardening – only five - but by gardener extraordinaire Catherine Eck. She has expanded her gardening throughout the yard, so you need to check every corner, and fence and tree which illustrate her creative force - and don’t forget the porch, deck and right around the base of the house! Catherine loves green, digging in the earth, growing food, collecting plants, and neat objects to decorate her garden, and she shows such fine and fun taste. The riotous colour of annuals and perennials, the variety of shrubs and climbers and trailers, and the sheer amount of plants is as we say ‘exuberant’, but take your time to stroll and smell the flowers, take a seat. You will admire her artist’s eye and the lovely tapestry she has woven. (Secret? she uses a lot of organic chicken manure). Two years ago we described her garden as a curated space created by a collector/decorator/artist – she has only expanded on this vision. Thanks Catherine for the plant identification, and for your energy and dedication to beauty.
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33 Captain Kidd’s Terrace. Years ago this old fallen-down cottage was renovated by Ian and Brenda, then bought by Joyce Lawton who renovated more, and planned the garden, a woodland one. She cleared the area after the fence was built, which revealed hundreds of native trilliums, bleeding heart and huckleberry, she added rhododendron, Japanese maple, hosta, hellebore, sweet woodruff. All shaded by a high canopy of maples, three rare yews, fir and cedar which create challenging dry shade. For a long time we will refer to this as ‘Joyce’s garden’. Recently bought by the Lamoureuxs, Suzanne has transformed it into an art centre, a little hub of creativity and joy. We think Joyce would approve. Enjoy the art in the garden and cottage of Studio 33. The artists are graciously donating 10% of sales today to the museum.
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26 Captain Kidd’s Terrace. A treasure-trove of found objects. An eclectic garden. Joe’s purple bench to the left of the entrance greets you as you enter the hidden refuge. Collections of ladders, bottles, old tools, boat signs, rope, shovels, fish nets, propellers, boat bumpers, glass balls are here to discover. Could be more wonders hidden under the verdant undergrowth or behind the trees. We love this yard for its eccentricity, a sign that PI’s ‘wizard with stone’ and ‘master of woodpiles’ lives here. Dan Jansson moved here in 1999 with Joe, his partner, a talented maintenance gardener. Joe has left a legacy of plants, clematis, lilies, iris, and anything she was offered by other gardeners. They both grew vegetables extraordinaire, and Dan continues the tradition. You must take time to stroll the many paths, through the garden rooms, into the shed crammed with delights (but highly organized), and look up and in all directions to note the special places and plants – huge kiwi and grape vines, fruit and nut trees, the Kiftsgate rose. Note the serious compost bins, and discover the hidden pond, now the attention of merauding otters. Two of the highlights are the folk art hobby horse under the apple trees and close by, a Danny Muhi carved pheasant perched on a branch. Dan will enlighten you about each feature, the latter being a part of PI history.
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10 Treasure Trail. Describing this garden for the first time and doing it justice was a challenge! Two big lots, fully fenced three summers ago, with such a variety of plants, shrubs, vines and trees that we know you will be impressed. Since Norah Curtis and Peter Rombough bought on PI in 2000, built their house, and retired from Manitoba, this garden has expanded in size and complexity. Admire the long terraces, built by Dan, crammed with plants, then start your tour through the front ‘Raven’ gate. Along the path are cherry and plum trees. You are immediately surrounded by a woodland of rhododendron and azalea, ferns, weigela, salal, camellia, trillium and hosta. The inviting deck offers privacy and room for pots and planters. Turn left to stroll through an area of small fruit trees, raspberries galore, herb and vegetable beds, with grape, hop, clematis and kiwi vines. Check out the chicken run. Turn back to admire the espaliered peach trees against the house. Head down to the sunny and bountiful vegetable area, with serious raised beds and a new greenhouse for eggplants and peppers. The espaliered apple and pear trees are Peter’s work (he hand pollinated the pears). A few treasures to discover: A rare Wollemia pine (a living fossil) from Australia; tree peony in bloom; 12 year old windmill palm (now flowering indicating climate change); a sequoia; giant delphiniums; Meyer lemon in pot; “Seven Devils’ rhodo; and serious composting. Some statistics: 3 beehives producing 100 lb honey a year, over 50 rhododendrons (many propagated by Peter), over 60 apple trees with 17 varieties, 11 figs, 5 pear varieties, 4 hop vines, 8 composters. The secret of their success? Serious composting, manure galore, good grafting, planning, and sheer work, work throughout the year.
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31 Pirates Lane. Once locally called the ‘half house’ is now a beautiful ‘whole house’, with a spectacular garden for you to explore. Colleen and Laurence Fraser bought this property way back in 1984, came to live here full-time in 2012. After finishing the house (hence the whole house), they turned to landscaping, and rose to the challenge of working with a very steep slope. Laurence is a retired carpentry teacher, and doesn’t it show! All the impressive hard landscaping - the decks, stairs, outbuildings, pergolas, raised beds, and bridges are his handiwork, as is the cedar sided house. The meandering stream is the main feature of the backyard, beginning in an old hot tub, and spilling down to a large pond (they are trying to save goldfish recently ravaged by otters). He has turned his hand to setting down stone paths and other rockwork, and setting up one of the most impressive watering systems we’ve witnessed. Colleen is becoming a knowledgeable gardener with the same energy as has Lawrence; she’s chosen a wonderful collection of plants all thriving in just the right locations. A few artistic touches we love – the red gate (now look at it closely), the old totem at the bottom of the property, and those raised vegetable beds! This is a superb garden – beautifully designed and executed, productive and inspiring, a place for both quiet relaxation and family play. Our first visit, there will be more in years to come.
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51 Pirates Lane. A small garden with a big impact. We’ve visited this garden for many years – always a favourite. A blend of the exotic and native, starting with a row of beautiful bromeliads along the left path, to a deck crowded with potted cacti and other succulents. Strange and fascinating plants hanging from trees, and a greenhouse full of treasures. Mike Hawkes is a retired botanist and teacher, who fell for succulents and other such exotics as a child, has travelled the globe in search of specimens, and grown many from seed (some over 40 years old). You are in for treat as you discover the many unusual and rare, and with luck some will be in flower. Not to be outdone, Denise Bonin’s talent and interest provide contrast with a collection of native mosses and orchids, ferns, prehistoric plants, with a very nice bog garden. Her paths and rock work are impressive – her own designs and implementation. Note the emphasis on shade loving greenery, and there - a splash of colour. A garden space we continue to admire and enjoy.
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REMINDER: These photos are available for the gardeners, just send me an E-Mail request at
jijifrancois@gmail.com
