Valuing Your Treasures
Although any gardener would be proud to call the collection of plants above her (or his) treasure, there are other treasures – art or antiques – that have sometimes been preserved by families over many many years.
Although any gardener would be proud to call the collection of plants above her (or his) treasure, there are other treasures – art or antiques – that have sometimes been preserved by families over many many years.
Four members of the Chester Garden Club (three of whom are shown above) attended the recent annual meeting of the South Shore District of the Nova Scotia Association of Garden Clubs (NSAGC). The event, hosted by the Mahone Bay Garden Club, was held on September 19th and drew 30 delegates from among the eight clubs that make up the district.
The first part of the morning session was devoted to reports from each of the clubs and included a brief message from Brenda Hiltz, the NSAGC’s District representative. The reports were followed by an illustrated talk by Jill Covill of Bunchberry Nurseries, Upper Clements, who spoke about fall colour in gardens. After a tasty lunch provided by the host club, the delegates enjoyed a tour of selected local gardens.
Charles Berry, on behalf of the NSAGC, presented Brenda Garland, president of the Chester club, with a card of congratulations in honour of the 70th anniversary of the founding of Chester Garden Club. Brenda’s report highlighted a variety of activities undertaken by the club during the past year, and she stressed that, in addition to attaining the aims of increasing the number of members and contributing to the community, members “found time to enjoy our own gardens and very often that of our friends and neighbours.”
Two days later, Brenda was back in Chester chairing the monthly meeting of the Chester Club and welcoming Niki Jabbour as our guest speaker. Niki’s informative talk, about plants that add colour and interest to an autumn garden, gave members of the Chester club who had missed the District meeting a chance to learn about new varieties of old favourites.
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As the good weather extends into September, and the calendar indicates that fall is still a week or so away, many Chester gardens continue to provide good colour. Ornamental grasses are also at their best.
Although it is the yellows and oranges that predominate, with rudbeckia and ligularia showing their autumn hues, the occasional splash of red can be seen. The white blooms on a buddleia add a striking accent to the overall palette.
Adhering to this autumn mindset, Chester Garden Club’s September
meeting will feature well-known
horticulturist Niki Jabbour who will speak on ensuring that your garden has its share of autumn colour and interest. The meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, September 21st, at 7:00 pm. Location – the same as usual – in St. Stephen’s Parish Community Centre, corner of Queen and Regent streets.
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