Month: November 2016

Another Walk – Public Spaces

Another Walk – Public Spaces

During the spring, summer and fall members of our garden club have experienced several beautiful spaces, some in or near our home communities and others further away. Before imgp2386winter sets in let’s take another walk. Perhaps we will make plans for a winter or springtime outing.

Halifax offers several choices for a beauty- filled walk. The following are only two of many opportunities.

Regatta Point:

In the spring Sandy shared these wonderful pictures from a visit to Regatta Point, a development near the Armdale Roundabout and near the intersection of the Herring Cove Rd. and the Purcell’s Cove Rd. There are green spaces owned by the city inside this development. The plants in them have largely been put there by individuals, in particular rhododendrons and azaleas were planted by John Meagher. The Atlantic Rhododendron & Horticulture Society has also done some planting and care over the years. Nearby is a picturesque walk along the Northwest Arm shoreline.

Halifax Public Gardens:

The Halifax Public Garden, officially opened in 1867, is a 16-acre oasis in the heart of downtown Halifax. Thanks to a series of talented people it has retained much of the original Victorian character and, through the efforts of many, the gardens were designated a National Historic Site in 1984.

Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens:

Stop and smell the roses and as the invitation says: Escape from the hectic pace of everyday life with a visit to Annapolis Royal’s beautiful Historic Gardens. These gardens won the 2015 Canadian Garden of the Year Award.

In a beautiful setting overlooking a tidal river valley, the Historic Gardens site is a premiere Nova Scotia attraction showcasing gardening methods, designs and materials representing more than 400 years of local history. This is a beautiful garden paradise to explore in person.


Tangled Garden:

Heather shared her delight after her visit to Tangled Garden in Grand Pre, a garden enjoyed by many; it is about one hour’s drive from Chester.

Special herb jellies such as Raspberry, Lavender and Garlic Rosemary are created. Delicious jams, chutneys, mustards, vinegars and liqueurs are also produced, all made using fresh herbs from the gardens and fruit from the surrounding fertile Annapolis Valley. When you visit, make sure to stroll through the garden, take a few minutes to walk the wildflower labyrinth, or pause by the pond to reflect.

Now, for all of us, close to home, two of our own beautiful spaces:

Parade Garden: maintained by Chester Garden Club

Cove Garden: owned and maintained by Chester Garden Club.

Summer Reflections

Summer Reflections

We all struggled with a very dry summer, many of us saving and recycling water, mulching to conserve moisture in our gardens & setting up water dishes for the birds and other wildlife that were also feeling the stress. We wondered if our wells & rivers would be replenished, and if our gardens would survive.

click on any picture for slide show

In spite of the drought, our gardens, both flower and vegetable produced. Yes, some failures were experienced, some blooms seemed late and some seemed to flower and produce fruit/seed very quickly.

For the last few weeks we have had weather that has been more like late summer. Our gardens have continued to produce. Some plants became confused producing late bloom. Pollinators still roamed the garden, snakes still found warm spots to sun bathe, insects & birds were in their  nitches  and salamanders continued to be visible when areas common to them were uncovered.

Now we must admit it really is fall. We have had beautiful rainbows following welcome rains,  the trees have their fall color, we have had a killing frost and a few snow flakes have been seen. Many gardener’s have been preparing for winter. Some gardener’s fastidiously tidy and mulch in the fall, easing springtime preparation. Others are selective doing fall cleanup, leaving some plant material as cover for wintering critters & seed heads that are a welcome food source for fall and winter birds.

Soon we will be all armchair gardening, planning optimistically for another season. I wonder what challenges await us in the upcoming year ?