Gardeners and plant lovers are by nature generous, sharing people, quick to offer bouquets, cuttings, seeds and bits of wisdom gleaned from digging in the soil and nurturing plants. Whether celebrating successes or pondering near successes, they are as optimistic as and endearing as their gardens. …
Following the annual meeting in November, with the holiday season nearly upon us, members and guests were treated to an evening of seasonal decoration instruction. Svenja Dee, presented a holiday feast for the senses using almost entirely native materials that she collects from field, forest, from her own and friends gardens and yes, even in highway ditches. Some members were thrilled to take one home and others were inspired to create.
Athough the weather didn’t cooporate, the annual Christmas Pot Luck was enjoyed by those who were able to attend. Myra commented ” Don’t know who made this feast for the eyes. I didn’t need to taste it; I will enjoy it visually over and over.”
Wishes to all for treasured time with family and friends during this holiday season.
You may not have heard about El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, but Syd & Sandy D. know about it firsthand. Syd’s delightful presentation October 26th took us into the world of fantastic architecture and landscapes spread across the 800 km. of this pilgrimage in northern Spain. For two weeks last spring, they alternately bused and walked with pilgrims who were likewise intent on trekking to the shrine of the Apostle James in Santiago where tradition has it that his remains are buried. Quipped Syd about their using a van from time to time, unlike more orthodox pilgrims, “I hope it doesn’t diminish your opinion of us!” as the crowd of at least 60 people erupted in laughter. From picture to picture of crowded buildings on crowded streets, Syd, a prominent Halifax architect himself, extolled the virtues of fabulously designed housing unencumbered by Canadian municipal zoning constraints. “You could almost touch the neighbors across the street from you,” he said. “It was wonderful.” Ah, the romance of such names as Barcelona, Pamplona, Puente la Reina and La Rioja as well as churches with filigreed cement columns, ornate stained glass and gilded altars. Matched with Syd’s laid-back conversational dialogue, the fast-moving presentation kept his audience captivated throughout the hour. And the interest continued with conversations for another 45 minutes as members and visitors enjoyed delicious refreshments and even some Spanish wine donated by guess who.
More Activities
Club members donned garden gear Monday, November 2nd, to clean up the Cove Garden for the winter season. President Heather M. expressed her thanks to “Herb F., Sheila S. and the CGC gang for working so diligently” to make it look very special. Thanks also goes to Sylvia M. and Jane C. for taking the following pictures.
As owners of the Cove Garden (a small green park in the village), members of Chester Garden Club are responsible for keeping its lawn and gardens shipshape. To that end, a small but stalwart group convened recently to rake, weed and edge the beds, prune the roses, and generally tidy up the area.
Once the work at the Cove Garden was finished, the group moved on to the Parade Square where they undertook the same sort of Spring cleaning. The results of an hour or so of weeding are seen in the photos below.
Having achieved their goal, the volunteer clean-up crew then wound up the morning’s efforts with a scrumptious pot-luck lunch at Heather’s house.
Earth Day was first launched in the United States in 1970 as an environmental awareness event, and is now celebrated world-wide. By a happy coincidence, this year Earth Day fell on April 22nd, the day designated by Chester Garden Club for a spring clean-up of the two public gardens in our village. Answering the call for volunteers, about two dozen members showed up and contributed their gardening skills in service to the environment in this one small corner of the globe.
The following gallery reflects the morning’s activities, which included spreading mulch, pruning and weeding at the beds in the Cove Garden and Parade Square, as well as socializing at a luncheon that followed, where all hands were offered delicious home-made squash soup and other treats. The photos were taken by Jocelyn and Joan. Unfortunately, Joan wasn’t able to maintain the chronological sequence of shots when creating the gallery so, enjoy the images as a media melange.
Earth Day Canada is a national environmental charity founded in 1990, with the aim of fostering and celebrating environmental respect, action and behaviour change that lessens our impact on the earth. Members of the Chester Garden Club joined over 1 billion people in over 170 countries by staging their clean-up on April 22nd. Not all the club’s volunteers could be rounded up for the photo below but their work was much appreciated.
Chester Garden Club rose to the occasion recently in response to a request for flowers to add a splash of colour to a September wedding. A committee of three – Sheila, Sidney and Jocelyn – met in a local garage cum workshop to fullfil the order.
Working with a mix of plants from local gardens supplemented by floral material purchased from commercial growers, the club members created bouquets for the bride and bridesmaid as well as table decorations.
The bride had chosen the local yacht club as the venue for her wedding and she arrived, with her bridesmaid and wedding party, by sail. In the club’s main reception room, a lovely floral arrangement that Sidney had created was placed on the mantlepiece, where it picked up the colours in the painting above, with its white sails, blue water and gilt frame.
With the bride and groom safely launched on their new life, we turn again to the natural world around us, including our other summer visitors – the Monarch butterflies. The Club’s September 16th meeting will feature a presentation on the life span and travels of these beautiful creatures.
The arrival of Spring, with its connotation of new life and growth, means that Canadian gardens must be cleared of winter debris and prepped for all the new growth that we hope will follow.
Volunteers from Chester Garden Club turned out in the last week of April to begin the annual clean-up of the Parade Square garden, a public space which faces the village cenotaph.
This involves weeding the ubiquitous Sheep’s sorrel that threads its way though flower beds, and edging those beds where grass has invaded the space.
One intrepid volunteer donned protective gear to wade into a thicket of rosa rugosas to prune back unwanted canes and old rose hips. Meanwhile, tired from his busy rounds as a mascot to the club, Bandit takes a rest while Heather, club president, gives him an encouraging pat.
A few of the early tulips in the Parade Square garden have just begun to open but a nearby neighbour’s garden already displays a colourful border of bulbs along the street, just outside a picket fence.
Another work party is scheduled for weeding and pruning at the club’s own Cove Garden next week and, perhaps to encourage club members to volunteer their services again, Mother Nature recently provided a spectacular rainbow over a nearby cove.
From the left, Hon. Gerald Keddy, MP, Maggie Copas, Allen Webber, Warden of Chester Municipality, Denise Peterson-Rafuse, MLA
Volunteer Week in Nova Scotia is a spring-time tradition by which communities honor the many volunteers who give of their time and talent to support a wide variety of causes. From small town Volunteer Fire Departments, to sports organizations for youth, to artisan groups that teach heritage crafts, the motivation is: “Volunteers Make It Happen”.
Among those recognized for dedicated service by the Municipality of Chester last week was Maggie Copas, nominated by Chester Garden Club. Maggie, age 86, has been an active member of the club for over 50 years, serving for over a decade as correspondence secretary and later as a loyal volunteer for many club activities, including maintenance of the two public gardens in the village, planning and working at the annual flower show, and many other events. She has also been a keen supporter of the arts and is a long-time member of her church choir. [photo submitted by an anonymous CGC member]
Spring also brings a welcome flood of blossoms, such as this Star magnolia pushing its way up between two houses in the village and, below, a clump of Primulas after a light rain. In a curious anomaly, rain has been in short supply this spring; not something expected in a maritime climate.
The tulips in the bottom photo add a bright spark of colour, heralding spring in Herb’s garden. [Thanks to Sandy and Herb for the photos.]
In other news this Spring, club members are preparing for their Annual Gardeners Sale, to take place on May 26 (see the menu bar above for information). Before that date, however, it’s “all hands on deck” for a weeding and pruning session at the Parade Square garden on April 30, and a second work party at the Cove garden on May 5. In early June, many members will travel to Wolfville, for the annual convention of the Nova Scotia Association of Garden Clubs (NSAGC). Each member of registered garden clubs will be eligible to receive a rhizome of a Siberian Iris “Ruffled Velvet” (see below) courtesy of the NSAGC.
Meanwhile, members are busy catching up on spring chores in their own gardens. Unwanted weeds have quickly sprouted as a result of a couple of days of light rain, and winter debris must be cleared away, but compensation comes in the form of glorious colours of plants currently in bloom – Daffodils, Scilla, Tulips and Primulas. Forsythia and Star Magnolias are also in full regalia this week. They are all forerunners of the many delights awaiting Chester gardeners in the coming months.