2022 garden walk — a winter recap
It feels like a century since we were enjoying the lush colours of summer
I can’t think of a better way to warm a wintry February night than with an armchair tour of last summer’s gardens.
For the past week, I’ve been editing images captured last July, when local garden enthusiasts opened their gardens for Niagara Falls Horticultural Society’s garden walk.
Today, my office walls are bathed in waves of yellow, orange, red, pink and rich greens, as the images of last summer’s garden walk light up the room. While the July walk was a mere six months ago, it feels like a century since we were enjoying the lush colours of summer.
After a two-year hiatus, it was a treat to be able to open the garden gate last summer and welcome visitors again — and the timing couldn’t have been better — the Year of the Garden was being celebrated across the country.
“With more than 200 tickets sold, it was one of the best garden walks, revenue-wise, in many years,” said Russell Boles, president of the horticultural society. “Everyone was glad to be out and have a social event in the fresh air.”
Along with the annual plant sale, the garden walk helps to fund society’s projects for the coming year. The money raised all goes back into the community, according to Boles.
“… Projects like, Heartland Forest, scholarships to Niagara College and Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, Trillium Awards, and gardens at the local fire halls and the armoury, along with contributions to Project Share.”
The club depends on host garden owners plus some 25 to 30 volunteers plus the club’s executive, to see that the event runs smoothly, according to Boles.
“The walk included a mix of garden styles, and many participants mentioned how much they enjoyed seeing gardens that were created by the property owners themselves.”
Showcasing an eclectic mix of garden styles keeps the garden walk popular year after year.
Last summer’s walk included a deep, well-manicured lot with a pond teeming with fish; a garden makeover scheduled to take three years — still in its first year — but already brimming with interesting features including a landscaped pond, raised beds for veggies and herbs, a rustic shed and dedicated home office in a chalet-like building; a family-friendly garden with perennials and grasses and a pond, pool and children’s playground; and a backyard oasis, filled with colourful plantings.
The walk included three properties that demonstrated unique ways to make the most of a small lot, whether manicured to a tee, a tropical plant lover’s oasis for summering houseplants, or an eclectic mix of gourmet plants and collectibles decorating a condo garden. Each property reflected the owner’s vision of what a small garden could be.
Adding to the diverse lineup, the walk stopped into one of Project Share’s community gardens, “The Gate” where visitors experienced the lush vegetables, herbs and flowers in this vibrant project. For lovers of exotic daylilies and over-thetop decor, an historic sheriff’s house turned B&B included many, many whimsical treasures along with fabulous daylilies.
Finally, my home garden was again invited to be on the tour.
It was a pleasure to welcome so many of my readers and show them around my little slice of paradise. With the extra home-time afforded by the pandemic over the past couple of years, several new projects had been completed, including an expanded cutting garden, a new pollinator garden and several new arbours. People were interested to learn more about the native trees we have planted over the years and were curious about the near black, ‘Midnight Snack’ tomatoes growing on the patio or seeing the collection of tropicals in the greenhouse.
After such a successful event, I wondered what the society had in the works for the coming year.
“We are planning a walk based in Chippawa,” said Boles, “and are looking for homeowners interested in sharing their gardens next summer.”
Interested in taking part? Contact Russell Boles via email at roundabouthegarden@msn.com.