Helen Chesnut
Everywhere they have lived, no matter how limited the space, Tom and Marlene have created around them a verdant retreat, a place to relax and enjoy the colours, scents and sounds in their own little Eden. They have done this with careful selections of trees and shrubs, favourite flowers, sometimes fruit trees and always a vegetable garden filled with earthy foods.
One job assignment found them seeking rental accommodation that proved to be a rare commodity in the rural area where Tom had been posted. What they found was a double-wide trailer set on a pie-shaped lot that was perfectly flat and nearly devoid of vegetation.
They had brought with them a picnic table, which they set out. As they sat at the table, under a large umbrella for the only available shade and thought about their surroundings and its future, Tom says, they “had the beginnings” of a change in their environment.
Over the winter, they “cogitated,” he says. By early spring, they had a plan. Large concrete tiles were acquired to form a fair-sized patio. Two tall red maples created shade, alders a privacy hedge.
Then they prepared and filled flower beds and made a successful vegetable garden. Big tubs were filled with colourful nursery plantings to create more splashes of colour. Out of semi-desert had emerged a lush, welcoming oasis of beauty and productivity.
Their current garden, just a few doors from my house, is a similar place of soothing refuge. The short distance from a gate in the front fence to the house is bordered by billowing blooms, among them lacy-leaved cosmos, under a ‘Blue Bird’ hibiscus.
A turn to the right, around a wall of shrubs and trees, suddenly reveals a scene of secluded charm. On the right, a small lawn is bordered by a comfortable bench and a rock wall. Ahead lies a path to the greenhouse on the far side of the house. To the left are broad steps to the doorway, set in an alcove with another bench.
On both sides of the steps and below them are tubs and large ceramic containers filled with flowers. One indigo blue pot holds pink and purple autumn sage (Salvia greggii) flowers, a favourite of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
In the slightly raised area created by the rock wall is a small pond with a low fountain whose gentle burbling has an immediate calming effect. In the pond are pots of papyrus, wild rice and elephant ears. The far side of the pond is bordered by a leaning western white pine, pruned into clouds of foliage.
Around and behind the pond is a fern garden, with plants in a pleasant range of sizes, forms and foliage types. A fern at the rock wall edge, Irish Lace, has small, crimped fronds.
Hovering above and creating a leafy canopy over the pond and fern garden are a tall smoke bush and two Japanese maples whose light green and red leaves bring more colour to the scene.
Tom has made a pathway, complete with a sign declaring his stewardship, around the back of the fern garden and alongside the front fence, which is a mere 7.5 metres from the front of the house. The area is a model of how a leafy, flower-filled haven of tranquillity can be made in a limited area.
Garden Events
Abkhazi plant sale. The Friends of Abkhazi Garden Society are hosting a plant sale on Sunday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Abkhazi Garden, 1964 Fairfield Rd. Fall is an ideal time to rethink the garden and add new plants. Come and find some treasures. Most have been propagated from plants in the garden. They include ferns, shade perennials, and unique garden gems. Cash and cheques only. Proceeds will be used in Abkhazi Garden projects. friendsofabkhazi.ca. Peninsula meeting. The Peninsula Garden Club will meet on Monday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Sharon Hope, a retired forest ecologist and cofounder of Friends of North Saanich Parks, will speak about invasive species. Guests and visitors are welcome at no admission charge for September. The evening will include a plant stall, access to master gardeners for information, and a “Show What You Grow” table. Qualicum meeting. The Qualicum Beach Garden Club will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Q.B. Civic Centre on Jones Street. Horticulturist Karen Cummins will discuss sustainable organic gardening. Non-member drop-in fee is $3.