Home from Nova Scotia

A container planting with a lime colored Coleus and Butterfly Gaura, Gaura lindheimeri

My Dad dressed in his maroon swimming trunks; a grey sweatshirt wrapped over his shoulders leans on a black cane with one hand and on my arm with the other. He is a small man, but his weight on my arm is considerable as we navigate the rough gravel path that leads down to the lakefront beach.

I had asked my Mom, as we made dinner together the night I arrived, what my eighty-seven year old Dad would most like to do while my sister Nancy and I were at home.

"He wants to go swimming," she told me.

Humble Lobelia in a metal bucket.

Our week-long visit has flown by and it is the final couple of days before my sister and I must fly back to our regular adult lives on different continents. The weather has turned overcast and a bit blustery, but we are both determined to honour Dad's wish to go for a summer swim.

Odd boulders and serpentine tree roots mean that every step my Dad and I take down the forested pathway to the lake is a new adventure for Dad and his cane. We pause frequently, so he can catch his breath.

When we finally reach the beach the lake is looking black and mighty cold. The two life guards in attendance are wearing jackets over their  swimsuits. Unfazed, my Dad takes my sister's arm, and with his cane in the other hand, he heads into the water. As my Mom and I watch anxiously from the shore, there are a few tense moments when he falters on the sand, but Dad recovers his balance and strides out into the dark water.

Chest deep he throws the cane back to us on shore and he and Nancy take the plunge.

Burr that's got to be cold!

But as I look at my Dad's face as it pops up out of the water, he looks only happy. While he struggles to be mobile on land, he is buoyant in the water. Jubilation is written all over his face.

That moment of sheer joy will most certainly be one of my dearest memories of my trip home to Nova Scotia.

Jacquie's Garden

There are lots of other wonderful memories too. 

Though there was little time to visit local gardens, Mom took me to visit her friend Jacquie's garden the afternoon I arrived.

Martagon lilies.

My favourite object in Jacquie's garden: a carving of a hand with long tapered fingers. The hand rests on an old wooden bench. One day I must ask her about the story behind the hand.

This is Valentine. 

As you can by her dark stare, Valentine eyed me with suspicion the whole time we were in Jacquie's garden. 

My Mom, on the other hand, she adored. Though Valentine notoriously dislikes visitors, she put her tiny paws up on my Mom's trouser legs and begged repeatedly to be petted. 

I am sure she would have nipped my hand if I had dared to do the same! So much for the notion I hold any sway with dogs!

Mahone Bay

Almost everywhere I went on my trip to Nova Scotia, there seemed to be flowers.

Liatris with pink Phlox paniculata in the background.

Blazing Star or Gayfeather, Liatris spicata: forms a low clump of grass-like foliage with flowers spikes of magenta-purple, white or flowers in late summer. Attractive to butterflies and bees. Full sun. Height: 75-90 cm, Spread: 30-45 cm. Laitris will grow in a variety of soil types and are pretty drought tolerant once established.

Honeysuckle Vine

Mahone Bay

Houses in Nova Scotia are sometimes painted the most outrageous colors.

I had to pull the car to the side of the road and take this picture.

Orange Tiger Lilies en masse.

My sisters and I (a third sister lives in Dartmouth, N.S.) did the most touristy thing we could possibly do: we went on a little mini-vacation that took us along the South Shore to Peggy's Cove and Mahone Bay. We avoided the main highway and opted instead for old twisty-turny road along shores of the Atlantic ocean.

The land that hugs the St. Margaret's Bay is a lunar landscape of granite boulders and plants that manage to cling to life in thin soil, salt air and harsh winds.

When you reach Peggy's Cove, the vista becomes a mix of rolling hills of stone and little salt water ponds.

The white lighthouse at Peggy's Cove is one of Nova Scotia's most famous landmarks.

Do you see the figure on the lower right?

This lady, with her wide brimmed hat and accordion, was singing traditional ballads 

for all the visiting tourists.

My sisters and I stayed overnight in this resort hotel.

We had our evening meal on the terrace and watched the sun go down. Dinner was delicious! I had roast chicken, while both my sisters enjoyed pan-seared halibut with scollops and shrimps in a lobster-cream sauce.

I flew home on the weekend with a bit of a heavy heart. How I wish I lived closer so I could check in on my parents more often! They need help, even though they are reluctant to accept it.

When I got home this big bouquet of dahlias awaited me on the kitchen counter. It was a wonderful trip, but it is always nice to come back home.

Color Essay #8: Pretty in Pink

Pink can be dramatic...

and it can be subtle.

Dahlia in the field at Butt's Berry and Flower Farm, Rockwood Ontario.

It ranges in intensity from almost red to...

Buckets of lilies at the Kingston Farmer's Market.

soft pastel shades.

Farmer's Market flowers gathered into a white pitcher

Pink can stand all on its own.... 

The Garnet Garden, Oakville, Ontario. (see the garden here)

and it plays well with others.

Have you ever noticed someone at a garden center or nursery, standing in line with an odd or unusual purchase?

I remember seeing this well dressed couple, with a cart filled with rhododendrons and azaleas in full bloom, waiting to complete their purchase at the sales counter. I swear that they must have strolled down the nursery isle and randomly selected bushes that just happened to catch their eye, rather like they might have done if they were shopping for shoes or clothing. I am sure that their purchase decision was fueled primarily by the visual appeal of the bushes in full flower. Rhododendrons and azalea are spectacularly beautiful, after all! 

The azaleas, in particular, would be a challange to grow sucessfully here in Ontario. Our winters are harsh and our summers are hot and dry. Though I have not had great success with rhododendrons myself and am therefore no expert, I at least know from my failings, that rhododendrons need soil amendments to prosper. The fact that there was nothing in the cart, but the bushes themselves, lead me to think that the happy couple were complete novices about to make a potentially expensive mistake.

Not only novices fall prey to the allure of a flower in bloom. I have come home from the nursery, on more then one occasion, with an impulse purchase having been enticed by the arresting face of some winsome blossom who called out to me, "Buy me, I am so pretty!" 

I have been burned by these beauties so many times however, that I am a bit more cautious these days. I consult plant tags and consider growing conditions. If for instance, the plant needs lots of moisture, I give it a pass, no matter how attractive it is. 

I am also am more than little wary of unknown plants that could turn into nasty, hard-to-eradicate, garden invader. When in doubt, I consult one of the nursery personnel or pass altogether, until I have checked out a plant's references.

In today's post I have gathered pretty pink flowers from my own garden and elsewhere as noted, beautiful temptresses all.

The first pink flowers in my garden are bleeding hearts. (Dicentra spectabilis)

Another early summer beauty. Columbine (Clementine "Rose" Aquilegia)

Hollyhocks in the Lucy Maud Montgomery Garden in Norval, Ontario (see the garden here)

Bee Balm (Monarda 'Marshall's Delight') One of my favorite Bee Balms in my 

garden is this pretty pink variety.

Perennial Sweet Pea or Everlasting Sweet Pea (L. latifolius)

Everyone knows annual sweet peas. Well, this is the perennial version. I used to have it in my first ever garden and definitely want to add it to my current garden. 

Now, to be honest, perennial sweet pea can get a bit messy looking, and so it is a good idea to watch it carefully in spring and make sure that it is neatly restrained by its supporting trellis. Like the annual flower, it likes full sun. Unlike its annual cousin, it does not have a scent. I have read that it can self seed prolifically, but I have never had a problem with it. 

Lavatera in a Georgetown, Ontario garden (see the garden here)

My Mum used to grow this old fashioned annual. Last summer, I saw it growing in a private garden in the nearby Georgetown, and I was reminded just how pretty it is.  A cousin to Hibiscus and Hollyhocks, Lavatera has dark green foliage, and large blooms, that put on a great show all summer.

This is one of my prettiest daylilies.

(Papaver orientale)

I already have red oriental poppies, but I like these even better. I saw this soft pink variety at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and think that they are stunning.

Oriental Lilies in my front garden.

A Rose of Sharon helps to keep pink going all summer long in this private garden in Kingston, Ontario.

Deep pink sedum flowers in my back garden.

In early fall, this Burning Bush initially became hot pink in color.

This is the third of my Stylish Blogger Award posts. This one goes out with my thanks to the blog Elly's Tuin. Elly gardens in the Netherlands, and though I am only just getting to know her, I think that she is someone who appreciates the soft beauty of the color pink.

Dahlias from Butt's Berry and Flower Farm, Rockwood Ontario

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." Confucius

Dahlias are one of my most favorite flowers, yet I have never really grown them. I think that is because I have a ready source of these wonderful flowers in greater variety of color, size and shape than my garden could ever produce.

Starting in late July, there is a veritable rainbow of gorgeous dahlias at my local farmer's market.

I love everything about the farmer's market; the bustle of people, the fresh picked fruit and vegetables, and the stands blooming with summer flowers. With luck market day is warm and sunny. Everyone, it always seems to me, is in a festive mood. In the air there is the smell of chicken kabobs sizzling on the grill, and the delicious scent of fresh baked bread and pastries.

For me the very best part of market day, is selecting the bouquet of fresh flowers that will light up my hall table all week. And, in my humble opinion, the prettiest, fresh flowers at the Brampton farmer's market can be found at Butt's farm stand.

Amanda Oldham (right) with her aunt Robin Withers in front of their dahlias and buckets of glads at Butt's Berry and Flower Farm stand at the Brampton farmer's market.

The Butt family has been growing flowers for four generations, first at their farm in Huttonville and now at their new farm in located near Rockwood, Ontario. 

Starting in 1944, the family began growing glads and strawberries at their first farm on the outskirts of Brampton. When the popularity of dahlias grew in the 1980's, fields were changed over to grow them.

Then slowly over the years, the city began to inch ever closer to the farm. Developers, keen to build houses for a ready market, began knocking on all the doors of farms in the area. "They used to sometimes come in twice a week, pressuring us to sell.", Robin Withers recounts. 

The family finally relented about five years ago, opting to move out far from the encroaching suburbs and bought a farm in Eramosa township. There, they carry on their flower and berry business, driving everyday to the flower grower's clock in Mississauga and coming into Brampton for the market on Saturday.

It one thing to grow flowers for your own personal enjoyment, its another to grow them for a living.

I asked Robin about the challenges the farm faces. "Its very tough."she replied,"We are always at the mercy of the weather."

We were thrilled when Robin invited us out to the farm to see the dahlias growing in the fields.

It was a hot, humid day when we headed down the tree lined road to the farm house, just north of the small town of Rockwood.

I was curious about the rows of small rocks resting on the open gate and fence that marked off the flower fields. I asked Robin later if that was for luck. "No" she answered, "My father just likes to pick them up in the field and put them there."

Chelsea the dog made an excellent field guide on the afternoon of our visit.

Aren't they just magnificent?

Dahlia flowers in a variety of shapes and an amazing range of colors.

They prefer full sun and well drained sandy loam. Plant dahlia tubers about five inches deep, with the eye facing upwards, after the last frost. For best results, incorporate a couple of spadefuls of compost into the soil, when you plant dahlia tubers. Thereafter, feed them only with fertilizers low in nitrogen and high in phosphorous and potassium.

Water dahlias lightly after planting (too much water can cause rot). Thereafter, ensure they have water at least once a week. To encourage good flowering, do not allow them to dry out during blooming season.

Pinch your dahlias for more compact plants and deadhead them regularly. The more flowers you cut, the more flowers the plant will bear!

To overwinter the tubers, wait until frost has blackened the foliage and then dig deep beneath the clump. Lift the tubers carefully avoiding possible damage to the neck near the crown. Each tuber can yield as many as 10 more by autumn.

Use a sharp knife to slice the young tubers from the crown. Discard the "mother" along with any baby tubers showing signs of damage. Bring the tubers indoors and wash the soil from the tubers. Allow them to dry for 24 hours. Label the tuber and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Place them in plastic shoeboxes and store them in a dry place above freezing temperatures for the winter.

Me, I prefer to get my dahlias at the market. (Less work and all the glory!)

I think going local means more than buying fruit and vegetables grown in your area. 

I say, support your local flower grower and bring home a bouquet of fresh flowers just for you! Place them somewhere you pass frequently, like a hall table or put them on your desk at work. Go on! You desire it (and you help support your local farm family to boot)!