Home again, home again jiggity jig

A birdhouse in my friend Donna's garden

I had a wonderful time in Nova Scotia. 

My Mom is 90, soon to be 91, and my Dad is a couple years younger. They don't get out of the house much these days, so on our first day home, my sister Nancy and I took them on a little picnic. Then on Tuesday, we went to see one of my Mom's favourite gardens in the nearby city of Truro. 

Mid-week my two sisters and I rented a car and drove from Halifax to Annapolis Royal on the Bay of Fundy for a little mini vacation.

The trip is about a two and a half hour drive, but we made lots of stops along the way, so our journey took most of the day.

Mid-day we stopped in the pretty town of Wolfville for a lunch. 

In the afternoon, we visited The Tangled Garden. This is a working garden where herbs, local fruit and berries are transformed into a range of jams and jellies that are sold at craft markets, online and in the garden's store. 

The Tangled Garden shop on the left, and on the right, a collection of the store's jams and jellies 

The herb Borage

Much of the garden is devoted to herbs which are picked fresh daily. 

The jams and jellies are made the old fashioned way in small batches- six jars at a time.

The grey foliage is Artemesia Silver King, the white flowers are Daisy Fleabane (a wildflower) the pink daisy is Echinacea and there is blue Sea Holly in the background.

The garden itself is really interesting. The planting style ranges from more formal raised beds (vegetables) to a very loose, almost wild style, where wildflowers mingle in with with standard perennials. In an open field, there is a modern take on a labyrinth, and the picture above is from the walk I took along a dry stream bed.

When I get myself more organized, I promise to come back and show you the garden in more detail.  For now, I will give you this sneak preview.

A display of fresh and dried flowers in the Tangled Garden Shop

A side view of the Tangled Garden Shop

The boardwalk along the Annapolis Basin

Our next stop was Annapolis Royal. 

This is another pretty little town and popular tourist destination. Port Royal across the Annapolis Basin was one of the earliest European settlements in North America. 

A wharf in the town of Annapolis Royal

Clothes drying in the breeze off the ocean

Tiger lilies in a private garden.

A ship in dry dock near the wharf in Annapolis Royal.

The Bread and Roses Inn a bed & breakfast in Annapolis Royal

Many of the town's old mansions have been turned into bed and breakfast inns. My sisters and I stayed in the Bread and Roses Country Inn. 

The house had grand rooms with 10' ceilings on the main floor and elaborate Art Nouveau woodwork. There were gardens both at the front and back of the house.

Roses along the fence at the Bread and Roses Inn

The front courtyard garden at the Bread and Roses Inn.

Rudbeckia

Do flowers get any sunnier?

The Historic Garden in Annapolis Royal.

On Thursday morning we went to visit Annapolis Royal's Historic Gardens. My sisters are not as interested in gardening as I am, so I didn't get to see all of the garden's 17 acres, but I did get to see enough to assure you that this garden that is well worth a visit.

Again, I will show you the garden in more detail when I get my pictures organized. For now, I will give you another preview.

Close-up of the plantings in the Victorian Garden.

Wild Bergamont or Monarda fistulosa

I loved the drama of this area of the garden.

Daylily, Hemerocallis 'Canadian Goose'

Daylily, Hemerocallis 'Canadian Goose' is a deep red daylily with a gold colored throat. Full sun or very light shade. Height: 60-90 cm ( 24-36 inches) USDA Zones: 3-9.

Daisy Fleabane (a wildflower) with Rudbeckia in behind.

A private garden along the Annapolis Basin.

All along the way I saw so many terrific private gardens! While we have many superb private gardens here in Ontario, the Martimes may just have us beat.

Another little teaser: the garden above is one we did stop for. The house was a striking shade of navy and the garden was filled with a mix of lavender and heather. I'll show you this garden in more detail very shortly.

Lawrence Town Beach

What's a visit to Nova Scotia with out a trip to the beach? 

Unfortunately the weather turned overcast and blustery the afternoon we drove out to Lawrence Town Beach.

My brother and my four year old nephew braving the 12 degree water.

 The freezing water and cool breeze didn't stop my brother and 4 year old nephew from taking a dip. 

My sister wore a fleece jacket and I was wearing a sweater as we watched from the sidelines.

Donna's garden

On my final day in Nova Scotia, I sent the morning visiting with my friend Donna. I have shown you her garden in spring. It looks every bit as amazing in August!

This post is getting long, but I will show you just a few of the pictures I took.

Daylily 'Luxury Lace'

This was just the most perfect pale pink daylily.

Monarda 'Marshal's Delight'

The fragrant foliage of Monarda 'Marshal's Delight' is more resistant to powdery mildew than many older varieties of Monarda. Hummingbirds and bees love its pink flowers. Like all Monarda, this plant is a bit of a spreader. Normal, sandy or clay soil all work for this plant.  It prefers soil that is moist. Full sun or part shade. Height: 75-120 cm (29-47 inches), Spread: 60-75 cm (23-29 inches. USDA Zones: 3-9

 Phlox Frans Shubert in Donna's garden

Phlox paniculata 'Frans Shubert' has lilac and cream flowers with a light fragrance. It can be susceptible to powdery mildew, but deep waterings in the morning hours can help prevent this problem. This phlox prefers sandy or clay soil. Full sun or part shade. Height:80-90 cm (31-35 inches), Spread: 60-75 cm (23-29 inches). USDA Zones:3-9.

When it finally came time to say good bye to my parents, my Dad stepped forward and put his arms around me. As I leaned into his embrace, he paused and held onto me for an extra long while. I am sure he wondered if this might be the last time he would ever get to hug me. At 89, you no longer take your days for granted.

Then it was my Mom's turn. Oh, but her body was so so thin and frail in my arms! She's still plenty feisty though. I think she could well out stubborn death for sometime to come. 

My sister Nancy and I are thinking positive. Already there is talk of flying home for Dad's 90th birthday next April.

I leave you with a poppy from my Mom's garden.

On my return, I have come down with a terrible chest cold. 

I promise to catch up and return your visits shortly.

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.