Our Visit to Les Jardins de Métis, Part 1–The Long Walk

For those of us who have been digging and dividing perennials, weeding, and dragging hoses around in the heat, gardening might seem to be an odd hobby for Elsie Reford's doctor to recommend while she recovered from surgery.

Elsie Stephen Reford 1897. Photo by William Notman& Son from the Collection of the Musée McCord D Histoire D' Canadienne.

The oddity of the doctor's advice is very much about class and the time period in which Elsie lived. Up until the time of her surgery, Elsie had spent her summers horseback riding, hunting and salmon fishing at Estevan Lodge, the country estate on the Gaspé Peninsula she had inherited from her wealthy uncle Sir George Stephen.

The doctor counselling Elsie to take up gardening in her fifty-second year wasn't suggesting she herself do the hard physical labour that gardening demands. Instead, he was suggesting that she might direct and manage a team of hardy fellows to do the difficult work of creating a garden for her.

Elsie Stephen Reford 1895. Photo by William Notman& Son from the Collection of the Musée McCord D Histoire D' Canadienne.

Elsie Reford was the eldest daughter of a humble, but hard-working Irish immigrant who had risen in the ranks to become the president of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company. After being educated in Montreal and later at finishing schools in Paris, Dresden and Germany, Elsie returned to Quebec ready to take her place in society.

She married Robert Wilson Reford, the eldest son of a prominent member of the Montreal shipping industry. She had two sons and busied herself with a number of civic, social and philanthropic causes.

A view of Estevan Lodge circa 1942.

The house as it looks today.

The view of the Gaspé Peninsula at the end of the pathway seen in the previous picture.

When Estevan Lodge passed from her uncle to her, Elsie had the land surveyed and fenced. The lodge she inherited was a large, rambling one-story building that Sir George had built to accommodate hunting and fishing parties in country comfort.

There is a website devoted to Elsie Reford's life that may be of interest. It has pictures like the one above showing Elsie fishing on the Métis River. Elsie loved nature and the great outdoors. ElsieReford.ca

Sadly during Sir George's lifetime, he had little opportunity to visit the remote property, so he opened it every summer to family and close friends. As a girl and later as the wife of a wealthy businessman, Elsie and her family spent part of each summer at her uncle's estate.

To complete the changes to the lodge, Elsie had a second story added to accommodate her family, guests and staff. In the end, it was not the prettiest of summer homes, but it did have a number of grand rooms and a generous covered porch with long rows of Adirondack chairs that awaited visiting seasonal guests.

For a number of years, Estevan Lodge remained a simple summer retreat, but with her doctor's encouragement, Elsie began to toy with the idea of adding a garden along a stream that flowed through the property.

The very early beginnings of The Long Walk (from ElsieReford.ca)

Creating a garden well north of her home in Montreal was bound to be a difficult task. The soil was poor and the climate was harsh. Nurseries were hundreds of miles to the south, so even getting plants would not be easy. Nevertheless, making a garden was a challenge that Elsie embraced.  In the first few years, she had garden beds carved out of the surrounding conifer forest, banked the stream with stones, built steps, bridges and a lookout.

Then to link the lodge with the garden along the stream, she created a 90-metre double herbaceous border flanked by dry stone walls that became known as "The Long Walk". It is in this grand garden we will begin our tour.

I should mention before we go much further that I visited the garden on July 18th. Normally the flowers I saw blooming in July might flower in mid-June here in Southern Ontario. This will give you a better idea of how far north this garden is. The gardening season at Reford Gardens is jam-packed into a few short months.

Dianthus growing in front of the dry stone wall that borders The Long Walk.

Walking from Estevan Lodge to The Long Walk I came across a patch of the most delicate Dianthus. I thought I'd share them with you before we head into the main garden.

Here is our first view of The Long Walk. The sheer size of the flowerbeds that flank the walkway are impressive. The dark green of the Quebec forest makes our destination feel a bit mysterious.

This huge garden was meant to be Elsie's horticultural showpiece. The only straight line in the garden, it offered a view north to the St Lawrence River and beyond.

To make up for the soil's deficiencies, Elsie had peat and sand mixed with gravel gathered from the beaches along the Gaspé. She bartered salmon from the Métis River in exchange for leaves from a neighbour's grove (the leaves shredded to make compost).

Elsie ordered plants from nurseries across Canada and in the United Kingdom. As her knowledge of plants grew more confident, she began collections of her favourites; peonies, roses, gentians, poppies, azaleas and primula.

In the fall of 1933, she ordered no less than 830 peonies. Common perennials were pushed out in favour of more exotic choices like the blue meconopsis for which the garden is famous.

Not an inch of ground is wasted! All the perennials are packed in together for maximum show.
 This dense planting would also deter weeds.




Closeups from the lowest step in the two flower borders (left to right): Thyme, Salvia, light purple Campanula and pink Dianthus.

As in traditional English gardens, the plantings were stepped, with perennials arranged from shortest along the edges of the pathway to tallest at the back of each flowerbed. 

A dwarf Campanula from the lowest step in the two flower borders.

Starting on the lowest step are plants like Creeping or Moss Phlox, Dianthus (Pinks), Campanula, Salvia and Creeping Thyme. Good drainage would be essential to help plants like Dianthus and Thyme make it through the rigours of a Quebec winter.

On the next step, there is a wide assortment of annuals that contribute to summer-long colour. These annuals include plants like Snapdragons, Salvia, annual Phlox, Lavatera and Sweet William.

In amongst the annuals are beautiful roses primarily in shades of pink.

Pink Lavatera

Blue Floss Flower (Ageratum), Annual Salvia and pink Snapdragons.

Pink roses in a long row (Sorry could not find an identifier for these particular roses).

Mallow, Malope trifida 

Annual Phlox, Phlox drummondii 'Isabellina' and Rosa 'Warwick Castle'

Hybrid Tea Rose, Rosa 'Peace'

On the next tier, there is a glorious row of pink peonies.  I felt very fortunate to have arrived at their peak.

Two lines of deep blue delphinium tower above the peonies. These stately flowers are set off by the green backdrop of deciduous trees that flank the flowerbeds.

Smitten by the success of her early gardening efforts, Elsie began to spend most of her days in her garden from May through mid-October. While she did little of the heaviest manual work, she was the garden's designer and manager, choosing the plants and deciding where they should be placed. She weeded, planted and deadheaded flowers. 

Exiled to Montreal in the winter, she poured through garden catalogues and read the latest gardening books. At first, her plant choices were timid, but quickly enough, she developed favourites and ordered plants from further afield. 

The gardens at Estevan Lodge grew in size and scope to accommodate Elsie's burgeoning plant collection. Botanical gardens have a long history in Europe, but less so in North America. The emergence of a cultured upper class in the mid-to-late nineteenth century changed this. Gardens became a place where plants were collected and displayed. Elsie's own father had amassed a large number of orchids in the glass conservatory of her childhood home in Montreal.

Lilies were Elsie's absolute favourites. She loved their fragrance, their exotic flowers and even the challenge of growing them in a climate where they had never been attempted. 

When Elsie first began to grow lilies, they were relatively unknown in that part of Canada. She had to order lilies from specialized growers in England. Before her bulbs were first planted, Elsie had three-foot trenches dug. They were then and filled with a mix of organic matter, wood ash, bonemeal, fine gravel and lime grit to improve the drainage.

Most of the lilies were still tightly closed when I visited the garden, but I am sure they would put on a spectacular display well into August.

While I thought The Long Walk was absolutely beautiful, it did feel very much like a traditional English garden had dropped from the sky into the Quebec landscape. Pretty as it was, I couldn't help but feel the garden was a little out of step with its Canadian setting.

In an upcoming post, we'll head into the conifer forest to see the garden that Elsie created along the stream bank. This woodland garden was my favourite part of Les Jardins de Métis (Reford Gardens).

A Visit to Duff & Donna's Garden in June

At the back of the house, there is a small plateau of land with a deck and then the 
property rolls down in a gentle incline to a lake. 

My friendship with Donna Evers began years ago when she sent me an invitation to come and photograph her garden. At the time, my blog was still young and relatively unknown, so the offer of a place to stay while I did my photography was novel, to say the least.

That open, friendly Maritime hospitality was impossible to pass up, so I went to visit Donna's garden on my next trip home to see family. Over the years we've kept in touch, mostly by email, but I always make a point of stopping in to say "hi" whenever I return home to Nova Scotia. Last summer my husband and I stopped in on a hot, sunny afternoon in mid-June.

Duff made the yellow chairs. "It is a great place to sit and watch the birds in the 

birdbath," says Donna.

What can I tell you about Donna? She's been married to Duff for 54 years this July. She loves her three kids and dotes on her four granddaughters (whom she misses dearly). Donna's tall, slim and looks younger than someone in her mid-seventies (she may scoff at this last statement, but it's true). She's a masterful gardener who I respect and admire enormously. I'll let Donna tell you a little more about her ties to the local gardening community with her usual injection of humour:

"All the things that come with age, like issues with night driving and nodding off after supper, has limited our participation in our garden clubs. We do still belong to the ARHS/ Atlantic Rhododendron and Horticultural Society and the Nova Scotia Rock Garden Society. Both clubs have tolerated our lack of experience and taught us much over the years. Members of both clubs have become dear friends. Our garden is always open to any and all events these clubs organize."

"Garden tours and friends are always welcome. I love sharing our garden and the rewards are many. Knowledge and plants have been generously shared and long-lasting friendships made with every visit. Garden visits by local clubs have resulted in a few talks on the unique part of our garden that we affectionately call "The Swamp". It was fun and the audience was kind but I don’t think I’ll need an agent," she writes.

Purple and white Campanula

Birdbath with colorful glass fishing buoys.

The low stone wall, that runs most of the width of the property, was no small undertaking.

I must also introduce you to Duff, the other half of this gardening duo. A love of plants and nature is something both Duff and Donna share. The stone walls that terrace the hillside is a great example of his contribution to the garden. Duff also keeps bees and helps with all the heavy labour like hefting and hauling compost and shredding leaves.

"Duff made the benches, the arbours, the obelisks, the birdhouses, the chairs, the fences, the deck, all the stone walls, the troughs and the patio. I have been asked if he can be cloned", Donna once joked.

Cranesbill Geranium pratense 'Double Jewel' has double white flowers and deeply-lobed green leaves. Deer and rabbit resistant. Drought tolerant once established. Moist, well-drained soil is best. Full sun to part-shade. Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), Spread: 60-90 cm (18-24 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.

Old Man's Beard, Clematis heracleifolia 'New Love' is a self-supporting clematis with a bushy habit. It has fragrant, star-shaped blue flowers and fluffy seed heads (giving the plant its common name). Height: 75-90 cm (29-35 inches), Spread: 45-50 cm (18-20 inches). USDA zones: 3-9.

"There are days my aching bones make me wish I was gardening on a flat plot of land, but on the whole, the positives outweigh the negatives. And we don't have to go to the gym to work out," Donna laughs.

"We handpicked the stone from a local quarry and trucked it home. The walls began with a three- to-four-inch tamped base of crushed gravel. Fitting the stones together was a bit like working a jigsaw puzzle," Donna recounts.

The stone walls with their excellent drainage have provided unique planting sites for Lewisia, Saxifraga and Hens and Chicks", says Donna.

 False Indigo, Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Lemon Meringue' is a vigorous cultivar that has lemon-yellow flowers on a compact, upright mound of blue-green foliage. Height: 76-90 cm (30-36 inches), Spread: 76-90 cm (30-36 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

 

 The plumes of a pink Astilbe and a Japanese Anemone in the foreground. A pale pink iris, more Astilbe and a Peony in the distance.

Anemone 'September Charm' has single rose-pink flowers on branching stems. It prefers rich, moist soil and will naturalize to form a large patch (Donna no doubt keeps her plant in check, but many would say it spreads aggressively given the right conditions). This is a tall plant that may require some support. Full sun to part-shade. Height: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches), Spread: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches). USDA Zones: 5-9.

Giant Fleece Flower, Persicaria polymorpha is a herbaceous perennial that dies right back to the ground in fall. New growth rockets upward each spring, and by the end of June, it's almost six feet tall. In July it is covered in big white plumes. This plant is pretty adaptable to a range of soils and moisture conditions. Full sun or light shade. Height: 3-6 ft, Spread: 3-5 ft. USDA zones: 4-9.

 

Japanese Iris, Iris ensata 'Variegata' requires neutral to acidic soil and moist soil through its flowering time. This iris is quite happy on the banks of a stream or pond and can even be grown in pots sitting in water. Iris ensata 'Variegata' has green and white striped leaves and purple flowers. Divide every 3 to 4 years. Height: 70-75 cm (27-29 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

On the lefthand side of the house, there is a woodland garden with a series of arbours dividing the long space into smaller rooms. In the spring, this area has magnolia trees, primula and rhododendrons in flower. In June, the creamy-white bracts of a Cornus kousa mark the entrance to this shady woodland.

"On the edge nearest the lawn, we planted a border of rhododendrons. In the area between these plantings, there were native hemlock, maples and poor spruce. Again, we weren't planning to garden in this area. Nature took care of the unsightly spruce, we limbed-up the hemlocks and bought more plants. Another garden to fill", Donna sighs.

Chinese Dogwood, Cornus kousa 'China Doll' has creamy-white bracts in June and oval green leaves that turn shades of orange and red in autumn. Small pink fruits that look a bit like strawberries are a feature in the late-summer/fall. This is a slow-growing tree with an attractive branching shape. Height: 15-20 ft, Spread: 10-15 ft. USDA Zones: 5-8.

In another part of the garden, there is a second dogwood tree.

Japanese Dogwood, Cornus kousa 'Wolf Eyes' is a small, deciduous tree with horizontal spreading branches. It has wavy, grey-green leaves with an ivory margin. In the fall, the foliage takes on a reddish-pink color. Creamy-white flower-like bracts are followed by red fruit. With age, the bark develops colorful mottling. Part sun to part shade. Height: 10-20 ft Spread:10-20 ft.  USDA zones:5-8.

Rhododendron 'Pink and Sweet'  has fragrant pink flowers tinged with yellow. The glossy narrow leaves turn red in the fall. This broadleaf evergreen shrub likes highly acidic soil that is well-drained and rich in organic matter.  Height: 3-4 ft, Spread: 3-4 ft. USDA Zones: 5-9.

Photos by Donna Evers

Photo by Donna Evers

Donna posted pictures of these Corydalis recently on her Facebook page. The fern-like foliage and flowers are equally pretty. When I visited in June, this blue Corydalis was blooming:

Corydalis Blue Line® 'Couriblue' has lightly-scented, spurred flowers and matt-green leaves that are deeply lobed. This plant likes moist, well-drained soil with lots of organic matter. It may go semi-dormant in summer. Cut the plant back to encourage new shoots in the fall. Part sun. Height: 30-50 cm (12-20 inches), Spread: 50-80 cm (20-32 inches). USDA Zones: 6-9.

Donna jokes, "The pink colouration starts out so white the kids used to call this the bird splat vine."

Actinidia kolomikta 'Arctic Beauty' is a hardy kiwi vine with fragrant, greenish-white flowers that mature into edible berries (when both a male and female plants are present. Only a female vine will produce fruit. Male vines have the best variegation.). The foliage is green when it opens in the spring and then develops white slashes tipped with pink. Be warned that this is a fast-growing, vigorous vine that can easily swamp other trees and shrubs. A heavy hand may be required to keep it in check. This vine is not considered to be invasive. Actinidia kolomikta is best grown on a sturdy support like a trellis or fence. Prune when dormant in winter and again in spring and summer. When growing fruit, plant in full sun. This vine is somewhat shade tolerant and can also be grown in part-shade. Height: 10-20 ft, Spread: 6-10 ft USDA zones: 3-8.

Donna and Duff never intended to garden along the lakeshore. They removed some of the scruffy spruce and maples to open up a view to the lake and then called it a day.  

This woodland area became the spot that they dumped surplus plant material that resulted from routine division, as well as perennials that had for one reason or another fallen out of favour. When Donna and Duff finally ran out of room in the rest of the garden, they turned their attention to their "dumping ground".

"To date, we have not amended the soil. We have just planted among the roots and the rocks. We have a central path leading to the lake and this year Duff put in steps and two boardwalks so it is easier to walk around and enjoy this wild garden", says Donna.

"We started with three Primula Japonica, gifts from a gardening friend, and now there are three hundred or more- all self-seeded. They fill my heart with joy," Donna tells me.

Candelabra Primrose, Primula japonica is a group of woodland plants with fresh green foliage and a crown of flowers in late spring. They prefer part shade and moist or wet clay soil that is rich in organic matter. Height: 30-60 cm (12-23 inches), Spread: 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). USDA Zones: 5-9

Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides forms a low clump of dark-green leathery fronds. It also likes moist, rich soil. Part to full shade. Height: 30-60 cm (12-23 inches), Spread: 30-60 cm (12-23 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9.

Peltoboykinia watanabei is native to the woods of Japan and is a clump-forming perennial. It has large, showy, peltate leaves that have a pinkish cast in the spring. In summer it has upright flower spikes of yellowish-green flowers. This plant likes rich evenly moist soil. May self-seed. Part shade to full shade. Height: 30-60 cm (12-30 inches), Spread: 30-60 cm (12-30 inches). USDA Zones: 5-7.

Umbrella Plant or Indian Rhubarb, Darmera peltata has leafless flower stems that emerge in the spring, with clusters of white or soft pink flowers. The large, lobed leaves are cupped and can reach almost 24 inches across. This is a plant native to mountain stream banks and woodlands from southwestern Oregon to northern California. It needs moist, clay soil and some protection from the sun (i.e. shade/part-shade). Darmera peltata prefers cooler climates and does not do well in southern parts of the States. Divide this perennial's rhizomes in the fall. Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches), Spread: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches). USDA zones: 3-9. 

Rodgersia in the foreground.

A natural berm formed along the lakefront when receding glacial ice deposited rocks.

Tree roots clinging to the rocks and moss.

Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia (Donna warns me this carnivorous plant needs winter protection). 

Please excuse my poor focus. In among the moss are tiny carnivorous plants (pinkish in color)

that trap and eat flies.

I should have had Donna stand in front of this ginormous plant for scale. It was easily five or more feet tall (the flowers are pictured below).

White Skunk cabbage, Lysichiton camtschatcensis is native to northeastern Russia and Japan where it can be found in damp, boggy areas. Plants spread by rhizomes to naturalize and form large colonies. It likes soil with lots of organic matter. Full sun to part shade. Height: 2-5 ft, Spread: 2-5 ft. USDA zones:5-7

Photographs of Skunk Cabbage flowers which Donna posted recently on Facebook.

The yellow Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus is a North American native. Oddly enough, this unusual looking plant has been brought to the UK where it is now considered to be a noxious weed (More often it works the other way. European plant imports escape North American gardens and become an invader here).

The white Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton camtschatcensis is from Russia and Japan. In some parts of the States, it has become a problem plant. If you do want to grow this really interesting perennial, do be environmentally conscientious and curtail it to the boundaries of your garden.

Rodgersia Henrici has bold, textured foliage with a bronze cast in spring and plumes of pink to rose-purple flowers in early to mid-summer. The flowers are followed by interesting seed heads. In the fall, the leaves take on red and bronze tones. This large specimen plant likes rich, moist soil. Clumps rarely require division. Part-shade to shade. Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches), Spread: 75-90 cm (29-35 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.

Pink and white Astilbe

Pale pink Astilbe

Many people would be curtailing their garden projects in their seventies, but not Donna. Recently, she wrote excitedly about her project for this spring.

"The plans for a pollinator meadow are going ahead. The city has given us permission and some help in the way of soil, to plant on a piece of ground Duff has been cutting for 25 years. I wake up at night and wonder what I've taken on!...I'll post on Facebook as soon as we get underway."

I have no doubt that this new meadow will be as spectacular as the rest of the garden.