A Week in Review: From Grieving to Celebration!

The week I take my first week of vacation traditionally coincides with what I refer to as ‘the grieving week in August,’ one that witnesses the anniversary of the passing of both my Grandmother and my dear friend Cathy. I find it best to be away from the garden centre, to anchor myself in my own garden, and, if the desire should strike, to venture forth from there. I created my garden in large part so that I would have a shaded sanctuary to escape to – a place where I could go to lose the increasing cacophony of sound that is life!

In a game of musical garden chairs [click here for a similar game that recently transpired on ‘Through the Garden Gate.’] I removed my struggling and somewhat sad Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s SIlberlocke’ [who went to a very good adoptive home by the way!] and added Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Goldrush’ which was the initiating plant in what will become a memorial garden in Cat’s memory. I love to try and associate people with plants that are as unique and special as they are!

On the actual anniversary of my Grandmother’s passing, I had the esteemed pleasure of touring the garden of two of my wonderful gardening friends, Don and Inge, whose Elora property has, over the past three years, transformed itself into a magical sanctuary with the perfect balance of sun and shade!

Over coffee and dessert, Don, Inge and I embraced the joy that is garden chat. I casually and tactfully [hopefully!] mentioned their previous peoperty, Foxwood House, in the rolling countryside of Creemore, anxious to know what it was like to leave a rural setting and move into the heart of downtown Elora. As a result I was gifted with a delightful set of photographs of Foxwood. Sadly the house and the gardens no longer exist in their previous glory.

Later in the day, I taped an episode of ‘Through the Garden Gate,’ that focuses on ‘Grief in the Garden,’ a topic that became glaringly apparent in a moment of brilliant clarity. Was there any other topic that would resonate on this of all days? It airs this coming Monday at 7PM on 92.9 The Grand FM. You will get a sneak peak at me at my most vulnerable, but also, at me when my heart is brimming with joyful remembrance!

Readers of this weblog will notice that I also did an awful lot of posts in one week! What can I say? I had free time on my hands, and while I’ve tried to post as often as possible in the past, sometimes all you want to do is kick off the work boots and chill! I’m a chatterbox at heart, and what better venue than your weblog! [The radio show is definitely as close second!]

A vacation, especially one during the gardening season, wouldn’t be complete without a visit to my favourite woodland plant nursery, Lost Horizons. I was grateful for an opportunity to converse with both Larry and Evita, delightful people who excitedly recalled their recent travels to Ireland and Poland. And then I had the entire nursery to myself! Imagine!

  I tracked down and visited with a couple of ‘old friends’ while I was there. I remember vividly the day I was introduced to these mesmerizing friends!

I’ve not been able to just get in a car and head off to Lost Horizons on a whim in quite some time, and due largely to the fact that this entire past week, I have been enable to sleep in past 7:30, I thought if I get up and on my way early enough, I might even be home before the rest of the family rises! Close! But amidst wonderful reacquainting conversations, and the need to walk through each and every hoop house, it was 1:30PM before I pulled back into the drive. It was after all the second last day of my vacation, and I intended on savoring it as long as I possibly might!

And yes, a few new treasures had jumped on board before I could safely get the doors closed before leaving Lost Horizons! Many of them are to be part of the new memorial garden I spoke of earlier in the post. Here is what I’ve accomplished so far. Bear in mind that this is only the beginning. Planted beneath ‘Goldrush’ it features plants that in my mind best express the personalities of Cat, Sonia and myself. In time I hope it will grow [the space] to incorporate a rather cumbersome shaped area of grass that has been encroached upon by some whack-job of an obsessed shady character! The tide of grieving has turned once again, and it is with a heart brimming with remembrance and celebration that I embark upon this next garden creation!

And that, for the most part, has been my week in review! Pretty much guaranteed, posts will taper off in the coming days, but my heart will always remain entrenched in my shaded sanctuary! Have a wonderful week dear friends!