If you’re anything like me, you’ve been itching to get in the garden—despite the threat of frost that lasts until the first week in June. I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of gardening, but really I’m a fake. All I know is by trial and error, and I have to admit that sometimes I don’t know my weeds from my flowers
(My apologies to all of you who bought these beautifully potted weeds three years ago at the annual Niverville Heritage Gardens plant sale! There, I’ve said it: the cleomes weren’t really cleomes but imposters that we carefully lifted and repotted.)
My gardening experience comes mainly from whatever bits of valuable information I’ve been able to glean from Fred Kaita, wonderful relatives, and friends who have the same passion as I do.
At the Niverville Heritage Community Gardens, we’ve been learning as we go. I like to refer to it as a classroom. I appreciate the wealth of information each volunteer brings. You’re never too old to learn something—or plant something.
I have a favourite saying: to plant a garden is to believe in the future. The gladioli bulbs I have carefully overwintered are already poking their heads out of the ground. The cannas I planted turned out to be rhubarb, and these are up. The callas are just waiting for the sun to kiss them out of the earth. And the compost pile is waiting to be distributed.
"I’ve made the rounds of the greenhouses to get my earth fix, and yes, I did leave a few dollars in my wake. Look to Falk Nurseries for Osteospermums and a good selection of trees and shrubs; Glenlea Greenhouse for gaura, grasses, and loads of succulents; Giz’s Greenhouse for wave petunias; and Rita Bartmonovich’s greenhouse for the lovely lisianthus.
Gardening is a lot of work with many rewards, and I love it. This year, come join us in the gardens!
