Sometimes I think there is something wrong with me. I dream about gardening at night, I daydream about gardening throughout my day. I seem to want to convert the world around me to be caretakers of the earth.
Then I think about my grandmother. She lived most of her young life just outside of London, England. Her husband, my grandfather, decided that he wanted a new life in Canada. I can just imagine my grandmother, who always wore pretty dresses and matching hats, kicking and screaming about having to come to a rural life in Canada.
My grandparents moved to a small village in the Okanagan, Oyama, with the intention of growing fruits. We had many memorable visits that included picking cherries, plums, peaches and many different types of apples. My grandfather was one of the pioneers of the BC Fruit Growers Association.
I know that my grandmother dearly missed her life in England and never really acclimatized to life in Canada.
She brought the English gardens to the Okanagan. Even today, I am surprised at what she grew in the more arid climate. Roses were her specialty.
I remember the house they built resembled an English manor. It had a huge wrap around veranda. My grandmother planted blue morning glory and pink climbing roses that wound around each other and covered her veranda with magnificent scents and colour.
Their farm was located on the side of a hill. In every gully and crevice she planted English meadow gardens filled with a cacophony of colours. I remember the brilliant blue colour of Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower), the crisp whites of Bellis perennis (Daisy), and the highly scented flowers of Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley). Woven through all the meadow gardens were many different varieties of roses.
My grandmother was not a warm and friendly type but did enjoy teaching us about the delights of spending many hours working in her gardens. She always wore a pretty “frock,” as she then called dresses, and a wide brimmed straw hat while gardening. She seemed most content with her lot in life when she was surrounded by her treasured flowers.
My love of gardening came to me at around 12 years old. I gathered a group of neighbourhood kids and we ventured into our local forest. I had them planting all kinds of flower seeds, including creating a lawn in the middle of the forest! I brought in soil and water and made sure to plant everything where the rays of sunshine touched the forest floor. The flowers and the lawn grew! I had quite a following of neighbourhood kids who enjoyed the fruits of our labour.
I continue to gather anyone who shows any kind of interest in gardening to join me in Paulik Park to tend the plants, listen to the birds and to share the beauty of the park with all those folks who venture in. I know I have my grandmother to thank for this love of gardens and nature. Because of her homesickness for her beloved England, she brought magnificent English gardens to her life in Canada.
Lynda Pasacreta is the current president of the Richmond Garden Club. For more information visit richmondgardenclub.ca.
