The summer is advancing, but I yearn to go back to spring--and in this posting I shall! If you are a regular at "Prairiebreak" you're used to my droning commentary on picture after picture. After loading a slug of pix from this amazing garden, I realized my words are really unnecessary: this gem of a garden is perched at the far West end of Nova Scotia in a picturesque town of a few hundred people. Many things are noteworthy about the place: Annapolis Royale antedates St. Petersburg and Plymouth as a permanent settlement of Europeans in Northern America. And surely it's the smallest community in North America to host a really grand botanical garden. The garden is picture perfect: the trees, shrubs and perennials are all planted in just the right way--a fantastic range from Rose and formal gardens (the latter only just being planted--you shan't see those), woodlands, bogs and a fabulous Rhododendron dell--and that's just scratching the surface. I think it's one of the handful of great gardens in all of North America. Ironically, the collateral damage of "9=11" has been to reduce their visitorship by almost half: an example of the grim downside of globalization.
Their extensive rose garden was just starting to come into active growth: beautifully laid out and meticulously maintained.
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| Acer pseudoplatanus--quite showy in bloom |
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| Eleagnus umbellata: surprisingly hardy here. |
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| Eleagnus umbellata may be invasive in milder climates, but it's not reliably hardy in Colorado |
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| The obligatory paperbark maple--and this is a fabulous specimen |
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| An Akadian cottage: delightful |
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| Aesculus pavia hybrid |
The herb garden had yet to be planted for summer--but good bones.
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| Bob Howard, my host and garden guru--now on the board of this Garden |
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| I love Maidenhair fern! |
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| A fine perennial border |
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| Euphorbia griffithii--not seen much in the U.S. |
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Trish Fry, who manages this garden, has a long history of involvement in this garden from her youth.
Karen Achenbach (Horticulturist) expressing a bit of shock, perhaps, at the planting task behind (or perhaps ahead of) her?
The Laburnum walk just about to burst into bloom...
Hydrangea aspera ssp. sargentiana |
A spectacular specimen of this rarely encountered hydrangea--growing far north of where it is supposed to be hardy. The Historical Gardens are truly blessed with a gentle microclimate.
One of the massive trees on the site--not many gardens exist in North America that have been occupied for so many centuries. I'd put this on your "must see" list: Nova Scotia ROCKS.
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