Wednesday, 28 January 2015
(January outings, part three)
Garden Tour Nancy and I spend a spontaneous afternoon checking out a garden for the first ever Peninsula Rhododendron Tour. Under the auspices of Water Music Festival, the tour, which is being organized by Nancy and by Steve and John of the Bayside garden, will take place on May 2nd.
Nancy arrived with some eggs from her chooks and then drove us all the way up to Surfside for lunch at the Great Day Café. Although it’s one of my favourites, I don’t get there often as it is the furthest away café from us on the Peninsula.
We had our soup at one of the two counters, from which we had a view of Steve cooking. Then, as the place cleared out from a bit of a lunch crowd, we were able to get the corner table.
And then, off to preview of a garden which will very probably (I’d say for sure, but I’m not the organizer) be on the Rhododendron Tour.
Nahcotta Rhododendron Garden
We were welcomed by Mike, the owner, and two of his three dogs.
Join us as all six of us stroll the path ar0und the pond.
Next to the south side path, a mahonia in bloom was surely popular with hummingbirds.
Mike told us that between owners, much of the garden had gotten so overgrown that you could barely see the banks of the pond.
Because this used to be a collectors nursery, one where I bought plants in 1993, it has choice and rare specimens throughout the garden.
We were invited into the house by Mike and his wife. Bonnie, to look at old plans of the garden. It had been rich in an understory of collectible perennials but most had been lost to neglect during years when the property was between owners.
I clearly remembered a feature of the house that I loved when I saw the garden on tour in 2007:
Mike had a stunning selection of photos from later in the year when the rhodos are in bloom. Here are some of his photos of the garden at its peak:
Of course, they all bloom at different times and so we are hoping that May 2 this year will be a good time to see an assortment at their peak at the various gardens that will be featured on the tour.
I’ve been thinking about the three wonderful dogs as much as I’ve been thinking about the glorious pond and garden.
Next: we return to work for just one day.
What fun to see a garden today while snow continues to fall here. HEAVY snow! I liked the looks of that salad, too, by the way…
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I am glad we don’t get much snow. It would make for great reading weather though.
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Yummy food, a friend, dogs, a great garden! What could be better?
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Lovely garden tour 😊
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Thanks!
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I have great memories going to this nursery when it was first planted. Hope to help you all with this event when I get there.
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Wonderful! Does your parents’ home garden have rhododendrons? I think Nancy would love another garden for the tour.
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They have some but not tour worthy for a few years. I will try to think of another one.
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