Page 25 - Jo Ann Gardner & Heirloom Gardens

ISSUE : Issue 63

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/6/1

many gardens. And I'd come home and I'd tell my husband and I was so excited. You know, I don't think he paid that much at? tention. He probably just: "Oh, Jo Ann's," you know, "a little bit excited about this." But he went with me on a few expe? ditions and he saw how exciting it is to go to someplace that's wild. And all of a sudden you say, "Hey, somebody's been here before!" You see. And you can--I don't know, you get a connection with these peo? ple that were in the past. You can really begin to understand them. There's something very moving about seeing the evidence of human activity and work where now nothing is going on and it's wild. And it may be only the slightest evidence. But once you see it, you pursue it and keep looking, and suddenly, it's all there. I've found places all over the place. The back of the beyond. And I've also found places where there are still people tend? ing the plants lovingly from year to year, and taking very good care of them. And then I've seen the reverse. The reason why I think it's important to do this stuff in Cape Breton now is because Cape Breton, unlike many other places, is not as devel? oped. You can still find old farmsteads that no one's touched. The plants are still there growing from year to year. And you can try and save them. Now, why should you save them? Because, primarily, they're wonderful plants. They ask very little, I think, and they give a NEW AND/OR EXISTING BUSINESS We Offer Financial & Technical Assistance. Oceanside Assistance Group Limited GLACE BAY, N. S. BIA 3B9 For further assistance, call Don Tobin, Development Officer PHONE 849-0544 • FAX 849-0549 Spring weather may be a relief, but it's no time to relax your care in driving. Potholes and cracks can develop within hours as roadways thaw, and gravel roads become wet and muddy. Department of Transportation and Communications crews constantly check and fill holes and cracks, and try to maintain the quality of gravel roads. But we can't get to every one of them before you do, so please, be alert to rapid changes in driving conditions, and protect both your shocks and your safety. Watch for potholes and other winter road damage. Department of Transportation and Communications 5th Annual lot. And they're very hardy; they grow in this climate. And they are associated with the people's history. And some of them are so unique, they're no longer even offered in the market. Another thing I inherited was this Narcissus. Narcissus are a group of plants that are often very, very old. Because they have this underground bulb, and they can endure a lot of neglect. They store up nu? trients there, and they store up moisture, and they can endure not being looked af? ter. Very hardy, and they grow well in this damp, heavy soil. So when we moved there, one of the plants I had be? sides the Rose was this Narcis? sus . It opened later. It opened at the end of the season after all the others had opened. This is always a sign of an old plant. If it doesn't behave in the norm; if it blooms either very early or very late; it's not, you know, a mainstream. There's something unusual here. So this bloomed af? ter everything else. It bloomed in the beginning of June, when May is the time for Daffodils. So; naturally, I took a good look at this. And just like the Rose, a lot of them didn't open. It's a fungus, I think. It happens with very double flowers, and damp weather. And it balls. The little case that enclos? es the bud, never opens. But when they did open, I saw they were really beautiful, and I couldn't believe it. Very fuldUiJ'' Plan for... Sunday, Aug, 15 1 P.M. at Ben Eoin Ski Slope • 20 km. west of Sydney • An afternoon of some of the best Celtic and Folk family entertainment Cape Breton has to offer. Guest Emcees Canteen Facilities • Beer Tent Craft Sales • Farmers Market Children's Entertainment Area • For more information, please contact: Dan MacDonald An Tulloch Gorm Society P.O. Box 1833 Sydney, N.S. B1P6W4 (AUDIO OB VIDEO RECORDING EQUIPMENT IS NOT PERMITTED ON THE CONCERT SITE)

Cape Breton's Magazine