Among the treasures in my library of gardening books is a series of poetry titles by Reginald Arkell: Green Fingers; More Green Fingers; Green Fingers Again; and A Green Thumb. I鈥檓 fond also of his charming novel: Old Herbaceous. They were published during the late 1930s and into the early 1950s, and were part of my father鈥檚 large garden-book collection.
I鈥檝e been through these books of whimsical garden poems so听often that lines from them frequently come to mind, such as听the听beginning of A Perfect Lady: 鈥淚听knew a girl who was so pure/ She couldn鈥檛 say the word Manure.鈥� And later, 鈥溾�� the garden she has got/ Has broadened out her mind a lot.鈥�
I thought immediately of another Arkell poem as I read a听late summer gardening newsletter that started with the suggestion that as summer鈥檚 end approaches gardeners will have fewer chores to do.
That鈥檚 never been my experience, with all the harvesting, processing, storing, digging, planting, compost care, cleanup, planning, and preparation for a new gardening season to be done. Arkell鈥檚 poem Autumn, whose wording reflects his era, ends with, 鈥淏ut in Autumn you gird up your loins, my son;/ For that鈥檚 when the work in a garden is done.鈥�
Looking back: foibles and whimsy. Arkell鈥檚 poems also reflect the ever-uncertain nature of gardening. Graves in my Garden speaks of 鈥渧ery special seeds鈥� failing to germinate, 鈥淎nd so the label I had penned/ Became a tombstone in the end.鈥�
We formulate such plans, perhaps to make God laugh. In this gardening game, things rarely remain the same. Every year brings its own foibles. Sometimes the onions are huge and juicy; another year they may yield stingy little bulbs. Roses may be stunning and abundant, and the next year miserly of bloom and disease-ridden.
Each year brings its own eccentricities. As the weather warmed in early August following a cool, damp period in July, I noticed unexpected spots of colour in the front garden. Primroses were flowering, as they likely sensed a sort of spring after the cool weather.
Bits of whimsy arrive in gardens too, waiting to be noticed. As branches on the prune plum tree bent low with the weight of ripening fruit, I saw that a slim cane from a nearby climbing rose had strayed into the tree to bloom beside clusters of the sweet, juice-filled plums.
Flowers and fruit: a fine fellowship, a feast for eye and palate.
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GARDEN EVENTS
Rock gardens of Northern Europe. The Alpine Gardeners of Central Vancouver Island will host Mike Kintgen, curator of the Alpine Collections at Denver Botanic Gardens, who will speak about the great rock gardens of Europe on Monday, Sept. 12, in the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, 747 Jones Ave. in Q.B. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., with the听talk at 1. Admission of $10 includes refreshments and a ticket on a plant prize draw. There will also be alpine plants for sale.
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VIRAGS meeting. The Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society meets Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Gordon Head United Church hall, 1401 Tyndall Ave. The听member plant sale begins at 7 p.m. The meeting at 7:30 will feature Mike听Kintgen from the Denver Botanic Gardens.
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Events and workshops at HCP. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505听Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is presenting the following talk and workshops. For registration, call 250-479-6162. hcp.ca
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鈥� Brian Minter will speak about new trends and the changing nature of gardening on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. Following the talk there will be sales of rare and unusual plants from his Minter Country Gardens store. Ticket cost is $18 for HCP members, others $21.
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鈥� Plant identification and cultivation. Next session on Saturday, Sept. 17, 1 to 4 p.m. This ongoing, monthly course can be joined at any time. In each session, Diane Pierce introduces 25 new plants, with their descriptions, preferred growing conditions, landscape uses and maintenance. Cost to members per session is $35, others $45. Cost for 12 sessions: members $350, others $450.
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鈥� Small Trees for the Urban Garden, Sunday, Sept. 18, 1 to 4 p.m. See the trees in the HCP gardens; then learn about them in the classroom. Members $25, others $35.
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鈥� Introduction to Garden Design, Mondays 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 19 and听26, Oct. 3, 17, 24 and 31, Nov. 7. Saturday field trips 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Oct. 22 and 29. Members $250, others $295.
