Published in The BANAR, August 2023
Cynthia Hoisak
How do you push the boundaries from last year’s successful garden tour, to a more wonderful one this year? You add two wonderful musicians, a vocalist with a keyboard, and two master gardeners to answer questions, to the program.
To set off the weekend on Friday night, participating gardeners met at Miriam Hampson’s for a meet and greet. From there, we set off in a convoy to visit as many gardens as time and daylight would permit. There were 15 gardens on the tour, with seven of them being new ones. All added to the varieties, achievements, and sharing of all the people who make the gardens such a pleasure to visit. There is always something to admire, consider, or plan on trying one day.
On Saturday we were fortunate to have the husband and wife team of Jenifir and David Thies-Thompson beautifully playing the flute and violin in the garden of Jean Clark and Guy Moreau.
On Sunday in the garden of John and Gloria Peddie, we had Garth Hampson singing, with Pat Messier on the keyboard. His voice, well known to many, was still going strong for his 90 years, with a medley of memorable tunes. The Peddie’s family and neighbours came up with 60 chairs for visitors to sit and relax and enjoy his singing.
Also on Sunday were two master gardeners, Candace Dressler and Ginette Sharpwell, sitting at Cynthia Hoisak’s with gardening encyclopedias and their knowledge – ready to answer any of your questions.
Generosity was also extended with visitors donating $1,706.60 for the Lifecentre Food Bank. The BCA contributed another $500, for a total of $2,206.60.
If any of you saw a drone hovering over your garden, it belonged to Dylan Warrick. He was filming a few of the gardens and you can see his great maneuvering on YouTube – search for “Blackburn Garden Tour 2023”. Austin Comberton was out with his camera again this year, using a GoPro. The results of his editing, composition, and music are a pleasure to watch.
This was all made possible because so many of you contributed to the enjoyment of many in the community and beyond. Special thanks to Miriam Hampson. See you at next year’s Garden Tour, July 6-7, 2024.