Published in The BANAR September 2022
Cynthia Hoisak
We couldn’t have planned a better weekend for the sun to shine on the two glorious days of July 9 and 10 for the Blackburn Hamlet Garden Tour. It was a great success!
There were 16 gardens in all, with four of them front only, so we did get to see what’s going on behind those hedges and backyards of many. Visitors came from all over the City of Ottawa, Gatineau, Russell and beyond., including the majority from here in the Hamlet. Streaming through were 40 to 140 people per garden per day. There was something of interest for everyone, many going home with fresh takes and ideas on how to tweak that earthly bed of potential.
This was a pilot tour with a positive result, and so we will be having a yearly garden tour here in the Hamlet. It will remain a two-day tour in July and the 10am-4pm time fame remains the same, along with the cash donations to the Lifecentre Food Bank. This year, cash donations totaled $1,120.
It wouldn’t have been possible without the preparations, work and generosity of the 16 participants and their helpers. Thanks go out to the BCA, Miriam Hampson, Lino Demasi and the 16 participating gardeners. Needless to say we are looking forward to adding more gardens for next year’s tour on July 8 and 9, 2023.