Final Thoughts November 1999:
Reflections on the Past Season, and Future Dreams
by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling
Another year over in the gardening world, and many lessons learnt and pleasures had. One of the treats right now is being able to breathe a little easier since most of the work for the year is completed, not that you’d know that if you read our list of things to do this month! As our “mystery author” pointed out, don’t get stressed out over these or any garden jobs, just enjoy your garden, do what you can and want to – leave the rest until next year or whenever you get to it.
This is one of the true joys of gardening is that there is always next year. Another spring will follow this winter despite all our fears over the over-hyped Y2K problems, and everyone will have another chance to plant those hot new plants you craved this year but just didn’t have time for, another chance to try some exotic new (or old heirloom) vegetable, another chance for a lovely autumn colouring shrub or tree.
The seasonality is most evident during Harvest time, when the fruits of all your labour are rewarded. This is a special event that means a lot to children and they should be encouraged to participate. This year, at my parents house, I took my little four-year old girl over to help Pa dig up the last of his potatoes, carrots, onions and beets. The sheer joy (on both their faces) as grandfather and grandchild dug around in the mud for buried treasures, then carefully picked them out and lay them out for washing was definately worth all the work – truly stuff that memories are made of. Potatoes especially seem to appeal to kids, followed by the lovely bright carrots with their fresh green tops. No matter how good or bad the growing season is, there is almost always a worthwhile crop of one type or another. This year, due to the cold, wet spring and summer, his tomatoes and peppers were not very good (they were great last year), but the root and leaf crops did very well. I wonder what will work next year?
One thing I’d really like to do when I have my own permanent garden space is plant an apple tree – no garden is really complete without one. They are such a simple, basic pleasure for the whole family. I definately do not want one of these new hybrid types that gets a few feet tall (or even less!), and always looks like it is about to fall over if you take out the stake. I want a BIG, old-fashioned apple tree, current wisdom and convention be damned!
Walking around the University of British Columbia Apple Festival last month really reinforced that wish…here, as at Apple Festivals all around the world, hundreds of beautiful apple varieties are displayed to tempt the senses. Some quite rare and unusual, others commonplace and well-loved. The one that caught my eye this year was the simple old Bramley that used to be quite commonly grown but now seems to have become a rarity, especially among home gardeners. This is probably simply because of its size – a “full-size” tree, says the label, like some kind of stern warning…”not recommended for most gardens due to its vigour and spread” it continues. Nonsense! Plant a nice big tree in your garden, whatever species and variety you choose. The large branches provide beauty and shade in the summer, and when the leaves drop off in the autumn, plenty of light and sun still gets into the garden and house. Plant it right smack dab in the middle of the lawn, put a bench underneath and sit and watch the garden grow, have a picnic underneath it, just enjoy it’s presence in your life. What are you saving the space for anyway – don’t be afraid of the neighbours or the utility company! Enjoy the beauty of a decent sized tree, with its seasonal changes, wildlife and family pleasures (just try hanging a swing from a dwarf tree) and you’ll never be without one again.
Watch later issues of the Garden Tapestry Journal for an indepth look at the Bramley apple, and why it is regarded as one of the world’s best apple varieties.