Dear Editor:
On behalf of the Love family, I wanted to thank the Mount Forest Horticultural Society for all the work they put in to encouraging and supporting gardeners in the region.
It was a wonderful experience to participate in the recent Garden Tour (July 13) and a great honour to have our family garden selected for special recognition as “Most Popular Garden” by the ticket holders that day.
It was especially lovely to have so many friends and neighbours stop by for a chat, as we don’t get out as often as we once did.
Our garden has been truly a “labour of love” since we arrived at our property on Sligo Road so many years ago. While we, along with our eight daughters and their families, have been the mainstay of the garden all these years, it’s important that we single out a few others who deserve enormous credit for their work on our behalf.
An extended family member – John Drummond of Greenbelt Farms down near Stratford – helped us envision the garden many years ago, and it was John who planted the now-mature trees and reshaped the pond for us. John is the brother of our son-in-law, Glen, and the garden we all enjoy today is one which John helped us to imagine.
Our dear friend Pat worked tirelessly in our garden in his own later years: enjoying the work, and taking some of the maintenance labour from our own shoulders as we became less able. Pat is sorely missed, but we think of him often as we enjoy our garden here.
And finally, a few years ago we were introduced to a talented professional gardener, Jennifer Hodge (Jen’s Garden Solutions) of Durham, who has been instrumental in helping us manage the garden in the past few years, and has – with our daughters – encouraged us to move to more native species. Jen worked many hours alongside our family this year to help our garden look its best for the tour.
And Andrew at Christensen Property Maintenance gave the grass a nice trim a few days before the event.
While we enjoy our garden every day, and its progress through the year is the way in which we mark and celebrate the seasons, it was very gratifying to share the garden with the larger community for one special afternoon this July.
I encourage your readers to share their own gardens if the chance arises, and to support the Horticultural Society with a ticket purchase for this annual event.
Mac and Shirley Love
Mount Forest