Kingsbrae and a Review

I'm really tired tonight, so this is just a bit of a snapshot precis of Kingsbrae Garden, one of the top ten gardens in Canada--and probably in the world. No, it's not as old as Dixter, or Sissinghurst,(though it has its own white garden, above) or Butchart Gardens, perhaps; but it's a marvelous tribute to the variety that can be found growing in gardens around Atlantic Canada (with a few pushing the zone games too!)

This is a public garden with private funding from the Flemer family, who continue to support its growth in so many ways. It's a rare jewel, and my only sorrow is that it's a bit far from my home (about a 7 hour drive were I to drive all the way around) so I don't get to visit that often.
This summer is seeing something new at Kingsbrae, with a sCAREcrows Fight Hunger display and contest. There's a People's choice award to be voted upon, and my vote went to this Mercrow (complete with bycatch!)


Here are a few photos from my morning at Kingsbrae, featuring a rainbow of flowers and foliage: part of the butterfly garden,

Bright borders of perennials belie any idea of the 'August meltdown', don't they?

There is a huge perennial area, with plenty of blooms, and lots of interesting foliage texture and colour too,

The highly imaginative kitchen garden features a unique way to both grow salad crops and make an ornamental statement. Don't you just love these cabbage and lettuce containers lining the walkway?

This is part of the heaths and heathers display; while you can see something of the brilliant colour, what you CAN'T see is all the happy, happy bumblebees feasting on flowers.

One of my favourite gardens is the Blue Garden, which is presently filled with gentians; and they truly ARE gentian blue...



Tonight, in Fredericton, the capital city of New Brunswick, I got to observe the Inspection of the Guard, which takes place several times daily several days a week during the summer. The man who looks after training the 'guard' (students between the ages of 13-25) is a retired Sergeant Major; what he does is pick someone from the audience watching the review to do the inspection; in this case it was a mother with her two young sons who accompanied Joe on the inspection.


What's particularly moving about this colourful ceremony is that many of the troops just returned from Afghanistan are from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, in nearby Oromocto; and a number of those brave young men already returned--in coffins. Fredericton and surrounding area are fiercely supportive of their troops, but so are other parts of the province, including Kingsbrae, who have this floral tribute at the gate to the garden;


Tomorrow, I'm off to Falls Brook Centre first thing in the morning, and then back to Saint John to catch the ferry back to Nova Scotia. Talk about your whirlwind trips! I may well not post tomorrow, but will catch up in the next couple of days. Glad you've been with me on this trip and enjoying my commentary--now come and visit New Brunswick (and of course us next door in Nova Scotia!)