You Grow Girl™

When I visit Judith on a Tuesday evening, she's planting annuals in one of her new flowerbeds. Aside from the flowerbeds, her garden is complete with greenhouse, pond, and construction zone. "This is going to be a new seating area," Judith explains as we pick our way through soil and rock. "We used to grow a lot of vegetables here, but not anymore." Vegetable gardening has now moved almost exclusively indoors, to the new greenhouse her husband built last year.

Moving towards the back of the garden, Judith points out her Fair Maids of France (ranunculus aconitifolius pleniflorus). It was traditionally grown in Newfoundland outport communities, but has become rare as it was not in commercial production until very recently. Judith plant grows surrounded by silver dollar, lupines, lilac, and a silver birch tree - all common in Newfoundland gardens. I ask Judith about things she'd like to grow but can't, and she is quick to respond. "A magnolia. And I'd like my roses to do really well, but they don't. But really, I'm fairly satisfied with what you can grow here - it's nice to have a challenge. And it's no problem to grow weeds!"

In Pat's garden, flowers are in full bloom as well. She shows me the tall rose bushes, the laburnum, and the snowball tree at the front of her house, facing the street. "Look how boring it is without them!" she points to the neighbouring houses, most of which are fronted by expanses of lawn.

As we walk along the side of the house towards the back garden, she points out columbine, snapdragons, yellow and red poppies, and the ubiquitous perennial cornflower - all of which do well here, she says. Several varieties of irises grow in different sections of the garden, while the vegetable patch is dominated by an expanse of healthy-looking rhubarb.

A bed of hostas of several varieties grows near the pond, along with patches of sea thrift - a plant which is native to Newfoundland. "Rock plants grow better with poor soil", she says as she shows me an area at the back of the garden. "So we haven't added much to the soil in this section."

Pointing to a patch of violas growing in amongst her paving stones, Pat says, "These put themselves here. I had a pot on the deck two summers ago, and the next year, lo and behold, they had decided to grow amongst the stones. That just goes to show that even if you don't do anything, you can garden here!"


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