From Alan R Hickman

The so called open-house that we committed to a month and a half ago developed all the symptoms of a fiasco and in the end it didn’t disappoint. We couldn’t get any response from the garden tour organizers to repeated phone calls or e-mails so we had no confirmation that we were even on the tour. In the end we cancelled the proposed demonstrations and displays and just a handful of volunteers were in the gardens for a more-or-less normal Saturday work day.

Margaret and Brian tidied up at the front. John R. cleared out weeds by the sweet potatoes and Dianne harassed beetles in the potato patch. It wasn’t until someone noticed a sign on the road "Garden Tour" pointing at the front of the building that it seemed that perhaps the tour was still on. We’d been told that there would to be two reps from Caledon Hort’ to escort visitors but they never materialized.

In the end, between ten in the morning and four in the afternoon two cars of gardeners arrived plus one newspaper reporter who seemed to be lost.

Given the circumstances it was quite a pleasant and relaxing day. John brought the beer, I baked a pizza, and Margaret brought an extra sunshade, so we all sat round the picnic table in the cooling breeze on top of the septic tank. At lunchtime, Sandra showed up with the new acquisition, which intrigued Dexter and Lucas no end. Lucas gave the six-week old a tentative lick and had baby-powder breath for the rest of the afternoon.

Oh well! Just before dark on Friday night the grass in the driveways did get cut, and the effort did resulted in the gardens looking better than they have ever done at this point in the year, so there is pleasure to be taken from that.

With all the excitement over, it’s back the regular routine. There are several hundred dahlias and cannas still to be planted in the display beds, there are tomatoes to plant in the nursery area, and weeds are starting to win again among the onions. Gardens never go on vacation, and the Fall Fair opens in nine weeks time.

Please call me before 8 a.m. any day.

High Temperature:
Actual: 22°C mainly sunny pop up thunderstorms 11.70mm Wind SW14km/h P.O.P.11%
Average: 26°C
Record: 36°C in 2005

Low Temperature:
Actual: 11°C partly cloudy Wind N9km/h P.O.P.0%
Average: 14°C
Record: 5°C in 1945

We arrived at the nursery garden to find Alan and John cleaning up some of the debris around the tool shed. Alan suggested we treat the day like any other. At 10:45 Dianne showed up and went to work in Block A. As we were about to get to work weeding some of the rows a group of 5 arrived to see what the garden was all about. Alan suggested that in case someone else showed up for this tour???? maybe hubby and I could go up to the Wedding garden and redirect people. We took a couple of blue buckets for weeds and headed off. Cleared up most of the weeds out of what was left of the Wedding garden and had a car arrive with 3 people for the tour, as well as a Caledon Hort volunteer who came by to have a quick look before heading off to her assigned garden, and a photographer from the Caledon Citizen came by and took some pictures in the nursery of some of us working.





After a wonderful pizza lunch made by Alan, we relaxed chatting and discussing the gardens and many other things. By 3pm we had seen no-one else and we started to clean up making the entire day one of the most relaxing we have had in a very long time.

High Temperature:
Actual: 22°C mainly sunny Wind P.O.P.0%
Average: 26°C
Record: 36°C in 1988

Low Temperature:
Actual: 11°C mainly clear Wind P.O.P.0%
Average: 14°C
Record: 9°C in 1942