More Autumn Clean-up Jobs

In a follow-up to the previous posting, we have photos of the intrepid gardeners who trundled down to the Parade Square after finishing their work at the Cove Garden. Enthusiasm was not quite a match for the cold wind, however, and the work party broke up shortly after the initial start.

The morning finished on a cheerful note when Sylvia arrived, pushing before her a wheelbarrow loaded with hot tea and goodies to be shared among all the chilled volunteers.

The same evening brought out a contingent of more than 15 members to hear Grant Dixon, a former president of the Bridgewater Photographic Society, who gave an interesting presentation on Photographing Your Garden.

Mr. Dixon discussed a variety of principles of composition and passed on such tips as changing alignment, considering abstraction, rethinking balance and light, and even "breaking the rules". One tip that might prove useful to many photographers in the great outdoors was the concept of using a simple piece of cord to create an improvised tripod when a steady hand is required.

After attaching a 1/4 inch 20-bolt screw to the small hole under the camera that is intended for an actual tripod, you pass a cord through the ring of the screw, allowing the cord to dangle to the ground. If you then step on the lower end of the cord, you can create a tension that will in fact hold the camera steady. This improvised "tripod" could be very useful for any photographer who has forgotten to bring along the necessary equipment, when taking nature photos in the future.

Autumn Tasks

On a crisp autumn morning, about a dozen members of Chester Garden club turned out for one final session of communal weeding and to add a farewell layer of mulch to the roses that border the seawall and roadside at the Cove Garden.


Although the air was nippy enough for jackets and headgear at 10 o'clock, the sun soon warmed the participants and by noon the temperature was quite pleasant.

One brave soul even worked in shorts. The roses along the seawall are looking extremely healthy, no doubt because of the earlier application of compost and the increased rainfall of the last few weeks.

While working at the Cove Garden, some members are easily distracted by the movement of boats entering or leaving the front harbour.

Bloom Day North - October

Another month has passed and we are again observing the "Bloom Day North" tradition of showing photos taken in local gardens on the 15th of each month. The photos posted today were sent in by regular contributor, Sandy D, who took her camera out on the eve of Bloom Day, thus avoiding the difficulties of photographing her garden in the teeth of today's raging wind and rainstorm.

As is often the case, the day before the storm was clear and sunny. At a spot overlooking the ocean near Chester, a silver lace vine has sprawled over adjacent shrubbery to claim the territory as its own.

This patch of Colchicum (autumn croccus) seen above was started as a few bulbs several years ago and has increased in size each year. The roses in the photo below are part of the Explorer series; this plant is a David Thompson that has been blooming continually since July.

The Montauk daisies (below) were planted only last month. They are naturally late bloomers and Sandy has high hopes for a good showing in future years.

Another relatively new addition to her garden is the hydrangea shown below. It is a Cityline Vienna and has been in bloom since early July.

Antique Evaluation Evening

At a recent fund-raiser for the Chester Garden Club, members arrived carrying special treasures from their homes to be evaluated by Wayne Cameron, a qualified appraiser and dealer in antiques. Surveying the various objects arranged on the viewing table, it was clear that members owned a variety of interesting objects.

Items ranged from porcelain china to wooden boxes to sculpted objets d'art and Wayne did a thorough job of examining each one and clarifying the points that added value to the item.

Wayne's erudite and humorous comments as he described each "treasure" added to the evening's entertainment. A wine bar, along with coffee and finger food, provided refreshments to enliven the three-hour session and, as one participant reported later, "A good time was had by all. "