Winter White

As if on schedule, another winter storm blew into the Maritimes this week and Chester received its fair share of the white stuff. With temperatures well below freezing in the previous week, even our saltwater coves had iced over. Under a wintry sky, the snowy surface of an inlet beside a snow-covered road indicates just how far the ice has extended out toward the open water of the ocean.

As an antidote to such cold weather scenes, we are including a shot taken at the Club's Annual Flower Show last summer. While Dorothy searches for her entry ticket, Madge and Kay are persuading her to buy a packet of the Club's own note-cards.  The cards, featuring garden-inspired photos taken by Club members, were produced last year as a fund-raiser for the Club.  They have been a popular item and there are plans to create another series with new photos now that the current stock is running low. 

In February, even the hardiest gardeners are forced to admit defeat when snowy verandahs prevent easy access to the outdoors.

Members of the Chester Garden Club can, however, look forward to a temporary escape from winter's blasts when they attend the first general meeting of 2011. On February 21,  our guest speaker will be Susan Davis from Risley Gardens and her topic will be: Get that Tropical Look in Nova Scotia.

Chester gardens have never been renowned as tropical even in August but these days they are lying under about 20 centimetres of snow. The latest blast of winter coated shrubs and trees with heavy dollops of beautiful thick "frosting". Nevertheless, on a sunny day with little wind, the snow conditions encouraged even a few gardeners to don their cross-country skis and traverse neighbouring fields and orchards.