The Friends of the Public Gardens Newsletters
Dedication of Queen Elizabeth II Walkway September 9th, 2018
Royal walkway
The paths around the Diamond Jubilee Fountain have now officially been named in honor of the current Queen the Queen Elizabeth II Walkway. You can follow the dedication ceremony which took place on Sunday, September 9 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hm0MFWBTX0
Nocturne
Nocturne in the Gardens this year focuses on music in Juan Plaza and art in Horticultural Hall. With the plaza, patio, and pathway to the Bandstand glowing in twinkling lights, visitors can enjoy musical refrains by local pianists on the Plaza (yes, this is the piano we brought in this Summer, and many have played on it all season long), meet local artists in Horticultural Hall and view original art painted in the Gardens. While access to the Gardens-at-Night is limited, people can stroll to the Golden Jubilee Bandstand (1887) and enjoy its unique architecture. 6 PM to Midnight. Gallery: 6 PM to 10:30 PM
Student interns
This summer, for the first time, we had 3 student interns. They had various tasks, going from the new inventory of trees to welcoming tourists at the desk, or making sure activities were properly advertised, or having surveys filled for our information. This proved extremely valuable and we plan to use the resources of the Canada Summer Jobs program again.
The inventory of trees was necessary to help us produce a new map. The current one includes some trees that have been changed, does not show some which were planted since it was printed, and so we need to offer our visitors a more accurate list of the close to 200 kinds of trees they can find in our Gardens. You may notice that many have plaques now helping to identify them more easily, a task for which one summer intern in particular was very helpful.
American agave top attraction
Needless to say, most people who came into the Gardens this summer had eyes first for the unique Century Plant, our American agave, which bloomed for the first and last time of its life between April and October – yellow flowers came out in August and were feverishly expected by all visitors. Agaves bloom only once in their lifetime, a process lasting several months, after which the mother plant dies. The cycle can take 40 years before it happens; our own star initiated the process after spending many years in the Gardens, between the greenhouse and the desert plant section.
New Director of HRM Parks and Recreation
We welcome a new HRM Director of Parks and Recreation, Denise Schofield, and look forward to meeting her and working with her as of October 1st. Brad Anguish, who was the former Director, has now moved to the Transportation and Public Works portfolio. We wish him the best…
Dahlia days
Among the many activities involving beautiful flowers blooming over the summer in the gardens, making it a continuous daze of color, Dahlia Days is a regular activity associating the Gardens and the Dahlia Society of Nova Scotia. This year again, we had the pleasure of having Neville MacKay, author of Neville on the Level, prepare and give away flower arrangements to close those two days on August 30, 2018.
Poets and writers always welcome
Did you know there was a line by Emily Dickinson on a plaque at the foot of a tree in the Gardens? No? Well, it is in part because you would have to crawl to see it. This summer the annual poetry reading organized by Janet Brush took place inside Horticultural Hall, July 26.