Even with the poor growing season for many people, several enthusiasts got together Friday evening to look at some of Estevan's best gardens.
They were invited to look at chosen gardens as part of a city garden tour, which would through nearly all areas of the city – including its start downtown.
“We had a garden club in town for years and years and I was the tour director,” said Gale Tytlandsvik, who led the tour starting with her own peaceful 'Garden Park' space by the SaskTel building downtown, a place she takes care of personally. “I knew most of these beforehand. I talk to the people that I used to tour the yards from the garden club.”
Then a few Facebook posts later asking for other suggestions, and voila! Instant garden tour.
“I've also gone and knocked on doors,” she laughed. “I got turned away from all three doors I knocked on. But I tried.”
Nonetheless, the tour went down to one of the southern edges of the city on Jubilee Place, where the front yards was sculpted and adorned with flowers and bushes from almost entirely the front to the back. The back yard was even nicer, with a the view into the valley made even the more striking with a diversity of flowers, a picturesque gate and several places that looked inviting enough to meditate.
“We've actually been touring this lawn off and on since the garden club was active, so 10 or 15 years,” Tytlandsvik said. “Then we had a big hiatus there that was nothing, after the garden club quit. Then I started doing this, I did one three years ago to raise money for the garden park. It was awfully nice of these people to offer up their gardens.”
She feels there are undoubtedly gardens that were missed as being part of the tour.
“Without the garden club in town it's really hard to keep up,” Tytlandsvik said. “But I'm sure there's gardens in town that are absolutely gorgeous that I just don't know about.”
There were quite a few people on the tour this year, but not like her first attempt last year when 40 showed up. Last year they split in two groups but during the 2017 version all stayed together – even picking up some of the home garden owners as they moved along. One of those was Cindy Tenold, who had a few ideas that she's picked up in her years of gardening.
“I've always loved to be outside,” Tenold said. “I'm a decorator at heart...
“It's someplace where you can take the stress out of your day and get rid of that. And be creative.”
This was the third time Tenold has been a part of the tour and then gone on to other lawns. She gets inspiration from the other lawns and books about plants and specifically perennials.
The tour ended at Marlene Coulter's house, which featured a working pear tree and several other unique aspects in her large space.
“There's a lot of work to it,” she said. “And this is just pretty simple compared to some of the yard you saw tonight.”
A garden isn't just the flowers, bushes and trees. A lot of other work goes into it, from buying just the right piece to make it all look good to the constant pruning and preparation.
“It's just enjoyable,” Coulter said. “I sit out here every morning and have breakfast. Every meal that I can, I'm out here.”
