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A Rainy Friday at Wellington Greenhouse on the Victoria Day Weekend May 2010

May 24, 2010 by Valerie Lugonja 13 Comments

As we were to be buying and planting, why let the rain daunt us? It was a beautiful day – even in the rain!

A little wonder and escape from the real world to my favourite Edmonton Garden Fantasy is an emotional oasis in the Spring rain.

The weather does influence my psyche and I have had enough Spring rain! The May long weekend in central Alberta is a traditional time to plant gardens and bedding plants. Historically, there will be no more freezing temperatures, but there are exceptions. This year is definitely one of them. Two weeks ago there was a snow storm. A record breaker, and the first May storm in years. The next week it was record breaking heat. And this weekend: cold and rainy. What is a gardener to do? Every Spring the urge to plant and dig deep into the rich black Alberta soil rises within me, and there is no holding me back. Rain or shine!

Look at that sweet welcome! And he won’t stain your grass!

Wellington grounds are an oasis in this city and every time I go I feel I was out of the country for the afternoon. Not out IN the country” out OF the country. This garden centre has a truly European feel.

Big over-sized neoclassic urns and fountains are everywhere.

Giant (and small) garden sculptures beckon.

The greenhouses are charming and found through a maze of paths and walkways. You move in and out from on to another through a series or outdoor pathways and rooms.

The collection of outdoor art, furniture and features is astonishing and I am filled with inspiration just visiting.

I love mirrors in the garden to reflect the flowers… Oh, the sculpture peering into that one is gorgeous. Hello! (See my wet hair?)

The massive urns with the wires attached to shape plants are gorgeous. And today, I came for a rosemary tree. Here are the herbs! Last year, Kathy C. gave me a rosemary tree. It is the best gift I have received. I have never been able to winter rosemary for my garden, but this is a different variety, and grows in the house (outside in the summer). It died while we were in London (whoops!!!), so I needed (yes, NEEDED) a new one. But, they were all gone, so it is on order.

We did, however, meet Marie. She is the herbal expert in that area and a gold mine of information and service. I also ordered a Meyer Lemon Tree. I have been wanting one for ages, and Nancy H. gets more than three dozen lemons off of her indoor tree every year. They had a gorgeous fig tree that I was coveting that yields about the same amount of figs as the lemon, and we came home with a gorgeous Bay Leaf Tree. It was about fifty dollars which is incredibly reasonable for any tree this size of this nature anywhere in this area. They had two topiary Bay Leaf Trees Friday for one hundred dollars each, so run down if you want to grow your own herbs and produce inside year round!

Is this not a gorgeous tree? I was SO excited! I love the leaves fresh in so many soups and stews and savoury dishes that I make.

The air was sweet and fresh and fragrant and COLD! Everything was so beautiful – even int he rain. Or maybe, especially in the rain. I have never seen this garden centre so empty, so this worked for us!

Go no where else if you want a serious fountain. They are expensive, but they are so full of character and whimsy that you will never regret the money spent for the pleasure you have living with it. I am not saying this because I have one. I just know. Vanja finds these kinds of things tacky. I find them charming and revitalizing. And, he compromises a huge amount for me, so I enjoy my fountains on holidays and here.

I am crazy about garden sculpture. Oversized sculpture. I love finding little unexpected eyes picking up at me under a leaf, too (if it is in sculptural form!), but an over sized piece  in a garden makes a statement.

There are little vignettes set up to inspire your own garden corners. I love the French garden (right, below).

The annuals and perennials are here. By now, Vanja is inside and I am still peering through the rows of wonder. My fingers are frozen, but I cannot stop. I am exhilarated.

Below, left is Wooley Thyme that is just beginning to bloom a blue bed of flowers. This is the ultimate ground  cover.

I am positive that this is a duplicate of a fountain in one of the side gardens at Versailles!

Lots of information for you at the end of every row explaining all about each plant in the row.

Good morning!

The rain arcs the delicate stems by weight as the crystal droplets cling and sparkle a glistening prism through the greyness.

Spring rains and puddles and gardens and fresh air and colour and growth and life and new beginnings of another summer to come…

The flowers are shrivelled and also shivering in the cold!

You want a Venise di Milo?

Immediately I thought of St. Francis of Assisi. I have been to his small town in Italy and really wanted to bring home this piece to feel that memory every day.

Time to go. Inside of the main building is a gift shop that I could have spent an hour in all by myself. Really beautiful objects d’art. And some practical items, too. Not too many, though! Mainly, just gorgeous stuff everywhere you look.

Time to leave. It is lunch time. And after lunch: Holes.

If you like to garden and are living in Edmonton, Wellington’s is a must for you this season.

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Filed Under: Gardens Tagged With: Personal Reflection

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Comments

  1. Heavenly Housewife says

    May 24, 2010 at 10:42 am

    What a lovely place :), but one question… where’s beavie???

    Reply
  2. tasteofbeirut says

    May 24, 2010 at 11:11 am

    I like to have flowers and fresh herbs around but gardening is not my passion; these photos have a nostalgic feel to them , maybe due to the rain; you seem like such a fun person,smiling ear to ear despite the weather and your wet hair!

    Reply
  3. Vanessa says

    May 24, 2010 at 11:45 am

    What a lovely post! Actually, I’m hopeless at gardening but just love visiting garden centres in the UK with my parents and imagining all those flowers, plants and scultures we could get. Rainy days have never put me off and the fragrance of wet earth and flowers must have been wonderful. I adore those fresh petals dripping with raindrops.

    Reply
  4. Angie's Recipes says

    May 24, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    It’s really a beautiful and peaceful place to visit.

    Reply
  5. Mel says

    May 24, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    I love, love, love all these plants! And the garden statues are gorgeous too. This is making me want to get out and dig in my veggie patch – and thankfully, the weather has finally warmed up enough for me to do so!

    Reply
  6. lequan@luvtoeat says

    May 24, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    “I love finding little unexpected eyes picking up at me under a leaf, too (if it is in sculptural form!)” LOL! Too funny 😀 Your close up pictures of the rain drops on the flowers are so beautiful. Like something you would buy from a store to hang up. Good for you for braving the rain to enjoy that! I’m not much of a garden person but my dad loves plants. I’m sure he would enjoy a walk through that garden. It would be a nice date with him and my kiddies. Thank you for sharing this place with us. I’ll definitely check them out and take my dad one day to spend some father daughter grandchildren time. This is definitely something 3 generations can enjoy! 😀

    Reply
  7. sweetlife says

    May 24, 2010 at 9:37 pm

    lovely post, so many great pics, loved the mirros and you saying hello…great st francis staute my mom has one in the backyard next to her garden..so pretty..glad you got a chance to order some great plants..

    sweetlife

    Reply
  8. 5 Star Foodie says

    May 25, 2010 at 5:51 am

    Beautiful gardens and I love your pictures in the rain!

    Reply
  9. bellini valli says

    May 25, 2010 at 6:56 am

    Like a garden of Eden in the city limits. I could wander around there for hours:D

    Reply
  10. bruleeblog says

    May 25, 2010 at 10:00 am

    Wellington is always so beautiful. And a Meyer lemon tree!! I am so excited for you! Are you going to try and make preserved lemons?

    Reply
  11. Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) says

    May 25, 2010 at 10:14 am

    Looks like fun! I spent time at Dutch Growers and Garden Architecture & Design in Saskatoon this week.

    Reply
  12. stella says

    May 25, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    Hey Valerie, these gardens are absolutely beautiful. I wish there was something like this near me. And it’s funny that you describe it as having a ‘European feel’. I always think of Canada as being kind of European-maybe I have the wrong idea. My grandmother is Canadian, but I’ve never visited. I want to to though!
    Anyway, I’m glad you had such a nice time. By the way, Vanja looks like some of the guys in my family!
    Stella

    Reply
  13. FOODESSA says

    May 26, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    I had been gardening for the last 17 years until we finally made the big decision that we had to let go all this extra work we had going on. If it were only for the garden…I’d be their rain or shine! You brought it all back to me. Very charming photos that seem to probably capture who you are.
    I’ll have to check in again to follow your future posts.
    Flavourful wishes, Claudia

    Reply

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