Hilltop Paradise — An August afternoon at Summerland Ornamental Gardens

It was a warm and lovely, late-August afternoon when I asked Kathie to  drop me off at the Summerland Ornamental Gardens to photograph flowers. I visit the gardens several times each year and find ample subject material through all seasons. Readers of this blog will already know how I love photographing flowers in all their colour and splendour.

Expecting a quiet and solitary afternoon I approached superintendent’s  house (now a meeting and display centre) only to find people everywhere, tucked behind trees, carrying equipment along the road, and clustered on the lawn. Obviously, an event was underway: plants on tables; artists painting, and a small crowd listening to music on the rolling lawn.

I had stumbled into Art and Music in the Gardens, an annual event sponsored by the Friends of the Gardens. Still minding my own business, and trying to draw as little attention to myself as possible, I was approached by a lovely lady. I thought to myself, oh, I bet no pictures are allowed—privacy and all that. Groan.

Well her request was quite the opposite. Would I share my images with the Friends of the Gardens? “Sure,” I said, in an uncharacteristically brief response, “but I didn’t bring the right equipment” I said. “I’ll do what I can.” The results dot this blog.

This instance gives me however an opportunity to share the story of another brilliant feature of life in “Our Little Town of Summerland,” my blog series. From the Friends website I glean the following information about what some call “Canada’s Secret Garden”:

Summerland Ornamental Gardens were originally part of the Dominion Experimental Farm, established in 1914 to demonstrate successful ways of farming and gardening in the dry Okanagan climate. In 1916, staff gardeners Joseph Smith and Alfred Aveson sketched out a plan for the Gardens based on the English garden scene on a Wedgewood plate (or so the story goes).

Trees and shrubs from around the world were planted; some did not survive but many are still providing shade to today’s visitor. Beds of geraniums, hollyhocks and other drought-tolerant flowers flourished alongside the roses that reminded settlers of their home gardens in England and Ontario.

Homes were built for the gardens manager, the superintendent and other farm employees; today, only sets of concrete steps and the superintendent’s home remain.

For several decades, the Farm and Gardens provided a social hub for South Okanagan settlers; the annual Farm Picnic drew visitors from Vernon to Princeton, and local politicians seized the opportunity to speak to crowds numbering in the thousands. The Gardens became a favorite venue for weddings, birthdays and family reunions.

During those decades as well, the Gardens’ managers and staff developed new varieties of geraniums, dahlias and other species that gained country-wide recognition. Most notable of those managers was Nat May, who arrived at the Gardens in the 1920s and held the position until the 1950s. May’s granddaughter, Connie Davis, co-ordinates the volunteers who maintain the Gardens today.

As Canada’s population moved from rural to urban, Agriculture Canada—now Agriculture Agri-food Canada—phased out its horticultural programs and the Gardens were slated for the plough. The then director of the renamed Research Centre, Lorin Godfrey, and the gardens manager, Brian Stretch, persuaded the ministry to leave them in place to be maintained by a non-profit society, Friends of the Summerland Ornamental Gardens (FOG), which was formed in 1991.

FOG’s first large project was establishing a Xeriscape demonstration garden, in keeping with the dawning awareness that water is a finite resource. Other beds were enlarged or added, and the Gardens gradually expanded to their current six hectares (15 acres). To further conserve water, annual flowers were replaced with perennials, and drip irrigation was introduced.

Most recently, FOG has increased the number of plants that provide food for pollinators (bees, butterflies, hummingbirds), in recognition of the fact that their numbers are dwindling.

For more than a quarter-century, FOG volunteers have planted, weeded, offered workshops and given tours, providing to locals and visitors an opportunity to discover the natural world, learn how to garden in it, and enjoy the serene beauty that the Gardens provide.

I have posted several galleries of my images from over the last two years here, and here, and here, and here.

I have other memories of life on this hill. I officiated at a number of weddings back in the day, sometimes in excruciatingly hot weather. We also facilitated church educational events, one time on Good Friday, a creative endeavour which I remember with pride. We also produced two outdoor concerts with Musaic Vocal Ensemble, a mixed voice adult chamber choir I founded in 1995. (The choir continues to this day having survived COVID.)

I look forward to returning in a few weeks’ time as I didn’t get down into the xeriscape garden last Sunday. I salute the friends of the garden who continue to labour with love for this very secret garden whose story deserves to be shouted from the hilltop.