Late August 2023. To begin…

My name is Jenny Humphrey. I have been a gardener all my life and have been lucky enough to have gardened in climates from Zone 2 to 8. I come from a family of gardeners and farmers so I suppose you could say my love of gardens and plants is my genes. I came to Cranbrook British Columbia in 1973.

My first job as a student was to work for Harkness Roses in the UK. There I learned to graft Hybrid Tea roses in a process where a bud was inserted into the bark of a rose species with a strong root stock. If the graft ‘took’ a new Hybrid tea rose would grow from that bud on the stronger rootstock.

Watching the specimen roses being picked and loaded for the Chelsea Flower Show in May each year set me on my course of studying Environmental Science with a large horticulture component and Art as part of my teaching qualifications. I have also, as a more senior adult, studied Garden Design and Horticulture with the Royal Horticultural Society. I received a Diploma in Garden Design and Level 2 Royal Horticultural Society Certificate

I believe we all can benefit from a better understanding of the plant life we depend upon. It seems Biology, Chemistry and Physics are the staple sciences in Canadian schools but Botany gets short shrift. Just as water is essential to animal life so is plant life. I currently garden in the Rocky Mountains of Canada where snow falls heavily in the winter and temperatures can reach -35 degrees Celsius. Summers frequently bring temperatures of +35 degrees Celsius and drought. Despite this, I have managed to create, what most observers refer to as, ‘an English Garden,’ with flowers to enjoy for cutting and vegetables for the table. I must add that I have lived in Canada for more than fifty years and do consider myself Canadian.

My first foray into gardening in Canada was in Goodsoil northern Saskatchewan where the soil was fertile but the season was very short. The long daylight hours and heat of summer advanced the garden vegetables I did grow and the crops were more than acceptable. Augmented with wild berries and homegrown raspberries our diet was very well balanced. I cannot remember everything we tried. There were no nurseries to purchase pre-started plants and starting seeds late in the season without a greenhouse was a challenge. I remember receiving curious looks as we erected our poles for Scarlet Runner beans, which were not a common food vegetable at that time in that part of the world. The climate was certainly not conducive to them – late frost to a sensitive plant and a short season ended in a failure . Cabbages, peas and other more cold weather root crops proved to be more successful but the season was not long enough for my favourite, Brussel Sprouts. They don’t do well in the Rockies either. Flowers were not a priority for me in our part of the world at that time.

I believe you really only learn gardening by gardening and that was certainly true of the climate shock of Saskatchewan after gardening and studying in the U.K. After moving to the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia I was excited to work in a more ‘temperate’ climate. Once again I had a big surprise in store because the climate here is not a great deal different than Saskatchewan. I moved up a zone and learned a heavier snow cover is beneficial to overwintering roots.

Two evergreens , one either side of the front door was more often than not the standard design for a front garden at that time, gardens being more frequently referred to as a ‘yard.’ That seems a long time ago now. Times have changed. My town now bursts with wonderful creative gardens and fabulous nurseries. I believe the change came as the town grew and home owners had a little more time and money in the eighties and nineties to beautify their new homes and gardens with ornamentals in addition to growing all important food. My town, Cranbrook, participated in Communities in Bloom a few years ago and also boasts a strong Garden Club. Social media through local garden oriented Facebook sites plays a large role in learning from one another.

As I lose my ability to spend ten hours a day in the garden, I am embarking on this Gardening Blog. Being a teacher for many years has also provided me with a quest for more knowledge and learning. I love learning from other gardeners and sharing ideas as well as plants. This blog will be an experiment to share my lifetime of still inadequate knowledge, while asking for your input also, that we may all, even in harsh climates be able to grow the plants we depend upon for beauty around us and sustenance to keep us healthy.

So here goes, A blog for my fiftieth year gardening in Cranbrook, B.C. Please participate by sharing your experiences and commenting on mine. I am looking forward to the dialogue.

I will add, I am absolutely no Brian Minter or Monty Don. I hope to hear about your experiences and learn from them.