I was in
Quebec City for a few days this summer attending the annual Garden Writers
Association Symposium. I met a lot of people, attended a number of
presentations, and was introduced to new garden products. It was all good fun
but the best part, besides touring a number of historic gardens, was wandering
about the old city. In was like a homecoming for me as the last time I was there
was over 40 years ago when I hopped off a boat from England to be processed. I
don’t recall much from that time, but I’m sure the city wasn’t nearly as
attractive and flower filled as it is now.
Since then,
the old city has been designated as a world heritage site, and it’s a
delightful place. The narrow streets are filled with countless hanging baskets
and window boxes. The public gardens are immaculate, particularly those in
front of the Quebec National Assembly. Colour rich flower beds radiate from the
Fontaine de Tourney, a massive cast iron fountain donated to celebrate the 400th
anniversary of the founding of the city by the Simons family, owners of Quebec
City’s oldest department store.
The
fountain, found in a Paris antique shop, originally stood in Allées de Tourny,
Bordeaux, France from 1857 to 1960. Now fully restored, it is an impressive
work of art enhanced by the quality of the gardens. To see rare plants, I recommend
a visit to Université Laval's exceptional Roger-Van den Hende Botanical Garden,
but the familiar annuals and perennials in these flowerbeds were perfectly
planted and maintained, and some of the finest specimens I’ve seen anywhere.
This was
also apparent in the Joan of Arc garden located on the Plains of Abraham. The
garden, an elongated octagon about a couple of hundred meters long was established
in 1938 to accommodate a huge bronze statue of Joan of Arc mounted for battle,
a gift to the city presented anonymously from an American artist and her
husband.
The garden
was designed by landscape architect Louis Perron and is sunk a few feet below
the surrounding area and flanked on all sides by magnificent American elm trees
— yes, elm trees. Within the garden are over
150 species of plants incorporated into a design that cleverly blends the
precision of the French Classical style with the less restrained British style
of gardening — mixed beds in all combinations of form and colour — which I
think reflects the makeup and essence of this country quite nicely.
Thanks to
the elevation difference, it allows for a two tier planting scheme along the
perimeter with colourful annuals swirling and flowing in intricate patterns throughout
the perennials and small shrubs. As befits a historic public garden, the plants
are of exceptional quality. Even though I have many of the same perennials in
my own garden — Echinacea, Veronica,
Aconitum — they seemed so much bigger more robust. I suspect this has much to
do with the climate of Quebec City. Summer is a little cooler and shorter, and
like the people of the city, plants make the most of it. Slightly longer days
also promote more growth, but the deep snow cover that reliably buries the
perennials each winter means they are well protected at root level, barely
freezing.
This is so
different from our corner of the country where January thaws expose our plants,
frequently freezing and thawing them only to be broiled and baked in summer.
Okay, I’m envious, but despite excellent growing conditions and beautiful
architecture, I’m not planning to move my garden. I am, however, looking
forward to another visit, and I don’t think I’ll be waiting another 40 years.
First published August 2013 Waterloo Region Record and Guelph Mercury
