Stratford and District Horticulture Society hosting garden tour July 7

The Stratford and District Horticulture Society is getting set for its biggest fundraiser of the year with its annual garden tour.

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Running from 10 am to 4 pm on July 7, the tour will feature eight gardens around the city. The society, which also maintains around 10 public gardens in the city, always draws a lot of interest for this tour, said organizing committee member Larke Turnbull

“Last year, it rained most of the day, and we still had 350 people to go on the tour. We usually have between 350 and 400 people,” Turnbull said. “There are various styles of gardeners on the tour, and some of them are long established ones at older homes, and some of them are fairly new. It’s a chance for people to get ideas from other gardeners about different things.”

One of the homeowners whose garden will be featured on the tour is Barbara Laflamme, who has been working on her garden for 20 years.

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“It was pretty well an empty canvas, and it’s just expanded and evolved continuously since then. The whole idea is to give a sense of calmness, serenity and peace,” Laflamme said.

Not having been taught how to garden when she was younger, Laflamme learned the needed skills from books by John Bradshaw.

“Every week a new book was released, so I would buy it at the grocery store, take it home and read it cover to cover. One week it was on lawns, another week on roses, and another one on shrubs and trees. So that’s how I learned my gardening originally. And then as we bought houses, we just kept adding to (the gardens),” she said.

The flame also took the opportunity to learn from other local gardeners, guest speakers and classes, as well as tours similar to the upcoming event.

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“Every year on the garden tour, I tried to come home with, and use, one new plant or one new idea and just implement it somewhere,” she said.

Her garden, which was also part of the tour about 10 years ago, features a small pond and waterfall.

“You just hear the sound of the water and the birds. You don’t hear any outside sounds. You’re alone with nature,” she said.

The flame has a wide variety of plants in both her front and backyards, which require about one hour a day for maintenance.

“I’m gradually working myself into more native plants, but we like to have a garden that will look good every season of the year (so) there’s something to look at,” she added.

Like Turnbull, Laflamme noted the July 7 tour is an opportunity for others to gain knowledge from her work and the work of others.

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“It just gives people ideas,” she said.

Passes for the tour, as well as an accompanying map, are $15 each or two for $25. Passes can be found at Cozyn’s Garden Gallery, the Sebringville Garden Centre and Klomp’s Home and Garden. They are also available on the day of the tour from 9 am to 1 pm at Cozyn’s and Stratford’s city hall. The tour will also feature a scavenger hunt-like element, with each garden having a unique plant marked with a Canadian flag. Tour attendees will have an opportunity to guess at the species.

“We try not to make it too hard, but it’s also not something that’s really obvious either. It gives people a chance to test their knowledge of plants,” Turnbull said

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