Hidden Pumpkins, Hiding Scarecrows

'I don't want to go to the garden! I don't want to go to the garden! I don't want to go to the garden!' This is the mantra my four-year-old Cleo was wailing when we pulled into the parking lot at Milner Gardens, just outside of Parksville BC, this past Saturday. We were there for their annual Fall Colours Weekend; a family oriented event in which the kids search for as many scarecrows and pumpkins as they can find, while exploring the garden along the way.

As I struggled to unfold our jogging stroller for little Abby while all three kids, along with their two cousins, jumped around the car, defying anyone trying to park to just come a little closer, I wasn't so sure this was going to be the best place for us. But the sky was clear and the sun had some real warmth in it, and well, we were here, right? So, off we trundled to the pretty cedar building that is the entrance to the garden.

The children were instantly charmed by the harvest doll, and then even more so by the warm, sweet woman who was receiving visitors. She gave the kids all a map on which they were to check off all of the pumpkins and scarecrows that they could find. And then she explained the best part, the really exciting part: after they have found all the pumpkins and scarecrows they possibly can, the kids can take their papers to the gift shop to retrieve some much-deserved candy.

At last, because he is the eldest, the woman made Lucas in charge of the pencil. He took it from her carefully, head held high (Later that day I heard him explain to Cleo that since he is the oldest, he gets to boss everyone else around. She nodded with solemnity).

Happy now, we all set off through the woodland trail that leads to the rest of the gardens, the gift shop, and the beautiful ocean-front Milner House and tea room. The kids screamed along the path, making little checks on their papers each time they came across a scarecrow or a pumpkin.

As we neared the main gardens, we heard some distant drumming and the kids made it their mission to discover where the music was coming from. When we got closer, we saw that it was coming from yet another pretty cedar building, in which Milner Gardens holds its Shoots with Roots programs. The kids ran past the lovely children's food garden and up to the building entrance, where they took off their shoes and walked into a drumming circle. They were each handed a drum and told to go for it. By the time Abby and I had our shoes off, the three oldest kids were drumming away with everyone else. We all stayed there for a while, and even the smallest kids had fun making music with the other people in the room.

As we walked further along the path toward the water, we came across an old cottage, tiny but grand, that is shrouded in a very charming, English country garden. Here I saw the most beautiful little grove of Pee Gee Hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) that I have ever encountered. These shrubs are now small trees pruned expertly so that their gnarled trunks highlight the delicate beauty of the flowers, and the panicles have been left untouched, though all of the leaves have fallen. The flowers have faded to a soft, dull pink that on this day was absolutely lit up by the bright afternoon sun.

For a long time I had passed over hydrangeas as fussy, old-fashioned plants that were not really worth the extra water. But well-placed, these shrubs can be an incredible asset to a garden. My favourites are definitely the Pee Gees. There are many beautiful cultivars available, including 'Kyushu,' 'Tardiva,' and 'Unique.' The Oak Leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) are also a nice alternative to the more traditional Mopheads and Lacecaps (Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea serrata). The Oak Leaf Hydrangeas also have the added feature of gorgeous fall colour. All hydrangeas thrive in part-sun in a place where they will not dry out, as they do tend to be thirsty plants.


Just as I had turned away from the hydrangeas and began heading toward the Milner house, I saw my friend Geoff Ball, who is Executive Director at Milner Gardens. He and his family have the great fortune to live in a private wing of the Milner house. Imagine! Geoff was very busy this day, but he graciously gave me a tour of the gorgeous old house and tea room (I took one look at the delicate cups and saucers and knew that we would not be taking the kids here--bring your own tea if you've got little ones!). Staff and volunteers are slowly renovating the old house, which looks out onto the gardens and beyond that, the ocean. It is a gorgeous home; just what you'd expect from a 'country estate' of old, complete with 16th century furniture and creaking wooden floors.

Milner Gardens rents out the house for weddings, among other things, and I think this place would be perfect for a small, romantic wedding. Just imagine walking down these steps onto the lawn below, filled with all the folks you love...

After seeing the house, the kids wanted nothing more than to take a ride in one of the golf carts that act as taxis to and from the parking lot, and to go and collect their candy from the gift shop.

My mom, sister and I would have loved to stay the rest of the afternoon, walk through the rhododendron groves, admire the mature plantings of magnolias, japanese maples, and many other wonderful trees and shrubs, like the Paper Bark Maple in this photo (Acer griseum).

I could see myself sitting, like the statue, taking in my surroundings and feeling the warm sun on my face...but Abby was at my legs, insisting that she not only push the heavy stroller up the hill, but that she also do it while walking backwards.