One of the tough Explorer roses, ‘Alexander Mackenzie’, puts on a scented show.
Photo by Janet Kimber
A Family Heirloom
Generations of memories flourish amid the flowers in Harry Moore’s historic Nova Scotia garden
Within the remains of the once-lush, turn-of-the-century orchard on Harry Moore’s historic family property near Pugwash, NS, there stands an imperious original ‘Wealthy’ apple tree. Two generations ago, Moore’s grandfather grafted a ‘Yellow Transparent’ (known locally as “August white”) branch onto it, and today, they both produce fruit every season. “My mother visits often and every August leaves with a basket of August whites,” says Moore, 51. “And she always reminds me that her father grafted that sprig.”
Memories are wrapped in every season’s harvest, because the six-acre former working farm has been in the family since it was bought by Moore’s great-grandparents, Charles and Elizabeth VanBuskirk, in 1887. After returning from school 30 years ago and deciding to stay (the house was being rented out at the time), Moore has steadily been making his fourth-generation mark on the family’s plot. Cognizant of keeping some gardening legacies alive, Moore and his partner, Joseph Gauthier, are confidently adding their own touches, as is necessary for the natural evolution of this treasured heirloom garden.
“We’re preserving the integrity of the idea as opposed to the integrity of the garden,” explains Moore, who grew up on the property and recalls the taste of crisp, fresh peas and corn, and also long days of weeding and other hard work. They prefer not to expand on but simply maintain the informal structure of the true historic garden area—a 50-by-50-foot space brimming with hollyhocks (many planted by his grandmother), 110-year-old rugosa roses, puffy peonies, lilacs and an incredibly fragrant mock orange (which they are currently trying to propagate elsewhere on the property). At the same time, they are not in total preservation mode as they find ways to express garden creativity that works within the older part of the grounds, and on the newer expanded areas totalling about 2.5 acres with 18 or so abundant flower borders and mixed flower and vegetable beds.
A respect for heritage certainly guides new plantings. Moore has put in lots of brown-eyed Susans that he recalls from his childhood and says, “when we had veranda steps installed, we made sure to plant hollyhocks, because my grandmother always planted them near verandas.” He tends his grandmother’s magnificent hollyhocks, as well as old varieties of cosmos, sweet peas, nasturtiums and scarlet runner beans, collecting and resowing the seeds every year. And every winter, he hauls in a truckload of nutrient-rich manure. Moore’s grandfather would be pleased—he knew that manure is what made the peonies thrive.
The couple also strives to garden “local.” Mulching and soil-building is done with the straw and manure from nearby farms, seaweed harvested from the river, and leaves from town yards. “Rock borders around all of the older beds were harvested from our own renovation projects on the property. We try to bring in plants and seeds that are locally available.” Springtime is always “carry a spade” time, when Moore and Gauthier often trade plants and seed with friends. “We traded for a small envelope of purple and black Himalayan poppies 10 years ago that have since seeded wild all over our property.”
Moore’s ability to manage such ancient gardening rites is a testament to how he seemed to get a little more of the “garden gene” than his three brothers and one sister. The large extended family descends on the property often during the summer, when older generations might reminisce about the grounds, and younger generations, including Mia, Moore’s 18-year-old daughter (who may inherit the land someday) learn about the past and present plantings.
When Moore’s not entertaining in the garden, he spends time appreciating the bounty, walking around almost every night to spot new blooms. That is, when he’s not working at Inside & Out, his four-year-old lifestyle giftware business in the summer-destination town of Pugwash three kilometres away. “I don’t know how to describe the connection I feel. I do feel really lucky.
I never really wanted to leave this place and I’m really fortunate to create a business that attaches itself here.”
The most rewarding outcome of his stewardship is spreading the joy. No one leaves without armfuls of fresh-cut flowers; and Moore and Gauthier often fill up the car with bushels of blooms for the regional hospital. “The good feeling in the yard is still the same after 30 years of working it,” adds Moore. “It changes every year a little, but it’s the beauty and gratefulness that persist. Watching the progression of the yard from the first bloom of the season to the last before killing frost is never—and yet, always—the same.”
For the difference between heirloom and heritage plants and our top selections to start your own collection, keep reading for garden notes.
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