The Granite Center Garden Club Annual Plant Sale was a great success in 2007.

We moved from our former North Main Street location to the Barre Arena and moved our time up from 7 A.M. to 6:30 A.M. So many people were already lined up outside the Arena at 6 that we had pity on them and opened at 6:15 A.M. We were able to more than double our gross and net sale amounts.

The size of the arena made it much easier for people to move around and make their selections. During the first hour three different people bought over $300 worth of plants. We had almost everything sold by 9:30 when we had to begin cleaning up to be out by 10. The City of Barre Recreation Department personnel were thrilled at the use being made by the Club of the Arena. We are looking forward to the 2008 sale on the Friday morning of Memorial Day weekend.  (Click on the photos to enlarge)

International Flora Le Festival de Jardins de Montréal
Montréal Garden Festival

On Sunday July 22, seven members of the Granite Center Garden Club traveled to Montréal, Quebec, to visit the Flora de Montréal garden displays. We are all willing to speak with you about our reactions to the gardens. Please feel free to ask us: Christine and Lee, John and Ruth, Susan B. and Blanche and Gary.

The International Flora de Montréal is a non-profit organization which provides a showcase for new gardening ideas. These display gardens, forty-nine large displays and twenty-four smaller exhibit gardens, were created by innovative professionals to produce the latest in landscape design, new plants, and garden furniture and accessories. The Show Gardens provide new ideas for landscaping. The Water Gardens are a tribute to that vital element. City Gardens provide imaginative solutions for small spaces. The Avant-Garde gardens utilize contemporary art pieces. Street Side Gardens show how to plant in curbside areas. Tilted Gardens show designs for hillsides and slopes. Nature Gardens make use of country and forested spaces. Nurturing Gardens celebrate the richness of Mother Earth. Rooftop Gardens demonstrate the newest technology for beautifying the cityscape. Finally, Balcony Gardens provide an extended living space in the city.

The gardens are located in the Old Port of Montréal adjacent to the bike path, Lachine Canal and Rue de la Commune, the main street of the Old City. Being so close to Old Montréal, you can also meander through the streets and visit historical sites and find that special little restaurant in the area after the visit to the gardens. The site is handicap accessible with numerous paths and by-ways. There is ample seating along the way to just rest or contemplate the beauty of each display.
Snack bars and a garden shop are also available.

Worth a visit?? Undoubtedly, yes!!! The displays are stunning, the variety of plants amazing and the architectural/design/artistic elements phenomenal. If you are lucky, you might encounter Monsieur Michel Gauthier, the director of the entire project (as we did). His explanations about the plants and certain design elements made our visit more than worthwhile. AND, he speaks fluent English! AND, next year, one-third of these gardens will be redone, so every year will be different.

         a Dates: until September 3, 2007
         a Entrance: Adults - $14
         a Seniors: (65+) - $12
         a Families: $30
         a Times: 10AM-8PM (go early!!!)
         a Parking: $10
         a Directions:      

Still have questions?? Please contact me: Gary Adamski
Have a wonderful visit - one you will truly remember.

I don't usually like blocks of one plant, but the Echinacea (cone flower) blocks of pink and the other blocks of yellow were very impressive.

The setting along the canal was very beautiful with lots of places to sit in the sun or the shade.

I do wish, somehow, all the plants and their cultivars could be identified.

The diversity of the gardens was fun and the layout of the paths kept one moving forward to the next wonder.

Susan Barrett

Our trip to International Flora le Festival de jardins de Montréal started at 7:30 Sunday morning as we met with our traveling partners and started on our way. Taking I-89 north to the Canadian border we continued on to Montréal.

Fortunately, we had Gary Adamski who is very familiar with how to get around in the area and Lee Rousseau who worked for a year in Montréal. Both men, being fluent in French were a great help, though it is not absolutely necessary to know French to be able to get around the City or the Province of Quebec. Most people are able to speak passable English (much better than my poor French) and are extremely helpful. No one makes you feel that you are inferior for not speaking there language.

Because Gary, as our leader, was able to read the signs quickly we arrived at our parking space next to the Silos with no difficulty. (Parking Fee is 10$ per vehicle.) Our entrance fee was 12$, as we were all senior citizens. We actually entered into the grounds at the “back” end, near Gardens 15, (In the Breeze) 16, (Water Front Garden) and 17, (Emerald Enchantment). Each general area had a garden lounge with material coverings and fancy seating, color coordinated to the garden area. (See photos below)

As we continued following the direction all of our senses were touched by the very different designs. The Community garden, The Monastery Garden and the Gourmet Garden showed how vegetables and herbs can also be used to beautify areas and be useful, not only beautiful. The use of stone and other hard and soft materials gave a definition that is unique in their designs. (See photos below)

The route around the gardens is well marked and each garden has a descriptor that is easy to read. Unfortunately, as Sue Barrett mentioned, not all plants are marked so that we had difficulty recognizing some cultivars.
All-in-all a very worth while journey and a good one to make a day of. Do get there early, as we did, about 10 A.M., as it is not crowded and fun to walk around and comment on the different techniques employed by the myriad of designers.

John & Ruth Ziske

A Garden Lounge (each area were different colors)	The Monastery Garden. Note use of purple basil. The aroma was fantastic.	Lee Rousseau coming through an arbor made of natural materials for growing vining plants.
A "garden" of mostly glass. The uniqueness of the whole garden is stunning.	All the bird houses and stands are made from recycled materials. Most roofs are old license plates, even some from Vermont.	The plant is growing in a garden that uses crushed colored glass that has been polished to remove the hard edges.