Calgary Gardens: Donna’s Memory Garden In Highwood

It never ceases to amaze me how much fun it is to explore a new community in Calgary. It started out so innocently.

Japan & Cherry Blossoms

I promised to drop off Will Ferguson’s book “Hitching Rides with Buddha: Travels in Search of Japan” to Kylie Woods (who has just completed the redesign of my website) as she was forced to cancel a family trip to Japan due to COVID- 19 outbreak. While the book is definitely not a substitute for going to Japan, It is a great read - Ferguson shares numerous stories of the people he meets and places he visits, hitchhiking from one end of Japan to the other following the cherry tree blossoms. (An aside: It is a perfect “Everyday Tourist” read as Calgary author Ferguson is an insightful and comedic writer of people and places.)

After dropping off the book, we decided to explore the Highwood community where Kylie lives, never having done so before.

Immediately, we were impressed by how many of the mid-century bungalows had been nicely renovated, rather than the typical Calgary scenario which is to tear down the old house and replaced it with two storey infills.

We also found some lovely front yard gardens with some lush peonies, including a bright yellow peony which I don’t think I had ever seen before. (A friend subsequently told me she had one in their garden. Just call me “jealous.”)

After about 45 minutes of flaneuring the streets of Highwood (all of which begin with “H”), we hit the mother lode. What first looked like a nice front yard on the other side of the street, became a front yard oasis as we got closer. I thought we had a pretty nice front yard, but ours pales in comparison – literally! Not only was the garden and lawn immaculate(Chris, not a dandelion in sight), but it was “full-out” rainbow of colours in the bright early afternoon sun. I am not sure I have ever seen a garden (amateur or professional) with so many flowers in bloom at the same time – and they were all perennials. Impressive!

Memory Garden Slideshow

Memory Garden

We sheepishly said “Hi! You have a lovely garden” to the lady tending the garden and she immediately got up and came over to us saying “thank you!” We then had a lovely 20 minute conversation about how she and her husband moved to Highwood 33 years ago and how the house and yard has been a work in progress the entire time. Indeed, anyone who owns a house and garden know they are always a work in progress.

She said the garden was particularly lush this year as the neighbour had taken down a major tree so it got more sun and that, coupled with Calgary’s abundant rain this spring and early summer, really helped.

When we asked her “What is your favourite plant?” She immediately started to tell us that many of the flowers had special meanings as they had been rescued from friends and family gardens when they moved away or passed on. She called it her “memory garden.”

I immediately thought in many ways all gardens are “memory gardens.” Who doesn’t have a something in their garden that reminds them of a loved one?

She also shared with us how her garden was a great way to meet the neighbours as they often stop to say “Hi!” like we did. She has gotten to know some of the neighbours so well she invites them to enjoy the seating areas in her garden anytime – for as long as they like. And, she means it saying “that is what it was like when she was growing up - the neighbours often hung out together in the front yard.”