This past summer my husband and I moved on a whim and a dream from south western British Columbia to Prince Edward Island. In preparation for the move we sold most of our worldly possessions but kept what was close to our hearts. Our bed, our cat, a piano, woodworking and garden tools all came with us. It’s obvious to me now where our interests lay. In November 2009 we bought our dream home. A century farm house set on 3 acres. We immediately got to work getting settled inside the house and snow quickly fell on the ground. At first we were so busy getting settled inside that I completely forgot about the outside but not for long. Quickly enough I dug out my garden books and started planning. And then I realized I have how different this garden will need to be from what I've done before. Where I gardened in BC it is an entirely different ecosystem from PEI. The temperate rainforest full of ferns and towering Douglas fir has been replaced by pastoral farm fields and hedgerows. My former gardening space was a small front yard set on a slope and shaded by giant trees and filled with salal, mahonia and ferns. Now I am challenged by 3 acres of sunny flat lawn, a half dozen apple trees and clay soil. Many of the plants that I knew and loved in my warm rainy climate on the west coast will not survive the cold snowy winters on the east coast. It looks like it will be both an intimidating and exhilarating adventure.
