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There are two native British Gentians that grow on chalk, only one of which grows on Eswyn’s Downs, Gentiana amarella (Felwort or Autumn Gentian) it, no doubt, led her to other gentians and I know Gentiana verna grows on the downs but would not be included in this book as it is INTRODUCED!!!The best of all is Ophrys apifera (The Bee Orchid) I think she had a go at growing it and so did I but it is not happy here. It is the chalk-loving plant she talked of most she was very impressed by it mechanism.  An interesting fact I have found in the book is the story of the Campanula – specifically a harebell relation, C.glomerata (the clustered bellflower) It says this is one of the best examples of the dwarfing influence of the chalk downs. There it is often only an inch high, with a single flower, while elsewhere it will grow to eighteen inches and have twenty or thirty clustered blooms .Maybe this is one of the things that led to her love of small plants.

From roaming the downs she joined the WRENS, met and married Bill, Terry was born in England and when the war was over Eswyn and Terry travelled by ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia (and that trip is a story in its self, especially washing and drying the diapers (nappies) of all those babies on board!) and then by train to Empress, Alberta. She lived in a few places on the prairies I don’t think she gardened there, but soon Bill and Eswyn had moved to North Vancouver. She did not speak a lot about the garden she made there but it certainly was a rock garden and, I think, had a pond.

In 1968 Bill and Eswyn bought a house in Qualicum Beach, The yard was owned by a rooster and his hens, firstly a new yard had to be found for him and secondly, Terry had to catch him – it’s quite a story!! . Renovations were made to the house and Eswyn was there on and off for a while but the house was rented until 1972 when Bill retired. Eswyn set right in to make her garden which was much larger at that time as it included the lot to the right, (the BIG house).

The first thing to do was have the place ‘landscaped’ i.e. graded into an undulating scene, with gravel paths and interesting places to grow plants. Next the “Bones” were put in – the trees and shrubs around which the garden was built. A pond was made and some lawn laid.. Around 1979 her garden was cut in half “We had the lots divided and sold off the one with the fishpond. The fish pond lasted through the building of a quite reasonable bungalow the tearing down of it in 19…. & the building of a huge Spanish residence (one visitor – looking out of our kitchen window thought the garage was the house!) Last year (2000) the old pond went & that area is now brick paving.” She was sad to see the pond go.
The last poplar on Poplar Street grew in Eswyn’s yard, growing far too close to the house its roots were undermining the foundations, so it had to go. When it was down the faller counted the rings and told Eswyn it was going on for 300 years old. Since Lombardy Poplars are not native to Canada it must have been planted by the explorers – maybe by the Spanish as a marker?

The garden grew but it was almost impossible to buy alpine plants in Canada so there was a great deal of seed-sowing – getting the seed from the exchanges of The Alpine Garden Society, American Rock Garden Society and Alpine Garden Club of BC. Eswyn did a lot of garden and wild seed collecting at that time and had a host of funny stories about trying to get Bill to stop the car when she saw something she thought worth a closer look.
Eswyn was attending plant conferences, study weekends and shows during these years, some in England and some in the States, Bill went along with her on most of these trips but he never got interested enough in rock plants to attend too. Eswyn saw alpines in their natural habitat with these study groups,she went on quite a few mountain hikes with them. She also visited many famous gardens and made lasting friendships.

Sometime in the early ‘80s Eswyn and I met and that improved the plant situation immensely as we traded furiously!! In 1996 we started going to the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society Spring Show and Sale – (I can’t think why we did not go earlier as we knew all about it, I had hit on it by chance in 1987 and bought some plants there)
In 2000 we started sending orders to Wrightman Alpines in Ontario, the plants were wonderful but the freight cost not so good. In 2002 Roger Barlow appeared on the scene – an Alpine Plant Nursery right here in BC!! and one who brings plants to the VIRAGS Spring Sale to boot! We were in heaven and our first purchase of plants was a very long and expensive one but all our money was invested in plants and nothing was wasted on freight!

Also in 2000 Eswyn suggested we join Qualicum Beach Garden Club – I can’t think why we didn’t join that earlier either.  She loved to bring plants and/or tiny flower arrangements for ‘Show What You Grow’. Special Interest Groups were started by the club in 2004 but it was March 2006 before Eswyn had enough time left from writing her book to start an Alpine and Rock Garden Group. She loved this and wrote a very interesting handout each month. She introduced the club to the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society’s Spring Show and to Roger Barlow’s plants and all the beautiful exhibits.
In March 2006 we went to the American Garden Society’s Winter Study Weekend in Victoria. This was a wonderful experience, lots of very good speakers and displays and gardeners from so many different places. This comes to Victoria again in 2011 and is something you can think about attending – Linda and JoAnne went to the last one.

Eswyn had such a vast store of knowledge, learned from her many trips, much reading and years of practical experience. She has taught us a lot and we miss her very much. We are grateful for her gardening books, shared by our Alpine group and QBGC library. Her plants, many of which will soon be growing in a new home at Nanoose Place, are a living memorial to her. We wish the rock garden every success.
June

IN MEMORY OF ESWYN

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“The Crevice” and the crevice garden are in memory of Eswyn. So you would like to know why.

In February of 2006 Eswyn and I went to the American Rock Garden Society’s Western Winter Study Weekend held at Sydney-by-the-Sea and hosted by the VIRAGS . Linda Rehlinger and JoAnne Moger attended too that year.

There were five workshops to choose from, we were allowed two and chose’ Alpines in Pots’ – which was full so we got shifted to ‘Peonies’- and the ‘Czech Rock Garden’ which luckily was not full or we may never have seen a crevice or met Paul and this garden may never have happened!

Zdenek Zvolanek (ZZ), a talented Czech crevice builder, assisted by Joyce Carruthers and Paul Spriggs built the garden in a large wooden trough – similar to the one we see as we go into the VIRAGS Show and Sale each spring. We thought it was wonderful – all those plants and all those rocks in such a small space and so very pleasing to look at. Eswyn had to have one!!! She got hold of Paul to see if he would build it for her. She was so happy to see a nice young person, interested in her pet hobby. There was lots of chat back and forth but, for one reason and another, the crevice garden never came to be. She was extremely disappointed. In 2009 Eswyn died and many plants from her garden found a new home in the rock garden at Nanoose Place.

We met Gordon Mackay from ‘Alba Plants’ at Eaglecrest Garden Club. He came up and did a workshop on propagation for our SIG, on the way home he was shown ‘Eswyn’s Alpine Garden’ where he remarked that the bottom triangle was just the place for a crevice garden. He said he had a friend, by the name of Paul Spriggs, who made these things. Well! That really started something – we all wanted a crevice garden and we just happened to know Paul, who we would soon see building another crevice garden at another workshop at the 2011 WWSW! He would be working with another talented Czech, Vojtech Holubec this time.

Six of us went this year – Barbara, Barb, Karen, Louise, Mike and I. We all attended ‘The Czech Rock Garden’ workshop, it was so interesting – we nearly froze in the cold but no one left for warmer places! We told Paul about Eswyn, her garden and our need of a crevice garden – he said ‘I think I know this lady!’ We arranged to look round his garden after our annual visit to the VIRAGS Spring Show and talk more on the subject. It was in Paul’s garden that the deal was struck – we would do lots of fund-raising, rock collecting, soil getting and crew finding. When we had all these things in place Paul would come and supervise and help to build Eswyn’s Crevice Garden at last.

Things just fell into place! Barbara suggested the Rock Garden at Nanoose Place be on the ‘Rhododendron Tour’. We had our fund-raising plant sale there too on the same day and made more money than we had ever dreamed! Plus we had a draw at our monthly meetings and the total crept up. We were having a hard time finding rock until Paul said granite, the local stone, would work very well. Elaine put an advertisement in the local paper for rock and sent notices about the project to some of the landscaping places asking if they would be interested in seeing this garden built. She got answers from Fairwinds offering granite rock as well as a truck and crew to help move it to the site and both Fairwinds and Parksville City Landscaping Department offered a crew to help build. A neighbor of Kirsten’s in Parksville provided some slate rock that her late husband had set aside for a rock garden and this will be incorporated into the garden.

On 31st October Paul came and the garden was started – a little talk regarding crevice gardens in general and then people with shovels and barrows moving the dirt into shape and Paul marking out more shape. There was lots of rock moving, lining up of crevices and back filling. Paul even used a compass! (Mike’s) Everyone had a turn to help and a wonderful time was had by all. We are so very grateful to every one of you.

So now Eswyn almost has her crevice garden and I am sure she is watching. Paul did not have time to finish but what he’s done looks as though it just grew there! He is returning on November 21st for more fun. He says “you guys are so nice and a great pleasure to hang out with” Thank you so much Paul –we all love you.

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SHORT  HISTORY OF THE ROCK GARDEN AT NANOOSE PLACE

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In the Fall of 2009, the Nanoose Place Landscaping Project received $2,500 from the Regional District of Nanaimo to build a rock garden and gravel the lane leading to the playing fields. The site for the rock garden was a bramble covered bank beside the lane.

A backhoe was hired, granite rocks and soil were donated.  Soon a 30’X70’ rock garden came into being.

Eswyn Lyster had died in July 2009 and willed her garden to be harvested and the plants given to an Alpine Garden and here, in Nanoose, was just the place.

Elaine Bohm, Karen Unruh and Lorraine Wilhelm dug the plants from Eswyn’s garden, over-wintered them and, in the spring, planted them in their new home.

In 2011 Paul Spriggs led two workshops on building the Crevice Garden.  The garden was connected to the water supply and a drip watering system was installed.

In 2012 the garden was dedicated to the memory of Eswyn Lyster with the addition of a brass plaque.

The garden has grown up around the original collection from Eswyn’s garden and while starting out relatively small, the collection has grown in size and diversity as new specimens have been donated by other alpine enthusiasts.

Today the garden holds over 400 plants. It is open 24/7 and is free!

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