Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The Hogarth Plantation

The Hogarth Plantation is a 44 hectare property used by the Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment for teaching and research.

Also using it for research is Connie, who is growing blueberries in a cleared section of the forest.
These pictures were taken last September, right around the same time I stumbled upon potatoes growing in the tilled rugby field.

I know that what attracts me most to the Hogarth forest is it's resemblance to the pine "plantation" that bordered the house I grew up in. The property was named 'Singing Pines', and for years there was a sign at the entrance tp the driveway. Over the years, each spring after winter, my father would replace or re-erect the sign which would get knocked down by the snowplows (sometimes driven by himself), until eventually the sign just never went up again.

The Pines always sang through the chickadees, and were beautiful - planted much like the Hogarth trees. I love the way they smell, and how the needles collect all over beneath them; even the way they eerily creek. The trees surrounded my playhouse, running from the road to the river west to east and north until they eventually thickened with the trees of Wishart.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

For a second, I thought that read Hogwarts Plantation. Made me wonder if you now had yet _another_ position, this time as head gardener for some school of wizardry.

Now if you're going to be a proper garden witch, you'll have to grow some toadstools and mandrake. Maybe keep a newt or two around for the occasional eye.

The squeamish may substitute googly eyes. :O

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