There is much more to this garden than plants; certainly creating an outstanding garden at 49 degrees of latitude is an achievement worth viewing.
But the real find is Elsie Refords' summer cottage; she had access to unlimited funding and lived well. The presentation of her lifestyle is so well executed that I felt as though I was living there for a few hours. As we enjoyed a beautiful and delicious soup and salad lunch from the garden with a cup of wine to 20's jazz in a 20 foot high eucalyptus paneled room brilliantly lit through finely airbrushed window overlooking the garden, time stopped and I hated to leave. As we stepped out on to the 3 meter wide veranda and walked to the belvedere, I was as though slowly waking from a dream.
The living quarters made me feel as though I was a guest in her home; there were so many details that made their luxurious routine come to life: the home movies from 1911, the darkroom with photographic paper that expired in 1935, the 45 pound salmon record, the fishing logbook with 20 pounders on every few lines, the quotations from their staff describing their daily tasks.
I hated to leave and lingered in the shops just looking at the wonderful architecture around me.
These two shots are my salad and the centerpiece.
Some of the furniture.
These two shots are my salad and the centerpiece.
Some of the furniture.
