Where Couples Come to Get Engaged

in a sanctuary of their own.

A sign at the hospice, with text written by Susanne, shares the philosophy of the gardens project: “The Gardens at Bethell Hospice are intentionally designed in a naturalistic style … inspired by the patterns of nature.” Susanne then cites the gardens’ ecological benefits which include “wildlife and biodiversity value; requiring low resource inputs such as water, fertilizer and time.” And then, apropos the hospice setting, she touches on the value of the gardens as a metaphor for the trajectory of life. “This [naturalistic] style embraces the full cycle of life.

The creation of the Bethell Hospice gardens is part of that positive change in our corner of the world – testimony to what can be accomplished when a community of caring individuals acts in accordance with their better angels. Though all of us will die, spring’s eternal promise will once again summon a host of daffodils to flutter and dance in the breeze, “continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the milky way.”

Don Scallen will present a talk called “Insects in the Garden: Ecological Stars” at the Mono Pollinator Garden Festival at Avalon Lavender Farm in Mono on the afternoon of June 24. See details on page 25. Read more of Don’s observations on local flora and fauna in his “Notes from the Wild” at inthehills.ca