The Tugaske Regional Library took advantage of the beautiful weather on July 16 with its most recent fundraiser, a ticketed tour of six local gardens in the Tugaske and Eyebrow area — which was a huge hit.
The tours ran in the morning and afternoon, offering guests a chance to wander through a few impressive green spaces while also supporting the local library while it remains closed for COVID-19 precautions.
The tour included gardens filled with all kinds of attractions, including impressive vegetable patches, unique decorations, displays of antiques and, of course, beautiful flowers and foliage. Hosts included Verna Enns, Nola Rudd, Jean Wilson, Marion Bueckert, and Pat Aitken.
Although each stop was unique all on its own, the tour featured one garden that has become somewhat infamous in the area.
Local artist Joan Foulston is well-known for the expansive, well-groomed garden that covers her farmyard home and surrounds her personal gallery and workspace, which she opened up to the public during the tours.
Foulston first moved to the farm she lives on now with her husband in 1979, just a few years after finishing her studies at the Ontario College of Art. She first began painting on rock — what is now a trademark of her work — in 1990.
As an artist, Foulston’s connection with nature has been a huge inspiration for her work. She is known for her iconic nature- and wildlife-inspired realism painting, often on rocks, wood, and other unique “canvasses.”
Foulston has spent over 30 years cultivating her yard into the sprawling green space it is now, which features numerous handmade fairy gardens, two vegetable and fruit gardens, and countless flowers and other greenery.
“It was very satisfying, knowing that so many people value it as much as I do and appreciate it as I do,” said Foulston. “To me, the plants are like art and it’s nice to see people are admiring and enjoying them.”
She was even offering potted perennials for tour guests to take home with them, pulled right out of her yard, while a fellow tour host had some raffle draws for handmade quilted prizes at her stop — reportedly a huge hit with attendees.
For her, sharing her garden during the tours offered a certain kind of joy, an opinion likely held by all six of the tour’s hosts.
Debbie Grass, who attended the tours and took photos of the event, thought it was an incredible way to appreciate the hard work and beauty of local gardeners.
“[It was nice] being able to be outside and enjoying somebody else’s work, and I appreciated it because I have a yard too, so I know hard they must have worked,” said Grass. “And you learn a little bit along the way too, get some ideas when you see what looks nice together.”
To abide by the ongoing public health measures regarding groups, librarian Violet Beaudry only sold 30 tickets to the inaugural event but they went extremely quickly, she said. People from as far away as Moose Jaw and Saskatoon drove down for the event.
The library raised $600, which will be used for future programming and adding to the new social distance space for patrons upstairs in the building.
The tours were also a chance for local patrons to socialize, as the library has become a social hub for area residents and many have been missing it since COVID-19 closed its doors.
“It seemed the day was a day of socialized joy,” said Beaudry, adding that Tugaske Library is more than just a place to loan out reading material. “We’ve been using the library to host social functions and promote mental health and make this a fantastic place to live, and I think it's really important to promote that it’s not just about going in there and reading a book.”
Beaudry said that she already has requests to bring the tour back next year, both from people wanting to attend and others interested in putting their gardens on the agenda too.
In the meantime, Foulston is open to giving private tours of her impressive garden and gallery space and anyone interested can take a look at her website to find out more or give her a call at 1 (306) 759-7833.
