Across four seasons

Stephen Goreham, a member of the congregation, says he built the garden four years ago as a monument to his mother, Melbalena Goreham, who died in 1994.

Each spring, the cross features dozens of red and yellow tulips. After the danger of frost was over this year Goreham filled the planter with colourful gazanias. Originating from South Africa, this fiery red and orange annual is very drought tolerant. Other water thrifty, brightly coloured annuals that would be suitable for the area include: the Easy Wave Red Petunia, with each plant mounding eight to 12 inches and spreading three feet, or Dianthus cultivars that grow one-foot high and have blooms in shades of pink to red.

As Remembrance Day neared this year, Goreham tidied the garden, removing the frost killed foliage and gathered many armfuls of Ilex verticillata, also known commonly as Winterberry or native holly.

Choosing only the heaviest berried branch tips, he stuck the cuttings upright into the earth, packing them closely together. “If the birds don’t eat them they’ll stay all winter,” said Goreham of the fruit.

Winterberry is a native shrub that can be found roadside in moist areas across Nova Scotia. It grows six to 10 feet tall and can form colonies due to its suckering habit. For those who are interested in adding a domesticated form of Winterberry to their garden that only grows three to five feet tall, try growing the cultivar ‘Red Sprite’.

When I drove through Woods Harbour last week, the sight of the bright, red-berried cross was enough to make me pull over to snap a picture.

If Goreham ever wants to plant the garden with a permanent shrub, he could use Cotoneaster dammeri. Also called Bearberry cotoneaster, this low-growing ground cover is covered with small white flowers each spring followed by red berries (which birds eat) in the fall that persist though winter.

However, it’s hard to beat the colourful impact of bulbs and annuals and Goreham’s careful dedication to detail. An attractive appearance through all four seasons is important to him. “It will bloom year round until I see my mother again,” he said.