at the Lieutenant Governor's shindig

The instructors of the PEI Seniors College courses, including me (I teach gardening, natch) were invited for a lovely afternoon of drinking tea and nibbling sweets, a tour of the beautiful mansion, and conversation with Lieutenant Governor Frank Lewis and his wife Dorothy.  It was a truly enjoyable experience, and I was able to check out the gardens as well, which are just starting to come out of winter hibernation.  It's lucky we chose a nice day, because today, just a day later, it's snowing again!

The view from the house towards the garden.

The tulips are starting to push through.

the view from the garden towards the house.

the back of the garden has tear-shaped beds framing a large trellis with a seat to watch the world go by.

one of the few flowers in bloom:  Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) has bright blue flowers that appear before the snow disappears.  The tiny bulbs should be planted in the fall

perfectly clipped boxwood hedges frame the garden

The boxwood hedges frame an extensive rose garden.

The roses are protected with an extra mound of soil for the winter.
This will be pulled back when summer finally arrives.