Pam Erikson showed off her collection of flowers at the 10th annual open house at Erikson’s Daylily Gardens on Saturday. This year, the open house raised over $1,200 for C.A.R.E.S. Animal Rescue Shelter.
“We are extremely grateful to all who contributed to our raffle table - including Domaine de Chaberton Winery, Fort Winery, JD Turkey Farm, Otter Co-op, Select Roses, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Krause Berry Farms, Tuscan Farms, Buds N Petals and members of the Aldergrove Daylily Society,” said Erikson.
“While the big event is over and everyone did have a good time, the gardens were not at full bloom due to the late spring this year,” said Erikson.
“Even though we had made the open house a week later, Mother Nature still messed with us. We are estimating that peak bloom will now begin around July 20. To that end, our opening days each week will change quite a bit. Please check this site (http://www.eriksonsdaylilygardens.com) or our message on the phone, 604-856-5758, for updated days each week.”
The gardens are located at 24642 - 51 Ave. The Erikson family moved to the property in 1987 and it was a bare acre at that time - not the ideal ground for two gardeners, but the family loved the area so they set about amending the gravel-based ground and bare landscape. It took two to three years to amend the soil to the point that it was plantable, and then every Sunday became ‘plant shopping day.’
Over the next few years the family established a good garden backbone of specimen trees and selected shrubs and perennials. As each year went by, and they collected more and more plants, the lawns started to disappear.
By 1992, the gardens had matured to the point where the Eriksons opened for garden tours and offered a small variety of plants for sale.
“By that time, we also saw the first blooms on our hybridizing efforts - it was like Christmas in July for us as each new bloom excited us more than the previous one. As each year has gone by, our collections have grown to include Tom’s favorite plants, hostas, and an array of other unusual perennials and specimen trees and shrubs,” said Pam.
“We now have over 3,000 varieties of daylilies in the garden along with hundreds of hostas, euphorbias, irises, foxgloves, lilies and ferns - with an ongoing desire to keep acquiring new items. Tom has added arbors, a gazebo, a pond and many other little vignettes to the gardens to enhance a relaxed park-like feeling as you walk through.”