Estelle
Bogoch never dreamt that her celebration lunch on International Woman’s Day with
good friend Lois Peterson last May would result in her publishing a book. By the
end of lunch the native Montrealer and owner of the White Rock based landscape
design firm ‘Days of Vines and Roses,’ found that her penchant for writing
crosswords for the co-op paper where she lives and her love of gardening were
just the right mix to do just that.
“By the end
of lunch we had a whole plan and time-line developed. We would be finished in
June, edit in July and have the book ready to go for the Surrey Writers’
Festival in Oct.”
The result
is a beautifully laid-out softbound book, aptly titled ‘Crosswords for
Gardeners.’ Divided into six sections it is full of crossword puzzles and
anecdotes all relating to gardening. From ‘In the Garden’ to ‘Insects and
Diseases’ and ‘Edibles’ what Bogoch gives us is a compilation of wonderful
short, life/gardening stories along side related crosswords.
Bogoch
brings to it the experience and love she has cultivated through a lifetime of
gardening.
“ I grew up
with my Dad gardening. We were the gardening family on the block. Each year we
always had left over carrots and tomatoes and so everyone on the block ended up
with some.”
Bogoch
carried this love into her adult life. When a good friend died a number of years
ago she decided it was time to return to school. Being in a large gardening club
in Montreal she naturally gravitated to what she knew and loved. She thought
about landscape design at McGill and took plant science for a year. Then someone
told her about a scientifically-based horticultural course at Algonquin College
in Ottawa and once she checked it out she was hooked. After a few years in the
business including her own for two summers in Montreal, she relocated to the
Lower Mainland where she has started a very successful company and on listening
to her it is easy to understand why.
“ I teach
my clients. All of them work with me from start to finish. They shop with me for
plants. They learn what to select and what should go where in their garden. I
give them choices for each area so they really know their garden. It is really
theirs!!”
Of course
there can be an occasional downside to this. A perfect example from her book in
the section titled ‘One in a Million’, she explains how after a day of shopping
with a client for an hour, they had only picked one tree because he had so many
questions to ask. Eventually feeling very comfortable with him she was able to
tell him to go home and trust her. She writes: ‘The garden was completed. And
yes he did pay me. And now, several years later, we are good friends.’
Bogoch is a
rolling ball of energy. Besides her business, her book and working on another
full-length book on landscape design she teaches various classes around the
lower Mainland. At Surrey College at Newton she teaches the entire diploma
program and a certificate program at Richmond Continuing Education. As well she
teaches a series of gardening classes for the City of White Rock and Landscape
Design at Van Dusen Gardens. Whether you are or know someone who is an avid
gardener or merely loves crosswords this is a book that should definitely be on
your Christmas Wish List. Once you have read it keep your eyes open for her
other ventures. There are sure to be many, she has planted all the right seeds.
On Sat.
February 7th 10-11:30 a.m. Estelle Bogoch will be giving a talk on
landscape design at the Whitby’s Bookstore. But if you can’t make the talk you
can find her book at Whitby’s on Marine Drive in White Rock, Copper Beech
Bookstore on 72nd Ave. in Newton and Blackbond Bookstore in Guildford
Mall, The country Garden Mouse in Steveston and Art’s Nursery in 192nd
and 88th Ave.in Surrey Dig This on Grandville Island.
Contact her
directly at
estellebogoch@telus.net.
Previous Interviews:
Byron Sheardown ~ Re: Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine
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