Country Decor Blog

How I love lilacs (I don’t even need to count the ways!). And this weekend (the true May 24th weekend!) is the perfect time to experience everything gorgeous about lilacs.
I spent the wee hours of yesterday morning photographing the spectacular lilac dell at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. Photographer Andreas Trauttmansdorff and art director Jose Woertman joined me for an early morning surrounded by absolutely gorgeous lilacs. The RBG has close to 800 varieties of lilacs (possibly the biggest collection in the world!).
As I stood overlooking the dell while the sun came up behind me, I was almost overcome with the heady scent of lilacs. Every variety smells slightly different, from potent and intoxicating to the subtlest of fragrances. As I wandered the gardens while Andreas worked his photographic magic (the story will be published in the May 2010 issue of Canadian Gardening magazine), my thoughts turned to a story I had done a few years ago for Canadian Home & Country magazine’s very first Cottage Style issue.
The shoot was done at my stepmother’s place in Prince Edward County, and we shot on the May 24th weekend. If you haven’t been to Prince Edward County but have been thinking of going, nothing is more spectacular than driving through the country roads when the lilacs are in bloom. They are PLENTIFUL. You may not see the multiple varieties like you would at the RBG, but you’ll be thrilled by how prolific and magnificent they are as they grow wild along the winding roads.
At any rate, I got up early in the morning to gather as many varieties of lilacs that I could find to use for my shoot. In fact, I may have even snuck a few clippings from neighbours’ yards while the homeowners were still sleeping peacefully (not to worry, I fessed up later!)
With my armloads of lilacs, I filled every spare vessel I could find. I did small clusters of them in the kitchen, and put a huge branch of them on display in the living room. Just like in the dell at the RBG, the scent of lilacs hung heavy on the air.
If you’re inspired at all by lilacs, I implore you to head to the RBG this weekend where they are in bloom in all their glory (or of, course, take a road trip to Prince Edward County - you won’t be disappointed).
For my next blog, I’m going to list my favourite lilac varieties (hint: one of them was developed by an icon in the style industry).

This past weekend, I was out in the country, mud up to my knees, trying to drag my horse out of the paddock to come into the cosiness of the barn. He balked, not wanting to leave all his equine buddies. I always admire the connection (some may even say co-dependence) horses have with each other. They create the ultimate community, where each relies on the other for companionship. Note to all of you who have no knowledge of horses: when horses lie down in the field to sleep, one will always stay standing (and awake) to watch out for predators.

I’d like to say that a magazine team has that same amount of loyalty and affection for each other. Certainly at Canadian Home & Country, we all work very closely with each other and try to look out for one another—particularly when the job becomes very stressful. If you’ve ever seen movies such as Funny Face, The Devil Wears Prada, or 13 Going on 30—know this: there’s very little glamour in Canadian publishing! We don’t have limos that drive us to work, or assistants that run and get us coffee. Instead, we are a team of creative people who answer their own phones and answer their own mail.

It’s hard work, but none of us at Canadian Home & Country would give it up for anything. After all, where else could you work with a fabulous team of creative people, talk about trends and style, work with incredibly stylish homeowners, photographers and designers.

In the months ahead in this blog, I will keep you all apprised of what happens behind the scenes at Canadian Home & Country. The Wizard of Oz will be unveiled, so to speak! So stay tuned!

“Wick the colt” photo by Virginia MacDonald