It's vacation time!

It's vacation time!

When you care for a group of six children under the age of 5 for ten hours a day all year long, you deserve vacation time. This summer, my family and I will be visiting the Saguenay region and relaxing along the fiord. We are planning on taking long walks in the forest and boat trips.

Each summer, we visit a different region of Quebec with our children. When they were younger, they enjoyed creating their own herbariums. I would buy the necessary material (small book, scissors, glue, blotting paper, crayons, etc.) and they would fill their herbariums with the fabulous treasures they found throughout our trip. In the end, they were proud of the flowers and leaves they had added to their book after they had been laid flat to dry. These herbariums represent wonderful souvenirs of our trips. Of course, I used this project to introduce them to the native plants of each region.

Personally, I have never been able to resist visiting local nurseries and purchasing a special perennial plant. In my backyard, I have plants from the Lac-Saint-Jean region, the EasternTownships, the Lanaudière region, Charlevoix, Quebec, the Montérégie region, and (very soon) from the Saguenay region. When I look at them, I remember the great vacations we enjoyed as a family.

For this reason, I thought it may be a good idea to offer a few gardening suggestions that will help make sure your garden is cared for during your vacation.

• Ask a neighbour to water your garden. I call this summer "co-gardening". I care for my neighbours' garden when they are on vacation and, in turn, they care for my garden when I am away.
  
• Place potted plants and flowers in a shady area while you are gone. They will suffer less if it is very hot and they will require less water.
  
• Spread mulch in your garden. It will help the soil retain moisture.
  
• Make tiny holes in the bottom of plastic soft drink bottles. Plant them in your garden, with the bottles' opening pointing upwards. Fill them with water. The water will slowly drain into your garden, one drop at a time.

Enjoy your sun-filled vacation!

Claudine Richard
Early childhood educator

Educatall.com is not responsible for the content of this article. The information mentioned in this article is the responsibility of the author. Educatall.com shall not be held responsible for any litigation or issues resulting from this article.