Glog
Managing a garden! (April 16, 2009)
Managing a garden is something every gardener knows something about. Choosing plants, ordering seeds, coordinating spring clean-up and then marshalling the time, energy and resources every summer to plant and weed and to show a garden at its best.
Managing a public garden is a bit different – requiring more resources and a large team. Our garden is a small business, with as many as 80 staff in high season and the same obligations faced by any small business and every tourism operator, like budgets, boards and marketing plans.
One of my favourite tasks at Les Jardins de Métis is to present my gardens to audiences – by writing books and articles and speaking to people about the story of our gardens. I have spoken to groups of all sizes and interests, from the historical society and horticultural group in a local library to an audience of tourism leaders at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
In each of my presentations, I try to impart something of the beauty of our property and its unique history. This is not too hard – as I am aided by an extraordinary collection of historic photographs – and almost as many stunning images by contemporary photographers like Louise Tanguay. I am also helped by having a remarkable story to tell – of my great grandmother, Elsie Reford, who dedicated her great wealth and singular intelligence to creating a horticultural paradise in eastern Quebec. With style and elegance and in her determined way, she created a beautiful garden that continues to inspire gardeners and visitors more than eighty years after she began her adventuring in gardening.
This week, I am presenting the gardens of the International Garden Festival to some of the staff of the City of Calgary – who are interested in finding an imaginative way to celebrate the centenary of the city’s parks department – and perhaps add some contemporary gardens to their network of parks, public spaces and historic gardens. They have found inspiration in both the gardens of the Festival and the process behind their creation.
Gardens acquire meaning when they are shared. And our gardens have much to share with others.
