Transcript

0:00 My name is Inger Knudsen and I am a volunteer at the Guelph Arboretum

0:04 I’m also part of the Guelph Wellington master gardeners and the Guelph master gardeners have taken on the taking care of the roots and shoot garden that we’re sitting in.

0:17 And we have done that for 12 years.

0:21 And so we are a whole group of people who have had a on a rotation to, to look after the garden to weed it, feed it.

0:30 We don’t feed it, the leaves, feed it and the mulch feeds it with mulch very heavily.

0:36 And, and over the whole summer until October, we have somebody here taking care of the garden.

0:43 This garden was originally started in 2003 when Jane Goodall came to.

0:51 Jane Goodall come, came to the arboretum.

0:54 And at that time, there was our famous hort manager at the play.

0:59 at the Guelph Arboretum was Henry Kock and he they were very happy that came and they planted the beech behind you.

1:09 They planted that beech in commemoration that she was here.

1:12 And then they planted some other trees, they planted big cotton woods and so at that time, it was meant to be a forest.

1:20 And then for some years, nobody did anything.

1:24 Then they started, across the road from here.

1:26 We can see the Italian gardens and the English garden and the Japanese garden.

1:31 And then they looked at this area here and looked at all the weeds and looked at this woodland garden.

1:37 Nobody took, there was in a garden, but nobody took care of that and then it was close to the center and they thought they should be a little more formal and a little more formalized and a little more taken care of.

1:47 So then they thought what to do because, the Arboretum has limited resources, of course.

1:54 And then they, asked the master gardeners of and we say yes, that would just suit us because now we have a connection to the area and we all love the arboretum because that’s what we do.

2:10 You got a garden for many reasons and a lot of people, find the healing to be in a garden, especially if they’ve gone through a, a medical emergency or a medical thing or, or some mental health.

2:23 They find it very comforting to be in a garden for me.

2:28 That’s not it at all.

2:30 For me, it’s the excitement of seeing something grow. I find nothing in life is more exciting than to see things sprout come up and be beautiful and be part of the whole, environment.

2:44 We think it’s a beautiful space to be in.

2:47Just sitting here.

2:49 I think it’s beautiful.