A bed of flowers in full bloom at the Humber Arboretum.

Published on September 20, 2013 | by Samantha Knight Photography by Leanne Phillips

Humber Arboretum wins Great Garden award

Home to 1,700 species of plants and animals and outdoor classroom for students, the Humber Arboretum has reason to celebrate this fall. On Sept. 3, 2013, the Arboretum was announced the winner of the Special Community Award in the 2013 Great Garden Contest.

Alexandra Link, director of the Arboretum and the Centre for Urban Ecology, said the judges “were impressed by the design and the arrangement of the plants, the maintenance, the environmental practices; and I know they were also really impressed with the work we do in the local community…they also mentioned the Centre for Urban Ecology and the environmental programs they do.” This is not the Humber Arboretum’s first win, however; it received its first Great Garden Contest award in 2003.

Link says the award will benefit the Humber Arboretum in several ways, “It just gives us recognition in the community and all the hard work that our staff do.” Link explained how hard the staff works on the grounds to keep everything beautiful and well maintained for the public. The award also recognizes projects with which “the Arb” has partnered with Students.

The Great Garden Contest is held annually throughout the GTA. The City of Toronto, Etobicoke York District has held garden contests for the past 15 years, beginning in 1998. Different gardens are nominated and judged by qualified judges, most of whom are master gardeners. This year alone, the contest received 310 nominations.The nominated gardens are judged across different categories, including: originality of design, selection and arrangement of plant material, condition and maintenance, hard landscaping, environmental practices, contribution to the community and distinction. Four horticulture societies in the Etobicoke-York District – Etobicoke, Roselands, Swansea and Westway – participated in judging throughout July and August.

The Humber Arboretum was started in 1977 by Humber College Landscaping students, a joint venture of the City of Toronto, Humber College, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. It covers 250 acres of botanical gardens, forests, meadows and ponds. It also includes over six kilometres of walking trails and the entire Arboretum is free and accessible to the general public.

This bio-diverse ecosystem also houses the first Gold Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) rated building in Toronto, the Centre for Urban Ecology. The centre is the only Platinum EcoCentre in all of Ontario, and provides environmental education programs for schools and summer camps for children.

Link says she wants Humber and Guelph-Humber students to feel as though the Humber Arboretum is part of their home for them to use and enjoy. She also wants students to see it as asset to their curriculum when completing outdoor projects such as research and filming.

The Centre for Urban Ecology is also available for students to use for after-hours clubs, conferences and events.

Students and residents in the area are encouraged to follow the Arboretum on Facebook (www.facebook.com/HumberArb) and Twitter (@HumberArb) to learn more about this beautiful area located right on campus.

The Special Community Award will be presented on Thursday, Oct. 24 at the Old Mill Inn. Link and horticulture technician Leah Uchida will accept the award.

About the Author

Samantha Knight is a fourth-year Media Studies student at the University of Guelph-Humber, specializing in journalism. Writing has been her passion since she was young; in her third year, she was the Psychology beat reporter for her Specialized Reporting class and currently she writes for Snapd North and South Mississauga. She has written news stories, business profiles and restaurant reviews. Samantha enjoys interviewing and getting to know people and their stories.