Armchair Gardening: In Person Viewing at Central Library

Join master gardener Sara Williams as she takes you on a virtual tour. Discover the beauty of the Great Gardens, the lives, and the stories of people who left a living legacy behind.

Part of RPL’s Older Adult & Try Something New programming series.

This is a hybrid program which can be viewed online through zoom or in-person at Central Library and George Bothwell Branch.

To register to attend online visit the links below:

February 6: https://www.reginalibrary.ca/attend/programs/7555195  
February 13: https://www.reginalibrary.ca/attend/programs/7555196  
February 20: https://www.reginalibrary.ca/attend/programs/7555197  
February 27: https://www.reginalibrary.ca/attend/programs/7555198  

Dates:  Program runs Mondays, February 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM. We encourage you to join us in all the sessions.

• Armchair Gardener: An Irreverent History of Gardening, February 6
• Armchair Gardener: Early Prairie Plant Breeders, February 13
• Armchair Gardener: Monet’s Garden, Giverny, France, February 20
• Armchair Gardener: Great Gardens of Great Britain, February 27 

Whether you’re planning a trip, seeking ideas, or simply want to spend a relaxing and thoughtful few hours, join us for a tour of great gardens; sit back and relax while we journey through the gardens and Castles. Learn the origins of espalier, hahas, bee boles, topiary, mazes, the first lawn chair, dovecots, the modern lawn, and much more. Discover the lives, stories, and horticultural contributions of five men who left a living legacy not only to prairie landscapes but to those of the northern hemisphere.

An Irreverent History of Gardening

This is a somewhat irreverent history of the English Garden (and its influence on our gardens) from the first enclosed gardens of the Middle Ages to Capability Brown, Gertrude Jekyll, the white garden at Sissinghurst, and the modern mixed border. It is illustrated with woodcuts, paintings, and photographs, and full of stories (some of the illicit passion) and personalities (some brilliant, others arrogant). Sit back, enjoy, and learn the origins of espalier, hahas, bee boles, topiary, mazes, the first lawn chair, dovecots, the modern lawn, and much more.

Early Prairie Plant Breeders

Here are the lives, stories, and horticultural contributions of five men who left a living legacy not only to prairie landscapes but to those of the northern hemisphere. Cecil Patterson, the first head of Horticulture, University of Saskatchewan; Percy Wright, an eccentric writer who developed the ‘Thunderchild’ crabapple and ‘Hazeldean’ rose; Bert Porter, who dedicated his life to developing hardy fruit and lilies; and Les Kerr of the Forestry Farm who gave us the ‘Kerr’ apple and the ‘Sutherland Golden’ elder. All of these men worked in Saskatchewan. We conclude with Frank Skinner, from Manitoba, who introduced hundreds of hardy plants to western Canada.

Monet’s Garden, Giverny, France

Claude Monet was as much a gardener as he was an artist and in many ways, his gardens served as his studio. This presentation begins with the life of Monet, his youth, rebellious young adulthood, his marriages, and his family living in the small village of Giverny. Then we take a tour of the two very different gardens that he created; the formal walled Norman garden and the more impressionistic water garden.

Great Gardens of Great Britain

Whether you’re planning a trip, seeking ideas, or simply want to spend a relaxing and thoughtful few hours, join us for a tour of the gardens of Great Britain, sit back and relax while we journey through the gardens of Levens, Powis Castle, Stourhead, Sissinghurst, and Castle Drago.

Presenter Information: Sara Williams, Retired as a horticultural specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. Sara Williams is the author and co-author of many gardening books: In A Cold Land; the newly revised Creating the Prairie Xeriscape; Best Trees and Shrubs for the Prairies; Best Groundcovers and Vines for the Prairies; Gardening, Naturally: A Chemical-free handbook for the Prairies and The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo: A Photographic History With Bob Bors. she is the co-author of Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She has written hundreds of articles for various publications. Sara was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2013 and received an Honorary Doctorate of law degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 2015. Sara holds a B. A from the University of Michigan in English and History as well as a B.Sc. (with great distinction) and M.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan in Horticulture. Sara developed her first garden in the 1960s in the school courtyard in Tanzania in East Africa, where she was a volunteer teacher. She gardens on 5 acres of sand near Saskatoon.

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