EHS Centennial Garden

The Edmonton Horticultural Society planted the Centennial Garden to commemorate one hundred years (1909 - 2009) of horticultural presence in the City of Edmonton.

It was a century that witnessed social and economic adversities that brought out the best in Edmonton gardeners. The years of the Victory Gardens and Vacant Lot Garden Club attest to that. The mature trees that grace our city boulevards and older neighborhoods, and the development of hardy hybrids of roses, lilies and berried shrubs reflect the productive and creative spirits of gardeners responding to the challenges of a harsh growing environment. (See Our History for more information.)

Situated in the Henrietta Muir-Edwards Park just off 98 Avenue, the garden was planted on land donated by the City of Edmonton. This was a supportive gesture on the part of the City in acknowledgement of its Partners in Parks relationship with EHS. The City also helped with preparation of the site, including the removal of old dying trees, placement of hardscape and delivery of top soil. The EHS supplied the plants and volunteer labour for the planting of the garden. Since there is no ready access to water, the City's Park Maintenance crew includes the garden in its watering schedule of City's landscape plants.

An EHS committee started planning for the Garden in 2004 and continued right up to the actual planting of the Garden in 2007. Kevin Napora, a professional garden designer and Diane Pilling, a well known local plantswoman guided the committee from planning to completion of the project. Many EHS volunteers helped with the mass planting of the Garden in June of 2007. Since then, a volunteer team known as The EHS City Gardeners provides ongoing maintenance.

The design of the Centennial Garden is centered on four color-themed borders: red, pink, blue and yellow. Thirteen ornamental trees, sixty-two shrubs and evergreens and two hundred and twenty-six herbaceous perennials and grasses were planted on the day of mass planting in June, 2007. The color themed borders are separated by wide walkways, with park benches strategically placed for full views of the floral displays.

On any given day throughout the growing season, joggers, dog-walkers, cyclists, strollers, families on park outings, city workers on lunch breaks and nearby condo owners pass by. They cannot help but feast their eyes on a cool blue bed of delphiniums (Delphinium grandiflorum), pincushions (Scabiosa caucasica), peach leaf bellflowers (Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Beauty'), speedwells (Veronica spicata 'Sunny Border Blue') and phloxes (Phlox paniculata 'Laura' and 'Nicky').

On the other hand, the riotous red bed of Explorer roses (Rosa 'Champlain,' 'George Vancouver' and 'Hunter') and scarlet blooms of the Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcidonica) may attract them, if the cheery yellow bed of false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides 'Loraine Sunshine'), swaying feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') and golden ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart's Gold') has not already claimed their attention.

Then again, who could miss the romantic pink bed of Rosa 'Lambeth Closse', Annabelle hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') and the airy sprays of sea lavender (Limonium latifolium).

By 2009, the Garden was well-enough established to bloom profusely in celebration of the Edmonton Horticultural Society's Centennial year. Since then, the EHS Centennial Garden has evolved, and will continue to evolve, with replacement plantings necessitated by the conditions of the day (e.g. weather damage, disease, vandalism). May it mature gracefully through the next one hundred years.

For a selection of photos of the Centennial Garden and some of the volunteers who maintain it, see our photo gallery.