Arboretum History
Arboretum History
Pink flowers and green bushes run alongside either side of a dirt path which recedes into the background. Large conifer trees are seen in the background behind a wooden fence.

Gosling Wildlife Gardens – Garden 2

Header image: Garden one of the Gosling Wildlife Gardens, 2007.

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Garden 3 →

The second garden in the Gosling Wildlife Gardens was originally an annual and perennial meadow garden. While this was a good idea, the annual garden was constantly overrun with goldenrod. In 1996, the garden was transformed into the Lawn Garden to create a more relatable display to visitors and their backyards. This was done by featuring an open area bordered by trees and shrubs; a typical status-quo suburban backyard but with a more biodiverse lawn and other ecologically-friendly features. Currently, Garden Two is known as the Enhanced Lawn Garden.  

A woman sits below a young conifer tree with thin branches. The woman and the tree are next to a gravel path.

White pine in Garden Two, 1988.

A lawn of green grass as a large area of overturned dirt in the middle of it. To the right of the overturned dirt is the base of a conifer tree. A wooden fence goes along the left of the lawn.

Garden Two, 1996.

A wooden picnic bench sits on a green grass lawn in front of a large conifer tree with a bird feeder to its left. A dirt path weaves through the lawn and through a gap in a chain link fence, leading to another garden in the background. A wooden fence runs along the left side of the picture.

Garden Two (now known as the Enhanced Lawn Garden), 2020.

This is a sampling of some of the many photos that have been taken and people that have been a part of The Arboretum’s 50 years of operations. Do you have some photos you would like to share? Upload them to our Arboretum History Kudoboard.

The land where The Arboretum now grows has been home to plants and animals for thousands of years. It was home to Indigenous peoples before settlers arrived. We recognize the Dish with One Spoon territory, the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Between the Lakes Treaty 3 lands on which the University of Guelph and The Arboretum now sit. We are honoured to work on and care for this land.