POET RIS te wens ioge wn ceMb tee DESIGN FOLLOWS 1967 ORIGINAL P&T Gardens a biooming success NEWS ohare Nell Lucente BCIT HORITICULTURAL grad Todd Major (foreground) and Patrick Green (background) tend to a flower bed at the latest incarnation of the Park And Tilford Gardens, Capilano College horticultural students spend time in the garden to hone theory picked up in the classroom. Boyfriend’s = fling hurts _PAGE 46 BEN JONSON (1573 to 1637): ‘In smail portions we just beauty see. And in short measures life may perfect be.’’ THE LATEST blossoming of Park And Tilford Gardens strives for those measures cf perfection. Designed as eight interconnected thematic. gardens and situated on 2% acres of land at the corner of Cotton and Brooksbank, the visu- ally relaxing retreat features a formal rose garden, a herb garden, flower garden, a _ colonnade garden, a white garden, a rhododendron garden, an oriental garden and a native garden. The gardens were originally designed in 1967 as a community beautification project, which was presented to the North Shore as a present by Schenley Canada Inc. The gardens became world famous and attracted as many as 300,000 visitors a year before the Schenley distillery closed in 1984 and the gardens deteriorated. When BCE Development Cor- poration bought the site in 1987 to build = mall, the gardens were given a new lease on life. The restored gardens follow the origi- nal concept. The corporation spent $350,000 to bring the gardens and grounds back to life. Today the attraction is open 9:30 a.m. to dusk, seven days a week. Admission is free of charge and approximately 75 per cent of the display area is wheelchair ac- cessible. According to gardens director Suzanne Wilkinson, the gardens are a popular destination for seniors groups, the handicapped; serious gardeners, flower fans and wedding parties. We’ve Goofed We’re overstocked Save from 25-50% 5 place sets Umbrellas trom °199-1 ,495 $29°5.299 869-399 $29°5.499 $49°5.449 5453.449 CAST ALUMINUM NEVER RUST 5 pieces | from 44g" (PICK- UP PRICE) Since opening last year, the gardens have also become an cut- door classroom for students enrolled at Capilano College’s hor- ticultural program. Said Wilkin- son: ‘‘They all get a whack at the chores. It works fairly well.'’ From September to April, approximately 20 students raise up plants from seed, prune plants and lend a green thumb where needed. Four Capilano College students were hired to work in the gardens over the summer. “For the people who have stayed on for the summer it’s been a full year’s worth of not just a landscape job, but a greenhouse job as well, so they’ve compiled ali different aspects of horticulture,’’ Wilkinson said. Said Applied Horticultural pro- gram Instructor Les (Capt. K.) Koskitalo: ‘‘It’s working out fan- tastic. Before this we had a 250- square-foot toy greenhouse There’s no comparison to this (greenhouse) facility. This is state-of-the-art and it’s about three times the size. It’s been a fantastic learning experi- ence for all of the students.’ On a recent visit the greenhouse was ing: in’ Peat filled with the most recent fruits of the students’ labors — Christmas poinsettias, decorative cabbage plants and flowering pansies and wallflowers for spring. Wilkinson estimates that with the students’ help in the greenhouse, the gardens have rais- ed approximately 3,000 plants over the past year. The return of the gardens as a North Shore fixture has met with the approval of recent visitors. Wilkinson remembers one visitor in particular: ‘‘The horticulturalist to the Queen of England was here June 14 during a tour of North America. He’s very interested in the history of the site. He had heard a lot about it from previous people and about the fact that private industry was doing it. “Normally when private in- dustry takes over you get a very carnival-like atmosphere — it’s all annuals, quite bright and marigolds. So the two things amazed him, that it was being . redone in the same style, with a bit of taste. And the other thing he was amazed at was how much had happened here in a year. He was raving ebout it. He’s one of my heroes and it was a very nice day for me,’” she said. To book ahead for wedding photo sessions in the gardens, or for more information about the gardens call 984-8200.