100 SEASONS IN THE SUN– Celebrating the Story of the Summerland Ornamental Gardens

In July 2016, we celebrated the Summerland Gardens Centennial. This 6-hectare public garden is deeply woven into the history of Summerland as an enduring community touchstone. Inaugurated in 1916 by Agriculture Canada, the Summerland Research Station Gardens were a beacon for new settlers. Whole families would come to the annual Farm Picnics; adults learned how to landscape and beautify their domestic homesites, while children played games on the extensive lawns. The day would finish with a picnic and games for all. As many as four thousand people would attend these events. Food preparation, canning, and other “home economics” topics were also addressed. As the plantings matured, the Gardens became a favourite venue for weddings, receptions and other celebratory events.

The Gardens were originally part of the Summerland Experimental Farm, which opened in 1914. In early 1916, staff gardeners Joseph Smith and Alfred Aveson began laying out the Gardens. Local legend has it their only design template was a Wedgwood plate illustrated with an English garden scene, which they scaled up and transferred on to the newly plowed ground. No matter the actual design origin, the legacy of Smith and Aveson is now a splendid canopy of soaring, mature trees interspersed with sloping lawns and sinuous garden beds. At every turn, the Garden visitor is presented with a new sightline, a different perspective. Some 135 different species of mature ornamental trees and shrubs now grace the Gardens. In the 1980s the Experimental Farm became the Summerland Research Station, and the ornamental horticulture program was discontinued. While still part of the overall Research Station facility, the Gardens came under the care of the non-profit Friends of the Summerland Ornamental Gardens Society, which now, in collaboration with the Summerland Research and Development Centre, manages the Gardens and will continue its stewardship into the future.