Historic Gardening in Dufferin County - Wayne Townsend
Wayne Townsend, the curator of Dufferin County Museum shared with us the history of gardening in Dufferin County.
If you would like to learn more there is large collection of horticultural records at the museum.
History of local gardens
· In the past gardens reflected the owners occupation
· Gardens often contained plants that could be found in the wild
· Kitchen gardens were very popular for their practical uses
· Mulmur was well known for naturopaths
· Wives often got together socially for seed exchanges
· Roses were often grown for their importance in healing rose waters, beauty, medicinal, perfumes etc
· Fences were made from woven sticks, shrubs, roses, bushes
· Lawns were only cut for parties and games and were a sign of wealth
Flowers have inspired many of our current culture
· Dishes
· Quilts
· Songs
· Canadian pressed glass
· Names for children and places
Natives typically grew the following:
· Corn, beans, squash
· They would regularly plant nuts for future generations
· They planted the Amaranth blueberry patch that is still around to this day
· They taught how to create maple syrup, how to use walnut to create boot black, and how to use feverfew, sunflowers
The Dufferin County Museum has a heritage garden each year if you would like to visit. It contains vegetables, trees, flowers and plants that were native to the area in 1900.
One of the pioneer apple trees is Winter Blush.
In Dufferin County the first fair was in Marsville and the first horticultural society was in Grand Valley.
There are many heritage seeds that are being lost, it is our responsibility to keep them alive and pass them on.
Wayne also encouraged us to pass on our knowledge to future generations things that are being lost such as
· How to properly write a hand written letter
· Make a posy
· Set a proper table
· Plant a seed
· Some of the old trades and crafts
For more information about the museum
http://www.dufferinmuseum.com/about/index.html
http://www.dufferincounty.on.ca/department_info.aspx?id=22
If you would like to learn more there is large collection of horticultural records at the museum.
History of local gardens
· In the past gardens reflected the owners occupation
· Gardens often contained plants that could be found in the wild
· Kitchen gardens were very popular for their practical uses
· Mulmur was well known for naturopaths
· Wives often got together socially for seed exchanges
· Roses were often grown for their importance in healing rose waters, beauty, medicinal, perfumes etc
· Fences were made from woven sticks, shrubs, roses, bushes
· Lawns were only cut for parties and games and were a sign of wealth
Flowers have inspired many of our current culture
· Dishes
· Quilts
· Songs
· Canadian pressed glass
· Names for children and places
Natives typically grew the following:
· Corn, beans, squash
· They would regularly plant nuts for future generations
· They planted the Amaranth blueberry patch that is still around to this day
· They taught how to create maple syrup, how to use walnut to create boot black, and how to use feverfew, sunflowers
The Dufferin County Museum has a heritage garden each year if you would like to visit. It contains vegetables, trees, flowers and plants that were native to the area in 1900.
One of the pioneer apple trees is Winter Blush.
In Dufferin County the first fair was in Marsville and the first horticultural society was in Grand Valley.
There are many heritage seeds that are being lost, it is our responsibility to keep them alive and pass them on.
Wayne also encouraged us to pass on our knowledge to future generations things that are being lost such as
· How to properly write a hand written letter
· Make a posy
· Set a proper table
· Plant a seed
· Some of the old trades and crafts
For more information about the museum
http://www.dufferinmuseum.com/about/index.html
http://www.dufferincounty.on.ca/department_info.aspx?id=22
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