Horticultural Society’s Legacy Garden continues to grow

By Herald on April 16, 2021.

Irene Harris and Carolyn Stevenson walk past the water feature following the 2019 dedication of the new Legacy Ornamental Garden at the northside Legacy Park. Herald file photo by Ian Martens

Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

While the pandemic has hit the world hard, it hasn’t stopped the Lethbridge Horticulture Society from plowing forward with a garden project in North Lethbridge.

The two-acre Legacy Garden is part of the 73-acre Legacy Regional Park and is accessible by heading north on 13 St. and turning right at Blackwolf Blvd. N. The garden is in the northwest corner of the park and has parallel parking for visitors.

The area once was a farmers field and is north of the site where an old school once stood. The horticulture society started negotiating the project with the City of Lethbridge in 2015. 

The garden has evolved since its conception as a Canada 150 project and features numerous distinct elements including a memorial rose garden surrounded by a metal fence to prevent deer from devouring the flowers.

“We have a world class Japanese garden but no flower garden,” said vice-president Paul Stevenson.

Working with the City, the society developed a set of principles to guide development of the garden.

“The city has been so wonderful to us,” said Stevenson, a retired city educator.

Among the features the society wanted in the garden were elevation, curvature, a variety of beds and an educational component, said Stevenson.

In 2017-18, the society got funding for a water feature and had constructed a recirculating dual waterfall. To discourage bicyclist and walkers, several obstacles have been strategically built into the structure to prevent damage.

The garden also has a round bed filled with annuals “for a big burst of colour,” in summer, said Stevenson. 

Donations from businesses and private citizens have helped the society in its endeavours. 

“We’ve had a lot of donations; the society doesn’t have the money to do develop this,” said Stevenson on a tour of the property.

One feature is a perennial garden with flowers donated by Kathy and Randy Forsyth of Lomond.

“Our dream is a world-class flower garden,” added Stevenson.

A sprinkler system is hooked up to the city water service but with limited sprinter heads, members bring their own hoses and sprinklers to keep the flowers moist in the summer – a time-consuming and laborious tasks.

Among the garden’s features is the memorial rose garden which is funded by donations. Plaques placed in front of the roses identify the variety and list who it remembers. 

All roses in the garden are hardy roses, rather than more delicate hybrid teas which may not always survive a southern Alberta winter. A bench at one of the garden, designed by Stevenson, honours  the late Dr. Ken Richards,  who worked here at the research station. In time, climbing roses will provide colour to the bench. 

“We didn’t want a deer fence but without it, the roses would be just mangled,” said Stevenson of the barrier which has a spring-loaded gate to deter wildlife, not humans. 

The garden has several areas with trees and lilacs, which are deer-resistant shrubs. The society hopes these features will eventually provide wind blockage and shade.

The horticulture society started here in 1909 but took a break during the First World War. It took root again in 1922 and has been flourishing since.

The society currently has about 75 active members.

The society hopes the garden will become a showcase for the city but says Stevenson “we’re a long way from that.”

“In a sense, it’s a community garden because we need people to volunteer and donate, he added. In 2020, volunteers put in a whopping 1,119 hours at the Legacy and Henderson gardens.

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