The Permaculture Garden

*Letters represent a general location of plant species - refer to the plant list for plant locations within the garden.

This garden, previously known as the Suburban Garden, has gone fallow. Over the course of the next 2 to 3 years, The Arboretum will transform and revitalize this garden into the Permaculture Garden as seen in the proposed design above. Eventually, the existing edible plants and garden will be expanded to encourage connections with the burgeoning urban farming movement and the agricultural innovations that the University of Guelph is famous for.

For now, visitors can enjoy the pre-existing woodland included in this garden. The woodland edge of this garden has grown in very successfully over time (this area was just a lawn in 1987!), creating a dense, multi-storied and diverse environment. The site offers unique experiences – it is the only ‘backyard’ where visitors can look out into the adjacent field, and it is also the only garden where visitors are encouraged to walk under and between trees. 

Plant List

This garden currently features edible shrubs and perennials loved by birds and other wildlife, including Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) and American Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum).