New trees added to Garden's tree donation program

The Friends of the Old Seed House Garden have added 18 new trees to their Tree Donation Program and they are now all available for adoption. Two years ago, this group of volunteers offered more than 70 trees for adoption at an average cost of $300. They were quickly "adopted" by residents to commemorate many different events, including births, deaths and friendships, as well as for special gifts. The donation fee for each tree includes an engraved plaque citing the name of the tree and a custom inscription by the donor to celebrate the event or person honoured. The Friends hosted a donor appreciation event in the spring to mark the installation of all of the tree and bench plaques, as well as a large donor plaque in the walled garden on the site. Due to the popularity of the Tree Donation Program, it has now been extended with the arrival of new trees to further expand the beauty of the garden. Master Gardener Belinda Gallagher chose the trees, mostly native to the area. Along with several coniferous trees, maple and oak, the Garden now boasts an Ohio Buckeye chestnut, an amur cork, ginkgo, tulip, hackberrry and juneberry trees. The Friends of the Old Seed House Garden was started by a group of volunteers in 2000 and has been funded by many local corporate and private donors since then. A lot of the work was done by volunteers and by local businesses that donated much of their services. "The outstanding generosity shown by so many people and companies in our community amazes me. Everyone is so giving!" said Barb Baron, fundraising chair, at the recent unveiling of the donor plaque at the Garden. The Old Seed House Garden is situated on 1.2 acres of the Dominion Gardens Park at the corner of Maple Avenue and Guelph Street. The Town of Halton Hills has now installed a play area adjacent to the Garden and has further plans for the rest of the eight-acre park to be developed in the future. To really appreciate the beauty of the Garden, one needs to leave Maple Avenue and walk into the Garden, since most of its charm is hidden from the road by trees and shrubs. For example, the walled garden is built on the old foundation of one of the original Dominion Seed House farm buildings and cannot be seen from the roadway. Anyone interested in more information about the Tree Donation Program should contact Sarah Burrows at: 905873-8386 or go to www.oldseedhousegarden.com.