Arboretum:
Meditative Garden
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Girls
strolling down silver birches pathway
c. 1935
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trolling
the brick-lined paths was a lunchtime activity for the students.
Named for the trees, the "Silver Birches Pathway" was
one of many areas where groups of girls could be found clustered
together, chatting and laughing. The grape arbour, which was staked
out parallel to Humboldt Street was another favourite destination.
Students were brought outside during classes, to enjoy the benefits
of the many species on the grounds. The sketching of trees was an
aspect of drawing and charcoal classes. "The immediate environs
of the Academy, unsurpassed for scenic beauty, afford great advantages
for sketching". (School
Prospectus, 1911) Botany lessons were sometimes centred around
the arboretum specimens.
![](images/images_places_arboretum_garden_procession.jpg) |
Garden
Procession
c. 1960
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Behind
the cover of trees, girls climbed over the walls to go to the corner
store and throw notes rolled into lipstick cases to boys, often
from St. Louis College. One girl was convinced that the holly bushes
had been planted on the perimeter of the grounds to keep her from
an easy escape (although they had actually been growing there long
before she registered as a student!). Conrad Schiller, a student
in the primary classes at St. Ann's and the son of the maintenance
man, first fell in love with a girl from the Academy. The boy carved
their initials into some of the trees, and when the Sisters figured
out who these two young people were, they hastily covered the offending
areas with mud.
![](images/images_places_arboretum_garden_path.jpg) |
Garden
Path
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Before
the restoration of the grounds could be considered, an inventory
of the trees and shrubs was needed. According to Tom Loring, an
authority on trees and a participant in the St. Ann's Rescue Coalition,
the presence of the stream bed through the grounds gave the trees
access to the water table, which helped the various species survive
through the years of closure and neglect. This chart lists the trees
that have survived from the original arboretum plan. (based on count
published in St. Ann's Academy
Grounds 5 Year Plan). Click
here for a chart of the trees in the Arboretum
![](images/images_places_arboretum_battleship_now2_small.jpg) |
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Plans
to restore the pathways and plantings on the grounds continue. There
is debate over several issues, for, unlike the building, the grounds
have evolved over time, without the help of human intervention.
The small saplings of 1911 are now large, adult trees, and the nature
of the arboretum has changed. The gardeners continue to search for
a balance between the heritage of the site and needs of current
users. The solace that many Sisters and students took amongst the
trees continues to be an aspect of the arboretum. Tom Loring expresses,
"I still come across people in the arboretum, just sitting
or standing there meditating." Speaking to one local woman,
he discovered, "she found that if she was troubled, she'd just
go down to the St. Ann's grounds and sit amongst the trees ... it
restored her." He feels that this special role in the Victoria
community is not fulfilled by any of the other park settings.
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