Library Garden
‘SI HORTUM IN BIBLIOTHECA HABES, DEERIT NIHIL”… Cicero
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything.”
Since 1965, the Stratford and District Horticultural Society has maintained a garden at the Stratford Public Library. Through the years, the Library Garden has undergone many changes.
In 2020, the Society and the Library joined forces to
completely transform the garden. The new version was envisioned by a committee after assessing needs and doing extensive research.
A local landscaping company was employed to make this vision a reality. Shovels went into the ground in the fall of 2021, and planting was completed the following spring.
Photo: Doug Reberg
The new garden is designed to be open, inviting, and accessible.
A meandering path leads library patrons and visitors from Church Street to the library entrance, passing by five gardens and three seating areas. The five gardens are planted with native and pollinator plants that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and song birds. They will be ideal “teaching gardens.”
The largest seating area is a circular arrangement of twelve armour stones which creates an ideal setting for library programs, meetings, instruction, or social events.
The smaller circles provide more private settings to read and relax.
Did You Know?
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The bricks that border the pathways were salvaged from a brick roadway unearthed during the road reconstruction on Shakespeare Street, donated to the garden project by the City of Stratford.
The School House Rock, a large granite stone bearing a brass plaque, situated near the corner of St. Andrew and Church Streets commemorates Central School which stood on the garden site from 1855 to 1917.
Thanks To:
The Library Garden Renewal was made possible by funding from Stratford Public Library Foundation, Stratford and District Horticultural Association, Stratford Perth Community Foundation representing Orr Family Fund, Mansbridge Environmental Fund, Culliton Fund, Reading Fund, Judy Riebling Legacy Fund, and Smart and Caring Community Fund. Additional support was provided by the Ontario Horticultural Association and by the City of Stratford.
