Arboretum History
Arboretum History

The Edna and Frank C. Miller English Garden

Header image: The Edna and Frank C. Miller English Garden, 2011

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The Edna and Frank C. Miller English Garden showcases features English landscape architecture, including sculpted plants and symmetrical patterns throughout the garden. When the garden was opened in September 1998, it was dedicated in memory of Edna and Frank C. Miller by their son, Frank Miller.

To learn more about the Edna and Frank C. Miller English Garden, visit the Gardens page on The Arboretum’s main website.

Two people digging a large hole with shovels during construction of the English Garden

Construction of the English Garden, May 1997 (photo by Lina Venerus).

A garden surrounded by green shrubs and trees. In breaks in the trees are wooden arbors leading in to the garden. Paths weave through the garden. The flower beds are occupied by small sprouts of plants.

English Garden in the fall, 1997 (photo by Alan Watson).

A dirt path leads away from the viewer and under a wooden arbor. Along the left side of the path is a row of tall green conifer trees. They reach about halfway up the wooden arbor. On the right of the path are two wooden benches facing towards one another, providing a place for visitors to sit.

The English Garden, 1998 (photo by Bob Liptrap).

Two gardens shaped in half circles face each other. Each garden has a flower bed in the center and is outlined by rows of small green shrubs. Surrounding the gardens is a dirt path and another row of conifers. Some wooden arbors dot the row of conifers to provide entryway to the area. In the distance, a tall brown brick building can be seen above a forest.

English Garden, 1998 (photo by Bob Liptrap).

A flowerbed is circled with two rows of small green shrubs. Surrounding the shrubs is a dirt path that travels around the perimeter of the garden. On the dirt path on the left is a sundial resting on a stone column. Behind the flower bed are small conifer trees and wooden arbors providing entryways into the garden.

The English Garden, 1998 (photo by Bob Liptrap).

A flower bed is circled by green shrubs. To the right there are two wooden benches facing each other. Tall confiders surround the perimeter of the garden. A wooden arbor provides an entryway to the garden through the wall of conifers.

The English Garden, 2020.

This is a sampling of some of the many photos that have been taken and people that have been a part of The Arboretum’s 50 years of operations. Do you have some photos you would like to share? Upload them to our Arboretum History Kudoboard.

The land where The Arboretum now grows has been home to plants and animals for thousands of years. It was home to Indigenous peoples before settlers arrived. We recognize the Dish with One Spoon territory, the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Between the Lakes Treaty 3 lands on which the University of Guelph and The Arboretum now sit. We are honoured to work on and care for this land.