Arboretum History
Arboretum History
An aerial view looking at pathways and gardens in The Arboretum. The English Garden can be seen as it forms an oval surrounded by shrubs. A road follows the left side of the image.

The Garden Project

Header image: Aerial of the Garden Project, 2020

The Garden Project is a group of gardens designed by Arboretum staff and Landscape Architect, Christopher Campbell, to explore and demonstrate the history of garden design. This project was initiated in 1995 with the creation of the David G. Porter Memorial Japanese Garden, sponsored by Mrs. Bobbi Porter. Over the years, the project has expanded to four gardens: an Italian garden, a Japanese Garden, an English garden and a Park.

Navigate the buttons and pictures below to see more images of the gardens included in the Garden Project. To learn more about the inspiration behind each garden, visit the Gardens page on The Arboretum’s main website.

The OAC’56 Park in the Garden
The Italian Garden
The Edna and Frank C. Miller English Garden
The David G. Porter Memorial Japanese Garden

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.