Early Accomplishments
By 1942, the school had reached some impressive milestones. Almost 200 acres of land had been cultivated and beautified. This was no small task as it had formerly been neglected grassland filled with a bedrock of limestone, poor soil, ox-eye daisies, and chickory. An arboretum was established complete with trees from all over North America and Europe. A collection of perennials was amassed. Driveways, walkways, and the parking lot were constructed and enhanced by borders of flowers. Thousands of specimens of plants were grown and propagated for distribution throughout the Niagara Parks. A great deal of work was accomplished in just a few years.
Although it is referred to as the 'gentle art of gardening' by some, it was incredibly intensive labour that produced this glorious botanical garden out of land that was full of heavy clay and rock. Most of the work was done by hand and some of the work was done by horses and their owners. Hube Heximer and his plough horse worked the land, as well as Queenie the horse with Ed Sauer.
In 1936, Mr. Broman travelled to Holland to find plants that would grow in the Niagara Region. He ordered almost everything that the F.J. Grootendorst and Sons Company had to offer. Some of these plants were grown on a trial basis and some remain to this day. A selection of items were planted along the Queen Elizabeth Way and other local areas. At the time, this was the largest nursery stock that had ever been shipped from Holland.