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The Alumni Gardens site was originally a research nursery where Richard Morton and Les Blackburn carried out species evaluation trials. Plants were brought to Truro to test their performance and winter hardiness under Truro conditions. The mature trees and shrubs in the garden are the remains of the early collections. In time, the site was turned over to the Campus, and the Alumni Association encouraged its development as a garden. Students in the engineering technician program built the gazebo platform as a class project in the mid-1980s.  

Over the years, the garden layout has changed as students in the Managed Landscapes program implement projects designed by the teaching staff. To assist with the increasing demand for garden development as a teaching tool, new ideas were formulated as to how it could all be managed. In 1999, the Friends of the Gardens was created, and Bernard Jackson was brought in as coordinator of the group. They have worked with the grounds staff to help implement changes to the Alumni Garden that complement the teaching aspect of the garden while simplifying its management.

The pavement circle

Landscape Horticulture students installed the pavement circle in 1999 to provide a gathering place for events. Funding for the materials came from the Class of 1975.

The perennial garden

The Friends of the Gardens and the grounds staff created the perennial garden that frames this area, using plants from existing perennial gardens. In the fall of 2001, the students in the Environmental Horticulture program prepared a new blue and yellow theme perennial garden at the east end of the Alumni Garden and grassed over the old linear beds.

The rose garden

The Women’s Institute gift of 12 Adelaide Hoodless roses in the spring of 2002, was the beginning of a new rose garden. It is circular in shape, containing fragrant, old-fashioned roses and companion perennials. The pergola is covered with a collection of clematis and climbing roses.