Siamandas.com - Commercial stock photos of over 25,000 images for print, web and multimedia.

Assiniboine Park:
A Park for all Seasons

Produced for Prairie Public Television ©2003
Written and Produced By George Siamandas

<- Previous Page • Next page ->

<- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ->

Page 4

THE ENGLISH GARDENS
STEFAN FEDIUK, SUPERVISOR ASSINIBOINE PARK DISPLAY GARDENS
The cedars that you see in the front and a number of the tall poplars in the back are from George Champion's plan. This particular garden is our grass garden it's one of the most recent introductions to the English Gardens.

This garden as I look at it is about 30 gardens in itself, we've got shade gardens, we've got a woodland garden, We've got a rose garden. There used to be 800 roses, tea roses in that garden.

The lilies you see behind me and the commemorative plaque have been donated by our sister city in Japan. Every year they replenish the lilies for us. It's one of the things everybody takes a look at.

On the prairies this garden is probably surpassed by none. It's the only one. There have been comments by people who have come up especially from the American side of the border, that there is nothing like this. People come in and we get somewhere in the neighbourhood of 200,000 visitors a year to this garden alone.

To be able to do this kind of job is fantastic. To work in a garden like this is one in a million. I would say the English Garden at Assiniboine Park is one of the forgotten jewels of the city.

BOY WITH THE BOOT
NAR: During the summer season the English Gardens and Formal Gardens draw thousands of visitors. The boy with the boot graces the entry to the English Gardens. The statue has attracted a lot of attention including the interest of pranksters who have stolen the boot on several occasions.

GUNTHER SHOCH, RETIRED DIRECTOR PLANING AND DEVELOPMENT PARKS DEPT
An interesting story is the boy with the boot. It's the entrance to the English Gardens. It was placed here in 1953. Originally it was located in front of city Hall. But they found out during the 1960s when tourists came to Winnipeg that the same figure, the same sculpture exists in nine other North American Cities. And no one really knows where it came from. Only that it was probably constructed in an Italian foundry in the mid 1800s.

FORMAL GARDENS
STEFAN FEDIUK
We're in the formal gardens now. This particular garden was originally designed and installed in the early 1900s - 1909 is when it was officially opened. And it was designed in the traditional French formal style with a double axis a series of circle beds running in each of the corners of the axis and a series of long rectangular beds. The elms that you see around us right now are the original plantings dating back to 1909.

<- Previous Page • Next page ->

<- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ->

Contact