Alexander Reford likes to think that his upbringing on the farm in the Outaouais region of Quebec made him the horticulturist he is today; That inspiration hit him the first time he planted a seed.
But honestly, he was more of the “wheelbarrow guy,” he says.
However, she has no doubt that working on the farm made her appreciate the feeling of interacting with the land and fostered her love of the outdoors. Now, as an adult, they are both inherently part of him: he has run Les Jardins de Métis (Reford Gardens), a 100-acre estate located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Grand-Métis, since the 1990s.
The gardens were originally created by Reford’s great-grandmother in the 1920s at a time when the closest nursery was hundreds of miles away and it was difficult to secure the plants.
Through his role, he created the non-profit organization that purchased the gardens from the Québec government. Among the 3,500 species of plants on display is the Himalayan blue poppy, which draws visitors from afar to see its striking color.
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The Gardens successfully raised funds in 2016 to purchase a 40-acre property on the St. Lawrence and Mitis Rivers and is partnering with the Nature Conservancy and donors to establish a green belt to protect ecologically important lands in the Mitis River Basin. .
The protected spaces create wildlife corridors and landing points for the large numbers of migratory birds that pass through Québec in the spring and fall, Reford said.
“The goal is simply to keep what is green today, green forever,” he said.
Reford has run Les Jardins de Métis, a property located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Grand-Métis, since the 1990s. He has seen conservation efforts and sustainability become increasingly important in the world of gardening. .
“… As we see people flee the cities into the countryside, we are increasingly aware of development, developers, speculation, land changes and … rapid changes. So we are … really hopeful [about] a very important initiative in 2022 to try to secure some of these conservation easements in perpetuity. “
Reford was appointed to the Order of Canada by Governor General Mary May Simon this week for his work at Reford Gardens. Since 1967, the annual list of new members has recognized a host of academics, social and environmental activists, and others who have made notable contributions to society.
He was also awarded for his work as a historian. He has an MA in history from the University of Toronto and the University of Oxford and has written multiple historical papers focusing on gardens, trains, and his family.
Along with his love and passion for plants and nature, there is a fundamental belief that more nature must be protected. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to protect 25 percent of Canada’s land and waters by 2025, but environmentalists say more must be done to protect biodiversity, especially after weather-driven events such as the recent one. heat dome, forest fires and atmospheric rivers in Britain. Columbia. Québec lost its 17% of protected areas target for 2021.
“I think we have realized the importance of green spaces. I guess my call is: we need more. More in urban places in particular, but we need so much land preserved in rural Canada that we think they are full of green space, but they are full of farms and private property, but not that full of public access spaces. ,” he said.
Reford is well aware of the growing effects of climate change in the region. He saw how coastal erosion affected the shores of the San Lorenzo: rising sea levels due to climate change are expected to take between 6,400 and 14,400 kilometers of sandy beach. by 2100 in Canada.
That’s why Reford has worked hard to make Reford Gardens more sustainable over the past few years.
Current Projects include helping stabilize the riverbanks near the garden and transitioning the property to fossil fuels, opting for electric bicycles and golf carts for staff to get around. The last diesel heating systems on the grounds are scheduled to start in 2022. While he calls the efforts “modest,” he sees them as part of a broader shift toward sustainability in public gardens.
That change also materializes in the upcoming International Garden Festival, which Reford co-founded. This time, the theme is adaptation, and designers, landscapers and architects are invited to submit projects, five of which will be built in the gardens of Grand-Métis.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com