Heritage Gardens Research and Restoration

Sharon Rempel has been a “Sherlock Holmes” of the garden world, seeking out clues to our horticultural and agricultural past. With 20 years in the field she's one of western Canada's experts on heritage plants and heritage garden design.

Sharon has an MA Conservation Studies from York England specializing in conservation of historic gardens and landscapes. She is trained to respect 'the spirit of the place' when restoring or designing gardens. ICOMOS is an organization dedicated to cultural preservation and also defines 'spirit of the place'.

Sharon's process of researching a garden's history:

“Who was that person? Where were they from socially and culturally? Did they read and what external influences might have been reflected in how they gardened or designed? What were the plants that made their spirits sing, their passion? What were the financial constraints on their design and maintenance? What are the constraints today?

Sharon works through detailed research about the plants, designs and social ‘trends’ of a certain time period based on the ‘socio economic’ and ‘cultural’ background of the person. Then she distills this information into a site appropriate design and planting list with period appropriate plants.

Through this attention to detail, she is able to offer her clients products that shine with a ‘Golden Thread’ of uniqueness and integrity which can be used in marketing and promoting the site, and the overall message of conservation.

An Assessment and Interpretation of historical and ecological data helps to determine the type of garden or landscape work required. Then a design and drawing of the garden with a detailed period appropriate plant list and sources allows a landscape architect or architect to draw up plans.

She can also provide this service upon request. This information helps identify what should be included in the Collections Policy and other site management documents. Historic sites and museums that decide to have living collections should consider having a Management Plan, Master Plan, Collections Policy or Interpretation Plan.

We have experience in consulting with all stakeholders to write a plan that will address resources and goals of the establishment while respecting the uniqueness and integrity of the collection.

A few definitions, please:

- ‘Heritage’ might be old and probably a part of someone’s past and therefore has value to them.

- Heritage plants, defined by Rempel, are pre 1950s of introduction into Canada. However, the ‘names of the plants change as plants move, so the plant might have been used by a cultural group much earlier or later than that, still giving it heritage designation.

- ‘Heritage’ must conserved to survive and is a component of what defines ‘cultural identity’.

-‘Gardens’ are set into the landscape in context with built features. Garden designs and plant choice reflect the whims of their owners and society. Gardens are collections of ‘fashionable’ plants that with ‘garden jewelry’ including gazebos, gnomes, fountains, etc. Gardens change their form and function, like fashion, over time.

-‘Landscapes’ are a collection of symbols and shapes of land, often influenced by human intervention for better or worse. Landscapes are formed from interactions between people and the land and they change over time.