A new botanical garden is being created in Manitoba with a $250,000 grant from the federal government.
The Botanical Gardens and Botanical Education Centre at Winnipeg’s Biodiversity Resource Centre was named after the first botanist in Manitoba, who started it all by building his own botanically designed greenhouse and planting his own flowers.
The centre is open Monday to Thursday, with the gardens open from the fall to the spring, and students from Grade 10 to 18 are welcome to come and participate.
Brett St. Laurent, who runs the centre, said it’s about giving people the chance to participate and grow in a community setting.
“It’s really a place where we can all share in the joy of growing our own botany plants,” he said.
St. Laurent said the centre is about connecting students to their neighbours, and the community they grow in.
“I think this is a way to bring together the many people who are working on botanical science and learning to grow our own plants in a way that’s sustainable,” he explained.
The $250.000 grant is being made possible by the Canada Botanical Garden Research and Extension Grant Program.
The grant is designed to support young people who want to get into botany, said St. Lawrence.
He said it gives them the opportunity to build a garden of their own and develop a career in the industry.
“If you are in your late teens and you have an interest in botany and want to grow your own plant and build it, you can do that,” he added.
Students can apply to participate in the centre’s gardens, which include a flowering plant nursery, a flowering nursery, herb garden, shrub garden, vegetable garden, botanical greenhouse and nursery.
Students have until July 10 to start growing their own plants, which can be planted in the garden or planted on their own.
St-Laurent said the botanical centre is a place to meet other people who share similar interests.
“This is a really good chance for people to have a good time, to meet their friends and have a conversation, and I think that’s what I hope for this centre,” he told CBC News.
Students interested in the Botanical Centre can sign up at the centre website.
