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The property today known as Maplelawn was established in the 1830s by the Thomson family, and successively owned and nurtured by two other families: the Coles and the Rochesters.

Each family had a special interest in the signature garden there, and expended considerable resources to keep it well cultivated and in luxuriant flower. In 1936, the Rochesters hired Warren Oliver, of the Central Experimental Farm, to renew the garden.

Maplelawn was acquired by the federal government in the mid-1950s to preserve for future generations and it is now under the jurisdiction of the National Capital Commission. In 1993, the Friends of Maplelawn was formed to address the needs of this oasis. Thirty years later, 35 volunteers continue to ensure the integrity of the 1936 Oliver plan.

Join John Zvonar, Landscape Architect and Maplelawn Garden friend, who will share the story of how this Fourth Family has persisted with an ever changing roster of human resources and how it has brought joy to volunteers and visitors alike.

As it plans for the next 30 years, the Friends of Maplelawn maintain the almost 200-year continuum of custodians who have enthusiastically committed to the stewardship of Maplelawn Garden.

SPEAKER:

John Zvonar graduated with a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Manitoba in 1988. He recently completed a 30-year run at the federal government’s Centre of Expertise in Heritage Conservation, employing a principles- and values- based conservation approach in protecting nationally-significant cultural landscapes notably for Parks Canada, multiple federal departments, and often, the Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts. He continues his active involvement with the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation, and the ICOMOS-IFLA International Scientific Committee for Cultural Landscapes. John was honoured with his election to the Canadian Society of Landscape Architecture’s College of Fellows in 2014. He continues to exercise his vocation as the next in a continuum of stewards at Maplelawn Garden.


THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR ANDREX HOLDINGS.