Join the Arboretum for the 2024 Arboretum Expo on September 6 and 7 featuring a ticketed concert Trees Listen, a plant sale, and family-friendly programming.
The weekend kicks off with the exciting concert premiere of Trees.Listen, a new composition of nine short pieces for harp by Ontario musicians Sharlene Wallace and Frank Horvat, inspired by the work of botanist Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 6 and the concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 – buy tickets for Trees Listen.
The Tree Day & Plant Sale starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 7. View the full schedule of events, vendors, sponsors and plant list.
Family friendly activities
The day will be filled with many captivating activities for all ages. Event features include:
Arboretum Expo & Plant Sale: Discover a curated selection of Arboretum-grown plants, perfect for enhancing your own green spaces and supporting local horticulture initiatives. The plant sale offers native perennials and shrubs for smaller gardens, as well as unique woody plants and trees that cannot be found in typical garden centres. There is something for everyone. Several rarer varieties will be available in an auction format this year.
- Nature Education Tours: Join expert-led or self-guided tours of the Arboretum grounds and gardens, farm and turfgrass research, immersing yourself in the diverse flora and fauna.
- Trees.Listen Installation: Listen to several of the new harp compositions in installations around the grounds near the trees that inspired the music, and join an artist walk at 1pm.
- Tree Climbing Demonstration: Join a certified arborist and tree worker as they showcase different climbing techniques, highlighting the importance of these practices in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
- Activities and Workshops: Engage in interactive and entertaining nature-themed activities, like an insect hunt or plant identification and sketching, flower arranging, tool demonstration, all designed to foster a deeper appreciation for the natural world.
- Guelph Trial Garden: Features garden tours, voting on your favourite new varieties, Monarch butterfly rearing demo, houseplant and perennial sale and tours of turf research activities at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute.
- Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming: Features garden tours, veggies and flowers, and a tool workshop.
Visitors will also be able to explore community tables, food booths, and the Guelph Public Library BookMobile.
OAC 150th celebrations at the Expo
The Arboretum Expo is also celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Ontario Agricultural College. Tours and open houses at the Guelph Centre for Organic Farming, the Guelph Trial Garden, the Guelph Turfgrass institute and the site of the planned Nokom’s House will be happening throughout the day. Visitors are invited to explore the OAC conservation and research areas on The Arboretum side of campus and participate in family-friendly nature activities. Guests will experience some of the exciting research, teaching and partnerships taking place to support plants, trees, science and sustainability.
Celebrating plants and people
“We are thrilled to celebrate trees at the Arboretum as we aim to connect people to nature and protect biodiversity for our campus and beyond,” says Justine Richardson, director of the Arboretum. “Join us in this fun event, which welcomes community members and students to campus and builds on our historic woody plant sale. We will celebrate nature, share knowledge, and foster sustainable actions together with our partners and activities on this “Green Heart of Guelph.”
The event aligns with Guelph Trial Garden’s annual flower Open House, led by Rodger Tschanz. The public is invited to view the new flower varieties in this year’s Trial Garden and vote on their favourites as well as participate in a houseplant/perennial plant sale and various activities at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute.