Connecting with trees and nature in school gardens By Tom O’Sullivan, gardener and horticulturist, VSB WORKING AS A HORTICULTURIST for several decades has allowed me to experience nature more than most. Small details will always amaze, such as the little white flowers from snowdrops appearing above the cold ground as early as January, or huge clusters of little red berries hanging from a mountain ash in the fall. Nature is full of little secrets, and I enjoy sharing these experiences with others. In my role as a gardener with the Vancouver School Board (VSB), I have many pleasant exchanges with community members. It’s common for a student, parent, teacher, or passerby to stop and remark on some aspect of the garden as I work. The most common reaction from elementary students when I’m pruning a tree is, “Stop, stop, you’re killing the tree,” to which I assure them, “No, no, I’m just giving it a haircut.” But this shows that they care. Their curiosity is amazing, and there’s so much for them to discover. Quite often, while working on a school garden, an audience of young faces will appear to watch me turn the soil, clean up shrub borders, and tend to the plants. 18 TEACHER Nov/Dec 2021
They see a chaotic bed cluttered with dead leaves, broken branches, weeds, or gangly off-shoots look refreshed and beautiful. For them, seeing is believing. Now that it’s late fall, and while bracing for the onslaught of winter, it’s tempting to believe there’s not much of interest in the garden. But when that perfect fall day bursting with sunshine and freshness appears from nowhere, opportunities for outdoor activities for students should not be missed. These types of fall days are perfect for getting out of the classroom and exploring the anatomy of trees, and there’s no place better than your own school grounds to explore. The trees you walk past every day are fascinating to study. In the simplest terms, trees consist of leaves, branches, trunks, and roots. The leaves conduct the magic of photosynthesis, sequestrating carbon from the atmosphere to form wood in the body of the tree. But wood is extremely heavy, just try standing a small log upright. Easy? No! Above: A mature cedar’s branch network. Left: Tom O’Sullivan working with nature in school gardens. Sunjum Jhaj photos.
