From 'Hamnet' to Homegrown

It began long before water restrictions forced a run on rain barrel sales and enrolments at community gardens filled up — even before Jessie Buckley (2026 Oscar winner for Best Actress) had us all imagining a life spent waist-deep in herbs and forest walks. Gardening — whether sparked by the healing powers of Buckley’s character, Agnes Hathaway, in Hamnet or the practical pull of growing your own food — is having a day. Make that a summer.

For those curious to dig in, the upcoming Field Trip — offered by UCalgary Alumni on May 23 from 1 to 4 p.m. — is a chance to step inside Silver Springs Botanical Gardens for an exclusive guided tour and discover what’s fuelling this trend, besides its well-known health benefits.

Led by UCalgary professor emerita Dr. Anne Katzenberg, PhD; Executive Director of Green Calgary, Lex van der Raadt, BA’06, BA’11, MA’15; and all-round gorilla gardener Jack Goodwin, BSc’09, the afternoon brings together three experts with buckets of knowledge.  Expect everything from tips on which roses and lilies grow best in Calgary to insights into urban agriculture, vermiculture and rainwater capture. 

Here’s how the afternoon might unfold: Katzenberg — a certified master gardener and chair of the Silver Springs Botanical Gardens’ education committee — will lead tours through some of the 30 gardens that make up the 20-acre site in the heart of Silver Springs, in northwest Calgary, which also include eight forested areas and Western Canada’s largest labyrinth. Meanwhile, Goodwin and van der Raadt will host stations near the parking lot (5720 Silver Ridge Dr. N.W.), where you can ask questions about the benefits of rain-water (“You’re not relying on City water and it’s not chlorinated,” notes van der Raadt) and why you “should plant 20-50 per cent more seeds than you think you need,” adds Goodwin, co-founder of Vacant Lots Farm Club. 

In other words, the day is designed for gardeners of all stripes — wannabees, seasoned growers, casual walkers, those with limited mobility, and anyone interested in the therapeutic rewards of gardening. 

If you haven’t visited Calgary’s largest botanical garden, you might be amazed by the scale and scope of the space. It began 24 years ago when the Silver Springs Community Association applied to the City to start a birthplace forest: For each of the 7,000 children born in Calgary in 2002, a tree was planted there. Five years later, the Oval Garden came into bloom, followed by the Shakespeare, Rose Bowl, South Border, Old Post and Half Moon gardens. Since then, it has continued to grow — a true testament to community spirit, maintained entirely by some 120 volunteers who logged more than 9,000 hours last year. 

When Katzenberg retired from her role as a UCalgary professor of archaeology in 2019, she decided to take the Master Gardener certificate through the Calgary Horticultural Society, which requires 40 hours of volunteer work at a garden. She chose Silver Springs — and never left.

“Answering questions from the public reinforced what I’d just learned in the program,” she says, “and it introduced me to so many knowledgeable gardeners.”

Along the way, Katzenberg fell in love not only with the gardens but with the community behind them. She gestures to a bench under a canopy of trees. “That’s where we gather for coffee after our shifts,” she says. “It’s a wonderful group of people — I just really like them.”

Like many retired people, Katzenberg missed the camaraderie of her workplace, but she’s found new roots here — and, with them, the kind of social connection we all need. The sense of community is one of the quieter benefits of shared gardening spaces, whether you’re growing flowers, vegetables or herbs.

Why getting your hands dirty might be the best medicine

Goodwin, who has spent decades cultivating gardens and leading projects such as The Land of Dreams and Highfield Regenerative Farm, is quick to champion gardening’s therapeutic benefits. 

“Everyone knows that walking is the gold standard for seniors,” he says, “but emerging research suggests gardening is even better for their health. You’re squatting, lifting, pulling, pushing and trimming — all while being outdoors, exposed to living soil and clean air.”

These are obvious benefits for any age bracket — just another reason Katzenberg enjoys the volunteer groups at Silver Springs. “The diversity here is incredible,” she says, adding volunteer roles range from weeding and planting to database management and hardscaping (moving rocks and bricks in order to build/maintain the gardens). For those eager to learn, the gardens also offer courses on everything from how to prune roses to soil health and composting.

Despite gardening in Zone 4a — often seen as restrictive — Goodwin sees endless possibilities for Calgary as an innovative leader in urban agriculture. He points to Europe’s thousands of “care farms,” which combine agriculture production with social and health services. In countries like the Netherlands, some even offer residential care for people with dementia, along with nature-based programs and educational support for youth. 

Closer to home, Goodwin is focused on his latest initiative: the Vacant Lots Farm Club in northeast Calgary. In partnership with Parks Foundation Calgary, the five-acre plot has space to grow 30 to 50 types of vegetables and flowers, supports composting, and even offers space to relax in a hammock.  Membership is free, and volunteers of all ages and capabilities are welcome.

How to grow greener habits — rain barrels included

If you don’t already own one of Green Calgary’s rain barrels (one of its biggest fundraisers), chances are a younger family member has encouraged you to “go greener.” The 48-year-old environmental charity (formerly called Clean Calgary Committee) offers an extensive in-class outreach program for school-age students and operates a helpdesk that fields questions on everything from rain barrel rebates to reducing energy use and managing food waste.

Without access to a traditional yard, van der Raadt gardens in containers on his condo deck. “I love tomatoes so I plant plenty of those and just move the pots to follow the sun,” says the UCalgary alum with degrees that range from archaeology to English. “Plus, I love marigolds, so we plant those as well as plenty of herbs.”

As much as van der Raadt enjoys puttering on his deck tending to his containers, it’s the act of being outdoors that he finds most restorative. In fact, Green Calgary even runs a corporate program called Green Time for Healthy Change, inspired by PaRX (Canada’s prescription to nature).

“It’s essentially a prescription to go outside,” he says, “and do something in nature that is unstructured.”

On a personal level, van der Raadt finds that stepping outside sharpens his problem-solving skills and reduces stress.

The single biggest category for Calgary's water use by activity is residential irrigation. For six months of the year "Lawn and garden watering can increase daily residential use by up to 50 per cent." ("Water Efficiency Plan" - City of Calgary, 2010)

Goodwin agrees. His work — which has included building gardens with refugees and newcomers and growing food for food banks — has reinforced what research already shows. “The therapeutic virtues of being outside are well documented,” he says. “But gardeners already know this — and the truth is, anyone can grow something.”

To boost your success rate, he suggests asking two simple questions: What do you love to eat? And will it grow in Zone 4a? Leafy greens like kale and lettuce along with herbs such as chives and rosemary are great options for those with limited space. If you’re considering doing something more drastic like replacing your front lawn, he suggests you start small — ideally close to your front or back door. 

“Somewhere you can reach in your slippers on a Sunday morning when you need some chives for your omelette,” Goodwin says.

While rock gardens or yards covered in clover, thyme or native grasses can be beautiful and low-maintenance, Goodwin cautions against rushing into a full transformation. “Remove some small patches of lawn, fill them with a variety of plants, and observe what happens,” he advises. 

There’s a reason why stories like Hamnet resonate so deeply right now. Beyond the plot, it’s the rhythm of that life — the tending, the gathering, the quiet attention to what grows and what heals — that lingers. Gardens ask for that same kind of presence. You notice the soil, the weather, the small daily changes. You learn patience. You accept a little unpredictability. And in return, you get something steadying: a sense that growth, however slow, is always underway. It’s less about perfect rows and more about connection — to place, to people and, occasionally to yourself. 

Whether you’re drawn by the promise of a guided walk through Calgary’s largest botanical garden, the chance to examine seeds under a microscope, make your own little paper pot (and leave with some seeds) or learn more about drip irrigation and rain barrels, this May 23 field trip might just be Mother Nature’s prescription. No Shakespearean tragedy required; just a patch of soil and a little curiosity.