A Garden of Ones Own

Douglas Chambers combines his passion for literature and gardening on his familys 150 year-old homestead near Walkerton, Ontario

Summary:	His passion for literature and gardening history is what eventually drew Douglas Chambers away from the life of a professor and back to his familys farm. With the use of pedestals and inscripted stones, Douglas Chambers creates quasi historic landscapes wherein both his personal and our greater history is brought into relief. In his beautiful garden, with plants and text, he actively celebrates his favorite poets, indulges himself in the mysterious atmospheres of Chinese gardens and commemorates a succession of European kings; while other planting schemes in the garden are devoted to a sense of the history of the area itself and to Chambers own pledges to the memories of lost friends and relations.
Garden Contact Information:	Stonyground Bruce County, Ontario Ph 519.881.3582
The Garden:	Stonyground is located in Bruce County, Ontario. Named after a reference from one of Yeats poems, the property is spread out over 150 acres and has been in Douglas family since 1850. Since Douglas has become the new owner of the property a new sense of design has been introduced to the gardens. Douglas has found themes in his landscape and regards the garden as an artist would a canvas. Everywhere in the garden has some sense of occasion. From the many quadrants of the great garden, to the traverse avenue, lined with trees and hedgerows, to the orchards, to the spooky woods. Each section has stone carvings and text to commemorate a moment. This garden is the history of the history of gardens as well as his own personal history. For example, a peace monument with the inscription ara pacis (alter of peace) represents the end of the cold war, a column placed with a quote from the play Faustas engraved on it is a commemoration for his late aunt who was a great influence in his life and from whom he inherited the garden.
The Gardeners' Story:	Douglas Chambers is a retired University of Toronto Professor of Literature and an established writer on the history of gardens. In 1984, after the death of his aunt, Douglas purchased property in Bruce County, Ontario which had been in his family since the 1850s. He titled the land Stonyground and in 1996 he wrote a book under the same title.
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Behind the Scenes:	Executive Producer: Merit Jensen Carr Producers: Merit Jensen Carr & Barry Floch Director: Barry Lank Writer: Ruth DeGraves Narration Writer: Anne Dawson Narrator: Bonnie Dickie Editor: Dan Caldwell Composer: Michael Plowman Director of Photography: Charles Konowal CSC Stills Photography: Alex Dukay Date: 2003 Length: 22 minutes

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