Interview with MMGA Board Member Agnes Tamoto
By Brenda Evans, Master Gardener
How long have you been gardening?
I have been actively gardening for over 35 years, but I knew from a young age that I needed to be a gardener. We bought a bare lot in St. James in the late 80s, where I began to seriously garden. I made many mistakes, including tilling sand into our clay ground, effectively creating concrete.
It was impossible to dig into that area of my garden, so my husband Glen built me several raised boxes that I used to grow vegetables. Vegetables were eventually replaced by perennial plants because I found the amount I harvested was not worth the effort. That garden eventually became a butterfly garden, where my three children were able to witness every stage of the monarch butterfly life cycle.
What kind of garden(s) do you have?
I now live in Sandy Hook where I garden on a property that is surrounded by poplar and ash trees. There are many hazelnuts, dogwoods, saskatoons, and cranberry shrubs in the understory. Over the years, I discovered that there are trillium, two -leaved Solomon’s seal, and yellow lady slippers in our woods. In 2017, I began extending small existing garden borders along the perimeter of our yard. These borders are predominantly in shade.
I love collecting plants. My favourites are hostas and martagons. I do have sun on the north side of the property, allowing me to have a small vegetable garden which gets enough sun to grow squash, potatoes, beans, and a few tomato plants. Again, my husband built me garden boxes for these vegetables. In the flower borders, I have added heliopsis, verbena hastata, ironweed, and flat-top asters to the sunny areas. I have now started projects in the front yard. Our front lawn has several oaks and ash trees. Over the last three summers, we have converted the lawn into gardens. We have created four large island beds that are planted with grasses, heliopsis, coneflowers, various shrubs, including two tree-form Ninebarks, and haskaps. These beds need more plants and I look forward to collecting more.
Agnes Tamoto’s vegetable garden. Photo: Courtesy of Agnes Tamoto
What are the things that give you the most joy in the garden?
I enjoy everything about a garden. I love watching plants emerge in the spring. It amazes me how quickly plants grow once they wake up. I enjoy the colours and textures of all my plants. I love deadheading and weeding. I also enjoy planning where the next plant will go or what has to be moved to a better location. The garden is my happy place.
Why and when did you decide to become a master gardener?
I learned of the master gardener program around 2013. I registered in the courses at Assiniboine Community College in the fall of 2017 and finished the courses by March 2018. I certified in early 2019. I wanted to learn more about plants and the science behind growing them. I have learned enough to know that I have much more to learn.
Agnes Tamoto’s front garden. Photo: Courtesy of Agnes Tamoto
What motivates you to serve on the MMGA board as Volunteers Director and what are the challenges of this position?
I enjoy volunteering and learning new things.
Which volunteer commitments or projects would you recommend to new master gardeners or interns?
Getting involved in group projects is a great way to get to know people passionate about the same things you are. The networking this allows is great for learning and social activity.
We all have role models and people who inspire us. Who are the gardeners that truly inspired you?
All gardeners that I have met inspire me. I learn something from all of them. I will say that I am trying to incorporate Piet Oudolf’s idea of naturalistic plantings in my front yard project that evolves through the seasons. I love each of our four seasons, and it lifts me up in the winter to see the grasses and perennial seed heads waving in the wind.
Featured Image: Agnes Tamoto