VOLUNTEER PROFILE Tanya Olsen Rooted in tradition, growing the future By Julia Harmsworth
I was really little. Somewhere, my mom has a photograph of me sleeping in a wheelbarrow while she potted bare-root roses.” Olsen got her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph, where she met her husband, Dave, who is now co-owner. That same university is also where her grandfather worked, running the greenhouses, before opening Royal City in the 1970s. Olsen feels lucky her family has been so immersed in the industry for so long. “That’s how I learned,” she said. She and her sister were introduced to plant identification on childhood trips to the cottage. While walking through the woods
At a birthday party when she was eight, Tanya Olsen, owner of Royal City Nursery in Guelph, Ont., was asked what she wanted to do when she grew up. “I want to run Royal City Nursery and I want to be a horticultural apprenticeship instructor just like my dad,” she replied. Years later, Olsen’s words came true. She’s not only the third-generation owner of the nursery (after her grandparents and parents), she’s also a professor at Humber College’s horticulture program. Olsen never had a doubt about what she wanted to do. “For me, horticulture isn’t a job, it isn’t a career. It’s what I do. I desperately love the industry. I love the ability to marry an indoor space with an outdoor space and
make it usable, make it creative, make it unique and really help a customer see themselves living in that space on a very personal level,” Olsen explained. “I truly do not know what the heck I would do if I weren’t doing this,” she added. “I’ve been in this business since
PALACE PERENNIALS PALACE PERENNIALS Pr dly ing pennials f 35 ye s Pr dly ing pennials f 35 ye s
Fruits and succulents Many unique and hard to find varieties Over 1200+ varieties of perennials Fruits and succulents Many unique and hard to find varieties Over 1200+ varieties of perennials
Great fern, hosta and ornamental grass selection, premium tropical selection, premium annuals, hardy vines, Ontario Natives, clematis, herbs, and water plants Great fern, hosta and ornamental grass selection, premium tropical selection, premium annuals, hardy vines, Ontario Natives, clematis, herbs, and water plants
519-542-8353 Sales - 866-843-0438 sales@sipkensnurseries.com 519-542-8353 Sales - 866-843-0438 sales@sipkensnurseries.com
Catalogue at palaceperennials.com Catalogue at palaceperennials.com
14 | LANDSCAPE ONTARIO
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online