It is quite a challenge to cultivate plants from around the globe-all in one place! Yet this is exactly what the Montréal Botanical Garden manages to do every day, thanks to the expertise of its employees specializing in all aspects of horticulture.

At the height of the season there are some one hundred people working to maintain 30 outdoor gardens, an arboretum and 56 collection, research, production and exhibition greenhouses, all spread over an area of 74 hectares. The different plant collections and gardens are each under the responsibility of a horticulturist, often assisted by other horticulturists specializing in plant propagation, protection and irrigation, as well as by one or more gardeners, depending on seasonal needs. Horticultural supervisors, a manager and a division head oversee this huge workforce, the largest team of skilled horticultural workers in all of Canada.

Once a plant arrives at the Botanical Garden, it is handled with the utmost care. Depending on whether it is a seed, a cutting, a young plant or a mature one, various operations are called for: re-potting or planting, watering, pinching back, pruning, staking, fertilization, winter protection, weeding, heeling in, cutting back, and so on.

The horticulturists must make sure that their collections or gardens are constantly improved, while making time to assist with inventories and labelling. They must also display the plants according to the most advanced technical, aesthetic and educational criteria.

Certain soil and environmental conditions have to be recreated in the outside gardens and greenhouses, to match the different species' original conditions. The appropriate plants must also be chosen, in keeping with the theme of each garden or collection: the Chinese Garden, for instance, or the Garden of Weedlessness.

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At your next visit to the Montréal Botanical Garden, take a moment to admire the results of the horticultural staff members who have contributed in making this environment an unforgettable show.