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Photo courtesy of Darlene Polachic

Sara Williams

If you garden on the prairies, you probably know her name. Sara Williams has been educating the public about sustainable, low maintenance and practical ways to garden in a cold, dry prairie climate for over 40 years.

In 1963, shortly after earning a degree from the University of Michigan in English and History, Sara joined the Peace Corps and set off to teach in Tanzania where she cultivated her first garden in the school courtyard. She went on to earn a B.Sc. in Horticulture from the University of Saskatchewan (with great distinction) and received the Western Canadian Society for Horticulture Gold Medal. In 1989, Sara was appointed the Horticulture Extension Specialist at the U of S and earned a M. Sc. degree in Agricultural Extension in 1997. She excelled at extension work where she developed curricula, taught courses, helped found the Master Gardener program, and gave hundreds of talks and workshops to the horticulture industry as well as home gardeners. She founded the Saskatchewan Gardener magazine, (later renamed The Gardener), helped establish two special gardens at the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, was involved with horticultural societies and led many international garden tours.  She was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2013 and was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate by the U of S in 2015.

Sara has written or co-written 10 books about topics such as horticultural history, trees and shrubs, groundcovers and vines, and fruit growing.  Her landmark Creating the Prairie Xeriscape: Low maintenance, water-efficient gardening was inspired by her own experience transforming her “5 acres of sand” into an oasis of trees, ornamental gardens, ponds and a very large vegetable garden. Concerned about pesticide use, she wrote Gardening Naturally: A chemical-free handbook for the Prairies. Following her retirement in 2001, Sara has continued to conduct workshops, and write articles and books (a new book: Perennials for Northern Gardens is coming soon). Her ties to Tanzania are as strong as ever: she has made many return visits over the years and actively fundraises to maintain the Sara Williams hostel and garden for girls in Katesh, Tanzania with the Canadian Harambee Education Society.

As part of the Hort 100 anniversary series, Sara is the featured speaker on Thursday, February 25 2021, from 7 -9 pm. Her topic is “100 Years of Prairie Horticulture”. This is a free live-stream event, but you must register in advance. https://agbio.usask.ca/events/2021/02/100williams.php

 

 

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