Winnipeg woman’s garden to be highlighted in upcoming fundraising tour

Harrison Shin takes a closer look at the Gardens of Distinction in Winnipeg.

For Esther Chen, gardening is not just a hobby — it’s a family affair, a lifestyle, and now, a cause worth celebrating.

What began as a bare backyard when Chen first bought her Winnipeg home has blossomed into a lush, vibrant garden that’s earned her a spot among Nature Manitoba’s 14 Gardens of Distinction. Her garden will be open to the public next Saturday as part of a fundraising event organized by the not-for-profit group.

“It’s just a habit,” Chen said. “I like flowers and plants — and gardening is very rewarding because they will come back year after year.”

But it didn’t start this way.

“When we first bought this house, the backyard was only pure grass. There was no gardening at all — no flower beds, no shrubs, nothing."

Chen began transforming the space herself, one plant at a time. As an owner of a landscaping business, she went to rescue dying trees and shrubs from her landscaping clients, reviving them with care and giving them new life in her yard.

“Lots of dying shrubs — if you take care of them, they can actually revive,” she said.

Her dedication caught the attention of Nature Manitoba, which handpicks a handful of gardens across the city each year to be featured in its annual tour.

Attendees will get a rare glimpse at some unique plants and gardening styles, said Tim Evans, master gardener of Nature Manitoba.

“They get to take pictures. They get to learn about plants they’ve never seen,” Evans said. “A lot of times, the gardeners have plants you will never see in garden centres.”

The Gardens of Distinction tour is now looking toward northeast Winnipeg for its next round of honorees. But this weekend, the spotlight will shine on Chen and her garden.

“It will be a good show,” she said. “I hope more people can come to see what I can do.”

The tour is held annually to help fund Nature Manitoba’s educational and recreational programming and overall operations. It costs $20 for people to take in the tour.