![\"\"](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/HIST-HistoricalGarden-03.jpg\")
<\/a>Fourth-year History student Goran Irandost discusses his latest blog post with Associate Professor Elizabeth Vlossak.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI focused on Victory Gardens during the Second World War,\u201d says Irandost. \u201cI wanted to understand what these gardens were and whether or not they were important to domestic life.\u201d<\/p>\n
His garden features tomatoes, potatoes, radishes and beans, which he tasted for the first time last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been interesting,\u201d he says. \u201cI haven\u2019t grown a garden before this course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Irandost has been surprised at the level of interest in his garden from coworkers and family members, who regularly ask for updates and have offered suggestions on caring for his plants.<\/p>\n
Protecting his vegetables from the deer has been one challenge Irandost didn\u2019t anticipate, but in the spirit of the Second World Word, he created a fence from reclaimed materials.<\/p>\n
Currie has gone farther back in time with her garden, recreating a medieval monastic garden. Her geometrically laid out garden features herbs, vegetables and flowers in the aesthetic of a medieval garden.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to include a lot of colour,\u201d she says. \u201cI think the colours I\u2019ve been able to find in my plants is something that makes my garden stand out a little bit more and it was also something medieval monks would have sought after. They wanted gardens that were useful and practical, but also aesthetic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her plants include mints, bay laurel, yarrow and others with medicinal or food uses.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the flowers I\u2019m really excited about is foxglove,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was used and is still used to this day as a heart medication.”<\/p>\n
<\/a>A fourth-year History directed research course on historic gardening has allowed students to put into practice the knowledge they learn through archival research. Goran Irandost, who is growing a vegetable garden for the first time, shows off the radishes he harvested from his Second World War Victory Garden.<\/p><\/div>\n
Vlossak was inspired to offer the course by her own experience growing historic plants in Brock\u2019s community garden last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things I really love about this course is the way it not only allows students to engage in serious academic research, but also to learn about gardening and actually be outdoors,\u201d says Vlossak, who describes the garden experience as a \u201cliving lab for history.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of their academic work, the students have been sharing their research and gardening experience through the Faculty of Humanities social media accounts. Updates are posted to Instagram<\/a> regularly and the students have been writing a series of blog<\/a> posts that give a more in-depth look at their research and experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a wonderful experience, both for myself and for the students,\u201d says Vlossak.<\/p>\n The students will be hosting tours of their gardens later this month. Members of the Brock community will be invited to stop by the community garden to learn more about the students\u2019 experiences and get a taste from their historic gardens.<\/p>\n