For Paul Zammit, taking on a new adventure as professor in Niagara College’s Environment division, after serving as director of horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden for ten years is merely the latest step in his path of life-long learning.
But teaching horticulture as a career wasn’t always on Zammit’s radar. Having spent the early part of his life in Malta before moving to Canada, Zammit embarked upon his studies at the University of Guelph intending to become a chicken farmer. However, during the time in the Agricultural program however, Zammit became enthralled with the study of plants, and plant sciences. “I couldn’t get enough of it.”
That newfound love of horticulture blossomed into a 20-year stint working at Plant World, a prominent and family-owned Toronto garden centre. There, he was able to fully explore and develop the unique blend of science and art that make a skilled gardener. “It was like a five year-old in a sandbox,” he says, describing the energy and creativity he found for horticulture.
It was at the garden centre that Zammit’s talent for sharing that love of horticulture first started to become apparent. Over time, he developed his public speaking and photography skills, and married them with his technical knowledge to promote a love of gardening, both within customers and staff who frequented the garden centre, and beyond. “When you find a passion, it doesn’t matter how young or old you are, it just brings people together,” he says.
His growing expertise in the horticultural retail sector, and his passion for sharing his knowledge soon translated into Zammit teaching workshops and seminars at the Toronto Botanical Garden where, in 2009, he took his career in a new direction as Director of Horticulture.
Zammit is now an accomplished public speaker, speaking at horticultural trade shows and events in countries across the world, including Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, and elsewhere. His voice has been heard across the country, as the plant sciences expert on CBC Radio’s Garden Talk and other radio shows. He has also been published in numerous horticultural magazines and websites.
Embracing a love of life-long learning and growth, Zammit began the next phase of his journey in January 2020, as professor within Niagara College’s Environment division. “It’s something that’s everyone’s told me – you’d be a great teacher,” he says. “I think I’ve been so lucky in the industry, that I feel it’s my time to give back, to reinvest a little bit in the industry, and hopefully people can learn from my experiences.”
At Niagara College, Zammit hopes to share his own personal experiences and knowledge with the next generation of horticulture professionals. “I’m hoping to be able to bring my 20 years in the retail industry and ten years in public gardens and integrate that into the program,” he says. “Here’s the curriculum, but here’s what real life has taught me.”
He comes to the college in what he describes as a pivotal moment time for the horticultural industry. “It’s a super exciting time. We’re really starting to look at not localized issues, but world issues, like climate change. The message that I’m trying to convey, and that our department is trying to convey, is not limited to Niagara, or Ontario, or Canada. It’s far-reaching.”
When asked about his first impressions of NC life, Zammit pointed to the diversity of both the student body, and the faculty and staff as a positive representation of the diversity that exists within the horticultural field as he’s experienced it throughout his career.
Zammit sees in his students a new breed of professional, who are deeply engaged and focused on global issues. “They’re asking some hard-hitting questions, and they’re not taking “oh we’ll get back to you,” for an answer. When I see that interest coming into the industry, that level of concern and that level of opportunity, I think that’s super exciting and I think it’s going to cause a bit of a shakeup.”
Zammit is also looking forward to exploring the future of the horticultural industry through applied research, especially given the opportunities present on the College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus at Niagara-on-the-Lake, often referred to as a “living lab.” He hopes to ask how the college can further become a model for environmental stewardship, in Niagara and beyond.
“I think there’s a wealth that I’m going to learn,” he says.
