When the Gardener first met Tefe Holland, she misunderstood her purpose for attempting to find the Tree of Knowledge, with her friends Pilate and Mtakwishayenu. She accused Tefe of attempting to eat from the tree and gain eternal life. When Tefe admitted she didn’t want to live forever, the Gardener revealed that she was Immortal. After Tefe introduces herself the Gardener not only revels her purpose in the world, as a Bridge between Humans and Animals, but also her role as Guardian of the Tree.
She discovered the Tree when it was a sapling, and eating it’s mildly hallucinogenic fruits allowed her brain to reorganise itself and evolve her and the rest of her tribe into the Immortal creatures they are today. She allowed Tefe to eat an apple from the Tree, and dispensed her wisdom to Tefe – The Tree offers visions of Good and Evil, but it is up to the person sampling it’s fruit to decide which vision is Good and which is Evil.
After Tefe finished her pair of visions, the Gardener allowed her to decide which was which and sent her on her way, returning her to her two traveling partners,