11 gorgeous botanical gardens to visit across Canada this summer
What better way to spend a summer afternoon than literally stopping to smell the roses? Luckily, Canada has no shortage of beautiful gardens. Canada's Garden Route offers an extensive list of all the horticulture experiences the country has to offer. We scanned the list, and chose 11 showstoppers that are open to the public across the country:
Botanical gardens
Muttart Conservatory, Alberta
The Pyramids at Muttart Conservatory in Alberta offer a truly unique garden experience. Each pyramid is home to a different biome, where diverse collections of plants, particular to that climate, are displayed all year round. A fourth pyramid houses feature displays that are updated and changed almost eight times per year. Guided tours take place on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. If you are looking to explore the pyramids on your own, self-guided tours are available every day of the week. Learn more: edmonton.ca.
Photo, Instagram/@rachelbaldwin00.
Joan of Arc Garden, Quebec
Located in Battlefields Park in the heart of Quebec City, the Joan of Arc garden is a combination of classic French and British style flower beds. During the summertime, hundreds of different flowers grow beneath the beautiful over-arching elm branches. Learn more: ccbn-nbc.gc.ca.
Ornamental Gardens, Ottawa
The Ornamental Gardens at Central Experimental Farms in central Ottawa features a gorgeous peony garden in the summer months. If you’re looking for more, this park has three other garden attractions including the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, the Tropical Greenhouse, and the Dominion Arboretum. The best part? All of these attractions are free. And for just an extra $10, you can visit the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, located on site. Learn more: friendsofthefarm.ca.
Blue Poppy Glade, Quebec
The Jardins de Métis gardens in Grand-Métis offer something extremely rare – a blue poppy garden. The Himalayan blue poppy was first planted here by Elsie Reford in the 1930s. Native to the Tsangpo Gorge in the southeast of Tibet, these plants generally bloom from the middle of June through to the end of July each year. Learn more: refordgardens.com.
Halifax Public Gardens, Nova Scotia
The Halifax Public Garden features the Victorian gardening tradition of carpet beds — contrasting colours of dwarf plants that join together to create an intricate design. Learn more: halifaxpublicgardens.ca.
Photo, Instagram/@beccab92.
VanDusen Botanical Garden, British Columbia
The VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver has tons of summer activities. Self-guided walking tours are carefully marked out by volunteers each season, giving visitors expert insight into the best routes to take through the garden. Get lost in the excitement of the Elizabethan maze, composed of 3,000 cedars. Learn more: vandusengarden.org.
Niagra Parks Botanical Garden, Ontario
The Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens in Niagara Falls offer 99 acres of gardens to explore and is home to a world-renowned rose garden, featuring over 2,400 roses. Guided horse and carriage tours are available daily and there are bike paths and restaurants on the grounds, too. Learn more: niagraparks.com.
Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, Alberta
The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge offers streams, ponds, bridges, rivers, statues and beautiful trees and blossoms. This serene and quiet garden also makes a great spot for yoga classes, offered once weekly. Learn more: nikkayuko.com.
Montreal Botanical Garden, Quebec
Located just minutes from downtown Montreal and recognized as one of the world’s greatest botanical gardens, the Montreal Botanical Gardens features over 22,000 plant species, 10 accessible greenhouses, 20 thematic gardens and 75 hectares of land. On site you will find the insectarium (a museum of insects) — the biggest one in North America! Learn More: espacepourlavie.com.
Butchart Gardens, British Columbia
This quarry-turned-beautiful-garden in Brentwood Bay takes you on a journey through six totally unique enclosures. Experience the serenity of a Japanese garden complete with streams ponds and bridges and the rose garden, which is most beautiful in July and August. Learn more: butchartgardens.com.
Historic Gardens, Nova Scotia
Winner of Canada’s Garden of the Year award in 2015, the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal showcase exotic tress, over 3,000 annuals and one of the largest collections of ancient and modern roses. Learn more: historicgardens.com.
This post is part of The Canada Project, a representative survey of Canadians from across the country. You can find out more right here.
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