If you didn’t know the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa was the first research station to be established by an Act of Parliament in 1886, the stunning display of more than 600 peonies, including those developed by prolific CEF hybridizer A.P. Saunders, would shout out their heritage with their blousy blooms, stocky stems and hardy disposition. If you didn’t know that … [Read more...] about Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm
Gardens to visit
Parkwood Estate: Oshawa’s Downton Abbey
Carson the butler may not greet you at the front door, but if you showed up to work in the gardens at Parkwood Estate in Ontario during the Great Depression, Jessie the maid would soon put you in your place and send you scurrying for the back door. That’s what I found out when I took part in the Grand Estate Gardener workshop during my visit to Parkwood, a National Historic … [Read more...] about Parkwood Estate: Oshawa’s Downton Abbey
Thunder Bay parks make the most of a short season
The gardening season for Thunder Bay parks in Ontario starts on the first full moon in June — that’s when parks staff start emptying the greenhouses of the thousands of annuals grown for the many parks that green city streets and byways, and plant them into the carefully prepared beds. When I visited on June 14, Canada’s Garden Day, the lilacs were perfuming the air and … [Read more...] about Thunder Bay parks make the most of a short season
Restoration and rejuvenation at Royal Botanical Gardens
Plants have a habit of growing. And growing and growing and growing. That’s what has been happening at Ontario’s oldest botanical garden. The tiny dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) planted on the grounds of the Royal Botanical Gardens in 1952 (the first in Canada) now towers overhead. In the rock garden, ground-covering plants and shrubs spread their gnarled branches … [Read more...] about Restoration and rejuvenation at Royal Botanical Gardens
Urban buzz: The Toronto Botanical Garden is the place to grow
It’s a farmers’ market, a music festival, a beekeeper’s mecca and a kids’ camp — but most of all, the Toronto Botanical Garden is a city-sized garden blossoming with ideas and inspiration for anyone who wants to get down and dirty, and up close and horticultural. Located adjacent to Edwards Gardens, one of the city’s most popular parks, the Toronto Botanical Garden boasts 17 … [Read more...] about Urban buzz: The Toronto Botanical Garden is the place to grow
