Getting someone to visit a garden in summer is a snap: we all know gardens are striking in the summer months, with flowers galore. But what about fall? Garden visitors diminish with falling temperatures, as if they’re convinced the show is over as of Labour Day. But it isn’t. There’s still plenty to see in Canada’s public gardens right up until snowfall and even beyond.
Of course, colourful fall foliage is one thing you can count on. Gardens have plenty of trees and shrubs that go through all the possible shades of red, yellow, orange, and purple. Some are so brightly coloured you almost need sunglasses! Perennials too can have spectacular fall colours. I mean, would anyone even grow the Arkansas Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii), named Perennial of the Year in 2011, if it weren’t for the masses of bright gold threadlike leaves that smother it each fall?
But brilliantly coloured leaves are only one element of the fall garden. Plants continue to bloom abundantly through the fall months. Whether the blooms come from tall shrubs like hydrangeas and seven-sons-flower or perennials like chrysanthemums, asters, and sedums or even ground-hugging bulbs like colchicums or autumn crocus, they’re just as lovely… and perhaps even more enjoyable than summer blooms because they’re not as well known as summer flowers. Many gardens even hold chrysanthemum festivals to celebrate this striking fall beauty.
But fall is also the season for decorative fruit. From crabapples to rose hips to the turquoise berries of porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata), a surprising climber, there are plenty of brilliantly-coloured berries to discover… and they attract birds, squirrels, and other animals, so don’t be surprised if your trip to visit a garden turns out to be a trip to an open-air bird and small mammal sanctuary.
So this fall, come one, come all: Canada’s fantastic public gardens are open for business… and they’ve never looked better than they do right now!
Larry Hodgson
Serre du parc du Centenaire, Etobicoke, Ontario
Jardin botanique de Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Les Jardins des Jardiniers du Patrimoine de North Bay, North Bay, Ontario
Domaine Joly-De Lotbiniere, Sainte-Croix, Quebec
The Gardens at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, Victoria, British Columbia
Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Jardins de Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario
The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Jardins historiques d'Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia
Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia
The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario
The Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
1814 Treaty of Ghent Rose Garden , Ottawa, Ontario
Toronto Music Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Reford Gardens , Grand-Métis, Quebec
Jardin Kingsbrae, St Andrews, New Brunswick
Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Maison Saint-Gabriel, Museum & Historic Site, Montreal, Quebec
Jardin botanique de la Commission des parcs du Niagara, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Tangled Garden, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
Milner Gardens & Woodland, Vancouver Island University, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Casa Loma Gardens , Toronto, Ontario
Toronto Botanical Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Les Jardins de Métis, Grand-Metis, Quebec
Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia
Elsie's Vegetable Garden, Grand-Metis, Quebec
Jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende, Québec, Quebec
Jardin botanique de la vallée d’Oshawa et Festival des pivoines, Oshawa, Ontario
Le domaine Mackenzie-King, Old Chelsea, Quebec
L’Arboretum Patterson / Université de la Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Patterson Garden Arboretum/ Department of Plant Sciences University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Domaine Joly-De Lotbinière, Sainte-Croix, Quebec
Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Kingsbrae Garden , St Andrews, New Brunswick
Garden of the Provinces, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardins botaniques royaux, Burlington, Ontario
Jardin botanique et zoo de Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Jardins publics d'Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia
1814 Treaty of Ghent Rose Garden, Ottawa, Ontario
Le jardin Chinois classique Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Vancouver, British Columbia
The Gardens at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Jardin botanique de l’Université d’Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens , Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia
Roger-Van den Hende Botanical Garden, Quebec, Quebec
Royal Roads University and Hatley Park, Victoria, British Columbia
Jardin botanique de l'Université Memorial, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Ferme expérimentale centrale, Ottawa, Ontario
The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
International Peace Garden, Boissevain, Manitoba
Maplelawn Garden, Ottawa, Ontario
Université Royal Roads et le parc Hatley, Victoria, British Columbia
Gardens of North Bay Heritage Gardeners, North Bay, Ontario
Joan of Arc Garden, Québec, Quebec
Parc Corktown Common, Toronto, Ontario
Toronto Music Garden , Toronto, Ontario
Les Jardins du Centre Horticulture du Pacifique, Victoria, British Columbia
Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique, Montréal, Quebec
The Gardens at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Alberta
Parc des Commissaires, Ottawa, Ontario
Le jardin de Maplelawn, Ottawa, Ontario
Rideau Woodland Ramble, Merrickville, Ontario
Parc de la reine Victoria, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Daniel A. Séguin Garden, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
UBC Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Whistling Gardens Botanical Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario
Tangled Garden, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
Queen Victoria Park , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario
Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto, Ontario
Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia
Le Jardin A.M. (Mac) Cuddy, Strathroy, Ontario
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens and Peony Festival, Oshawa, Ontario
Jardin Jeanne D'Arc, Québec, Quebec
Royal Botanical Gardens , Burlington, Ontario
Calgary Zoo Botanical Garden, Calgary, Alberta
Milner Gardens & Woodland, Vancouver Island University, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
The Mackenzie King Estate, Old Chelsea, Quebec
Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardins édouardiens au Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan
Place Nathan Phillips, Toronto, Ontario
Serre des parcs du Niagara , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Jardin botanique Whistling Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Ontario
International Peace Garden, Boissevain, Manitoba
Les Jardins Butchart, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Centennial Park Conservatory, Etobicoke, Ontario
Conservatoire du jardin Allan, Toronto, Ontario
Ottawa Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardin Daniel A. Séguin, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Corktown Common, Toronto, Ontario
Government House Edwardian Gardens, Regina, Saskatchewan
Le jardin des provinces, Ottawa, Ontario
Rideau Woodland Ramble, Merrickville, Ontario
Larry Hodgson
Canada's Garden Route Spokesperson
Author of "A Garden Lover's Guide to Canada"
Bring the kids
Summer’s here and Canada’s public gardens are at their best. You know you want to visit them yourself – who wouldn’t want to stroll through a beautiful park filled with flowers – but maybe you feel you’re so tied up with your children or grandchildren you just can’t get away. Well, there’s an easy solution to that: bring them along!
