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
Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia
Domaine Joly-De Lotbiniere, Sainte-Croix, Quebec
Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
L’Arboretum Patterson / Université de la Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto, Ontario
Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Maplelawn Garden, Ottawa, Ontario
Tangled Garden, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
Milner Gardens & Woodland, Vancouver Island University, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Garden of the Provinces, Ottawa, Ontario
Queen Victoria Park , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Parc des Commissaires, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardins publics d'Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Corktown Common, Toronto, Ontario
Reford Gardens , Grand-Métis, Quebec
Daniel A. Séguin Garden, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Parc de la reine Victoria, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Conservatoire du jardin Allan, Toronto, Ontario
Casa Loma Gardens , Toronto, Ontario
Parc Corktown Common, Toronto, Ontario
The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario
Toronto Music Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Toronto Music Garden , Toronto, Ontario
Les Jardins des Jardiniers du Patrimoine de North Bay, North Bay, Ontario
Tangled Garden, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
Jardin botanique de Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique, Montréal, Quebec
Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens and Peony Festival, Oshawa, Ontario
The Gardens at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, Victoria, British Columbia
Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Les Jardins Butchart, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Les Jardins du Centre Horticulture du Pacifique, Victoria, British Columbia
Gardens of North Bay Heritage Gardeners, North Bay, Ontario
1814 Treaty of Ghent Rose Garden , Ottawa, Ontario
UBC Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Jardin botanique et zoo de Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Place Nathan Phillips, Toronto, Ontario
Joan of Arc Garden, Québec, Quebec
The Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Milner Gardens & Woodland, Vancouver Island University, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Jardins de Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario
Whistling Gardens Botanical Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario
Jardins édouardiens au Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan
Jardin botanique de l’Université d’Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Jardin Jeanne D'Arc, Québec, Quebec
Government House Edwardian Gardens, Regina, Saskatchewan
International Peace Garden, Boissevain, Manitoba
Le Jardin A.M. (Mac) Cuddy, Strathroy, Ontario
Jardin Daniel A. Séguin, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
1814 Treaty of Ghent Rose Garden, Ottawa, Ontario
Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario
Maison Saint-Gabriel, Museum & Historic Site, Montreal, Quebec
Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens , Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia
Jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende, Québec, Quebec
Elsie's Vegetable Garden, Grand-Metis, Quebec
Calgary Zoo Botanical Garden, Calgary, Alberta
International Peace Garden, Boissevain, Manitoba
Ferme expérimentale centrale, Ottawa, Ontario
Royal Roads University and Hatley Park, Victoria, British Columbia
Le jardin Chinois classique Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Vancouver, British Columbia
The Mackenzie King Estate, Old Chelsea, Quebec
Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
The Gardens at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Le jardin des provinces, Ottawa, Ontario
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Ontario
Serre du parc du Centenaire, Etobicoke, Ontario
Rideau Woodland Ramble, Merrickville, Ontario
Toronto Botanical Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Jardin Kingsbrae, St Andrews, New Brunswick
Les Jardins de Métis, Grand-Metis, Quebec
University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Alberta
Ottawa Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario
The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Le jardin de Maplelawn, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardins botaniques royaux, Burlington, Ontario
Patterson Garden Arboretum/ Department of Plant Sciences University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Jardins historiques d'Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia
Jardin botanique de la Commission des parcs du Niagara, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Université Royal Roads et le parc Hatley, Victoria, British Columbia
Jardin botanique de l'Université Memorial, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Kingsbrae Garden , St Andrews, New Brunswick
Jardin botanique de la vallée d’Oshawa et Festival des pivoines, Oshawa, Ontario
Royal Botanical Gardens , Burlington, Ontario
Le domaine Mackenzie-King, Old Chelsea, Quebec
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia
Rideau Woodland Ramble, Merrickville, Ontario
Centennial Park Conservatory, Etobicoke, Ontario
Serre des parcs du Niagara , Niagara Falls, Ontario
The Gardens at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Jardin botanique Whistling Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario
Domaine Joly-De Lotbinière, Sainte-Croix, Quebec
Roger-Van den Hende Botanical Garden, Quebec, Quebec
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!
