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
The Mackenzie King Estate, Old Chelsea, Quebec
Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Ontario
Centennial Park Conservatory, Etobicoke, Ontario
Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto, Ontario
Milner Gardens & Woodland, Vancouver Island University, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Queen Victoria Park , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Les Jardins des Jardiniers du Patrimoine de North Bay, North Bay, Ontario
Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardin botanique de Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Maison Saint-Gabriel, Musée et site historique, Montréal, Quebec
Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario
Ferme expérimentale centrale, Ottawa, Ontario
Milner Gardens & Woodland, Vancouver Island University, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Jardin botanique de la Commission des parcs du Niagara, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Serre du parc du Centenaire, Etobicoke, Ontario
The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Place Nathan Phillips, Toronto, Ontario
The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
International Peace Garden, Boissevain, Manitoba
Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens and Peony Festival, Oshawa, Ontario
Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Toronto Music Garden , Toronto, Ontario
University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Alberta
Jardins édouardiens au Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan
Corktown Common, Toronto, Ontario
Joan of Arc Garden, Québec, Quebec
UBC Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Reford Gardens , Grand-Métis, Quebec
The Gardens at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, Victoria, British Columbia
Rideau Woodland Ramble, Merrickville, Ontario
Royal Botanical Gardens , Burlington, Ontario
Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario
Tangled Garden, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
The Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Garden of the Provinces, Ottawa, Ontario
Kingsbrae Garden , St Andrews, New Brunswick
Conservatoire du jardin Allan, Toronto, Ontario
Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia
Casa Loma Gardens , Toronto, Ontario
Jardin Kingsbrae, St Andrews, New Brunswick
Jardins historiques d'Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia
1814 Treaty of Ghent Rose Garden , Ottawa, Ontario
Parc Corktown Common, Toronto, Ontario
1814 Treaty of Ghent Rose Garden, Ottawa, Ontario
Le Jardin A.M. (Mac) Cuddy, Strathroy, Ontario
Serre des parcs du Niagara , Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Rideau Woodland Ramble, Merrickville, Ontario
Le jardin de Maplelawn, Ottawa, Ontario
Toronto Music Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia
Ottawa Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario
Tangled Garden, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Parc des Commissaires, Ottawa, Ontario
Jardin botanique et zoo de Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Les Jardins de Métis, Grand-Metis, Quebec
Roger-Van den Hende Botanical Garden, Quebec, Quebec
Whistling Gardens Botanical Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario
The Gardens at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Jardin Daniel A. Séguin, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Jardin botanique de la vallée d’Oshawa et Festival des pivoines, Oshawa, Ontario
Jardin botanique Whistling Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario
Toronto Botanical Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Les Jardins Butchart, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Domaine Joly-De Lotbiniere, Sainte-Croix, Quebec
The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario
L’Arboretum Patterson / Université de la Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Maplelawn Garden, Ottawa, Ontario
Les Jardins du Centre Horticulture du Pacifique, Victoria, British Columbia
Université Royal Roads et le parc Hatley, Victoria, British Columbia
Jardins botaniques royaux, Burlington, Ontario
Le domaine Mackenzie-King, Old Chelsea, Quebec
Jardins publics d'Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Maison Saint-Gabriel, Museum & Historic Site, Montreal, Quebec
Jardin botanique de l'Université Memorial, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Le jardin Chinois classique Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Vancouver, British Columbia
Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens , Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia
Jardin Jeanne D'Arc, Québec, Quebec
Parc de la reine Victoria, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Elsie's Vegetable Garden, Grand-Metis, Quebec
Le jardin des provinces, Ottawa, Ontario
Daniel A. Séguin Garden, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Domaine Joly-De Lotbinière, Sainte-Croix, Quebec
International Peace Garden, Boissevain, Manitoba
Jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende, Québec, Quebec
Patterson Garden Arboretum/ Department of Plant Sciences University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Calgary Zoo Botanical Garden, Calgary, Alberta
Government House Edwardian Gardens, Regina, Saskatchewan
Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Royal Roads University and Hatley Park, Victoria, British Columbia
Gardens of North Bay Heritage Gardeners, North Bay, Ontario
The Gardens at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Jardins de Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario
Jardin botanique de l’Université d’Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Larry Hodgson
Canada's Garden Route Spokesperson
Author of "A Garden Lover's Guide to Canada"
Spring in the Gardens
After what has been a very long winter for many Canadians, spring is finally well on its way. Tree buds are swelling, spring bulbs are bursting into bloom and there is a scent of spring in the air, but are you missing it? You just can’t soak up the earthy, greeny smells of spring from your armchair: you’ve got to get outdoors. And why not do so in one of Canada’s public gardens?
