Royal Botanic Gardens of Canada

I was first made aware of these gardens when Diana Pedersen, Editor - Enabling Garden, asked me when the best time to visit them was. I did not know. I had passed by them many times on the way to Toronto, not knowing they even existed. This time they were on my list. Naturally, I first visited them on the Internet, wading through countless other gardens on the way. I was not surprised that the Royal Botanic Gardens of Canada received such understated recognition. I was not the only one that had neglected them.

The rain had stopped by the time we reached the border at Niagara Falls but the sky was still dark gray when we reached the gardens between Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario. How could we have missed a 2,700-acre garden? The best time to visit? Well Diana, from early spring for the flowering bulbs, lilacs and spring wildflowers through the summer and fall there is something for everyone. There are over 100,000 spring flowering bulbs. Here is the world's largest lilac collection with more than 800 to overwhelm you. If roses are your thing you can find thousands of them. The Cherry Blossom and Lilac Festivals are in May, the Rose and Iris Festivals in June and the Herb Faire is in August. The gardens are so extensive and complete that they may be visited with pleasure until the first hard frost.

We had lunch at The Gardens Café and started our tour of the Main Garden through its imposing entrance and under an overcast sky. It is not possible to do justice to these gardens in half a day. Miles separate the several sections and we went between them by car. We stayed in Burlington overnight and the following morning awoke to brilliant sunshine. No way could I resist returning to the gardens in full sunlight. I captured a  butterfly just inside the main entrance with its fountains and flags.

There were tree roses on the central path before us, contained within banks studded with bloom and ending at a pavilion.

One of the upper beds had a display of Golden Marguerite and Hollyhocks

Another bed combined them with Monarda and Calendula

A Yucca flaccida "Ivory" made a nice contrast in other beds.

Several beds of lilies were also in bloom. This lily is  Unique (by name).

Go To Page: 1 2