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Garden gazing in southern Ontario

© Lorraine Flanigan

I confess to being a garden voyeur. I love to see what other people have done in their gardens -- how they've managed to create an oasis in the middle of a busy city neighborhood; or terraced a steep slope with delicate woodland flowers; or splashed the lawns with brilliant peonies, lilies and roses. Somehow I don't think I'm the only one with such a penchant for looking at other people's gardens. Garden tours are big. In southern Ontario, local horticultural and plant societies have planned a tour for almost every weekend during the month of July, and tours continue into the autumn months. There's no reason why you can't pack up the car with relatives, friends, water bottle, and sun hat for some serious garden gazing!

To get you on your way, pick up a copy of a new magazine called The Garden Travel Journal. "We tell garden lovers where to go . . . not what to grow," says publisher Peter Howard whose journal is a reference to Ontario gardens. What a little gem this magazine is! Each of the four issues describes over 70 private and public gardens, garden accessory shops, nurseries, and even local restaurants and bed and breakfasts. The July issue concentrates on the regions of Kitchener/Waterloo, St. Catharines, St. Jacob's, Ottawa and Durham. Based on the recommendations of local horticultural societies and master gardeners, the sites listed in the journal are chosen by the publisher based on quality and reputation. Each issue includes two pages filled with a schedule of garden tours. For subscription details, contact Peter Howard at crmc@redden.on.ca.

Another great resource guide to the gardens of Ontario is Patricia Singer's The Good Garden Guide.The book is organized by region and includes wonderful descriptions of each garden along with details about visiting the garden. Interesting tea shops and restaurants are also included in the guide. This is a great book to keep in your glove compartment as you wend your way through the countryside.

There are some special gardens and tours I try to visit each year, starting with the Civic Garden Centre's tour of Toronto gardens, usually scheduled for the second weekend in June. This is one of the largest in southern Ontario, and runs the gamut from professionally landscaped properties to charming, owner-designed gardens. For information about next year's "Through the Garden Gate" event, call 416- 397-1351.

Merlin's Hollow in Aurora is a pleasure to visit. Tucked away behind cedar hedges, David and Dierdre Tomlinson's English flower garden is a series of gardens, from woodland to alpine scree, topped by the tallest delphiniums I've ever seen. The garden is open the first Saturday in July and the Sunday of the following weekend. On these days, the Tomlinson's also have a variety of their seeds and seedlings for sale.

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