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Q4. Which Toronto botanical garden is older than Canada? (P45) Adventures For DaytrippersSummer Garden ToursPlease check each location’s website for hours of operation, directions and special instructions for visiting. Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens: Annual Peony FestivalCanada's Newest Botanical Garden is in Oshawa, and links the parklands and natural terrain of the Oshawa Creek Trail system with the nationally - designated heritage gardens of Parkwood Estate (once home to R. Samuel McLaughlin, founder of General Motors of Canada). Visit the weekend of June 16 and 17, 2012 for the Peony Festival, featuring one of Canada’s largest contemporary peony collections, over 300 varieties, in addition to garden inspired works by painters, sculptures and artisans. 155 Arena St, Oshawa Royal Botanical Garden (RBG)The RBG is Canada's largest botanical garden, a magni f icent site that incorporates untamed and cultivated landscapes, located 45 minutes from Toronto. RBG calls itself a ‘living museum’ that acquires, collects, researches, exhibits, conserves and interprets a living horticultural collection. Plan to spend more than a day! The site includes both indoor and outdoor displays, a rock garden, woodland, rose, Mediterranean and medieval gardens, an Arboretum, a spectacular “escarpment garden” and a 12,000 square foot two-level greenhouse that is in exotic bloom all season. 680 Plains Rd W, Burlington Niagara Parks’ Botanical Gardens & Butterfly GardenNiagara Parks' Botanical Gardens is located on the scenic Niagara Parkway and the Great Gorge, just a 10 minute drive north of the Falls. Visitors enjoy 99 acres of beautifully maintained gardens, including perennials, rhododendrons and azaleas; a formal parterre garden; shade, herb and vegetable plantings; an aviary as well as a world-famous rose garden featuring over 2,400 roses. Footpaths wind past the Butterfly Conservatory and butterfly garden, ponds and an arboretum featuring one of Canada’s finest collections of ornamental trees and shrubs. 2565 Niagara Parkway, Niagara Springbank GardensIn the heart of Springbank Park, this small but quaint garden captures the essence of the old Wonderland Gardens site at its peak in the 1940s. Located on the site is the Wonderland Gardens Bandshell, a replica of the original with a few alterations, and the Guy Lombardo Pavilion which provides shelter from the sun and offers food concessions. 285 Wonderland Rd S, London Folmer GardensAt the largest, privately owned botanical garden in Southwestern Ontario, visitors enjoy the Formal and Botanical Gardens, as well as many examples of natural planting areas where you can check out your favourite plants and learn how best to display and plant them. Check out the checkerboard garden, vegetable potager, Mediterranean garden, tropical courtyard, even a bog garden! Also on site is a large garden centre.Fire # 2668 Hwy 9, just west of Walkerton Spadina Museum’s GardensIn 1886, Toronto businessman James Austin purchased 80 acres and built a two-storey Victorian farmhouse with a view of Lake Ontario from the Davenport ridge. For over 100 years, there have been gardens and an orchard on the site surrounding the stately home. You can visit these gardens today and enjoy 300 varieties of plants in a historic setting plus an orchard with varieties not seen today. The gardens are a reflection of history. Experience everything from household economy to middle class social values and aesthetic preferences. 285 Spadina Rd, Toronto Allan GardensAllan Gardens is one of the oldest parks in Toronto. The beautiful “Palm House” pavilion has been a landmark for over a century. It was founded in 1858, when George William Allan offered five acres of land to the Toronto Horticultural Society. The original pavilion was destroyed in a fire but reconstructed in 1910. Plants from the original Palm House were transferred into the New Palm House. Rare tropical plants from all over the globe are nurtured inside five greenhouses covering 16,000 square feet. The southern “Tropical House” has a waterwheel and features tropical plants like orchids and bromeliads. The “Cool House” has a waterfall, Kashmirian Cypress, small pond and citrus trees. The central Palm House houses tall bananas, bamboo and a huge Screw Pine. Another tropical house has many kinds of hibiscus, datura and a cycad. The Cactus House has a wide variety of cacti and succulents. 19 Horticulural Ave, Toronto Humber College ArboretumFirst opened in 1977, the Humber Arboretum is a joint venture of the City of Toronto, Humber College, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The Arboretum presents a balance of ornamental gardens and diverse natural areas. It is dedicated to showcasing an extensive collection of woody and herbaceous plants, and protecting and restoring habitat for native plants and animals. The Arboretum makes a unique contribution to life in the Greater Toronto Area by providing educational opportunities in horticulture and environmental stewardship for anyone who visits. 205 Humber College Blvd, Toronto Toronto Botanical GardenToronto Botanical Garden is a true “city” garden centre, showing how gardens and cities can perfectly complement each other, and in a “green” manner. TBG encourages, st imulates and teaches countless adults and children with its innovative urban-scale garden plantings, nature-centred educational programs and environmentally-friendly practices. There are 17 theme gardens on 4 acres, including the Herb garden, the Westview terrace (a garden entirely inside a building), the teaching garden, the formal knot garden, the outdoor garden walk, brand new woodland garden, and sculptured terraced garden. Also check out specially selected garden products at the TBG shop. 777 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto Franklin Children's Garden on Toronto IslandAn interactive garden for kids and families on Centre Island. The Franklin Children's Garden is inspired by Franklin the Turtle, the celebrated series of books written by Paulette Bourgeois, illustrated by Brenda Clark and published by Kids Can Press: a Corus Entertainment Company. The garden is divided into six sections where children can enjoy gardening, storytelling, and visits with seven child-accessible sculptures from the Franklin the Turtle series. Centre Island, via ferrydocks at 9 Queens’ Quay W Please send your comments about our featured articles to info@beachesliving.ca. Also let us know what subject would you like to see in our future issues. |
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