Experience Québec
Follow the guide
Down the garden path
Finding the July heat crushing? Pick a bouquet of freshness and fragrance in a garden of flowers, trees, and plants. Quebec has a fantastic array of garden oases; allow us to show you some of the more colourful ones.
Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in... enjoy! It’s the middle of summer and it’s hot. If you’re looking for a cool, quiet place to relax and get away from it all, nothing beats a leisurely tour of one of Quebec’s many gardens.
Start your itinerary with style at the mother of all gardens, the Montréal Botanical Garden, one of the largest in the world. Its 75 hectares contain more than 22,000 species of plants distributed in 10 greenhouses, some 30 outdoor gardens, and an arboretum. Must-sees: the First Nations Garden, inspired by native Indian and Inuit cultures. Experience the serene and intricate beauty of the Japanese Garden (bonsai collection, zen garden, tea garden) and the largest Chinese garden outside of Asia. All make superb backgrounds for family photos or wedding pictures!Into the regions
The next stop is at Jardin Daniel A. Séguin. Admire -- and taste! -- his herb garden, which is a lovely reflection of the history of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec’s agro-foods technocity. With its pools and water gardens, it is a small piece of heaven on Earth. A bit further south, in Kingsey Falls in Centre-du-Québec, are Jardins Marie-Victorin (picture), boasting waterfalls and an all-new "discovery" garden. You’ll be entranced by the giant plant sculptures...Beautiful blooms
After the supreme romance of Domaine Joly de Lotbinière or the roses at Roseraie du Témiscouata (Park Clair Soleil • 1, Gauvin, Cabano • 418 854-2116), let the fragrance of flowers lead you to the Gaspé region and the splendid Reford Gardens (picture). A source of pride for Quebec on an international scale, this horticultural work of art has more than 3,000 varieties of plants, including exotic blue poppies, golden alyssum, and gentians. They are there for your admiration all summer long as part of the International Garden Festival.
Now, cross the river and head up to Lac-Saint-Jean to see Grands Jardins de Normandin. Named for the first landscape surveyor to settle in Quebec, (Louis-Joseph Normandin), these are the northern-most gardens in North America. Admire and taste the decorative vegetable garden inspired by the Villandry (France), where such old-fashioned veggies as kohlrabi (red cabbage), oyster-plant or Chinese leaves (another type of cabbage) are grown. Mother Nature in her flowering swimsuit: quite the show!| Let the blue signs guide you |
 On Quebec highways, tourist signage is easy to spot: the panels are blue. All of the gardens described in this article have their own signage. Here are the panels that will help you find your way.
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Guillaume Rivard
Photos: 2. Marie-Claude Vallerand/Jardin botanique de Montréal; 3. Jardin Marie-Victorin; 4-5. Association des jardins du Québec
2008-04-10
