Incredible Private Gardens to visit in Ontario and Quebec
By Ilona Biro, Volunteer
Since avid gardeners are likely familiar with the major public gardens of Ontario and Quebec, I thought it might be more useful to highlight a few unique private gardens, that open their gates to visitors in search of something a little bit different.
This expansive Gatsby-era spread was once owned by the founder of GM Canada, R.S. McLaughlin, and today is a lively National Historic Site, used for many special events. Frequently used as a filming location, Parkwood has long been a got-go movie set, standing in for multiple locations and eras in productions like X-Men, Mrs. America, Nightmare Alley, Anne with an E, Umbrella Academy, and Mrs. America, to name a few. Built between 1915 and 1917, it is one of the country’s truly grand estates, a place Oshawans are rightly proud of, with its direct connection to the city’s auto industry. The art, architecture, and gardens are all faithfully preserved and are usually a wow moment for first-time visitors, who can scarcely believe this jewel is in Canada. The McLaughlins loved gardens and employed the very best designers of the time to create the numerous gardens that surround the mansion.
Wander down the beautiful allées, ogle the Hollywood Grecian swimming pool and fountains, and pop indoors to see how one of the country’s biggest self-made men lived!
Whistling Gardens, Wilsonville, ON
With North America’s largest collections of peonies, this garden is absolutely stunning when in full bloom, which is anytime from May 15 to June 25, according to its website. This year they are celebrating their 10th anniversary, so a visit might be a fun way to celebrate your own special occasion. Certainly, peonies are having a moment, as the ‘grand-millennial’ trend that’s already bringing chintz and china to 30-somethings’ interior décor, moves outdoors. And who doesn’t love the pillowy-soft blossoms spilling out of these sturdy, easy-care shrubs?
Along with announcing the arrival of real summer, peonies also serve as the perfect wedding bouquet, providing a statement-making ‘we-have-arrived’ sort of elegance that hardly needs anything else to complete it. But they have more than peonies spread out throughout the gardens. They also have sizeable collections of irises and lilies, and a fountain modeled after those at Versailles, designed by Andre Le Notre in 1634. The owner, Darren Heimbecker, has designed the fountain display, which is operated on Canada’s first completely computerized system, with music and the dance of the jets choreographed by Heimbecker himself.
Sounds like a trip to Simcoe County!
Reford Gardens/Jardins de Métis
This is a spectacular garden that was begun by Elsie Reford in the early part of the 20th century and today is managed by her grandnephew, Alexander Reford. Located on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, it is another fabulous reason to do a garden tour of Quebec. The harsh winters didn’t deter Ms. Reford,(an indomitable woman who hunted and fished and rode across the peninsula each year for fun), who was able to coax a gorgeous garden from the rocky land.
Today, along with the gardens, it hosts an international garden design exhibition every two years, which is well worth the trip to see imaginative, sometimes eccentric creations, usually on a given theme. Famed for its ability to grow rare Himalayan Blue Poppies, Reford also has a magnificent giftshop where seeds of this and other varieties of plants grown here can be purchased. (I had no luck with the poppies but you might be better at convincing them to bloom).
Le Jardin a Quatre Vents, Malbaie, QC
While not exactly a ‘secret garden’, these spectacular gardens are open to the public only four days each summer, with tours led by the Ecology Centre in Port-au-Saumon. Fees collected go to help support their environmental outreach and education. Established by businessman Frank Cabot on his family’s property, it’s a great excuse to tour Charlevoix region of Quebec, along the St Lawrence just south of Quebec City, along with the amazing local food routes that include multiple fromageries, chocolateries and cideries! Getting tickets is not easy, and summer 2022 is already sold out. So subscribe to the list for information on when sales start in 2023 for a chance to see one of Canada’s least well known gardens.
After a successful career as an investment banker, and stints as chairman of the New York Botanical Gardens and as an advisor to our own Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Cabot returned to his family’s property and set to work. Today there are 25 separate gardens each with its own trademark plants and design. Spread out over 20 acres alongside the St Lawrence River, boxwood hedges and lawns separate the gardens, which include a Japanese, rose, rock and a white garden, among many others. This is the golden ticket when it comes to garden visits, so plan ahead for 2023.
