Explore Canada This Summer: Royal Botanical Gardens Burlington

 

More ways to explore Canada this summer: An outing to the Royal Botanical Gardens, 

680 Plains Rd W, Burlington - Hamilton

It is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site.

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I visited several times in late May and early June, and arrived by car, public transit, and once by bike from Burlington. There are two entrances:

• RBG Centre and Hendrie Park: 680 Plains Road West, Burlington Ontario
• Rock Garden: 1185 York Boulevard, Hamilton, Ontario

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Royal Botanical Gardens is located at the western tip of Lake Ontario. Two distinct formal gardens are contained with 2,007 acres of nature reserve, nestled into the slopes of Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Region. Explore and enjoy the many historical outdoor plant collections, the indoor Mediterranean Garden, and 27 km of nature trails.

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My favored garden part is the Rock Garden

Opened to visitors in 1932, the historic Rock Garden is considered the birthplace of Royal Botanical Gardens. Following a significant rejuvenation, the David Braley and Nancy Gordon Rock Garden reopened in 2016 to embrace sustainable trends in garden design and management while respecting the integrity of its heritage setting.  Bold swaths of brilliant perennials provide sweeps of inspiring colour and texture throughout all seasons.

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Garden Admission applies for daytime access to RBG’s formal garden areas (Hendrie Park, RBG Centre & Rock Garden).

RBG Members have access to daytime garden visits year round! It is worth to get the membership if you live in the area or in the GTA of Toronto.

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Besides the gardens there are lots of other nature trails nearby:

• The Waterdown Trail is a scenic in-and-out hike around 11 kilometres long. It’s considered moderately challenging and includes stairs and sometimes muddy conditions.
• Some side trails and loops along the trail provide some shorter, faster hike options.
• Waterfalls are located in environmentally sensitive areas – please stay on marked designated trails and obey closure signs; there are many rare plants that can be easily damaged or destroyed.

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• Rock Chapel Golf Centre, a couple of kilometres west of highway 6 on highway 5, features an 18-hole mini-putt course.
• Waterdown Village Farmers’ Market, open Saturday mornings May through October, features a long list of local vendors.
• The historic community of Waterdown has plenty of delicious treats to indulge in.
• Copper Kettle Cafe is known for its mouth-watering apple fritters
• Pick up meat, cheese and baked goods for a picnic at Harrington Lane Farms
• Not far, in neighbouring Freelton, West Avenue Cidery serves up small batch ciders in a stunning farm setting.

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Fabulous Spring Blooms in Westmount & Montreal, Quebec

 

Arriving from Vancouver Island, where spring starts as early as the end of February and ends in mid-April, I had to wait weeks for the first blooms to show up in the Montreal area. 

Westmount is a city that has more trees (11.000 plus) than inhabitants and lies on the western slopes of Mount Royal. Plentiful Magnolia trees can be found on every corner, many of them with huge canopies.

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Westmount (population 20.350) is a gem in the greater Montreal metropolitan setting. It encompasses an urban forest, numerous parks and playgrounds, 

as well as cultural, religious, and educational institutions. 

Its green is not restricted to public green spaces, but a myriad of carefully tended private lawns and gardens. 

Unofficially, Montreal is “divided” into the eastern, French part, and the western part, in which Westmount is located. It means, walking the streets, you hear only English, and barely ever a word of French.

Westmount is an affluent, historically anglophone enclave known for its multi-million-dollar historic mansions and tree-lined streets. Such a pleasure to walk 

this large area of heritage homes, many in Art Deco style. For sure, it is the largest in Canada. No high-rises, no contemporary buildings, just pure beauty for miles!

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Westmount's park-like area can be reached in just a short bus or Metro ride from downtown Montreal. 

There are at least two bus lines to this lovely part of metropolitan Montreal.

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