BEECHWOOD CEMETERY GARDENS
Garden Name: Beechwood Cemetery Gardens
Location: Beechwood Cemetery
Address: 280 Beechwood Ave,Ottawa,ON K1L 8A6
Garden Promenade Route: Off the Promenade Gardens
Garden Number: 1
Services for Visitors: Parking – Washrooms – Wheelchair Accessible
Description: Beechwood Cemetery is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 75,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn and Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden, Canadian Forces Veterans, War Dead, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and men and women who have made a mark on Canadian history. In addition to being Canada’s National Cemetery, it is also the National Military Cemetery of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Memorial Cemetery.
BILLIN
GS ESTATE GARDENS
Garden Name: Billings Estate Gardens
Location: Billings Estate Museum
Address: 2100 Cabot Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 6K1
Garden Promenade Route: Off the Promenade Gardens
Garden Number: 3
Services for Visitors: Parking – Washrooms – Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – Café and Eating Areas – Pay Phone
Description: The Billings family settled on the shores of the Rideau River in 1812 and took an active role in shaping the community as it evolved over time and until the 1970s when they left the estate. They helped build farms and churches, ran a dairy operation, and contributed to the development of the ByWard Market by providing produce for sale and building the “Farmers’ Bridge”.
This National Historic Site on 8 acres of green space is also home to one of Ottawa’s oldest community cemeteries where well-known Ottawa pioneers, such as the Evans, Brouse and Firth families, are laid to rest.
DALTON ECO-PARK GARDENS
Garden Name: Dalton Eco-Parks Garden
Location: Dalton Eco-Park
Address: 199 Dalton Montée, Gatineau (Québec), J8R 0B3 Canada
Garden Promenade Route: Off The Promenade Gardens
Garden Number: 6
Services for Visitors: Parking $ – Bicycle Racks – Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – Café and Eating Areas
Description: Built by a group of motivated volunteers, the Parc écologique Dalton (Dalton Eco-Park) and the Parc floral des Nations (Floral Park of the Nations) will delight you. The site includes a 6-km multipurpose trail with three covered bridges over the Blanche River, a schoolhouse, a sugar shack, a farmhouse, orchards, a gardener’s workshop, a floral park, large vegetable gardens, and a replica of the old Templeton train station. An ideal spot for a stroll and a picnic.
ISHKODEWAN GARDEN
Garden Name: Ishkodewan Garden (in development)
Location: Algonguin College, Woodroffe Campus, DARE District
Address: 1385 Woodroffe Ave, Nepean, ON K2G 1V8
Garden Promenade Route: Off The Promenade Gardens
Garden Number: 4
Services for Visitors: Parking $ – Bicycle Racks – Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – Café and Eating Areas
Description: The Ishkodewan courtyard is home to a garden of a thousand plants in bloom – from black-eyed Susan and chokecherry to rosy sedge and yellowwood poppy.
These are just to name of few of the flowers, shrubs, and trees that a group of Horticultural students have planted in an act to transform the DARE District’s outdoor courtyard – the Ishkodewan – into the perfect place for any outdoor activity, from a wedding ceremony to a lunch-break meditation.
Early May, Ron McLester, Vice President, Truth, Reconcilitation & Indigenization, held a brief ceremony in the courtyard to introduce 16 new Horticultural Industries students to the Ishkodewan, to explain Algonquin College’s commitment to Indigenization, as well as the significance of the job ahead of them.
The transformation involves planting more than 100 different species of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees – common yarrow, white baneberry, wild geranium, sweetgrass, milkweed, swamp rose, dogwood, witch-hazel, and fir, to name a few.
All of the plants are native to southern Ontario and many of them have cultural, ceremonial, or even medicinal significance for some Indigenous peoples. The garden project has been in the works since planning began on the DARE District nearly three years ago and reflects Algonquin College’s commitment to embed Indigenous traditions into the culture.
When the Ishkodewan is done, it will be a unique courtyard garden, and make a significant symbolic statement. As work on the garden proceeds, special ceremonies will be held to reinforce the importance of what the students are doing in creating what is expected to be the largest Indigenous-themed garden in the Ottawa region.
While you are there, take time to also visit the Algonguin Horticulture School Garden, just across the street.
MAPLELAWN HISTORIC GARDEN
Garden Name: Maplelawn Historic Garden
Location: Maplelawn Historic Garden
Address: 529 Richmond Rd, Ottawa, ON K2A 0G3
Garden Promenade Route: Off The Promenade Gardens
Garden Number: 2
Services for Visitors: Street Parking – Partially Wheelchair Accessible – Picnic Tables
Description: In the 19th century, there were many fine houses in Ontario – but few of them were graced by walled gardens, and even fewer have survived. The walled garden at Maplelawn in Canada’s capital, is not only a rare example, but it is also exceptionally well preserved.
In 1989, Maplelawn was designated a national historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada because of : “…the quality of the house, but more particularly because its gardens are the best preserved of the few known surviving examples of early 19th century walled gardens in Canada…” As an ensemble, the house and remaining walled garden provides a clear record of the way European architectural and landscape ideas were transplanted to Canada.
In 1993, the garden was receiving only basic maintenance until a volunteer group, known as Friends of Maplelawn Garden, was formed. These volunteers entered into an agreement with the National Capital Commission (NCC) to study, preserve and rehabilitate the walled garden, making use of the large variety of perennials, such as the old peonies for which the garden was once famous, still thriving within its walls.
MACKENZIE KING ESTATE GARDENS
Garden Name: Mackenzie King Estate Gardens
Location: Mackenzie King Estate
Address: MacKenzie King Rd, Chelsea, QC J9B 1H7
Garden Promenade Route: Off The Promenade Gardens
Garden Number: 5
Services for Visitors: Parking $ – Bicycle Racks – Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – Café and Eating Areas
Description: The historic site known as Mackenzie King Estate includes 231 hectares of landscaped green space south of Kingsmere Lake in the heart of magnificent Gatineau Park.
For nearly fifty years, the Estate served as the summer residence of Mackenzie King, Canada’s tenth and longest serving Prime Minister. King, who served as Prime Minister from 1921-1926, 1926-1930, and 1935-1948, during a period of profound change in Canada, was one of Canada’s most influential figures. When he died in 1950, he bequeathed his beloved estate to the people of Canada. It was around this property that the Government of Canada, through the National Capital Commission, established what we now know as Gatineau Park.
Today, visitors from far and wide come to the Mackenzie King Estate to admire the restored chalets of Kingswood – which include two summer cottages purchased by King in 1903 and 1922 respectively and Moorside – a large elegant cottage built in 1901 and purchased by King in 1924. Also located on the Estate is The Farm, a 19th century farmhouse purchased by King in 1927 and renovated in the 1930s as the Prime Minister’s permanent residence (note: The Farm is off-limits to the public and serves as the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons)
It was at Moorside that King laid out his splendid flower gardens and his picturesque collection of stone ruins. It was also here that he entertained such dignitaries as Sir Winston Churchill, Yousuf Karsh, and Charles Lindbergh. Visitors to both Kingswood and Moorside will also enjoy the landscaped grounds, wooded trails, and waterfalls.
Trails in and around the Mackenzie King Estate link up with the broader trail network of Gatineau Park.
At Mackenzie King Estate, visitors are invited to “re-live fifty years of Canadian history” as they stroll about the landscaped grounds of this remarkable heritage site. They can visit the chalets and admire King’s unusual collection of ruins. Interpreter-guides are available to answer questions or direct visitors to various sites on the Estate.
Other activities include films on Mackenzie King’s life and times, or a visit to the famous Moorside Tearoom, where snacks or light meals are available (by reservation) throughout the season.
