Scotts Miracle-Gro Downtown Ottawa Gardens Self-Guided Tour

 

A. Confederation Park Gardens
Location: Confederation Park
Address: Laurier Ave W & Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5J2
Services for Visitors: Parking $ nearby – Bicycle Racks – Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – NCC Bistro – Moulin de Provence & Eating Areas
Description: The park hosts Winterlude activities, Canada Day celebrations, and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival. When not being used for events, Confederation Park is an urban oasis away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Ottawa.
Located at the corner of Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue, Confederation Park occupies an area of 2.63 hectares. The park opened in 1967 as part of Canada’s centennial celebrations, and today is a popular feature of Confederation Boulevard, the Capital’s ceremonial, and discovery route. Confederation Park hosts several sculptures and monuments, like the South African War Memorial, the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, and the memorial fountain honoring Colonel By, which stood for nearly a century in Trafalgar Square in London, England.


B. Manulife Garden
Location: Manulife Place, corner of Metcalfe St. and Queen St.
Address: 55 Metcalfe St, Ottawa, ON K1A 1M5
Services for Visitors: Parking $ – Moulin de Provence, kitty-corner
Description: Serene corner garden in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Beautifully tended plants as well as sculptures and benches for you to be able to sit down and enjoy this urban oasis.


C. Sparks Street Container Gardens
Location: Sparks Street (K1P 5B7)
Services for Visitors: Parking $ nearby – Washrooms nearby – Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – Café and Eating Areas
Description: Sparks Street, just a block from Parliament Hill, has been turned into a pedestrian mall, lined with shops, restaurants – and in the summer, beautiful container gardens and hanging flower baskets. As North America’s first Pedestrian Promenade, Sparks Street has evolved significantly as a year-round pedestrian-friendly destination with special events, boutique retail, dining, entertainment, arts, and culture.


D. Bank of Canada Plaza Gardens
Location: exterior of Bank of Canada (corner of Bank St. and Wellington St.)
Address: 30 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G9
Services for Visitors: Parking $ nearby/Street Parking – Washrooms in Bank of Canada Museum– Wheelchair Accessible – Child Friendly – Eating Areas
Description: The Bank invested significantly in public spaces as part of the recent renewal of its head office. The Bank of Canada plaza is prominently located along the ceremonial and discovery route called “Confederation Boulevard.” The plaza was redesigned to improve accessibility, safety, and functional qualities. It now serves as a vibrant, outdoor presentation space – landscaped with bleacher-style seating and greenery – where residents, visitors, and Bank employees can gather and enjoy the outdoors. The plaza was originally built as part of the Bank’s renovations in the 1970s, under the direction of renowned architect Arthur Erickson. However, Erickson’s original vision for this outdoor space was never fully realized. The new iteration, completed by architectural firm Perkins + Will in 2016, was influenced by the Canada Pavilion designed by Erickson for the Osaka World Expo in 1970. The dark bronze metal and angled glass of the three pyramid structures are inspired by the glass towers of the Bank’s head office, while the green-black granite (sourced from Quebec) is a nod to Erickson’s original design for the plaza. Lastly, two glass columns add visual interest and night lighting.


E. Minto Vertical Garden
Location: Minto Place
Address: 355 Slater St, Ottawa, ON K1A 0S4
Services for Visitors: Parking $ – Wheelchair Accessible – Child-Friendly – Café and Eating Areas
Description: Minto Place is the primary shopping centre in downtown Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. The architect wanted to give the living wall a strong, interesting look for all building employees and visitors to enjoy. The Green Wall design from the architects features unique rectangular shapes filled with similar plants of different colours. The rectilinear areas incorporated stainless steel separators that framed each section like a piece of art. It contains low-light plants because the atrium’s skylight did not provide much (especially in winter). Installed: February 2010. Size: 512 square feet. Architect: Queens Quay Architects. Plant Designer: Queens Quay Architects, Plant Selection by GSKY.


F. Garden of the Provinces and Territories
Location: Wellington Street at, Bay St, Ottawa, ON
Address: Wellington Street west of Bay Street, Ottawa | Bounded by Wellington Street to the north and west, Bay Street to the east, Sparks Street to the south
Services for Visitors: Street Parking – Partially Wheelchair Accessible – Child-Friendly – Dog Friendly (on leash) – Tulip Restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn across the street and other Café nearby and Eating Areas
Description: This garden commemorates the union of Canada’s provinces and territories. Its design includes a mixture of long-flowering and strong-stemmed perennials, as well as ornamental grasses, mimicking the landscape of the prairies, the tundra, and rocky shorelines of Canada’s coasts. It is one of Canada’s foremost Modernist landscapes. Designed in 1960 by landscape architect Donald W. Graham (1930-2017), the Garden of the Provinces was created to celebrate the provinces of Confederation in anticipation of Canada’s centennial year. In 2005, it became known as the Garden of the Provinces and Territories. The Garden is composed of two parts: a one-acre park of formal terraces and plantings at the corner of Sparks and Bay streets, and an adjacent 4-acre park with a picturesque landscape of lawns and plantings sloping westward.

2020 Self-Guided Tour Video

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