Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Niagara Botanical Gardens

Yesterday I went for a walk at the Niagara Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day.There were clouds to the south that looked like they might be moving our way, but thankfully never did. The temperature was a pleasant 20C warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt but not bad that you break a sweat just breathing. The gardens are located, south of Queenston Heights along the the Niagara Parkway, a road that mirrors the entire length of the river from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Fort Erie. On the same site is a horticulture school and the always nice Butterfly Observatory.

The Gardens are free, though they have recently added a $5 parking fee. But if you don't mind walking a couple of extra minutes, down the road is free parking.


Iceberg
Handy maps are available to help guide your walk. Perfect for those wanting to go exploring on their own. I quickly found myself among the roses, A beautiful place to begin, surrounded by colours and smells, a camera is necessary kit along side that water canteen(say no to disposable water bottles).  Iceberg, Sutter's Gold and Royal Occasion are roses that caught my eye, out of the many in bloom.

Sutter's Gold
You can capture the beauty of these flowers but not the scent, that other essence that completes the experience.
Royal Occasion
Flowers tend to dominate botanical attractions, it's just in their nature to be spectacular. Trees being less showy seem fall into the background. I found two that stood out.

Dawn Redwood
I took a picture of the Dawn Redwood because i though wow what a small start to what will be a big tree. Well , it's not that kind of redwood, but may still hit 160 feet which is still big.

Japanese Wisteria
The Japanese Wisteria was just a nice photo. I went looking for information on this tree and i find that it is a flowering variety. So if I didn't misread the tag this will be quite a nice photo in years to come.


They have planted an herb garden and I was hard pressed to keep my hands off it. The herb garden had me thinking of lunch. Fresh herbs cant be beat, I settled on taking a picture and left the plants alone.
Windowsill Chives
Some plants have a beauty derived from their architecture. Their intricate shapes and design, purposeful, necessary for survival in the wild become  an adornment in sculptured gardens. The Plantain Lily is a fine example of this, of the second plant i was unable to find the tag so remains unnamed.
Plantain Lily










I spent around two hours walking the grounds. You can do it faster, but whats is the point in that. Slower is definitively the way to go. You are there to enjoy your surroundings. A botanical garden is a plant Zoo. You have the opportunity to see interesting and exotic flora. There is food if you get hungry, which is assured, nothing like a good stroll to stoke the appetite. The few pictures I provide are only a part of what there is to see, so if you are in the area drive over and take your ease in the garden. OK I'll post two more photos, and that's it. 
Wojnar's Purple
Hybrid Spuria Iris

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