I promised you a rose garden...
In fact, you'll see more than one rose garden in the garden tours, which are back for 2022! June is a popular month for these events, as late spring is the peak period for flower gardens. Also, trees have leafed out into lovely canopies. The foliage and lawns are green and lush and many of our favourite plants are blooming: peonies, roses, clematis, alliums, delphiniums, foxgloves, irises, catmint, poppies, phlox, salvia, lavender, lupines and veronica, to name a few.
When there's this much variety in the garden and it looks so picture-perfect, many want to share the results of their work with others. Garden tours are a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors, explore the area, meet new people and get inspired by colour, form, layouts and design.
In Niagara, we are fortunate. Our soil and climate are renowned for their wonderful growing conditions. We're among the most southern and warmest regions in the country, which means we get to grow beautiful perennials that don't thrive further north.
This year's tours will start off on Sunday, June 5th. From noon until 5pm, the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) St. Catharines is hosting its 2022 House and Garden Tour. Tickets are available to participate in person, or you can purchase a virtual online ticket if you'd prefer viewing online or are unable to go on the physical tour.
The following weekend on Saturday, June 11th, is when the 16th annual Shaw Guild Garden Tour takes place. It's from 10am to 4pm and will feature gardens in historical Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Shaw Guild promotes interest in, and supports the The Shaw Festival.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society is hosting its 2022 Garden Tour on Saturday, July 9th from 10am to 5pm. This will be the 29th annual tour for the society, which was established in 1906. The event will take place in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Photos from previous years can be viewed on the NOTL Horticultural Society website.
The tours mentioned above feature private gardens. However, if you feel like getting out into some green space at another time, you can visit public gardens all season long. The Niagara Botanical Gardens in Niagara Falls is a beautiful place to spend a few hours. It includes the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, established in 1936.
One of the things I've heard many talk about the past couple of years, is how gardening really helped them cope. A garden is such a giving thing to cultivate: it gives us beauty, food, medicine, clean air, exercise, joy and a sense of peace. It also provides shelter and food to many pollinators and can really centre us during times of stress.
Perhaps your garden is being featured in one of these tours. Or maybe next year? Whether you're showcasing your green paradise or walking by others' botanical borders over the next few weeks, we do hope you take some time in June to smell the roses!
