RBG: Canada Day weekend includes early roses, garden tours and live entertainment.

By Staff

June 28th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

There are loads of things to do on Canada Day – the Royal Botanical Garden wants you to come to your senses and literally “smell the roses” all 3,300 of the things in the RBG property.

The RBG is celebrating Canada Day weekend with a flourish of colour and asking visitors to “come to their senses” by experiencing roses in bloom, guided tours and live entertainment.

Canadian shield rose

A little late, but worth the wait, RBG’s new Rose Garden is starting to show off some brilliant colour in Hendrie Park. With many hardy, disease resistant and re-blooming varieties surrounded by companion plants, there will be flowers in the garden all summer long. Beneath these beneficial plant pairings is a trickle irrigation system. Deep roots, combined with a consistently maintained layer of mulch, means less artificial watering which promotes an eco-friendly approach.

“RBG is thrilled to present the first full season of roses in this beautiful new garden,” said RBG Head of Horticulture, Jim Mack. “Much like our rejuvenated Rock Garden, the new Rose Garden embraces new designs and techniques that reflect a more modern, environmentally conscious approach to growing roses. One that people can implement in their home garden.”

Rose garden layout

Highlights of the garden include approximately 3, 300 roses displaying 300 different cultivated varieties, 4, 500 companion plants and many new enhancements to the garden landscape. This includes upgraded pathways, fences, gazebos and lighting as well as renovations to the Turner Pavilion Teahouse that overlooks the new garden. Education elements include an array of interpretive signs, including the “story of roses” display, teaching visitors about the history of roses.

The Dreamboats: “They just ripped the whole place up! Their energy and level of fun was off the scale. The crowd reaction was phenomenal – we have not seen anything like it before.

Weekend highlights include the Escarpment Train Exhibit in the historic Rock Garden, Bonsai Society Exhibit at RBG Centre, guided tours, and educational experiences at the Discovery Cart. Canada Day entertainment includes face painting by Picasso Painters and performances by The Dreamboats.

Royal Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and registered charitable organization with a mandate to bring together people, plants and nature.