For my birthday in October of 2021, we spent a week in the Buffalo area and were thrilled to visit Niagara Falls. They are amazing and I was very happy to be able to finally see them in person. While in the area we were lucky enough to be able to head into Canada and see them from the Canadian side. Both sides are beautiful and so glad we decided to take our trip internationally and went to Canada.
Since we were already in Canada, we had wanted to spend part of the day checking out waterfalls, Lake Ontario, and such in the city of Hamilton which is a little city about an hour away. Sadly we weren’t able to do that because you had to have reservations, but ended up visiting the beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington/Hamilton area. It was a very wonderful alternative and perfect day weather-wise to be strolling through their gardens.
When we first got there we parked and checked out the front of the gardens which were decorated in fall colors. We made our way in, paid our admission fee, and found out the gardens were actually 5 gardens throughout the city of Burlington and Hamilton, 27 km of nature trails, 2,400 acres of nature sanctuaries, 300 acres of cultivated gardens, 2,400+ plant species, and 312,000+ individual plants. Sounded like a fun adventure. We got a parking permit for the other gardens and explored the first garden.
Royal Botanical Gardens Centre
As I said, this is where you enter and where you will find the home of many types of plants and smaller garden areas. You will find the Camilla and Peter Dalglish Atrium, Aldershot Escarpment Garden, Stedman Exploration Hall, Natural Playground, Cacti and Succulent Collection, as well as the Mediterranean Garden. This area sort of reminded me of the visitor center at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hendrie Park
This garden is actually connected to the Royal Botanical Gardens Centre. This was what I was mostly wanting to see during our visit. This garden not only has a beautiful tea house called the Turner Pavilion Teahouse, as well as two calming reflecting pools, but it also holds the Rose Garden! I love roses. Sadly since it was October many of them had died or were dying, but there were still quite a few pretty ones to see.
If you are into natural remedies, you need to check out the Healing Garden and the Scented Garden. In the Hendrie Park Garden, you will also find the Medieval Garden, the Morrison Woodland Garden, the Helen M Kippaz Garden, the Lily Walk, Veggie Village, Global Garden, White Garden, Trials Garden, and finally the Prehistoric Grove.
David Braley & Nancy Gordon Rock Garden
My favorite of all the gardens we visited was here at Rock Garden. It was so beautiful and such a peaceful place to stop and smell the roses, lol. While there aren’t any roses (at least that I saw) in this garden, it is home to season-long perennials, unique trees and shrubs, elegant conifer displays, and was quite beautiful during the fall with many different colors. The whole garden was magnificent.
When you first walk in you are in the visitor centre and can go either left or right into the gardens and it’s a big circle when many little trails leading down, around, and back to the main trail. It is so beautiful. They have several water features meandering throughout the garden landscape and captivating the senses. I really enjoyed the soft playing music we heard in some areas which added to the experience. It was a perfect day and I could have sat for hours just taking in the peaceful atmosphere and relaxing in this amazing environment. If you plan to come to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens, make sure to spend quite a bit of time here. You will not be disappointed.
Arboretum
Another place we really wanted to see was the Arboretum. When in bloom this garden is filled with beautiful displays’ such as the Katie Osborne Lilac Collection, Magnolia Collections, Dogwood and Redbud Collection, the Crabapple Collection, Flowering Cherries, Synoptic Shrub Collection, and the Pinetum. Since we were there in October, there wasn’t too much to see except the Pinetum which was pretty but the real fall colors hadn’t popped yet. Maybe next time.
Laking Garden
Sadly this is the one garden we weren’t able to visit due to time restraints (we got there too late). I am disappointed as it sounds amazing. In this garden, you will find an Iris Collection, a Peony Collection, the Barbara Laking Memorial Heritage Garden (which contains herbs and fruits), as well as the Clematis Collection. Hopefully, we can come back and check out this garden on a future visit.
We had a marvelous time checking out the Royal Botanical Gardens while in Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario Canada. My only regret was that it was not in the spring when so many other flowers and trees would have been in bloom. I hope we can come back sometime in April or May and truly experience the gardens in full bloom. They were designated a Historic Site of Canada on January 1, 1994, and I can see why. Here is a link to their website with more information about each garden and a list of FAQ’s. I will share below a list of what is in bloom when and where to help you if you are planning to visit in the future.
Spring:
Magnolia – Arboretum
Japanese Cherry – Arboretum and Rock Garden
Crabapple – Arboretum
Lilac – Arboretum
Late Spring/Early Summer:
Iris – Laking Garden,
Peony – Laking Garden
Summer:
Rose – Hendrie Park
Lily – Hendrie Park
Fall:
Brilliant Fall Colors – Gardens and Natural Lands
Winter:
Mediterranean Garden – Royal Botanical Garden Centre
The Breezeway – Royal Botanical Garden Centre
Visitor Information
680 Plains Road W, Burlington, Ontario
Phone: 1-905-527-1158 or 1-800-694-4769
Hours vary due to time of year, each specific garden, special events, etc. The best advice is to check out their website with updated hours.
