Wander garden paths, chat with gardeners and view artists’ creations in Ottawa-area gardens

‘Tis the season when beautiful blossoms and fragrant herbs delight our senses, beckoning us to venture into gardens in and around Ottawa.

Many local gardeners realize that art further lifts our spirits, stimulating our appreciation of beauty.

We gardeners recognize there’s no better way to figure out what might grow best at our homes than to visit properties, speak to the actual gardeners and perhaps purchase that special plant we’ve been searching for.

Want to wander down a garden path, where art may greet you amid the plants or in onsite galleries? Here’s a regional sampling of art in gardens. Some suggestions are one-off touring events, while others are ongoing displays and exhibitions.

Tip: Admission is free except where noted.

Perth: Father’s Day at Kiwi Gardens

Photo courtesy of Kiwi Gardens.

Just outside Perth, you’ll find Kiwi Gardens’ 10 acres of well-established gardens, plus a nursery. Art is strategically placed amid perennials and blossoms, awaiting discovery. Not coincidentally, benches are dotted about, allowing you to pause, reflect and appreciate the art of—and in—the gardens.

This year, the Art in the Garden event celebrates its 22nd anniversary on Father’s Day weekend (June 16 and 17). Admission is $5 per person, and you can meet more than 30 artists and artisans from 9am to 5pm.

Can’t make that weekend? No worries. You can visit any day of the week until mid-September, during the same hours. And because there are woodland walks, as well as rock and other mature gardens to explore, Kiwi makes an excellent destination for a several-hour exploration.

Almonte: Fragrant herbs + art exhibition = a recipe for beauty

Photo courtesy of the Herb Garden.

Just beyond Almonte in The Herb Garden, heritage architecture, fine art and gardens find a happy marriage. Back in 1824, Irish immigrant Michael Meehan settled and cleared 70 acres of land here, and today we can still appreciate some of his architectural handiwork. The barns and other outbuildings he constructed showcase the way eastern white cedar could be expertly carved into beautiful dove-tail joinery. Today, these perfectly engineered structures remain as examples of buildings built to last.

Fast forward to September 2017, when Nathan and Katey Gervais fell in love with the property and embraced a country lifestyle. They are the current guardians of the well-established, fragrant gardens, which you’re welcome to stroll. (Tip: Find the labyrinth and mindfully walk its pathway.)

Where’s the art? Comfrey Cottage, one of Meehan’s original buildings, doubles as an art gallery and boutique. Until September 27, an exhibition will feature mixed media, acrylic, watercolour and other works, all created by members of the West Carleton Arts Society. The show is already open, but the summer solstice vernissage will take place on June 21, from 6pm to 8pm. Stroll the gardens, enjoy some refreshments, visit Comfrey Cottage, chat with the artists and perhaps take home a unique, original artwork.

Tip: I particularly welcome you to visit me and see two of my “Endangered” series of mixed-media works: Sea Turtle, and Tiger, Tiger.

Chelsea: Art boutique, gallery and garden—plus a Thursday market with music

Spirit Horses: Come Together, an oval ceramic platter by Katharine Fletcher, is one of many works by local artists available at the La Fab boutique.

Several years ago, the former heritage rectory of St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church in Chelsea was transformed into La Fab Arts Centre, an artists’ cooperative and cultural centre. As part of the transformation, artists now manage a small garden. Stroll its pathways, admire the sculptures, then venture inside the centre to chat with artists working in their studios, view works at two galleries and explore La Fab’s new boutique. (Check La Fab’s website for ongoing exhibitions, year-round.)

What’s happening right now? After a grand re-opening and renovation on May 31, the centre launched its annual members’ show, Art in Songs, which reveals 41 member-artists’ interpretations of their favourite French songs (until June 24). On June 21, the folk group Le Grand Portage will entertain visitors outside on the porch overlooking the market, from 6:30pm to 9pm.

Tip: Visit on Thursday evenings (4pm to 8pm) when the Old Chelsea Market vendors’ tents dot La Fab’s grounds. Buy locally grown fresh vegetables, native plants, healthy snacks or a tasty supper—which you can eat at a La Fab picnic table, while listening to live music. Children are particularly welcome. (The market continues every Thursday until October 11.)

Western Outaouais: Pontiac Gardens and Gifts Tour

Spiritwood Garden (one of the stops on the Pontiac Gardens and Gifts route) includes a naturalized pond where you may see swallowtail butterflies on wild, native blue-flag iris. Photo by Eric Fletcher.

The Pontiac region of the Outaouais is renowned for its natural beauty, as well as artists and gardens, so it’s not surprising that the Pontiac Gardens and Gifts Tour (August 4 and 5, 10am to 4pm) has become a popular self-driving experience. You can enjoy spectacular views of the Ottawa River, forested hills and undulating farmland as you drive country back roads.

The “G&G” tour lets you combine your sense of discovery while indulging your passion for gardens and art. Visit nine gardens in Luskville, Quyon, Bristol, Ladysmith, and the former settlement known as Greermount, north of Shawville. Everyone will welcome your questions about organic gardening techniques, composting or perennials while you stroll past vegetable, herb, native plant and perennial beds.

In the gardens, you’ll also find lots of local products for sale, including art, organic produce, herbal salves and soaps, wine and native plants. Wine, you ask? Did you realize that the Pontiac is becoming known for its wineries? Take the ferry to Quyon, then find Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert and Pavel Kohl, vintners and proprietors of Domaine de Pontiac Village. Sip some wine, find local books to purchase and learn about growing grapes.

Katharine Fletcher completes her Spirit Horse on the Pontiac Artists’ Association Teepee at the Shawville Fair.

Katharine Fletcher is a freelance writer, author and visual artist. Visit her website or her Facebook page. 

This is not a sponsored post.

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