Category: Travel

A Garden For Peace

August 9, 2024

Design, Gardening, Landscape, Mother Nature, Peace, Planet Earth, Plants, Travel

‘Promise of Peace’ Sculpture Photo: PeaceSignsPruners

I love visiting gardens, private and public. When we’re travelling it’s one of the first entertainments that I search out at our destination. Imagine my surprise when I realized I’ve never visited the closest botanical garden, just an hour away. My excuse is that summer is busy time for us in horticulture!

Holiday Monday (in Canada) we visited the International Peace Garden, located on the Canadian/US border. The garden will be 100 years old in 2032, and they are already planning the celebration. Plans started for the garden in 1928, with a vision of a garden between two great countries that celebrated Peace. We’re all about that here at ‘Peace Signs & Pruners’! Groundbreaking occurred in 1932 with more than 50,000 people in attendance from both sides of the border. The historical photos displayed are quite something.

The visit was highly enjoyable. We first toured, by car, the North Drive. It’s mostly a natural, wild area, with some excellent picnic areas, hiking trails, camping and a kayak entry. There is some interesting information on a dam project with Ducks Unlimited. There are some beautiful vistas to Lake Stormon from all around the drive. Lots of birds and insects flitting about.

View of the Sunken Garden from the top. Photo: PeaceSignsPruners

We drove around to park and enter the more formal gardens. The Sunken Garden, with fountains and pools, was a delight to the eye. There are some fantastic bedding schemes of annual plants, as well as more permanent beds of trees, shrubs and perennials. There are many levels and views to enjoy. There is a pollinator garden, a kitchen garden, a play park for kids and so much more.

We worked our way over to the Conservatory & Interpretive Centre. An display of succulents and cacti in a desert biome was incredible! Having worked in retail greenhouses for years, I’ve seen a lot of succulents and cacti sold as houseplants. So many in the collection I’ve not seen. I’ve been to the Phoenix Botanical Garden and the collection here rivals that. The cafe and gift shop are very nice.

In the Conservatory Photo: PeaceSignsPruners

All in all a great afternoon. There’s a few problems I noticed. The annual plantings have not filled in very well, a product of our cool July, I believe. Most of the permanent beds in high profile areas were rather weedy. The gardens were busy, probably with the Canadian holiday, and staff were line-trimming in busy areas, like the gate to the Conservatory, leaving slippery clippings. As well, hoses were out, not being used, across pathways such as the kitchen garden and pollinator garden. Just not a great, safe environment. We are, admittedly, very conscious of safety and tripping hazards.

The International Peace Garden is open year round, with skiing and snowshoeing trails. The Conservatory would be a delight in winter. Have you visited botanical gardens in your area?

1 comment on A Garden For Peace
Ever Seen a Monstera in the Wild?

November 23, 2023

Environment, Landscape, Mother Nature, Planet Earth, Travel

Probably Philodendron, at Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Photo PeaceSignsPruners.

One of the most fantastic things about travel, for me as a plant geek, is seeing plants in their native habit. Or seeing things we think of as houseplants or annuals out in the landscape as perennials. Hibiscus hedge? Oh, yeah! Arriving in Rome and seeing those iconic pencil thin Cypress (Cupressus) and then stroking them and inhaling the fragrance. Lovely!

This love of plants is one of the reasons Costa Rica has become a favourite destination. It is known to be one of the most eco-diverse places on the planet, with more plants, birds, butterflies and more critters, including the famous sloth. You can get up in the morning, catch the sunrise in the evergreen jungle of the east coast, drive to high elevations and be in misty cloud forest for afternoon tea and still catch sunset in the deciduous forest of the west coast.

Merlin’s, Playa Cocles, Costa Rica. Photo PeaceSignsPruners.

I love the mix of tender (for us) plants you can find in the landscape. Peace lilies and ZZ plants in the border, creeping fig climbing a six foot concrete wall. Yes, a hedge seven feet tall of flowering hibiscus, which I have struggled with as a houseplant. Too many photographs are taken just walking down an alley.

Want to do some good while you travel? We still can’t choose if our airline is using ‘eco-friendly’ fuel but we can choose more sustainable hotels on many of the apps. Have you heard of Pack With A Purpose? If you can make a little room in your suitcase you bring to your destination something the local community needs. You can choose from different groups including animal rescue, for example, who may be needing puppy pads or tick medication. Or simple search the area you’re visiting for dog rescues, schools, botanical gardens, beach clean-ups. They’d appreciate something you could slide in the suitcase. Large garbage bags, heavy duty gloves, crayons are just some of the things that might be needed. Leaves you a little extra room for the souvenirs on the way home, right?

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