NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
THE 2026 GARDENER'S GARDEN TOUR
SATURDAY JULY 11, 2026 - 9:30AM TO 4:00PM
2026 Gardener’s Garden Tour Early Bird Prizes
include an opportunity to win one of these great prizes!
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Early Bird Ticket prices are $25.00 with potential to win a great draw prize on May 31st
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Potential Prizes include:​
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Elizabeth Interiors – This Incredible Gift Certificate Redeemable at Elizabeth Interiors and Design - is valued at $500
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Dinner for two at one of Vintage Hotel’s premier restaurants. (Queens Landing, Prince of Wales or Pillar & Post). This certificate is valued at $220 dollars
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Afternoon Tea for four at 124 on Queen Hotel and Spa- take in the timeless and delicious tradition of Afternoon Tea. This certificate is valued at $250.
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Or you could win One of 3 beautifully curated gift baskets sampling wonderful local Niagara-on-the-Lake products. Each basket is valued over $300 dollars
The 2026 Gardener's Garden Tour Line Up
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The 2026 Gardener's Garden Tour is the 36th annual tour organized by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society. Each year, selected members of our horticultural society generously open their beautiful gardens to the public, offering our guests the opportunity to engage with them, and gain gardening insights and experiences. Garden visitors will obtain valuable information to benefit their own garden spaces.
It promises to be a rewarding experience for garden enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Scheduled for Saturday July 11, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
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This year's Garden Tour theme is about the "Personal Stories, Memories and Connections" that gardens evoke. Below you will read about each garden from their garden owners perspective.
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The Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society is an entirely volunteer-run non-profit charity. This event not only showcases the beauty of local gardens but also supports three horticultural scholarships for students at Niagara College School of Environment and Horticulture and Niagara Parks School of Horticulture. Join us for this inspiring journey through the gardens of Niagara-on-the-Lake!
Firelane 13/Roven Rd
A Living Canvas of Colour and Friendship
Step into Rose Bartel’s garden, where colour and sunlight take the place of paint and brush. This welcoming garden captures what Gertrude Jekyll — the pioneering British garden designer who shaped the Arts & Crafts movement — once called “no easy task”: creating and maintaining a flower border rich in harmony and vibrant colour.
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As you wander through the garden, the mix of texture and tone is a delight. Soft shades of pink, purple, and cream drift across the beds, while scarlet poppies steal the spotlight each spring. By summer, the leaves have joined the flowers in the show — from the variegated Siberian irises to foliage that adds layers of depth and rhythm.
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Butler Street
Growing with the Flow - in Heather's Garden
In just five years this garden has gone from mostly open lawns to a tranquil retreat.
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You will be welcomed by a soaring Tulip Tree and winding pathways as you enter. Heather promised the past owner she would mind the fragile roots of the Tulip Tree which need to be exposed for it to thrive. Take a deep breath. Take your time. We invite you to take in both the details and the whole of the easy harmony of this garden. As you stroll, listen for the soft chuckle of the river that runs through the property.​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Niagara Blvd - Lakeview
Innisfree - A Garden By Design:
Elizabeth's elegant garden transfers the expressions of her life's work of interior design and luxury furnishing to her outdoor living spaces.
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With 180 degree views of Lake Ontario, her garden takes a quiet approach to enjoying the ever changing vistas of this great lake.
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​​​​​MORE OF THE STORY HERE
Niagara Blvd
Finding Her Joy in the Garden
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Lenore’s garden has blossomed with trust, good humour and humility on both her side and from her plants. She is not a ‘trained’ gardener. However, she is one with her outdoor space and has, with good humour and grace, nurtured a garden that gives much to its mistress. “I can stare out my kitchen window and see how things are growing and changing”, she says, “and this pleases me, it makes me happy”.
In many ways, Lenore is a garden whisperer, as she seems to intuit both design and plant choice. The site allows for much air and light as well as some shady conditions. Lenore explains, “I had 50 years working inside, now I just want to be outside in my garden”.
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King St
Stilhaven – A Celebration of Tranquility and Textures
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At first glance, Stilhaven looks like a modest cottage with a welcoming porch. But as you approach, soft textures and springtime shades of heather, lavender, and boxwood offer an enchanting hint of what’s to come — a gentle prelude in pinks and purples.
To the left, a small, peaceful bed inspired by Japanese design features rocks, a water vessel, Japanese blood grass, and a graceful maple — a quiet island of calm. Along the borders, hydrangeas, salvia, peonies, daisies, and roses weave a lively tapestry of color, while a dry riverbed winds through, managing rainwater with effortless grace.
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Red Haven Drive
All You Need is Love
When they moved into their splendid home just minutes from Old Town in St. David's, Hanna and Andy had a spacious property full of dead and dying boxwoods, two proud Firelight Hydrangea and a healthy Japanese Maple and not much more.
Today, the gardens are a testament to the joy and love that the owners have poured into the space. Like a painter’s palette the garden languidly kisses your senses with yellows, magenta, red, pinks, whites, mauves and aubergine. The backyard is watched carefully by a grove of fruit trees and the golf course beyond which allows for nurturing warmth, light and air offering plenty of affection to the plantings.
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David Lowry
Seeing His Way Home
Despite losing his vision some years ago, John can still recall the vibrant blues, purples, whites, magentas and deep reds of his magnificent garden in St. Davids. Surrounded along the front and side of the house by Ornamental Pear and Cherry trees, John can describe in detail the plantings on this treasured property.
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Along the way, you’ll see mature hydrangea and yew plantings, that stand out around the annually planted concrete bird bath. To your left, are the brilliant pinks, plums and magentas of the non-fruiting Cherry Trees proudly lining the driveway. Beneath these regal trees lies a dense array of lilies in various shades of creamy yellow and reddish orange, creating an impressive display that closely competes with the intricate canopy overhead.
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Paxton Lane
Honouring Her Roots
This garden honours Karen’s roots: it combines perennial plantings from past homes, hydrangea
from her mom, plants from her sister and
neighbours, garden accents from her kids and an array of pear and apple trees reminiscent of Karen’s childhood garden. There’s even a beloved cat immortalized in one of the gardens.
The magnificent fruit trees are a particular feature, “my father always had fruit trees and, as a child,
I can recall walking out back and picking a sweet, ripe peach. Some good memories for me.” Karen explains. The rest of the plants are from Karen’s heart, lovingly purchased, planted and tended.
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1823 Niagara Stone Road - Ron Boaks Fine Art
The Romantic Modernist's Dilemma: Balancing Beauty and the Sublime.
Simply put, art needs to be alive in the present - when you look at it. It should evoke pleasure. It is a physical expression of mind and spirit.
Let yourself be drawn in, perhaps by the colour, or the texture, or the balance of the composition.
Experience the delight.
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Sculpture
Still Life Photography
Painting and Collages
Assemblages
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247 Ricardo St - The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre
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Celebrating the Art of Nature
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​Experience the Artistry of Bonsai at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society's Gardener's Garden Tour on July 11th! Stop by the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre grounds where the Niagara Bonsai Society will present a stunning collection, cultivated by passionate members. Engage with experts who will share insights and tips on this captivating horticultural art form​​
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The Pumphouse is situated along the picturesque banks of the Niagara River. Again this year it will serve as headquarters for our Gardener's Garden Tour.
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At this stop, visitors can enjoy various attractions, including nature-inspired exhibits, outdoor Garden Gallery, and refreshments available for purchase.
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2026 Gardener's Garden Tour Sponsors
Without the generous support of local business sponsors, the Gardener's Garden Tour would not be the success that we need it to be. We are grateful for the community spirit and involvement in Niagara-on-the- Lake, that our business owners demonstrate and hope that business sponsors in our region will continue to support this community educational scholarship fundraiser.
Phil's Independent Grocer
Hendriks Independent
Grocer- NOTL
