Alex and I traveled to Halifax recently so we could see the famed Bay of Fundy, where one can see the largest tidal variation in North America – as much as a 55 feet differential every 12 hours!
While we were there, we had the opportunity to visit the Halifax Public Gardens. These beautiful gardens were opened to the public in 1875, uniting two gardens: the 1837 Horticultural Society Garden and the adjacent Civic Garden created in 1867. The original design by landscape architect Richard Power is largely intact, partly due to his family’s longstanding involvement.
The Halifax Public Gardens are a classic example of a Victorian garden, and are one of the rare surviving Victorian gardens in Canada. The general theme of Victorian gardens is man’s conquest over nature. Some of the many elements that typify this kind of garden include expansive lawns, symmetrical and geometric planting bed patterns, herbaceous borders where each row of plants is successively higher than the previous row, exotic plants, trees that shade or frame desired areas, shrubs that provide separation or definition of spaces, fencing – most commonly out of cast iron, garden ornaments, decorative benches, seats, pavilions, trellises and gazebos made as decorative as possible, old-fashioned and colorful flowers, and exotic plant species.
Alex and I agreed that all of the color in the beds was a bit much for us, but what we did love was the symmetry of the beds – especially around the beautiful wooden bandstand, the amazing collection of dahlias, the pretty pond/lake, the meandering pathways, the scale and intimacy of the space (not too big, not too small), and the surprising plant material. The exotic leaves were an especially wonderful addition to the beds – something I don’t pay much attention to in my own beds.
Most of all, we agreed that whether you love a garden design or not, gardens always make you feel wonderful. What is it that makes you feel that way? For me, it’s a combination of being away from it all, immersed in nature, inspired by a garden’s creativity and surrounded by green. I lose all track of time. Being surrounded by natural beauty is the most wonderful experience of all, to me.
As late fall descends upon Halifax, the Halifax Public Gardens with all of its spring color makes you forget that winter is coming. What a wonderful garden to have in the middle of a city.
