Skip to content
Holiday Hours: Please note RBG's hours vary during the holiday season, and on Winter Wonders dates. See rbg.ca/hours for full details.

Blog

The Perils of Spring Fever

February 22, 2023

By Jessica Veter, Volunteer, Royal Botanical Gardens. Last year, my grow op–which had started as three smallish trays of seedlings at the end of January–grew ...

Read More

2022 Botanical Year in Review: How Did Our Garden Grow?

December 22, 2022

By: Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens RBG’s cultivated gardens now have a total of 9,964 living accessions and over ...

Read More

Solstice Botany and Christmas Celebrations

December 21, 2022

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Have you ever stopped to think why, in the middle of winter, when the northern world ...

Read More

Fungi, Winter Solstice, and …Santa Claus?

November 23, 2022

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Did you know that the modern image of Santa Claus was devised as recently as 1931 ...

Read More

Low Waters and Ecological Implications

November 10, 2022

By Tys Theysmeyer, Head of Natural Areas, Royal Botanical Gardens A truly dry summer and fall has led to challenging conditions for fish and wildlife.  ...

Read More

Put the rake down. Your garden, and local wildlife, will thank you

October 24, 2022

By Jessica Veter, Volunteer, Royal Botanical Gardens. I have been gardening since April and, frankly, I’m exhausted. I’ve dug a set of stairs into a ...

Read More

All About Sunflowers: Native Species & Beloved Cultivars

September 8, 2022

By Tys Theysmeyer, Head of Natural Areas, Royal Botanical Gardens Few plant species bring a smile to peoples face like sunflowers. The smiles can get ...

Read More

Smart Water Management in Your Garden

August 9, 2022

By Jessica Veter, Volunteer, Royal Botanical Gardens. Have I mentioned before how lazy I am? Why do I bother gardening at all? I’d rather lie ...

Read More

Top 5 Long Blooming Perennials to Try This Summer

July 13, 2022

By Andrea Berwick CLD, Landscape Designer, Royal Botanical Gardens I don’t know about you but when I walk into a garden center, I become overwhelmed ...

Read More

The Scent of Roses

July 8, 2022

By Ali Brown, Volunteer, Royal Botanical Gardens As you walk along a trail you don’t notice them right away, hiding just off the main path ...

Read More

Lost & Found; the Creelman Lily Blooms Again

July 8, 2022

The “dean of hybridists”, “Grand Lady of Canadian Horticulture”, Isabella Preston (1881-1964) was a self-taught plant hybridist who began her horticultural journey as a student ...

Read More

Foliage & Living Fossils: Summer Breezeway Display

July 5, 2022

As the heat warms the gardens outside, indoors the Breezeway transitions from bright spring bulbs to a lush landscape of foliage and subtle flowers. This ...

Read More

8 Ways to Attract Beneficial Insects to your Garden

June 10, 2022

By Jessica Veter, Volunteer, Royal Botanical Gardens. I’m a live-and-let-live kind of gardener, though that was sorely tested when an army of caterpillars were stripping ...

Read More

In Memoriam – Freek Vrugtman

March 31, 2022

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. An institution with an 80-year history has seen many amazing people participate in its development and ...

Read More

Growing in 2021

December 9, 2021

By: Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens Photos by Jon L. Peter The 2021 growing period was a relatively good ...

Read More

One Hundred Years of Remembrance Day Poppies

November 11, 2021

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Remembrance Day poppies are artificial flowers worn to remember those who died for their country. They ...

Read More

Introducing Heptacodium miconioides

October 14, 2021

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens With the sun having recently crossed the celestial equator and welcoming the autumnal equinox, many of ...

Read More

Joy in the Rose Garden

July 22, 2021

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Exciting things have been happening in the Rose Garden based upon information gathered in 2020. Last ...

Read More

Lilacs and Living Collections

May 26, 2021

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. Canada has produced several notable lilac hybridizers over the years. When it comes to female ...

Read More

Ravishing Redbuds

April 21, 2021

By Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens. Thanks to hybridization and selection efforts, the redbud has become a very popular ...

Read More

Mediterranean Garden 2020-2021

April 14, 2021

By Chris Tarrant, Plant Propagation and Production Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens. Since my arrival at RBG in 2017, the Mediterranean Garden (or “Med House” as ...

Read More

A Seasonal Display Primer

February 18, 2021

By Jim Mack, Head of Horticulture, Royal Botanical Gardens. The transition through the seasons may be slow and subtle, but from a horticultural point of ...

Read More

Exploring Conifers

November 24, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens. As we approach the holiday season and winter ahead, there is one division of ...

Read More

The Importance of Rose Evaluations

August 10, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. As beautiful as the rose garden is it also provides RBG with several great educational ...

Read More
123