The Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens (O.V.B.G.)’s goal is to create an international gardening attraction in Oshawa, Canada. Parkwood, The R. S. McLaughlin Estate, has been nationally designated for its gardens and will be incorporated with a series of modern feature gardens linked by the parklands and natural terrain of the Oshawa Valley Creek trail system. As the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens continue to develop alongside naturalized creek banks and old-growth trees, they will delight visitors for many years to come.
Peony Garden was the first garden to open. The Canadian Peony Society donated 100 peonies to kickstart the garden in fall 2001. The collection has grown to more than 300 varieties, one of the largest modern collections of peonies in North America, thanks to the continued contributions of peony breeders and suppliers across North America. In late May, blooming begins, and it continues through June’s last week. This peak of the bloom cycle is celebrated annually at the Peony Festival in June.
Thanks to the generosity of Henry Lorrain and Douglas Lycett, founders of We’re in the Hayfield Now, a unique collection of locally hybridized daylilies was created to complement the beautiful gardens. In addition to volunteers from the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens, Brooklin Horticulture Society and individuals, the City would like to thank the many individuals who committed their time to dig, transport, store and replant the daylilies to make this collection possible.
In 2017, the Daylily Collection of 265 was established near the Oshawa Creek on its eastern side and its access is located near the Kolodzie Oshawa Creek Bike Path. An annual plant in the Hemerocallis genus, the daylily translates to ‘beauty for a day. One day is all a blossom needs to reach the perfect form. A mature daylily plant, however, will bloom over several weeks during the month of July since each stem contains many flower buds.
Currently, the City’s tree and bench program honors departed loved ones through the Memory Garden while garden design and development have been focused on the Memory Garden. With substantial late summer and fall plants and grasses, the fall-themed garden extends the season of the botanical garden. It also boasts scenic walkways and seating areas. Also, the Rotary Clubs of Oshawa have donated a pergola recently completed for quiet contemplation, to act as a backdrop for photographs, or to host a formal wedding ceremony.
A commissioned Master Plan was created and adopted by City Council in response to a proposal from the Oshawa Garden Club. Municipal parks and trail ways were dedicated to this ambitious project. A unique botanical garden attraction will be developed in Oshawa’s heart to grow the city’s greatness over the next three years.
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