DAYTRIPPIN’ NIAGARA
Daytrippin’ is a weekly series exploring the perfect day trips within 200 kilometres of Toronto.
I’m backstage at the Niagara Parks Floral Showcase (technically a greenhouse with hydrangeas ready to pop for the annual show) with the new director of horticulture, Charles Hunter, who is abuzz about the parkland’s future.
“We want to be one of the top 10 parks in the world,” Hunter says. "That’s our vision for the future.” A graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, Hunter has worked on and off at the park for 20 years (in between stints like working in Las Vegas and living at the Bellagio, to being an estate manager for wealthy Canadian families) and knows the region well.
In his newly created role since January, Hunter is most excited about the position’s creative freedom, particularly putting on bold floral shows — “My mother will tell you I am dramatic,” he says — to give visitors something new while preserving the history of the gardens and parks.
“The visitors are generational. There are people who are going to come back because they were here with their grandparents but they want to see it through their eyes now,” Hunter says.
Although tourists often get sucked into activities surrounding the Horseshoe Falls, I suggest you keep your feet firmly planted on the ground and explore the park’s gardens and conservatories with a selfguided tour at your own speed. Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse 7145 Niagara Parkway Admission: $5 adult/$3.75 child Paid Parking: $5/hour
If the falls is comparable to New York City’s Times Square (the crowds!), the Floral Showhouse is like sitting back and enjoying a broadway show. A formally trained musician, Hunter knows how to seduce an audience with expressional, seasonal flowers. Visitors can expect to see five different floral exhibits a year full of dynamic colours.
“How do you reflect multiculturalism?” Hunter asks, “We are doing that through colour that also compliments the rainbow-themed falls.”
For Canada’s milestone birthday earlier in the month, red and white flowers and pottery have dominated the conservatory.
My favourite room is the cramped tropical room that also houses 100 varieties of cacti and succulents. As you loop through the tropical room’s narrow path, you’ll notice how wild and untamed the collection is. In contrast to the precise execution of the floral exhibit, the tropical room has a personal feel, the names of plants are tenderly handwritten on Popsicle sticks and are allowed to grow gangly and awkward in shape.
Outside of the Floral Showhouse, both children and adults will be delighted to stumble across the Life on Display exhibit, a miniature village that some visitors might remember from Cullen Gardens. Based on actual architecture in the Whitby region, the restored miniature village was saved from rotting away in a Toronto warehouse after the closure of Cullen Gardens.
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens 2565 Niagara Parkway Admission: Free Paid Parking: $5 for the day
“Our botanical gardens are unique in that it is primarily operated with the work and effort of students, significantly different than any other botanical gardens on the planet,” Hunter says. The students of the School of Horticulture live in the picturesque stone building crawling with ivy in the park and can often be found maintaining the gardens. If you go on the weekend, it isn’t unusual to see wedding parties taking photos in the world-famous rose garden since the outdoor gardens do not require a photo permit. Try to spot region-bred roses, like the stunning Rainbow Niagara Hybrid Tea Rose, among the 2,000 roses.
“We are looking at gardens differently, it isn’t just a space for sitting on a lawn but a place where we can live,” Hunter says, “We are a public park but we are also the people in the park. Canada is so diverse, we want to offer something for everyone here.”
While the Legacy Prairie Garden lacks flashy florals, the space teaches the importance of sustainable gardening and biodiversity, made up of plants that attract pollinator and butterfly habitats. The crown jewel of the garden is the “bee hotel” made from a repurposed oak tree estimated to be between the age of 200 to 500 years old.
Similarly, along the parkway visitors can find 12 Niagara Parks Pollinator Garden Route that support atrisk pollinating species. Working with local Indigenous artists and writers, Niagara Parks has developed a collection of animal legends and artwork featuring some of Ontario’s native species.
Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory 2565 Niagara Parkway Admission:$14.55 adult/$9.45 child Paid parking (shares lot with the Botanical Gardens)
Located by the Botanical Garden, the Butterfly Conservatory’s glass ceiling is impossible to miss. Once inside, it’s not unusual to see tourists chasing the electric Blue Morpho butterfly with their cameras, but don’t forget the backdrop: lush tropical plants, trees and waterfalls. The beauty of the space is the glass ceilings that peak at 54 feet, allowing tropical palms like the miniature date to truly grow up. A favourite plant of mine is the massive philodendron that cascades over a waterfall you’ll see at the end of the tour.
Niagara Parks Floral Clock Admission: Free Parking: Free
I wanted to avoid the Floral Clock, I really did. But there is something about Niagara Park’s classic floralfaced clock that stops time. Maybe you have memories of visiting the clock as a child or want to create your own but there is actually something sweet about seeing young and old families pose for photos in front of the classic attraction. Built in 1950, the clock’s floral face got a facelift this year and features the winning student design to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.