The Gardens of Madeline Heights are themed and include alpine plants and winter-hardy cacti in the Rock Garden. Yes, the cacti really do survive our -30C winters with no additional care, and they do so very well. And then they bloom in the summer in an assortment of glorious colours with flowers that have an iridescent tissue paper-like quality.
The Woodland Garden includes hardy orchids such as cypripedium calceolus, the Yellow Lady Slipper that is native to Ontario woodlands, as well as the gorgeous, rare and coveted Double Bloodroot, which reminds one of Ontario’s water lilies. It also boasts Japanese Jack in the Pulpits and Korean Fairy Bells.
The Evergreen Garden exhibits unusual evergreens such as Japanese Pines, Korean Firs and Oriental Spruce; many are dwarf with unusual colouring. Visitors are captivated by the Bald Cypress Peve Minaret, a bizarre and beautiful deciduous conifer.
There is also a Mini Hosta Garden that celebrates the smallest hostas, such as the aptly named Teenie Weenie Bikini and Itsy Bitsy Spider.
The Perennial Gardens are filled with a variety of rare perennials such as Spider Daylilies, Itoh Peonies and the Clematis Duchess of Albany that graces the Victorian gazebo with its unconventional bell-like blooms.
The gardens were developed over the past 19 years, starting with just the side beds spanning the length of the property. Over the years, after visiting other gardens, reading, watching programs, listening to other gardeners, and then becoming inspired, more and more beds and hardscape features were added.
Classical statuary, emphasized with a lighting system that lends nighttime drama to the semi-formal landscape. The mature garden, along with a multitude of bird feeders, attracts migratory birds such as the Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, and Baltimore Oriole.
Over the years, unique and rare plants were sought out requiring travel to distant specialty nurseries. Today, the gardens contain more than 700 different varieties of plants, including 30 Japanese Maples and 15 winter-hardy cacti.
With so many varieties, plants have been situated to focus on enhancing leaf colour, shape, size, texture and bloom time. This allows each plant to have ‘its day in the sun’ by highlighting its own unique beauty and allows all sections of the garden to continue to put on a show even when not in bloom.
The gardens start their show very early in the spring when the snow clears with the earliest snowdrop and snowflake bulbs, followed by various tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and flowering trees, such as the exquisite Japanese Fuji Cherry.
From there, it is a slow crescendo to the floriferous peak of summer followed by the expected diminuendo of blooms by the end of September progressing toward the inevitable and exciting beauty of the fall colours featured by the Paper Bark Maple, and brilliant Japanese Maples such as Ukiguma and Shigitatsu Sawa. Finally, the weary garden settles in with its blanket of snow to rest.
For more information, if you would like to visit the gardens as an individual or with a group, contact [email protected]
If you would like to share the story of your garden, contact editor Debora Kelly at [email protected].