Ornamental Gardens

Photo by John Janitz, and Friends of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa

Early farmers from Europe required government help to test trees, shrubs and flowers from homelands (especially Europe) in the Canadian setting. As a result, the Ornamental Gardens were created.

The gardens are composed of a number of different areas: the perennial collection, the rock garden, the rose garden, the annual garden, the Macoun sunken garden and the hedge collections.

In the annual garden there are also some of the "All-American selections", the best new annual flower varieties released in North America each year. In the ornamental gardens there are 100 types of irises developed by Mr. Macoun, the first CEF horticulturalist. The basement of Macoun's former home is now a frog pond in the Gardens.

Explorer roses “Alexander MacKenzie”

Isabella Preston, the second horticulturalist (and namesake of Preston Street in Ottawa), developed many of the 125 different strains in the lilac collection. She was suspected to have little or no sense of smell as many of her strains were nearly odourless.

The rose collection includes the rose garden plus the Explorer series roses developed at the Central Experimental Farm and renowned for their winter hardiness.

The hedge collection includes plantings dating to 1891 in the old hedge collection and to 1965 in the new hedge collection. There are 65 different plant species in the two hedge collections.

• Central Experimental Farm
• Arboretum

General contact information:

Telephone: 613-773-1000
Fax: 613-773-2772
TDD/TTY: 613-773-2600
Email:info@agr.gc.ca