Five Gardening Reasons to Visit Minter Gardens, British Columbia

Minter Gardens in British Columbia is worth a visit to calm the nerves and experience a sensory experience complete with formal gardens, topiaries, whimsical creatures, ponds, and many sculptures.

Minter Gardens in British Columbia are located about an hour's drive from the Sumas border crossing into Canada. They are easy to find from Trans Canada Highway 1 with good signage and plenty of parking. Cost for entry is $15 per person with reduced rates for children and seniors. At Minter Gardens are a number of formal and informal gardens. Five of my favorite places to visit in Minter Gardens are the formal borders planted with annuals, a huge pond garden planted naturally and with sculptures, an exhibit of Asian rocks and bonsai, huge potted plants and hanging baskets, and many whimsical features. A restaurant and gift shop at Minter Gardens caters to every visitor's needs including food, drink, bathrooms, gifts, plants, sweets and much more.

Formal Borders [see photograph 1]

Minter Gardens is noted for their many formal gardens bordered by hedges. A trail at Minter Gardens takes visitors past pretty gardens to a place where they can capture a photograph of their signature garden-Minter Gardens spelled out in green box and planted with annuals. Several others add variety and color to the huge open spaces beneath the tall trees planted in park like lawns. Other formal borders include a rose garden and a perennial garden.

Pond Garden [see photograph 2]

Minter Garden's pond garden is a natural place of beauty. Planted with sweet smelling flowers, native grasses, the pond is decorated with artwork. One stump is carved to look like an old man. Metal cranes feast in the pond depths. One cedar is decorated with a pottery face. Irises bloom in the center and the edges. It has a nice strolling path to meander along while watching the robins dive through the thickets.

Asian Exhibit [see photograph 3]

Up a rockery path, the visitor reaches a small cottage like house behind a fence at Minter Gardens. Inside, is a collection of Asian rocks that are formed and shaped naturally to look like miniature mountains and bonsai.