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For many Nova Scotians, summer is the ideal time to tour Nova Scotia and take in the breathtaking scenery of our province. From the rolling hills of the Cabot Trail to the sandy shores of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia is known for its natural beauty. For the first time, Tourism Nova Scotia is highlighting the provinces botanical beauty with the Garden Road Trip with one stop featuring the gardens at the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus.

The Garden Road Trip is one of many “road trips” found on Nova Scotia’s provincial tourism website. These “road trips” are a series of themed adventures with helpful suggestions highlighting different features in Nova Scotia. With road trips ranging from outdoor activities, food, lighthouses and summer theater, they are designed to help travelers make the most of their Nova Scotian vacation. With no official tour guide or structured tour, travelers can select the preference of their road trip and all of the must-see destinations are suggested for them.

This year, the Garden Road Trip was added to the list of road trips. It features 9 different gardens from around the province, including Halifax Public Gardens, Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Gardens, Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University, and the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens. A new concept this year, the Garden Road Trip was developed to increase garden tourism in Nova Scotia and to highlight the beautiful gardens and the hard work of gardeners from around the province. The tour runs from the beginning of May until the end of September when the gardens are most vibrant.

Visiting the Ag Campus

With Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Gardens as one of the initial participants of the tour, groundskeeper and contact point for the garden tour Jeff Morton, is very excited about the opportunity it provides for the campus.

“The tour will help highlight the campus to the community,” Morton explains. “It will direct attention to the quality of our campus and provide opportunities for potential students to see what the campus has to offer.”

With many unique features, Morton hopes that the garden tour will be a success for Dalhousie Agricultural Campus.

“Although this is a new event, the hope is that 1,000 visitors will visit the campus,” Morton explains.

Boasting more than 148 acres of an extensive plant collection, Dalhousie’s Agricultural Campus features a Rock Garden, Herb Garden, and Alumni Garden. Along with public booking and catering opportunities, the gardens acts as a tool for the horticulture program at the university.

Ready for Visitors

Morton and the gardening team are busy all summer maintaining the garden’s beauty and vibrancy. He explains that a bit of extra work had to be done to prepare for the Garden Tour. Public parking and washrooms have been designated for the tour period and new signage has been developed and placed to assist visitors. Garden staff are available regular hours, Monday to Friday 8 am- 4 pm, to answer questions and offer assistance.

As part of their mandate, Dalhousie Agricultural Campus is very supportive of the Garden Road Trip and engaging the community. The university plans to take part in the Garden Road Trip for many more years.

“This is not a short term venture,” Morton explains. “We hope to continue to host festivals and events that draw people to the campus and to the gardens. I think the Garden Road Trip will become a great tool for people to use when planning trips in Nova Scotia.”

Having plans to continue their participation in the Garden Road Trip, Morton and the grounds crew are keeping their eyes and ears open for areas to improve on. They will also continue to maintain the garden’s beauty in anticipation of visitors following the Garden Road Trip. As a first time event, there are improvements to be made for next year that will make the province wide tour bigger and better than ever.

Learn more: Garden Road Trip website