
Happy Friday GPODers!
We’re ending the week on a very tranquil, peaceful note with another visit to Montreal Botanical Garden courtesy of Cherry Ong. In case you missed it, yesterday we explored the impressive penjing collection in the Springtime Courtyard (Le Cour du Printemps), and today we’re exploring the aptly named Dream Lake Garden (Le Jardin du Lac de reve).
This is an authentic Chinese garden designed to resemble the private garden of a mandarin, an Imperial court official, in Ming-era (14th to 17th centuries) southern China. The 2.5 hectare space was designed by Chinese architect Le Weizhong and is one of the largest classical gardens outside of China.
The Garden is the fruit of friendship between Montreal and Shanghai. It was built entirely in China, then dismantled and shipped by sea to Montreal. Here it was reassembled in 1990 by a team of more than fifty craftsmen brought specially from China. The Dream Lake Garden opened on June 20, 1991.
The Garden’s layout, the plant species and the architecture of the different buildings all reflect age-old traditions. It is a peaceful haven for you to enjoy in the heart of the city, just as people would have done in China in days gone by.
Although you probably envision lotus growing out to large masses in lakes and ponds, they are also great plants to grow in containers.
Sacred Lotus (Lotus d’Orient) – The lotus is the most admired of all aquatic plants, with its elegant bearing, graceful flowers and rich traditional heritage. For Buddhists, the lotus is a symbol of purity, for its flower rises immaculate from its muddy bed. In China, it symbolizes the Confucian model of the “superior man” and is also one of the noble flowers. There are two species of lotus: The sacred lotus (above), Nelumbo nucifera, also known as the East Indian lotus, Oriental lotus or lily of the Nile, is native to southern Asia and can grow at altitudes of up to 1,600 meters. And…
Thank you so much for sharing your visit to Montreal Botanical Garden with us, Cherry! I think I learned just as much as I admired these gardens.
Did you visit any gardens this summer? A big botanical garden like Cherry, or a small private garden tour? If you have photos, I would love to see them. Follow the directions below to submit photos, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad. Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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Comments
I really like this courtyard, building, ponds, surrounding the beautiful gardens and ponds!
Curious to know what the yellowish green sedum is...angelina or tokyo sun or?
A lotus in a manageable container - thanks for the photo and the idea! Lovely photos. And if I manage to get to Montreal - this would be a great garden to visit.
This garden is astonishing.... wow...
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