About Gardens Ottawa

The Vision of Ottawa Gardens:

To be the voice of the Ottawa gardening community in relation to the city, the private sector, the tourism industry and other sectors of the community.

The Ottawa Gardens Mission:

Promote the development of marketing synergies, directly linked to local, regional, provincial and national strategies.
Provide unique and effective opportunities to develop the experience of the gardening sector, its markets and the buy-in of all those involved.

The Ottawa Gardens Mandate:

Develop effective working relationships in the local / regional garden experience sector;
Work to remove barriers to collaboration
Identify services and resources that need to be improved;
Encourage, facilitate and develop effective relationships with volunteer groups, community sectors, private sector, public sector, service providers and other stakeholders;
Share and disseminate knowledge and information;
Identify evaluation approaches in order to monitor improvements;
Engage in the successful delivery of Growing Our Markets (GOM) activities.

The objectives of Gardens of Ottawa:

Encourage residents, businesses, associations, organizations and government to recognize the value and potential that gardens, gardening activities and gardening provide to our community, to our physical and mental health and to our environment in its together;
Facilitate communication between all groups and organizations engaged in the development, growth and beautification of the community through gardens and gardening;
Be a voice for the gardening and garden community with entities such as municipal government, various groups and organizations, the private sector and Ottawa residents in general;
Create a network to help groups, organizations and projects that support and promote the creation, maintenance and enjoyment of gardens and gardening in our community;
Facilitate communication between garden leaders and the garden and landscape industry;
Develop a synergy plan for garden marketing in Ottawa;
Manage a French-language website on the gardens of Ottawa: GardensOttawa.ca/fr;
Incorporate local gardens and gardening experiences into the Canada Garden Route;
Plan, implement and promote Garden Days at the local / regional level;
Work to integrate gardens and gardening experiences into Ottawa tourism promotions;
Support and promote the use of gardening experiences as a means to improve the quality of life of our community and its celebrations;
Identify the issues that warrant a policy response and bring these issues to the attention of policy makers.

 

By the 1900s, the appeal of public and private gardens and the benefits of gardens for mental and physical well-being were already documented. In March 1969, the Ottawa Horticultural Society commissioned a study of Ottawa Gardens. Here’s a revealing snippet:

To the citizens of Ottawa

Ottawa, “The City of Gardens”, is what the capital should be and would be if individuals could realize and seize their opportunities.

A visitor to Ottawa will be impressed by the beauty of its setting and the wealth of charm within its borders. Possibly with the sole exception of Quebec City, Ottawa is probably the most beautifully situated city in Canada. Mountains, rivers, waterfalls and other landscapes of varying character, seen from Parliament Hill, Nepean Point, Rockcliffe and many other vantage points, delight nature lovers as do a few places on this continent. . To the natural beauty has been added a lot of charm thanks to various public agencies and private companies.

The city of Ottawa with its walkways, park systems, beautiful homes and horticultural opportunities could become America’s most beautiful city. Toronto, “The Queen City”, Hamilton, “The Ambitions City”, London, “The Forest City” are all proud of their designations, and what could be a more befitting designation for Ottawa than “The City of Gardens”.

From: Ottawa, A City of Gardens
A Guide to Improving Lawns and Gardens in Ottawa
Published for the Ottawa Horticultural Society by

Mr. R. B. WHYTE
OTTAWA, MARCH 1916

Gardens Ottawa was inspired by Mr. R.B. Whyte’s guide. To this end, we continue to support the dream of having Ottawa recognized as “the city of gardens”.

Moreover, during this time of COVID-19, the importance of gardens and green spaces received more and more attention, supported by scientific evidence.

“There is no doubt that gardens promote well-being. They offer the potential to reduce stress, increase vitamin D, improve heart health and muscle strength, and allow us to socialize, problem-solve, and improve access to healthy foods. Gardens promote the well-being of those who create them, those who spend time in them and those who look at them.

– Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health

Gardens

National Botanical Garden (Planned)

Economic Benefits

Jobs