Bloom Report - September 19, 2026

September 19, 2026

Bloom Report - September 19, 2026

Mid September... feeling like summer one minute and autumn the next!

Things are changing every day, so best to come often!

Now, a list of some of the current highlights:

• Roses: Partial bloom - still a highlight. (The "peak" bloom period is early July so most of the older varieties have passed. But many of our roses will continue to bloom through October.)
• Perennial Borders are lovely - lots in bloom. Also perennials in various places around the Gardens.
• Shrubs & Trees: The Sourwood (oxydendrum) at the top of the first pond is in bloom (look up). Hydrangeas of various colours and shapes throughout the Gardens. Our Albizia (Silk Tree) is blooming, and the Seven Sons beside it is open (both to the right of the main path towards the rose garden). A little further along, our rare Franklinia is starting to bloom.
• The Lower Pond area is always a highlight, and the foliage is already starting to give it an autumn look!
• The Knot Garden has a lovely collection of dahlias along with two "knots", topiary and a sundial.
• The Victorian Garden is a showstopper and will be a highlight until October. The ginormous Castor Bean plants are wowing our visitors.
• Courtyard - The giant red flowers of the hibiscus near the Shop windows are incredible and the funky potted papyrus plants are also capturing the attention of visitors.
• Lower path - the Heather Collection is still showy and birds, bees and butterflies are enjoying the Butterfly Garden and the Native Plant Garden.
• The Innovative Garden has colour and interest with lots of produce!

The Gardens are open every day 9am-5pm (holidays included)

AND until 8pm on Saturday September 26.

Check our website for daily admission fees.

And remember - no charge for kids under 18.

Be sure to pick up a scavenger hunt activity for them to work on during your walk!

Visitor Washrooms are open daily 9am-5pm

The Gardens Shop is also open 7 days a week, 9am-5pm

Visitor Information services are available daily 9am-5pm

(with self serve information available 24/7)

The Elm Tree Cafe is open Friday through Tuesday 11am-4pm

Closed on Wed/Thurs in Sept/Oct.

(Note the Cafe is available exclusively for members and Garden visitors)

For detailed visitor information, hours and rates, please visit www.historicgardens.com

News...

The work continues on our dykes! The upgrade to the Allain's River dyke system that forms part of the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens is progressing nicely. This work is being done through the Nova Scotia Dykeland System Upgrades Project. The project will likely take 4-6 weeks. Aside from the dykewalk being closed, the impact for Garden visitors will be minimal and the Gardens will be open daily 9am-5pm throughout.

Not only does this stabilize things for the Gardens in terms of tides, it also means that our dykewalk will be able to re-open in 2027. It has been missed by many of our visitors while we waited for this work to be done.

Colours and Textures

The orange of the rudbeckia

The stripes on the bark of the Kwanzan Cherry

The seemingly sharp spikes of the fall milkweed

The many different colours of hibiscus

The unique exfoliating bark of the Paperbark Maple

The funky leaves and buds of the Popcorn Cassia

And the super interesting shape of the Obedient Plant

The roses continue to delight...

'Bonica'

'Cinco de Mayo'

'Julia Child'

Critter Corner

This juvenile cardinal was hanging out in the Knot Garden the other day.
Such a cutie... just starting to sport that classic punk haircut!

A lovely winged creature enjoying a sunny perch.

Another reason to look forward to the re-opening of our dykewalk is the opportunity to encounter birds like this graceful heron, seen fishing in the Allain's River behind the Gardens.

Innovative Garden

Visitors are really fascinated by the Innovative Garden and all that grows therein. The hot peppers in the greenhouse are of particular interest. (Note that you will hear about these peppers in another month or so when they become part of the fall line of hot sauces created by the folks at our Elm Tree Cafe!) And be sure to check out the birdhouse gourds. Once the season is over and these have dried out, they can actually be carved into birdhouses. How cool is that!

Unique Trees

The Historic Gardens has many unique trees that add colour and interest in autumn. We wanted to highlight three of them which are located together on the main path between the Innovative Garden and the Rose Garden.

They are, in order...

The Seven Sons (Heptacodium miconioides), native to China. The Seven Sons is a rare tree and thought to be nearing extinction in the wild. The lovely white blossoms we are now enjoying will be followed by some great fall colour. Add to that a very interesting exfoliating bark and you can understand why we feel this tree is worthy of a shout-out!

Next, you will see our relatively new Albizia julibrissin, commonly called mimosa or silk tree. Native to Asia, its leaves have a fern-like appearance and the fluffy, pink, powder puff flowerheads are fragrant and attractive to bees. It has been blooming for several weeks now.

And the third of these is the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha) which is coming into bloom now with its large "fried egg" flowers. The Franklinia, a small flowering tree in the tea family, is said to be among the rarest trees in the world and is extinct in the wild. In 1765 William Bartram and his father discovered a unique tree along the banks of a river in Georgia. In 1791, he wrote, "We never saw it any other place, nor have I ever seen it growing wild, in all my travels, from Pennsylvania to Point Coupe, on the banks of the Mississippi." He collected seeds and brought them back to Philadelphia. His collection of the species was timely; within 50 years, the tree was extinct in the wild. All living Franklin trees—which Bartram named for family friend Benjamin Franklin—are descended from the seeds Bartram collected.

In the Gardens Shop

We recently received some new creations from Black Crow Pottery. Shauna MacLeod is the artist behind the annual Dream Birds display in the Gardens. Her work is always stunning, but she has outdone herself once again. Drop by soon to check it out!

We were thrilled to welcome Chaba Conrad this week with some new botanical creations. These clay floral sculptures are handmade and hand painted by Chaba at her studio near Halifax. They are amazing creations - she brought lupins, orchids, tulips, mayflowers and more to add to our existing selection. And her new forget-me-nots have stolen our hearts.

(I rarely buy myself anything, but when these clay forget-me-nots arrived I knew I simply had to have one. It is now adding cheer to my workspace.)

The Shop is open daily, year round, from 9am-5pm. Drop in to browse.
And if you can't get here in person, you can explore our online shop for gift ideas, and have items shipped.

And in the Elm Tree Cafe...

There is no better place to enjoy the dahlias than from the vantage point of the patio at the Elm Tree Cafe!

The Elm Tree Cafe is open Friday through Tuesday each week, through Thanksgiving Weekend.

Drop by soon for a treat or lunch!

Donations to the Gardens

The Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Society is a registered charity whose purpose is stewardship of these Seventeen Acres of Paradise. Without the charitable donations we receive every year, the Gardens could simply not exist. We encourage you to support the Society in this important work to help to ensure the Gardens continue to blossom for future generations.

Please consider a donation today!

And to close...

Wishing everyone happy days ahead, with a chance to get out and enjoy some of the beauty in nature. See you soon!

Trish

The Gardens would not be here without lots of amazing community support. Please consider a donation to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Society (Charitable # 106714736 RR0001).