How much do you know about your country’s horticultural past, present, and future? The Canadian Garden Council (CGC) encourages people to learn more about gardening in Canada now that the Year of the Garden (YOTG) is officially underway!
Year of the Garden
A celebration of everything that has to do with gardening, the YOTG was officially pronounced by the CGC in March 2021. Canada is the first country to celebrate gardening in such a public way.
What’s Happening
The CGC has a wide range of YOTG activities planned between now and the first frost in the fall to help Canadians of all ages appreciate garden life.
“Canada’s 100 Garden Moments” will recognize individuals and organizations who have made a significant historical contribution to Canada’s horticultural and gardening landscape. Every community has a special person who inspires others to garden; nominate them and make them a garden hero!
There will also be opportunities to register your garden, no matter how big or small, as a YOTG celebratory garden. Fill out the downloadable forms and invite your town, city, or municipality to declare 2022 the Year of the Garden.
Together with garden clubs and associations, Canadians are being encouraged to volunteer at a community garden or with a local garden club to help spread the word about the benefits of growing plants. Follow along Canada’s Garden Route on the YOTG website and learn about trails, networks, and where to find and visit one of your region’s hundreds of historic public gardens.
All About Red
The CGC has selected the color red to show garden pride. They hope balconies, backyard gardens, city boulevards, hanging baskets, and every garden container across the country are spilling over with Canadian red and YOTG celebration.
Michel Gauthier, Executive Director of the CGC, sums up this exciting year:
“Gardens throughout the country continue to shape our cultural landscapes, helping us reflect on the past and look into the future, especially the influence gardening has on our culture,” he says. “We’ve experienced this throughout the pandemic, as gardening plays an important role in improving connection and the mental and physical health of Canadians. Canada’s Year of the Garden 2022 is the ideal opportunity to celebrate and commemorate Canada’s vibrant garden heritage and its growing gardening community.”
Sign up for regular newsletters and follow the YOTG’s social media channels to keep up to date with all the activities. There’s so much planned; it will be a busy year!
The YOTG is supported by a large garden family of suppliers, retailers, garden communicators, associations, and clubs across Canada.