Garden Days Garden festivals

IT’S GARDEN TIME!

Garden Days celebrate the joys of gardens and gardening, and its many benefits to our physical and mental well-being. Whether your hands are in the dirt of your backyard garden, or you prefer to take a stroll through a public garden, from June 13 to 21 it’s Garden Time

Garden Days is a Canadian programme … but we’re not shutting anyone out! If you want to celebrate Garden Days in your country, just jump right in and join us. As far as we’re concerned, it’s Garden Days all over the world!

This year’s Garden Days will be quite different from previous years. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. With restrictions on whom we can meet with and where we can go, more people than ever are rediscovering the joys of gardens and gardening. 

Garden lovers already know the benefits of the garden, but there is also scientific evidence that shows gardening is good for the body and soul. This year Garden Days celebrate the healing power of gardens. 

Photo: Iowa Food & Family Project.

“Gardening helps us to slow down and learn to observe and operate at the Earth’s pace. We can drastically increase the therapeutic benefits in the garden by simply paying attention to our surroundings and slowing down enough to really observe the garden (and our own bodies).” Cheney Creamer, Chair, Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association.

This year, via GardenDays.ca and our social media channels, Garden Days will introduce you to experts in the field of health and wellness, as well as Canadian gardening gurus, to reinforce and celebrate the important part that gardens play in our lives and our communities. 

Garden Days 2020 is from June 13 to 21. This week-long celebration, including National Garden Day on Saturday, June 20, will encourage Canadians to spend time in their gardens or in public gardens, and will emphasize the benefits of home gardening. Garden Days 2020 invite everyone to gather online using the hashtag #gardentime and #gardendayscanada, and share pictures of you and your family enjoying your garden. Prizes provided by Scotts, Canadian Tulip Festival, and My Garden Colours will be up for grabs. Visit GardenDays.ca for details. 

“We believe that this time, during the pandemic, is Canada’s sweet spot for gardens. A time when Canadians are discovering the joys of the gardening experience at a new level. Garden Days is your chance to celebrate the gardening experience with us!”—Mark and Ben Cullen—National Spokespeople 

What Can You Do to Celebrate Garden Days?

Here I am in my own garden.

Just about anything in the garden counts! Here are some thoughts: 

  • Plant something new or share a plant with a neighbor;
  • Start a new row of veggies for your local food banks;
  • Add a few pots of flowers to your patio;
  • Recycle something unused as a garden ornament;
  • Share with friends (and social media) how gardening contributes to your health and well-being;
  • Post a story about your favorite garden and maybe a photo or two! 
  • Show the world your garden projects: the new raised bed, your vegetable patch, your beautiful floral arrangements or any other gardening or garden experience.

And don’t forget the hashtags: #gardentime and #gardendayscanada,

Garden Days is a program from the Canadian Garden Council. 

Garden Days 2020 is supported by Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Gardens British Columbia, and Quebec Gardens Association, and is sponsored by ZRB, Enterprise Canada, Scotts and My Garden Colours. We also thank our spokespeople and our network of Champions for their participation. 

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Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

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