The Parc Marie-Victorin: A Botanical Garden Like No Other

Who doesn’t love spending a day outdoors, surrounded by the wonders of nature? (If you can name one person, you don’t have to keep that person in your circle of friends!) The pretty, colorful, fragrant flowers, the splash of a waterfall, the wind in the leaves of mature trees, the song of the birds… Not to mention the mosaic sculptures, secret corners, carnivorous plant exhibition and Brother Marie-Victorin himself…!

Want to know what I’m talking about? Nothing less than my favorite botanical garden, a hidden gem in Kingsey Falls, Centre-du-Québec: The Parc Marie-Victorin.

A Three-Part Exhibition

You know those big exhibitions that get a lot of publicity, are overrun with people and, in the end, are a little disappointing because, yes, it’s a great theme, but sometimes it goes too far… or not far enough? That’s my criticism of the novelties at the “big and popular” botanical gardens.

That and parking.

So I was a little scared when I saw the 2024 announcement from Parc Marie-Victorin announcing a new exhibition on carnivorous plants. Had this wonderful place been denatured? No?! Not at all! And I’d even go so far as to say that it’s one of the most beautiful exhibitions I’ve ever seen in a garden.

1. The greenhouse

It’s not a temporary exhibition, and it shows! The installations are here to stay, and have been designed with carnivorous plants in mind. These aren’t potted plants that will have moved next year: they’re in a natural setting, some are dormant, some are in bloom, and they’re not hidden behind endless display cases. This may sound odd, but I’ve never been in such intimate contact with carnivorous plants.

The greenhouse, once home to tropical plants, is now unrecognizable. You have to stop and observe, get up close and wait. With the doors open, insects come and go between the outside and the carnivores, making the experience all the more interesting! Will this fly fall into the trap? Will this bee, which has glued its legs together, manage to free itself?

I’m telling you: it’s a far more interesting sight than watching your dying dionea in your living room.

What’s more, the Park team has done a remarkable job of providing information. Interpretation panels decorate the greenhouse, telling us more about the lifestyle, needs and strategies of these plant predators. Best of all, each panel has a colorful, playful section to interest the little ones. Their sense of observation will be put to the test with an investigation game.

2. The Tour

When I hurt all over, I’m 82, but in this segment, I was 5.

Outside the greenhouse, giant modules represent different plant traps. Each module is accompanied by its own interpretation panel, which you (my partner) can read while the kids (me) have fun climbing, exploring and understanding these giant representations of traps.

Mais attention, ce n’est pas tout: vos détectives poursuivent l’histoire qui a commencé dans la serre. Armés de leur sens de l’observation, ils doivent maintenant trouver dans les modules des symboles cachés. Et si vous n’avez pas d’enfant, faites comme moi, sinon vous ne pourrez pas passer à la troisième partie de l’exposition!

3. The Museum

Once you’ve got the secret code, you can open the door. No kidding: without a code, it stays locked! (Well, you can always enter through the other door, but it’s much less fun).

A surprise awaits you on the other side; you can bribe me as you like: I won’t say a word!

The exhibition closes with a room full of information and interesting facts about carnivorous plants in popular culture and research. We may be in a botanical garden, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg: movies, comics and video games take center stage in this museum section. Get your nostalgia ready!

The Secrets of the Park

If my eyes, muscles and brain were well stimulated in the carnivore exhibit, I was delighted to wander and relax in the rest of the Park. This is a place where nature is honored and respected: you can feel it and see it.

You don’t visit this park on the run, reading 500 signs and constantly looking for where you are on the map. It’s more like a stroll, with surprises at every turn.

Here, a small path half-hidden in the vegetation. At the end, a bench next to a pond where dragonflies and frogs are not bothered by our presence.

Here, a footbridge crosses a magnificent, natural wetland where the plants are so well integrated that I wonder whether they’ve been installed, or whether they’ve simply grown there naturally.

One with succulents, totally improbable outdoors, another with Tillandsia in bloom, and here again, an edible garden dotted with ornamental flowers.

A waterfall worthy of the finest resorts, mosaic sculptures, and even, if you’re interested, a visit to the Cascade factory, which is on the other side of the impressive… waterfall.

You see, I’m talking about secrets and surprises, I’m not lying!

My 5 Favorites at Parc Marie-Victorin

My praise isn’t over yet! Here are my personal wow moments.

1. The quantity of annual plants. The whole park is studded with succulents, annual flowers, begonias… And these are all plants produced in the Park’s greenhouses every year. The overall look is quite spectacular. Look at that frog’s eye!

2. The noise in the bird garden. You’re out for a walk and all of a sudden the birds are singing in cacophony. This part of the garden is made up of plants and trees that attract birds with fruit or seeds, and… it works!

3. The animal life. I go to the Biodôme to judge the plants, but I also go to a botanical garden to judge the wildlife! Near the many waterholes in particular, insects and amphibians are so abundant that you’d think you were in a natural environment, not a landscaped garden.

Il s’agit également d’un site de ponte pour les tortues, j’y ai vu des poissons, et si on ajoute à cela les oiseaux du point 2, c’est pratiquement un zoo?!

4. The cleanliness. This is a strange point, but I’ll explain: because there aren’t 70 tourist buses a day, the site is beautifully maintained. It’s not dirty, faded or damaged. The benches are in good condition, the branches aren’t uprooted, the paths are smooth and free of litter… Few tourist spots can boast such cleanliness!

5. The boutique. I promise I wasn’t paid to say this, but it’s just perfect. There are plants (I actually bought two little carnivores because you know… how can I say no to plants), books, planters, seeds from Jardins de l’écoumène.

If you’d like a souvenir: t-shirts, products bearing the Parc Marie-Victorin name, and even a soap created in collaboration with the park.

For those who want to consume nature: plant-based cosmetics, jellies, honey… And most of these products come from companies in the region or in Quebec.

When a store sells caribou plushies with a Canadiens jersey, it makes me feel like I’m in a tourist trap. At Parc Marie-Victorin, it’s a beautiful, authentic boutique that makes sense with the main attraction: nature.

If you’ve already visited this place, please share YOUR favorites with me. If not… well, what are you waiting for? Go for it! Parking is free, there are plenty of picnic tables, and even a special corner for lazy gardeners!