Visit Kingsbrae Garden in New Brunswick

Ever since Kingsbrae Horticultural Garden officially opened on a warm summer's day in 1998, visitors have been enriched by the vision of its creators, Lucinda and John Flemer, who over three years transformed a family estate in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, into this gem of a horticultural centre.

Lucinda Flemer, an ardent gardener, along with her husband, John, and Andreas Haun-originally their landscaper, now garden manager-conceived the gardens as a place where visitors could discover plants and ideas adaptable to their own gardens. The project also includes a teaching centre, providing on-the-job training in horticulture and related fields, with the assistance of staff from the New Brunswick Community College in St. Andrews and Woodstock.

To fund the ambitious project, a combined $1.8 million was supplied by the province, the town and through a fund-raising campaign. The Flemers then donated Kingsbrae to the New Brunswick government, along with $1 million for its upkeep.

The transformation resulted in 24 different gardens that make up the 10-hectare estate-everything from a rose garden, white, heather and perennial gardens to herbal knot and demonstration gardens, and a cedar maze.

Haun says the philosophy of the garden is horticultural, not botanical. "We strive to provide enjoyment and inspiration, rather than attempting to include every plant for collection purposes," he says. "Everything is planted on a small scale so ideas can be transferred to the home garden."

A blaze of hot colours at the entrance-vivid marigolds, portulaca, canna lilies and impatiens-pays tribute to one of St. Andrews's most distinguished past residents, Sir William Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1888 to 1899, and chairman until 1910. His love of colour was evident both in his garden on nearby Minister's Island, where he summered, and in the gardens he had installed around area railway stations, supplying seeds and plants from his personal collection.

From this riotous welcome, a brick path leads to the contrasting white garden, a calming palette of ghostly blossoms and silver foliage-bleeding heart, blazing star (Liatris spicata), alyssum, variegated hosta (Hosta 'Undulata Albomarginata'), Potentilla fruticosa 'Abbotswood', summer hyacinth (Galtonia candicans), New York asters (Aster novi-belgii), creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia), shasta daisies, white pavement roses and baby's breath.