Our first garden tour of 2025 is all about experimenting and being true to your evolving tastes! Two are landscapes with long histories (37 years! 46 years!) and gardeners who aren’t afraid to move things around, or change their minds. In contrast, the third garden is relatively young (6 years!) with a gardener who approaches each season like a new adventure. Each inspiring space is an ever-evolving work of art, and a true reflection of the people who tend it.
Join us on the evening of Tuesday, June 10th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., rain or shine, to explore these beautiful outdoor spaces!
A reminder that GardenKitchener Garden Tours are open to active (2025) members only. If you need to purchase a 2025 membership, you can do so online here, or in-person at Garden A (42 Melvern Court) on June 10th. In-person memberships will be cash-only – please bring exact change to help keep the process simple.
A map of the three locations can be found here. Please note that the locations for this tour are a bit farther apart. We recommend planning to drive or cycle, and starting at Garden A (42 Melvern Court) to make your route easier. Ample street parking is available at each location.
The June 2025 Garden Tour features the following gardens:
Garden A: 42 Melvern Court
*2025 GardenKitchener memberships available here!
This gardener has been evolving their property for 46 years, and there’s lots to see: sunny and shady areas, dry and wet spots, a greenhouse, and even a small veggie patch. After years of battling weeds, most of the front yard has been converted from grass to low-maintenance landscaping, with some lawn space in the back left for the dogs. Don’t miss the peaceful, all-white-flowering garden that surrounds the pond – its simple colour palette makes for the most cool and calming oasis, especially on hot summer days. After experimenting for years, this gardener has finally found a design they’re happy with (for the time being), though they admit that new and interesting plants continue to find their way in as older ones cycle out.
Their best advice? “Don’t give up. If something doesn’t work, move it. And plant what you actually like.”
Garden B: 57 Westchester Drive
This garden’s been growing and changing since 1988 and is full of personality. Both gardeners, “like some structure and some randomness”. Bright colours, changing textures, and a mix of annuals and perennials that shift with the seasons have led to it being described as a “Crayon Box”. While mostly sunny, shade from a big Norway maple has changed things over time. These gardeners are adaptable though, and have learned to, “just go with it”. If something doesn’t feel right, they’ll simply enlarge a bed, or move a plant or two.
The constantly changing layout is grounded in personal touches. Many of the plants come with memories – relocated from childhood homes or gifted by family members and friends. The beautiful birdbath is a great example: it was a gift from the parents of one of the gardeners in honour of their university graduation in 1995. Even with so much sentiment, this outdoor space isn’t fussy: it’s very functional, and great for both entertaining and hosting the grandkids to play.
These gardeners believe that, “Gardens change, and that’s the fun of it. If something’s not working, grab a shovel and try something new. There’s no such thing as a perfect garden – just one that works for you.”
Garden C: 12 Tilley Court
Now in its sixth season, this garden is the work of a truly passionate and ever-curious gardener. Being located in the yard of a rental property gives it a sense of inpermance, with every season bringing an opportunity to experiment and try something new. Because they aren’t a long-term owner of the space, this gardener has primarily focused on annuals and vegetables – be inspired by this year’s vegetable beds and check out the season-extending poly tunnel. And don’t miss the bee hives, of course!
When this gardener moved in, the outdoor space was overrun with mint, wild garlic, and other aggressive plants. Over the years, they’ve managed to slowly take control, even pruning back the apple trees (though they still only produce fruit every other year). Even though they say every year that they’ll scale back, spring always brings new motivation. This year, they’ve even decided to make a bit of a return to perennials – though the veggies will still get most of the attention.
Their Advice for beginners? “Start small, enjoy it, and don’t let it get so big you forget to just sit down and take it all in.”