The Public Gardens of Halifax Nova Scotia

#PublicGardensHalifax
They were founded by the Nova Scotia Horticultural Society in 1836.
It is the only surviving authentic formal garden of its kind left in North America

Entrance
The wrought iron front gates (from Scotland) that greets you is with a crest that displays the Halifax coat of arms and the Latin motto
 E Mari Merces; "wealth from the sea"

Did You Know
The gardens were created by merging two older versions, which one area was the site of the first covered ice skating rink in the British Empire

To Get Designation
The landscape must retain the specific architectural and horticultural design principles popularized during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901)
A) Layout; it must feature a symmetrical geometry with serpentine pathways that are designed for a slow stroll to allow viewing of all the different vistas
B) Plant Authenticity; the flora must consist of the 19th century cultivars like Bourbons or Noisettes roses and not modern hybrids
C) Structure Integrity; the wrought iron trellises, bandstands, ornate garden furniture or the stone foundations must be original
D) Historical Proof; the land must be linked to the Victorian era through deeds, maps and landscape blueprints

KeyTip;
 Free one hour horticultural and historical tours from June-October
 (10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm & 3:00pm)

Paying Homage
Many statues / plaques throughout the park are to commemorate historic military figures,
plus other conflict operations that occurred during the Victorian Era and early Twentieth Century

These memorial style sites are a British tradition;
 Designed to be both a historical area for remembrance and a public space for recreation 

The Bandstand
 Was added in 1887 to celebrate the Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee
Within the British Empire many were constructed during this time, as the local communities wanted to show their civic pride
So besides Halifax;  Hamilton Bermuda and Frome England also built during the Jubilee, so the military
 or local brass bands could perform
As this was before the advent of radio or television, so i very popular form of entertainment

Today
The tradition continues (for over 125 years) as it is used for free public concerts
 usually on Sunday afternoons June through September

Horticultural Hall
Built in 1847 as a meeting plus storage space for Nova Scotia Horticultural Society
 It then combined its gardens with an adjacent park, which took some of that swampy piece of ground 
 to create the 16 acres of an oasis in the middle of the City of Halifax
 
 Hurricane Juan in 2003
 The park lost many trees but the public rallied, thus raising millions of dollars to help restore gardens for the following year and for July1st Canada Day 

Griffins Pond
Named after Lawrence Griffin who was wrongfully convicted of murder
 and then hanged here in 1821
The area was not part of the gardens at this time but of the Halifax Commons, which some believe that his spirit continues to haunt the waters shores

Soldiers Memorial Fountain
It was erected in 1903 was for those Canadians who served during
 the Boer War in South Africa
It marked the first time our government dispatched troops to an overseas conflict

Weeping Trees
The fountain is purposely surrounded by them and which some were donated by the
 families of the service men

 

 Statue of Ceres
 Is the Roman Goddess of agriculture and fertility
It was a gift from the estate of Chief Justice Sir William Young to the Gardens in 1887

Part of the Victorian "Gardenesque" Design 

Is to have your gardens with serpentine paths and geometric flowerbeds so the plants are trimmed into intricate patterns or images

Richard Power
 He was the first landscape designer (1872-1915)
 His family has continued to be the superintendence of the gardens, going on now for
 three generations

Last Original
Much of those early layouts are still intact, which makes the Halifax Public Gardens one of the finest surviving Victorian Landscapes in North America

Crooked Trees
Many theories from a genetic mutation, maybe searching for a new source of sunlight
 or strong winds plus heavy snow causes them to bend and after continue to grow upwards
 from this position

The Bridge of Portraits
While private wedding ceremonies are not allowed in this public space, wedding and graduation
photos certainly are
 Which the Gardens are very popular and with this span, i have seen lineups
waiting for their opportunity 

 

Waterfowl House

King George V donated a pair of swans to the Gardens in 1926

Since then their have been many "residents" of this enclosure and the park sometimes brings in new cygnets for the summer months 

 Our Friend of Nature
I waited 45 minutes for someone / anyone to show up 😂

Did You Know
A) Honey: to make a single pound, a colony of bees must visit about two million flowers plus fly a total of over 55,000 miles
B) Lifespan; worker bee is only three to six weeks, while the queen
 can live up to five years
C) Flight; can fly up to 15 mph and that buzzing sound you hear
is the rapid beating of the wings
D) Vision; have five compound eyes which are sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light
which helps them see flowers that reflect UV patterns 
But cannot see the color red

RMS Titanic
It has been a long standing tradition to display models of ships here in the Gardens like the HMCS Sackville and the Titanic (above) during the summer months
 Halifax became the central location for the recovery effort of the doomed ship plus we have many other maritime connections to the Atlantic Ocean 

Read my blog on the #TitanicHalifaxNSCanadaConnection