Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society Annual Garden Tour - 2026

Niagara-on-the-Lake Garden Tour 2026 — The Gardener’s Garden Tour

Saturday, July 11, 2026 · 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, 247 Ricardo Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

The 2026 Gardener’s Garden Tour — also known locally as the NOTL Garden Tour — is the 36th annual self-guided garden tour organized by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society. Nine private gardens across Niagara-on-the-Lake open their gates to the public for one day only, on July 11, 2026.

This year’s theme is “Personal Stories, Memories and Connections” — each garden reflects something deeply personal about its owner: a childhood memory, a relationship, a decades-long obsession with colour and texture.

Tickets — Buy Before July 10 to Save $10

• Early Bird / Regular: $25 CAD (+ Eventbrite fee) — available until July 10, 2026
• Day of Tour: $35 CAD (+ Eventbrite fee online, or cash at the gardens) — July 11, 2026
• Children under 12: Free
• A garden map is emailed to all ticket holders before the event
• The tour proceeds rain or shine

The 2026 Garden Tour Line-Up

Nine gardens across Niagara-on-the-Lake, each with its own story.

1. A Living Canvas of Colour and Friendship — Firelane 13 / Roven Road

Rose Bartel’s garden is built around colour and sunlight — soft pinks, purples, and cream drifting through the beds, scarlet poppies in spring, and variegated Siberian irises adding depth by summer. Inspired by the Arts & Crafts tradition of Gertrude Jekyll, this border garden is a masterclass in harmony and sustained bloom.

2. Growing with the Flow — Butler Street

In five years, Heather’s garden has transformed from open lawn into a tranquil retreat. A soaring Tulip Tree anchors the entrance — Heather preserving its exposed roots as promised to the previous owner. Winding paths lead through a garden in easy harmony, with the soft sound of a river running through the property.

3. Innisfree — A Garden by Design, Niagara Boulevard (Lakeview)

Elizabeth’s garden brings the precision of interior design and luxury furnishing to outdoor space. With 180-degree views of Lake Ontario, it takes a quiet, considered approach — the ever-changing vista of the Great Lake as the feature.

4. Finding Her Joy in the Garden — Niagara Boulevard

Lenore is not a trained gardener. She is, however, completely at home in her garden — intuiting plant choice and design with good humour and grace. The site offers abundant light and some shade. “I can stare out my kitchen window and see how things are growing and changing,” she says. “This pleases me.”

5. Celebrating the Art of Nature — 247 Ricardo Street, Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre (Tour HQ)

The Pumphouse on the banks of the Niagara River serves as tour headquarters. This year the Niagara Bonsai Society presents a stunning collection on the grounds — members on hand to share techniques and insights. Nature-inspired exhibits, an outdoor Garden Gallery, and refreshments available for purchase.

6. Stilhaven — A Celebration of Tranquility and Textures, King Street

What looks like a modest cottage reveals itself gradually: soft heather, lavender, and boxwood give way to a Japanese-inspired bed of rocks, water vessel, Japanese blood grass, and a graceful maple. Along the borders, hydrangeas, salvia, peonies, daisies, and roses weave together, while a dry riverbed manages rainwater through the space.

7. The Romantic Modernist’s Dilemma — Ronald Boaks Fine Art, 1823 Niagara Stone Road

Come for the garden. Stay for the art. Ron Boaks’s property combines beautiful gardens with sculpture, still life photography, paintings, collages, and assemblages. Art that is alive in the present — designed to evoke pleasure.

8. All You Need is Love — Red Haven Drive, St. David’s

Hanna and Andy inherited a property of dead boxwoods and two Firelight Hydrangeas. Today their garden is a testament to the love poured into it: yellows, magenta, reds, pinks, whites, mauves, and aubergine spilling across the beds. A grove of fruit trees watches over the backyard, with the golf course beyond providing warmth, light, and air.

9. Seeing His Way Home — David Lowrey Court, St. David’s

Despite losing his sight some years ago, John recalls in vivid detail the blues, purples, whites, magentas, and deep reds of his garden. Ornamental Pear and Cherry trees line the front and side of the house. Beneath them, lilies in shades of creamy yellow and reddish orange create a display that competes with the tree canopy above.

10. Honouring Her Roots — Paxton Lane

Karen’s garden is a living family archive: perennial plantings from past homes, hydrangeas from her mother, plants from her sister and neighbours, garden accents from her children, and pear and apple trees echoing her childhood garden. “My father always had fruit trees,” Karen says. “I can recall walking out back and picking a sweet, ripe peach.”

About the Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society has been cultivating community and gardens since 1906 — making it one of Ontario’s oldest horticultural societies. It is entirely volunteer-run and a proud member of the Ontario Horticultural Association.

Proceeds from the Gardener’s Garden Tour fund three horticultural scholarships for students at:

• Niagara College School of Environment and Horticulture
• Niagara Parks School of Horticulture

Tour Headquarters

Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre 247 Ricardo Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0

Pick up your garden map here. Refreshments available. Bonsai exhibition on the grounds.

Getting There

Niagara-on-the-Lake is located at the mouth of the Niagara River, approximately 20 minutes north of Niagara Falls and 90 minutes from Toronto. The gardens are spread across the town and surrounding St. David’s area. A map is provided to all ticket holders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time does the NOTL Garden Tour start? The 2026 Gardener’s Garden Tour runs from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, July 11, 2026.

How much are tickets for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Garden Tour? Early bird and regular tickets are $25 CAD (plus Eventbrite fee) until July 10. Day-of tickets are $35 CAD. Children under 12 enter free.

Where do I pick up my garden map? A map is emailed to all ticket holders ahead of the event. You can also collect a physical map at tour headquarters — the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, 247 Ricardo Street.

Is the NOTL Garden Tour self-guided? Yes. The 2026 Gardener’s Garden Tour is entirely self-guided. Garden owners will be present at their properties to share stories and answer questions, but there is no fixed group schedule or guide.

Does the tour run if it rains? Yes. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society Garden Tour proceeds rain or shine.

How many gardens are on the 2026 tour? The 2026 tour features ten garden stops, including the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre as tour HQ, where the Niagara Bonsai Society will exhibit, and the Ronald Boaks Fine Art Gallery at 1823 Niagara Stone Road.

Is this connected to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society? Yes. The Gardener’s Garden Tour is the annual flagship fundraiser of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society, which has been operating since 1906. Proceeds fund student scholarships in horticulture.

2026 Garden Tour Sponsors

The Gardener’s Garden Tour is supported by local Niagara-on-the-Lake businesses:

Southbrook Organic Vineyards · Phil’s Independent Grocer · Hendriks Independent Grocer · Virgil Animal Hospital · 124 on Queen Hotel and Spa · Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits · Greaves Jams, Jellies & Marmalades · Ironwood Cider House · June Floral & Garden · MaryNissen Estates Winery · Music Niagara Festival · NK Nail Salon · One Earth Boutique · The Exchange Brewery · The Oban Inn · Theodore’s Artisan Butchers · Vermeer Garden Centre · Vintage Hotels · Whistler Woodcraft