Few gardens have been created in such difficult weather conditions. Located 300 km northeast of Quebec City, the Reford Gardens, created by Elsie Reford, is one of the most northern gardens in North America.
DANS LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
À la rencontre d’Elsie Reford
ELSIE REFORD
150 Objects of Passion
Visit La Maison d'Ariane and meet the RBC artists in residence: Clara Vecchio (youth literature) and Naghmeh Sharifi (visual arts). Refreshments will be served.From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Reservation is ... (View the event)
Date: 2024-09-26 Place: 268, rue Beach, Métis-sur-Mer Price: 0$
Photo : Ava Kiaei Workshop led by Naghmeh Sharifi, RBC Artist in Residence at Maison d’Ariane. Drawing inspiration from the botanical collections of the Jardins de Métis, this introduct ... (View the event)
Date: 2024-09-28 Place: Maison d'Ariane Price: 0$
Photo : Guillaume Boucher Public reading of the poetry collection in progress, La dyslexie c'est dure à écrire, by Clara Vecchio, RBC artist in Residence at Maison d'Ariane. J&r ... (View the event)
Date: 2024-10-05 Place: Maison d'Ariane Price: 0$
Photo credit: Kassandra Reynolds Autumn has arrived. The gardens are still full of bloom! We have prepared many activities for you, there is something for everyone. It's free for residents of t ... (View the event)
Date: 2024-10-06 Place: Jardins de Métis | Reford Gardens Price: 0$
Spectacle Regards obliques, poetry and heritage. Exceptionally, the event takes place at the Maison de la culture du Château Landry in Mont-Joli:1588 boulevard Jacques-Cartier, Mont-Joli, QC, C ... (View the event)
Date: 2024-10-06 Place: Maison de la culture du Château Landry à Mont-Joli Price: 27$
Grand-Métis, Quebec, September 5. 2024 – The International Garden Festival is launching a call for proposals to select designers to create the new temporary garde ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, Québec, August 9, 2024 – The International Garden Festival is proud to unveil the four winners of the 2024 RBC Residencies at La Maison d’Ariane. The reside ... (View the event)
The 25th edition of the International Garden Festival, titled The Ecology of Possibility, is now open to the public. On the occasion on its 25th anniversary, Ève De Garie-Lamanque, Artistic Dir ... (View the event)
RIMOUSKI, QC, July 4 2024 /CNW/ - Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski (CMR) is proud to present the 2024 edition of its Singing Week which will take place from July 14 to 21 in partnership with the J ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis (Québec) Canada, June 12, 2024 – The team from the Gardens are working with artists, curators, researchers and organizations to offer a range of exhibitions linked to t ... (View the event)
Anniversary Program Unveiled – The International Garden Festival will present its 25th edition from June 22 to October 6, 2024, on the theme The Ecology of Possibility. For this m ... (View the event)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the International Garden Festival, the Festival is celebrating in style with many events and activities. The Journées de réflexion [Discussion D ... (View the event)
On the eve of the inauguration of its anniversary edition, which will run from June 22 to October 6, 2024, on the theme The Ecology of Possibilities, the Reford Gardens International Garden Festival a ... (View the event)
The International Garden Festival is pleased to launch its fourth call for proposals for the RBC Residencies at La Maison d'Ariane, in the picturesque village of Métis-sur-Mer. This call is ... (View the event)
The International Garden Festival is pleased to announce the projects selected for its 25th edition, titled The Ecology of Possibility, which will run from June 22 to October 6, 2024. On the occasion ... (View the event)
Sainte-Flavie, September 26, 2023. With the help of the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, TELUS, the municipality of Sainte-Flavie and a group of volunteers, the Jardin de bord mer II took root recently ... (View the event)
The International Garden Festival is launching a call for proposals to select designers to create the new temporary gardens for the Festival’s 25th edition, which will open on June 21, 2024, on ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, September 5, 2023 – The International Garden Festival is pleased to announce the start of the RBC autumn residences at the Maison d’Ariane in Métis-sur-Mer. The ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, August 21, 2023 – The Reford Gardens open the temporary exhibition Dernière lueur / Last Light by photographic artist Christine Fitzgerald on Wednesday, August 23. The ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, Quebec, June 24, 2023 – The 24th edition of the International Garden Festival, titled RACINES | ROOTS, is now open to the public. This year, È ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, May 1, 2023 – Les Jardins de Métis is launching a new publication that highlights the horticultural achievements and unique plant collections of Elsie Reford. Dans ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, April 27, 2023 – Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens presents, from June 3 to October 1, 2023, an exhibition exploring the influence of fashion illustrations on the re ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, March 6, 2023 – Les Jardins de Métis is launching a new publication that celebrates the life and contributions of Elsie Reford. The book is being launched at Montreal& ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, Quebec, Canada, January 11, 2023 – The International Garden Festival is pleased to announce the projects selected for its 24th edition, titled ROOTS, which will run from June ... (View the event)
Grand-Métis, November 9, 2022 - The International Garden Festival congratulates sculptor Pierre Bourgault, who took part in our 2005 edition, on winning a Governor General’s Award in Visu ... (View the event)
Métis-sur-Mer, November 8, 2022. The International Garden Festival is pleased to launch its third call for proposals for the RBC Residencies at La Maison d'Ariane, in the picturesque villag ... (View the event)
Created from 1926 to 1958 by pioneering horticulturist Elsie Reford, the Reford Gardens are a National Historic Site of Canada. Some 3,000 species and varieties of plants, including the famous Himalayan blue poppy, are spread over fifteen gardens.
It’s in the summer of 1926 that Elsie Reford (1872-1967) began transforming her fishing camp on the Metis River into a garden. Hundreds of miles from the nearest nursery, Elsie Reford is faced with challenges that would be difficult to imagine today. Where experienced specialists had failed, she succeeded in turning her spruce forest into a gigantic garden that would become one of the largest plant collections of its time. Elsie hired and trained people from the region like farmers and fishing guides in order to turn them into master gardeners. Over three decades, they’ve built a magnificent garden together.
An innovative cultural space, the Reford Gardens welcome a large number of artists each year and present an array of exhibitions scattered throughout the gardens and beyond its grounds.
The Amis des Jardins collection is based on memories and physical traces gathered by the estate owners throughout their lives, as well as on the development of a collection of contemporary works related to the historic and contemporary gardens.
Well established in its community, the Reford Gardens are a cultural hub in the region. Literary teas, outdoor concerts, lectures, training sessions, happy hours, culinary events, outdoor hikes, environmental chores… in short, a program for all tastes.
Rooted in history, but resolutely looking to the future, the Villa Estevan Lodge restaurant, Café-Bistrot Le Bufton and the Buvette des Jardins feature inspired local cuisine. Our chef Frédérick Boucher and his brigade work with our gardeners to develop innovative dishes that evolve with the seasons and harvest.
Click on the picture to enlarge it
Discover a fantastic ally of the Reford Gardens – Pierre and his firm Umanium, a pillar for the Gardens’ museology department.
We celebrate here the passing of M. Lavoie, the first director of the Reford Gardens when it was open to the public.
Day in and day out, we get photos from visitors or see them posted and shared on social media. Now it is our turn to show off a few photos of our own.