Beautification- Millennium Garden

MILLENNIUM GARDEN

The Millennium Garden (a.k.a. The Veterans’ Walk Garden) and the Sue Slade Daylily Garden are located at the heart of the Village of Manotick. Besides being a tourist destination, thanks to historic Watson’s Mill and Dickinson House, and a venue for a variety of community events, it is a focal point for many local citizens who tend to gravitate to the serenity and beauty of the back channel of the Rideau Canal.

It was not surprising when the Manotick Horticultural Society was considering its gift to the Village to mark the Millennium, it hit upon the idea of creating a garden along the Veterans’ Walk that runs between the Mill and the Cenotaph. Over a two-year period, a hard-working team of MHS volunteers lead by Avis White (a Past President of The Manotick Horticultural Society) planned and nurtured this fledgling garden, selecting where possible old-fashioned plantings that were in keeping with the historic nature of the square. There is an engraved rose granite stone, donated by Chris Napier, anchoring the garden to this day. Tremendous credit for the “bones” of the garden and its growth over the years must go to Avis White, who laboured long and hard to sustain its beauty. Over the years, other teams of volunteers have followed in her footsteps, adding plants and shrubs from their own gardens.  Noticeable plants here include a fragrant white phlox, ligularia, Japanese fountain grass, clematis, day lilies and so many more.

Don’t miss the Sue Slade Garden by the Carriage House.

In 2011, the family of the late Susan Slade, a well-known Manotick horticulturalist and daylily hybridizer, invited MHS to dig up several large gardens containing some of her celebrated daylilies. These plants were potted up and featured in special plant sales that attracted eager daylily collectors. A number of the same batch of Sue Slade daylilies were planted in the flower bed in front of the Carriage House in Dickinson Square. They thrive there in her memory.

The garden lead is Kate Aucoin, who continues the great work of maintaining these lovely gardens.