Our Gardens

This five acre botanical garden grew from an idea conceived in 1990 by two St. Albert citizens who shared a love of horticulture. Former mayor Richard Plain and retired city landscape planner John Beedle had a vision to create a garden in an area with a zone 3 plant hardiness rating where the results of growing various trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetables could be carried out and released to the general public. The Botanic Park is operated and maintained entirely by volunteers and two summer employees. The Park has grown into what it is today with time and effort donated by community members and garden lovers.

John Beedle and the volunteer members of the Founding Board, along with local landscape architects, prepared the first plan for the Botanic Park. This concept plan outlined a series of theme gardens: shade, xeriscape, flowering trees, evergreens, and cottage-style perennials. Today these gardens provide the setting for displays and trials of roses, lilacs, daylilies, Asiatic lilies, peonies, and lilacs to name just a few, as well as vegetables and annuals. 

We welcome all visitors to the Botanic Park and ask that consideration be given to the Park’s many features and garden beds. Thousands of volunteers hours are spent annually caring for our unique and varied display of plant material.  Please respect any sign you see in the Park as we do have a few policies in place to maintain the beauty of our gardens:

• Dogs are not allowed within the grounds of the St. Albert Botanic Park.
  This does not include the Red Willow Trail which runs along outside our border but does include our parking lot, gazebo and patio areas. The Botanic Park runs from our parking lot in the east to the base ball diamonds in the west. If you have walked through a break in the fence line you have entered our Park.
• Smoking is not allowed within the St. Albert Botanic Park grounds.
• Please do not stand or sit on the rock wall and fountain in our Rose Garden or the water feature by our parking lot. Whether posing for a picture or just wanting to get a closer look, this is dangerous both for you as a guest and our gardens.
• Please do not ride your bike on our cobblestone path or grass areas. Bikes should not be parked in our patio area, there are sunflower shaped bike racks just outside our patio for you to lock up your bike.  If you wish to go though the gardens with your bike, please dismount.
• Plant material is not to be removed.  This includes all flowers, leaves and seedpods. Visitors should not step in or run through the individual gardens or flower beds.

If we are to sustain the beauty of the Botanic Park and the specialized plantings, we need the support of the community in helping us to keep the grounds beautiful. 
We thank you for your assistance.