Travel--Spring in the Chinese Garden in Montreal

Traveling, my husband always tries to pick the perfect time: not too hot, not too cold, not rainy, etc. He scheduled us to see Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the second week in May because apparently tourists start arriving the third week in May and hotel prices rise dramatically. I am not sure whether he thought about what that said about Montreal's weather. We flew into most of a week of chilly temperatures and light rain. 

So I have to say this was not the perfect time to see Montreal. 

rhododendrons in the Chinese garden

And yet, the Chinese Garden at the Jardin botanique de Montreal was gorgeous. 

The entrance is timeless

Entrance, Chinese Garden,
Jardin botanique de Montreal

Beside the gate, the wisteria, Chinese wisteria (Wisteria chinensis, pea family Fabacaee) was just about to flower

Chinese wisteria

Here is a closer look--golden leaves, purple flowers

Note the Jardin is growing the wisteria in a pot. That has two benefits. In the United States, Chinese wisteria is highly invasive. Montreal is a little cool for it and it is not considered a serious problem as far as I can tell, so the pot also means they can take it indoors to protect it during the winter.

To my left as I faced the gate to the Chinese Garden was this broad expanse with buttercups in full bloom. The garden was good about having plant labels but I did not see the one for these, so all I can say is "buttercups" genus Ranunculus (buttercup family, Ranunculaceae). Worldwide there are some 16,000 species classified in the genus Ranunculus (wow!). Quebec Province has 25-30 native buttercups, China cultivates another 10 or so species, so there were far too many choices to guess the species. 

And look, people coming in another week will miss this dramatic display!

They will, however, probably get to see the peonies (Paeonia species, peony family, Paeoniaceae) blooming

peonies in bud,  below a classical
Chinese window

Classical Chinese gardens had rooms for sitting and contemplating and placed plants beyond windows to make the window create a living painting. All those are in this garden, but I am focusing on showing you that the second week of April was spectacular, not "too early."

This expanse, on the inside of the white wall, is overrun with blue grape hyacinths (Muscari species, asparagus family, Asparagaceae). This is another fleeting vision; they will soon be through flowering. 

grape hyacinths (Muscari)

Below, a big magnolia flowering (genus Magnolia, magnolia family, Magnoliaceae). I didn't walk across the flower bed to get a good close-up of the flowers. There are beautiful magnolias native to the southeastern United States and a second group of beautiful magnolias native to eastern China. Although today they are half a world apart, at one time (in the Mesozoic 350 million years ago) all the major continents formed a single continent, Pangea, and the ancestors of these and other plant species could migrate back and forth between North America and China, no ocean in between. Even now that the continent are far apart, the shared ancestry is obvious. 

Rhododendrons and azeleas (genus Rhododendron, heath family, Ericaceae), below, provide a pulse of color in a gray and green garden. My first reaction was "what are those doing there?" because I associate rhododendrons with the Appalachian Mountains. But this is another group, like the magnolias, where shared ancestry has produced beautiful American and beautiful Chinese species. 

a splash of bright color

Here the tranquil water reflecting the bridge

This is a Chinese cherry, genus Prunus (rose family, Rosaceae). China as well asJapan revels in the flowers of cherry and plum trees in the early spring. One species flowers so early it is considered a flower of winter (in mild coastal China, not in Montreal). (Plums and cherries are both the genus Prunus and after easily 2000 years in cultivation, very confused and confusing). 

Chinese cherry in bloom

And of course, the flowers on a cherry will soon fall, with petals drifting to the ground. This is part of the beauty: it is fleeting. Cherish it now. 

I am sure the Chinese Garden is beautiful in summer (see photos on their website link) but we got a particularly lovely and ephermeral moment in time, when buttercups and grape hyacinths, magnolias, cherries and rhododendron transformed the view. 

We were definately not too early. 

Comments and corrections welcome.

References

New York Botanic Garden. 2026. Native and Asian Counterparts: Home. link 

Kathy Keeler, A Wandering Botanist 
More at awanderingbotanist.com
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Consider my books: These are collections of my posts for those who don't read the internet or prefer books, for example: 

Kathy Keeler. Curious Stories of Familiar Plants from Around the World  available from Amazon link and from me, which includes a chapter on peonies

Kathy Keeler Curious Stories of Familiar Garden Plants available from Amazon link and from me