This year's theme is the ecology of possibilities

The 25th edition of the International Garden Festival, titled The Ecology of Possibility, is now open to the public. On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Ève De Garie-Lamanque, Artistic Director, invited designers to imagine the future of the garden. This year’s edition, which will run until October 6, showcases 27 contemporary gardens, including 6 new ones, as well as a permanent installation (Pergola) and 2 extramural projects (FolkFLORE and Repairia / Riparia).

adf-web-magazine-25th-international-garden-festival-8

Vanderveken, Architecture + Paysage, "Couleur Nature"
Photo credit: Martin Bond

Theme | The Ecology of Possibility

It seems to us that the garden of today (be it private or public) has a social responsibility. Sustainable, it preserves and supports biodiversity. Plants are rigorously selected after considering the specific needs and behaviours of each species and how they interact. The characteristics of the site to be developed, and their evolution over the seasons, are also carefully studied. In light of these ideologies and present circumstances, is the future of the garden a united one? Is it based on a relational, cross-disciplinary approach? We would like to wager that the future of the garden will be forged from genuine dialogue with the living.

Bruissement d’ailes

International Garden Festival, Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire | France

Couleur Nature

Vanderveken, Architecture + Paysage | Saint-Lambert, QC, Canada

FUTURE DRIFTS

Julia Lines Wilson | United States

Histoires à tisser (standalone installation)

Shaza Bazzi, Maëlle Bellemin | Montréal, QC, Canada

adf-web-magazine-25th-international-garden-festival-15

Shaza Bazzi, Maëlle Bellemin, "Histoires à tisser"
Photo credit: Martin Bond

Collaboration with the UQAM’s DESS en design d’événements program Pergola (permanent installation)

Jérôme Lapierre Architecte | Québec, QC, Canada

adf-web-magazine-25th-international-garden-festival-16

Jérôme Lapierre Architecte, "Pergola"
Photo credit: Jérôme Lapierre Architecte

Rue Liereman | Organ Man Street

Pioniersplanters | Belgium

Superstrata

mat-on | Italy

FolkFLORE

LN Paysage, Champ Libre | studio créatif

33rd International Garden Festival, Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire (France)

adf-web-magazine-25th-international-garden-festival-10

LN Paysage, Champ Libre | studio créatif, "FolkFLORE"
Photo credit: Eric Sander

Repairia / Riparia

Seth Ramesra, Fion Kong, Thi Ngoc Anh, Linjuan Dai with Professor Pete North | Toronto, ON, Canada

Closed sand pit (Grand-Métis, Québec) Collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design 

adf-web-magazine-25th-international-garden-festival-17

Pete North, Seth Ramesra, Fion Kong, Thi Ngoc Anh, Linjuan Dai, "Repairia / Riparia"
Photo credit: Martin Bond

adf-web-magazine-25th-international-garden-festival-18

Closed sand pit. Installation environment of "Repairia / Riparia"
Photo credit: Martin Bond

About the International Garden Festival

Created at the turn of the new millennium by Marie-Josée Lacroix, Denis Lemieux, Philippe Poullaouec-Gonidec, and Alexander Reford, the International Garden Festival is recognized as one of the most important contemporary garden festivals in North America. Each year the Festival exhibits over 20 conceptual gardens created by more than 70 landscape architects, architects, and designers from various disciplines. Over the years, the Festival has received numerous distinctions, including the Hector-Fabre Award (2007), given out every two years by the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie to an organization that has contributed to the international renown of its region.

About the Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens

A National Historic Site of Canada, and a Quebec heritage site, Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens is a must-see stop for anyone visiting the Gaspé and the Lower St. Lawrence. A cultural space and tourist destination for 60 years, the gardens are an iconic landscape that offers visitors experiences for all of the senses and opportunities to connect to nature. Located at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Mitis rivers, they were designed by the adventurous horticulturist Elsie Reford from 1926 to 1958. They are recognized as one of the top gardens of America and rank among the great gardens of the world. Close to 60,000 people visited the Gardens in 2023.