Bloom Report - December 28, 2025

Bloom Report - December 28, 2025

We are pleased to present a special Bloom Report today to provide you, our Gardens supporters, with information about the past year and to let you know how you can help sustain this very special place.

To lead things off, a special message from Stuart Jamieson,

Chair of the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Society.

As we approach a new year, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens. We were so pleased to see an uptick in attendance this past year as travellers worldwide looked to Canada as their ideal vacation destination. Staff have also been working very hard to continue to grow revenues from our Gardens Shop and Elm Tree Café, with good success. We have been gratified with some really positive press in the past year and look forward to that bearing fruit in the future.

While there are many positives, we still very much count on our donors and supporters in order to continue doing what we do. Without the generous support of our donors, the Historic Gardens would simply not exist. Your donations allow us to create and grow this internationally renowned space of tranquility, learning and beauty. No matter the amount, your contributions make it possible for us to sustain and grow these incredible Gardens.

The coming years will bring new challenges and new opportunities. Our dedicated staff, board of directors and volunteers are here to move the Historic Gardens forward as a leader in our community and the larger botanical garden world. We are asking you today to invest in the future of the Historic Gardens by making a donation.

On behalf of the Board and Staff, thank you for your love for the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens and best wishes for a wonderful 2026 ahead!

Stuart Jamieson, Chair
Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Society

Thank you Stu!

And special thanks to our volunteer Board of Directors

for their leadership and hard work on behalf of the Historic Gardens. 

We truly appreciate the generosity of the Gardens’ many supporters.

 In addition to cash donations, we also receive many non-cash donations each year, towards projects and events, and the contribution of time and talent from many volunteers. Add to that a growing membership of more than 600 supporters, and we feel ourselves fortunate indeed!

Tribute Gifts

Many of our supporters elect to make donations in memory of loved ones, or honouring a special occasion. We also appreciate those who have thoughtfully named the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens as a preferred place for memorial donations when they pass on. 

Any time you make a donation to the Gardens, you are welcome to designate it as a tribute gift and we will record it as such and add the honouree's name to our website honour roll.

Follow the link below to see the list of people honoured by donations

in the previous year.

Tribute Gifts Made in 2024

Positive Impact!

Your donations have helped the Gardens continue to flourish as a place of learning, and as an oasis of peace and beauty for the enjoyment of all!

We enjoy hosting groups from all over the world,

providing them with a great experience in our Seventeen Acres of Paradise.

The Historic Gardens is a source of inspiration for photographers and artists,

including local sculptors like Paul Bolland.

The Historic Gardens employs a staff of 20-25 people each season.

From experienced gardeners to eager young students,

they are a huge part of what makes this place so special. 

Your donations help create an oasis not just for humans, but also for birds, bees and butterflies. Visitors enjoy the opportunity to see all of Mother Nature’s gifts in this beautiful garden surrounding.

We had our first ever Flag Day event this year, and what a great gathering it turned out to be! An enthusiastic and patriotic crowd enjoyed social time and ended in a rousing rendition of "O Canada". We posted a video of those final moments and had more than 60,000 views online - it felt good to spread some virtual joy into the world!

Courtyard Bonfires have become a tradition here in the winter months. Shown here, the Annapolis Royal Town Crier poses with Jim and Doug, our firekeepers. Be sure to attend our community New Year’s Eve bonfire on the afternoon of December 31, 1-3pm. A great way to end the year!

We are very thankful that as our reputation continues to grow, so does our ability to attract various media. From news agencies, to travel writers, to bloggers, and even companies creating television shows and documentaries, they see the value in using the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens as an interesting subject with an amazing atmosphere. This exposure is immensely valuable.

In late summer 2024, the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens agreed to take on the role of providing Visitor Information for the community. Rather than a standalone VIC, our model is an integrated approach that provides visitor information through our front house staffing, in the breezeway and the Shop. Staff are here year round, seven days a week (with the exception of a few holidays) to offer visitors a welcoming face, handy printed information, and answers to their questions upon arrival in our community. We have also developed a self-serve area to provide some assistance to visitors who arrive in town after hours. We are proud to be able to provide this important service to visitors to the Annapolis Royal area and are grateful for the kind advice and assistance from fellow operators, VICs and other partners in tourism.

Stinky Ginkgo Makes National News!

Sometimes publicity comes our way for the most unpredictable of reasons.

Such was the case this fall when provincial and national media saw one of our Facebook posts and ran with it! The post was about an unusual occurrence with one of our trees. Our decades old ginkgo, long thought to be a male tree, produced “fruit” (actually fleshy seeds) for the first time. To start with, that means our Ginkgo is actually a female, which is a much rarer ginkgo in cultivated settings. Secondly, the seeds of the ginkgo are very vile smelling, with a putrid odour much like vomit, which is why female trees are not typically sold in nurseries. It is this feature that garnered all the media attention! The ginkgo is a lovely tree, with beautiful foliage and amazing fall colour. Now we can add to that a unique olfactory experience every November.

We were pleased to host a number of weddings, engagements and other special occasions and we look forward to helping people celebrate milestone moments in 2026 and beyond.

It is truly heartwarming to see visitors from every generation enjoying time together in the Gardens. Children love exploring with one of our themed scavenger hunts, and are enchanted by the Faerie Houses. They also love the opportunity to play along with our local musicians.

We’ve been working very hard to grow our earned revenues at the Gardens, with key areas being the Gardens Shop and the Elm Tree Café. In 2025 we enrolled in the Nova Scotia Loyal program to highlight our Nova Scotian products. As the Shop and Café grow, so grows the sustainability of the Gardens as well as the livelihoods of our Nova Scotian makers and creators. 

One of the highlights of 2025 was the production "All the Garden's a Stage" in August.
A HUGE shoutout to the Annapolis District Drama Group and volunteers who worked so hard to bring a taste of Shakespeare to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens.
Thanks as well to Annapolis Brewing Company for generously sponsoring this event
and creating a special Walled Garden beer honouring & supporting the Gardens.
Last but not least... thanks to everyone who attended and supported this special weekend event.
Thanks to the efforts of so many, more than $7000 was raised for the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens!

We are thankful to have sold more annual memberships in 2025 than ever before!

As members and donors, you are also our very best ambassadors... the enthusiasm you share for these Gardens is key to our future success!

The Historic Gardens holds a special place in the hearts of many.  Working together, we can ensure that the Gardens will continue to be a source of inspiration and healing for generations to come.

The Board, staff and volunteers are proud to provide Seventeen Acres of Paradise for the benefit of the community. We are very thankful for the wonderful members and visitors who so appreciate our efforts and make us smile every day! 

The countdown is on to December 31,

leaving just a short time to make an impact for 2025!

Your donation to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens qualifies for a tax receipt, and donations made on or before December 31 receive a 2025 receipt. 

There are many options if you wish to make a contribution:

By Mail

As long as you get your donation into the mail on or before December 31, your donation is eligible for a 2025 tax receipt. Mail a cheque (payable to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Society) or your credit card information using this downloadable form. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 278, Annapolis Royal, NS   B0S 1A0

By Phone - we love to catch up with friends and supporters by phone!

Call us at 902-532-7018 with your credit card information. We are here every day 9am-5pm to receive your call!

In Person - Drop into the Gardens Shop.

We're open 9am - 5pm every day now until December 31 to accept your year end donation! 

Donate online - there are two great ways to make your donation online:

• You can donate through our Online Shop at https://historic-gardens-shop.myshopify.com/ using any major credit card. We will send you a 2025 tax receipt as long as you contribute before midnight on December 31. (For your convenience, you can also do your annual membership renewal at the same time.) 
• Another very handy way to donate online is through the CanadaHelps donation portal: www.canadahelps.org. Through this platform, you get an instant tax receipt emailed to you, and CanadaHelps then transfers your donation to the Gardens.

e-Transfer - Emailing money seems like magic, but is growing in popularity.

You can e-Transfer your payment to admin@historicgardens.com straight from your online banking page. Please include your phone number as well as the purpose of your payment in the notes/message box. We have auto-deposit set up, so no need to invent a secret question! If you choose to use e-Transfer, we suggest you also fill out this online form with your contact information so that we have it! 

Further information:

www.historicgardens.com

The countdown is also on to renew your membership at 2025 pricing...

Garden Memberships

Renew by December 31 and SAVE!

And speaking of December 31,

a reminder to please join us for our annual Courtyard Bonfire

on the afternoon of New Year's Eve!