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The Jardin botanique de Montréal or Montreal Botanical Garden is a large botanical garden in Montreal, Quebec. It is second in size only to Kew Gardens, London.
The botanical gardens occupy a large park near Montreal's Olympic Stadium. They contain a greenhouse complex full of plants from around the world, and a number of large outdoor gardens, each with a specific theme. The greenhouses are open to visitors year round, but the outdoor gardens are bare and covered with snow from about November until about April.
The garden was founded in 1931, in the height of the Great Depression, by mayor Camillien Houde, after years of campaigning by Brother Marie-Victorin. It serves to educate the public in general and students of horticulture in particular, it serves to conserve endangered plant species, and it is used for botanical research.
While it charges admission, city residents can obtain a pass granting free admission to the outdoor gardens, so many people visit regularly, even if only to sit under the trees. The outdoor areas are also free to everyone between 5 PM and nightfall. Many weddings are performed in the gardens every year. The nearest metro station is Pie-IX.
The Chinese Garden is constructed along the traditional lines for a Chinese garden. It has many winding paths, an artificial mountain, and a building in the Chinese style housing a collection of penjing that have generously been donated. The garden is populated with Chinese plants. It is the largest Chinese garden in the world outside China.
The Japanese Garden is populated with Japanese plants, and it contains a building in the Japanese style containing an exhibit on tea. The Japanese tea ceremony is performed there during the summer, and anyone can take classes to learn more about it. Other traditional Japanese arts, such as Iaido and Ikebana are occasionally demonstrated there as well. It also includes a large koi pond; visitors often feed the koi.
The First Nations Garden is populated with Canadian plants; the maple, birch, and pine trees shade its paths. It has several totem poles and exhibits demonstrating traditional Native American artwork and construction methods.
The Alpine Garden has several paths winding over a rocky outcrop which is covered with tiny, delicate alpine plants.
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Other gardens include the poisonous plants garden (which has samples of various poisonous plants along with information on the effects of various doses), the economic plants exhibit, the flowery brook, and an arboretum. The botanical gardens are also the home to some wildlife; primarily squirrels and ducks, other slightly less common animals such as turtles and herons also live there.
This is one of the city's most popular tourism attractions, along with the Montreal Biodome, the Montreal Planetarium and the Montreal Insectarium.
External link
- Official Homepage of the Montreal Botanical Garden (http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/menu.htm) (in English)pt:Jardim Botânico de Montreal