devonian botanic garden

There is often fun programming at this venue - concerts and whatnot, so look ahead to see if there is something that interests you, otherwise it may be a bit of a long way to go to look at plants.

Get out for a stroll. Enjoy the English and Japanese gardens. Butterfly house is fabulous! Their Ice Cream is worth the walking!

This is the most beautiful gardens you will ever find. The flowers, scenery, everything is the best and you will never had any doubts once you visit.

If you don't have a car access will be difficult but the Devonian is great no matter the weather. Walking through the gardens on a wet day may not seem like fun but it's quiet on those days and with good rain gear it can be sublime.

This is one of the places that you enjoy when you go there for the first time but after that you feel like a waste of time. There are many things to discover and it is good to spend a full day to walk everywhere.

If you are looking for a well run Botanical garden with a vast walking area and many varieties of flora and a beautiful Japanese garden this is for you.

LUMINARIA had such potential and was a total disappointment. Literally thousands of cars were lined up to enter, told to return to Devon to park and then the long cold outdoor wait began for a shuttle. For what? Hundreds of candles lit crowded paths - but to what and to where? The advertised carollers amounted to 1 small group at the end of the walk. There were two women with lighted angel wings walking around. The opportunities that were missed are worth noting. Instead of leading thousands of people to the Bonsho /bell - add some seasonal entertainment in that area. Organize entertainment and carollers everywhere for goodness sake. The time is 5-9 pm- what about Japanese food being sold on site. People are hungry at that time! The free cider was lovely. The small fire pits on a cold night of walking are lovely. But literally that was it folks - a crowded walk in the cold from fire pit to fire pit. Ah but the gift store - that might be a warming and fun event right? Absolutely nothing of worth to buy and actually somewhat tacky display of crafts.When we left, after an hour of driving and waiting for a shuttle there were hundreds of cars lined up for this event: lining up to get in, lining up to return to Devon, lining up to wait in the cold for school buses. Definitely an advertising coup. Poor planning re: parking, poor entertainment factor and definitely not worth the money or time.

The Devoni=an Garden is a miracle...too bad more people don't know about it. I love the visual beauty, the aromas, the get-away-from-it-allness of it.In the stunning Japanese formal garden, I became to peaceful and contemplative that it was only as I was leaving that I realized there is a highway on the other side of a barrier of very tall, thick trees. You just do not hear the traffic!

They have so much classes ,strolling thru all the pathways ,nature , culture and even for the winter the Lumina(sp?) at the Japanese gardens is a must see.

I photographed a wedding here this fall and despite living in the area for ten years, it was my first time checking it out. I took my kids to have a look around and they (4 and 6) loved it. My six year old loved pointing out all the things that he recognized from our garden over the years, especially in the herbs. Even if your kids aren't interested in plants, there is loads and loads of space for them to run and explore. They had a lot of fun in the little maze and oddly enough looking at the cacti in the buildings. lol Go figure. I had to drag them out at closing with the promise of returning next summer.As I said, I went there specifically because I had wedding to photograph. There were several other weddings going on the same day and the fact that most of the gardens are beautiful manicured may not fit with your style if that is something you're concerned about. That said, I did most of the wedding party's photographs on one of the nature trails which was stunning. Considering that there was three or four weddings going on that same day, the staff dealt with it wonderfully. The wedding I was photographing was on a patio and the furthest ceremony location from the entrance. There was transportation available for anyone who wanted it, with minimal wait times. There was power available for the DJ and the keyboard/microphone during the ceremony. Turned out to be a lovely location.

Amazing place. Japanese Gardens best in Alberta that I've seen so far. Best to go when everything is in full bloom depending on season. They have a traditional Japanese bell that you can actually gong! The sound/frequency it emits carries through the entire landscape and is amazing. If you need a break from the stress of everyday life, come here and remember what life is actually all about.

Every year we come here with the family; and it is always so beautiful, a lovely time to escape from the big city on a sunny day.

I think it would be better referred to as an arboretum personally. It was nice to walk around but do not expect sculpted English style gardens throughout. The only areas well maintained are the Japanese gardens and the indoor areas. It was nice to read the signs explaining what the native uses were for the plants, that was real neat :)

Not a bad choice if what u are looking for is some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life…..however, expected more varieties of botanics but found it to be lacking….

Got there the last day of the season so much of the gardens were being winterized but still very beautiful - could spend the whole day there