I was back in Montreal recently, and had some time to visit the city’s famous botanical garden. Sitting in the shadow of the hulking Olympic Stadium, this is a big complex – 185 acres of greenhouses and themed outdoor gardens. With the outdoor gardens covered with snow, my explorations were confined to several greenhouses.

The Olympic Stadium, seen from the Botanical Garden

My tour began with the “Tropical Food Plants” exhibit

The tropical food plants greenhouse. Steamy!

and continued into the stunning orchid greenhouse. Being an orchid junkie, I spent the longest time here.

My favorite exhibit

The fern exhibit was next, and it is lovely. The greenhouse is bisected by a waterfall that you can  walk under.

The waterfall

Finally, I arrived at the renowned bonsai exhibit. This was my second favorite greenhouse. I loved the way the trees were displayed in so many different ways. It was all designed to show them to their best advantage, and it worked.

The bonsai exhibit

You can easily spend hours in the greenhouses, but there are  many strategically placed benches so you can rest your tired feet and take it all in. In the summer, there is a lot more to see outdoors, including the Chinese and First Nations gardens.

For more information on this great horticultural attraction, click here.

Next: the bugs next door