The 15th edition of the International Garden Festival opens on June 28 and will present 22 contemporary gardens at Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens. Imagined by sixty-five designers from Seoul, Santiago de Compostela, NewYork, Philadelphia, Basel, Amsterdam, Paris and Montreal, these installations invite visitors to enter and contemplate new ways of seeing the landscape and the world.

Aligned on a sunny esplanade or huddled in green rooms, the installations evoke the playful, the poetic and the delicacy and complexity of life. Through such installations as Courtesy of Nature, Sacré potager, Orange Secret, Pink Punch, Méristème, Cone Garden Bocksili, Afterburn and Bal à la Villa, visitors are transported to new universes on an exceptional environment on the edge of St. Lawrence River.

This garden festival is unique in Quebec. It proposes in a simple, direct and effective way the importance of landscape architecture in our daily lives. The Festival continues until the end of September and is a must-see for those visiting Québec and the Gaspésie and Lower St. Lawrence regions this summer.

About the International Garden Festival

Unique forum for innovation and experimentation since 2000, the International Garden Festival is the leading venue for the exhibition of contemporary gardens in North America. The Festival fosters interaction between the visual arts, architecture, landscape, design and nature and inspires visitors with the unique ephemeral installations that are exhibited every summer. The International Garden Festival is presented with the financial assistance of: the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, Canada Summer Jobs, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Tourisme Québec, Conférence régionale des éluEs du Bas-Saint-Laurent, Emploi-Québec and Canada Blooms.

About the Reford Gardens / Jardins de Métis

Reford Gardens / Jardins de Métis are located on the shores of the St. Lawrence and Mitis rivers at the gateway to the Gaspé Peninsula. A national historic site, the Reford Gardens are ranked as one of the great gardens of North America. Created by Elsie Reford over a period of 30 years, they are a living testimony to her passion for gardening and plants. Today, her great-grand-son, Alexander Reford, leads a team that maintains this unique horticultural and architectural heritage. Canada Economic Development is the lead partner of the Landscape Laboratory initiative. Hydro-Québec has been the sponsor of the Gardens since 1999. The Caisse Desjardins de Mont-Joli is a sponsor of the 52nd season of the Gardens.

The Gardens are open every day up to September 28, 2014. Children 13 and under are admitted free of charge.