Tim Chapman is the CEO of the International Peace Garden, a beautiful place on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota where you can move seamlessly from one country to another without interference.
Tim tells Dorothy all about what is taking place at the Garden this year. Not only are parts of it undergoing a facelift and renewal, but this is the Garden’s 90th anniversary. There are going to be celebrations all summer long. And there is a lot to celebrate.
This spring will see the opening of the children’s nature playground, situated a stone’s throw from the Conservatory which is also under renewal and expansion. The Conservatory holds one of North America’s most diverse collections of succulents and cactus.
As for the playground, it will celebrate animals from the region: The wolf, the turtle, the fox are all represented in a lovely woodland setting under some very old trees.
While the renewed conservatory will open later in the summer, there are many things to enjoy in the meantime. For example, this summer visitors can book a picnic lunch at the café, pick it up and take it out to one of the many historic and enchanting picnic shelters dotted throughout the grounds. Or bring you own from home.
Visitors can rent kayaks for a leisurely paddle around Lake Stormon and see the beaver lodges or simply go for a hike on one of the many trails. The Peace Chapel is a fascinating monument to the wisdom of peace through the ages and the 9/11 World Trade Centre remains of some steel girders from the tragedy will cause you to pause and think.
Don’t forget the beautiful garden with is many water features and fountains. At the entrance, a rainbow of colour greets the visitor with 80,000 annuals blazing in the sunlight. This year is a tribute to music – watch for the piano keys garden.
At the heart of the site is the sunken garden, leading out from the conservatory to a series of ponds featuring fountains and planted with hundreds of perennials. You could come every week and be greeted by a new display at the garden changes throughout the season. In the springtime you see daffodils and tulips and the air is fragrant with apple blossoms. Then come the roses, and after that the florid summer plants that like the heat of July. Even Autumn is a feat for the eyes as the grasses, trees and shrubs come into their own.
Don’t forget winter. Right now, the garden is a fairyland of white. You can rent one of the newly constructed, quite luxurious cabins with three to four bedrooms and several bathrooms each. These are not available in summer because our seasonal help in housed there. Go cross country skiing or hiking or just enjoy the tranquil beauty. We have a fully equipped camping ground with all the electrical you will need.
Mark July 29 and 30 on your calendars for the big celebration pf the 90th.
List to the broadcast and hear Tim’s music choices. We play Turn off the News, Build a Garden by Lucas Nelson, the sone of Willy Nelson. An American, Tim has fallen in love with Canadian music and we hear the beautiful Manitoba Sunrise at Motel 6 by Tami Nielsen.
