OUTDOORS
REJUVENATING ICONIC
ROCK GARDEN
Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is in the midst of the single
largest project in its 80-plus year history with the rejuvenation
of its famous Rock Garden. The $20 million dollar project
aims to transform the Rock Garden into a year-round tourist
destination and corporate facility, resulting in economic
growth to the Golden Horseshoe region.
Once an unsightly gravel pit adjacent to Hamilton’s
major point of entry from Toronto, the Rock Garden was a
centrepiece of an ambitious Depression-era project to beautify
the entrance to Hamilton. Construction started in 1929, and
was carried out by relief workers. The rock-work was quarried
out of Red Hill Valley and brought to the site, rock by rock.
Other than the construction of the tea house in the 1960s,
the Rock Garden has not received any significant investment
since its completion in 1931.
The new Rock Garden will showcase a new entrance with
artistic natural features and will consolidate admissions,
washrooms and visitor information into one structure.
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New paths with gentle grades to the floor of the Rock
Garden will make the garden accessible to guests who have
difficulty with steps and steep grades new seating areas will
provide optimal viewing experiences of new floral displays.
Renovations will include extensive water features and three
new garden areas along with new perennial and spring gardens
and a flowering shrub collection, aimed to extend the visitor
experience throughout the entire growing season. In a ][ۋ