Garden Gallery
The gardens are overseen and maintained by Hortscape, which is headed by Journeyman Gardener
John Stoll. He and his team, work from March until November every year maintaining the
gardens that Jim has shared with the community. Feel free to come and walk the gardens.
The team is at the Centre Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm and can offer garden tours and advice
on horticulture.
Long Border
The Long Border is a large diverse garden with many ornamental and native plants. The garden
runs along the length of the northern shelterbelt and is a spectacle throughout the entire
growing season. In the spring the columbine fills the garden with color. In the early summer
the lupines begin waking up, followed by the roses and cleome. The lilies, cleome and pin
cushion bring us through the mid-summer, and late summer is filled with Sea Holly, Sedum, Mums,
late blooming roses and the many bunches of ornamental and native grasses.
Columbine, Lupines, Iris, Yucca & Globe Thistle.
Jelly Bean Bed
The Jelly Bean bed is one of the newest additions to the Coutts Centre. The name ‘Jelly Bean
Bed’ was given due to the shape of the bed itself. It contains Clump Birch, Pin Cherry,
Creeping Willow, Juniper and some herbaceous plantings. This garden is located directly across
from the Long Border and was designed to mirror Long Border and create a forest like environment
when walking through the yard.
Herb Garden and Vegetable Patch
The Herb garden is located west of the chicken house and is one of the more manicured gardens.
With sand pathways and rock bordered beds, it is very appealing to the eye. The Herb Garden
contains many typical medicinal and herbal plants, as well as some ornamental perennials. Some
of the plants include, Chamomile, Hyssop, Tarragon, Fever Few, Valerian and we even have an
Asparagus patch. In the vegetable garden, we have 4 raised beds, two are reserved for garlic
plantings and the other two for vegetables such as corn, carrots, beets, beans and potatoes.
This garden is also a year-long spectacle, but definitely is at its prime in early summer.
Chives, Mint, Sage, Thyme, Chamomile, Golden Flowering Currant & Griffin Poplar. Carrots, Garlic & Mixed Salads.
Poppy Garden
The Poppy garden is an amazing sight to see. The garden contains three tiers of 13 beds filled
with a variety of self-seeding field poppies, as well as a couple beds of oriental poppies.
Throughout the garden is a pathway of field stones that were harvested from the nearby farmland.
In its prime, usually between late June and early July, the garden is a solid lush of different
tones of red, with splashes of pink and white. This garden was one of the first built on the
property by Jim Coutts.
Mixed Self seed Poppies.
Medicine Wheel
The Medicine Wheel is located at the west end of the Poppy Garden, and was created as a representation
of the Native Medicine Wheels found all over Western Canada. The one at the Centre is simply just a
garden, but adds character to the base of the Poppy garden. The Medicine Wheel contains a variety of
low growing sedums, creeping jenny, junipers, and a couple patches of Prickly Pear Cactus. The prime
time to see this garden would be in Late June when the cacti are blooming.
Russian Stonecrop, Shirley Poppy, Lambs ears, Dragon’s Blood Stonecrop & Montana Cornflower.
Holly Hock Bed
The Holly Hock garden is found along the west side of the main house. It is a solid bed of many
different colors, and was an original planting recovered from when Jim’s grandmother lived on the
property.
Single Mixed Hollyhocks.
Peony Garden
The Peony garden is without a doubt our best spring garden. It contains a variety of tulips with
different colors and textures popping out of a solid mass of grape hyacinth. Once the tulips are
near finished, the peonies begin to bloom. Many other perennials call this garden home, including
ostrich fern, martagon lilies, and lady’s mantle. The best time to see this garden would be in
anytime in June.
Catmint, Dogwoods, Bleeding hearts, Ferns & Chinese Peony.
Bench Garden
Located to the south of the main house is the Bench garden. Bordered in by caragana, it contains
old church pews surrounding a plot of Blue Grama grass that is edged by old railway ties from the
Nanton train station. Along the side of the house is a bed of yarrow with many different colors.
This garden is a great place to stop and relax.
Blue Gramma Grass.
Native Border
The Native border is a garden that is constantly evolving through the years, It contains many native
forbs and grasses, including Tall Lungwort and Sticky Alum Root. This garden runs along the perimeter
of the bench garden and is bordered in by a lovely orchard of ornamental crabapple trees. This bed
also contains a large stand of sunflowers that some might say greet you as you enter the property.
This garden is best viewed in late spring – early summer, and again in late summer when the sunflowers
are blooming.
Rose Garden
One of the largest gardens on the property, the rose garden is filled with specimens from the explorer
series, the parkland series and a couple from the pavement and Canadian artist series. The entire garden
is bordered in the Alberta Wild Rose. Rosa acicularis. One large stand of Harrisons Yellow is the first
to bloom in late spring, with the nearly the entire ground covered with Late Tulips. As the season
progresses the rest of the garden begins to bloom. A couple plantings of May Night Salvia add a contrast
of purple to the garden. Late July is the best time to see the Rose Garden showing off.
Clematis, Sedum, Lupines, Blue Fescue, Purple Sensation & Prairie Joy Rose.
Lily Garden
The Lily garden is a smaller garden when compared to others on the property. It is tucked into the corner
of the driveway, near the North Barn. The Siberian Irises are the first to start blooming in late spring.
Throughout the season the Lily garden changes colors, going from orange, to reds and pinks, and then it
finishes off in late august with a vibrant yellow. The garden is bordered in by a cotoneaster hedge, and
in the center of the garden there is a small Ohio buckeye and a Nanking cherry. A couple other plants
that can be found within this garden include, spotted lungwort, sticky purple geranium, alpine lady’s
mantle, sea lungwort, prairie smoke and pasque flower. This garden is beautiful all summer long.
Asiatic Lily, Bellflower & Clematis.
Late Garden
This is one of our tallest and latest blooming gardens. It is filled with many creeping perennials, such
as Willow Aster, Nuttall’s Sunflower and Sage. This very large garden is interesting to watch throughout
the season, slowly growing from being flush with the ground to taller than most of the gardeners. There
is a single pathway that meanders through the garden into the caragana shelterbelt on the north side.
From the pathway you can see a variety of plants including sedum, Egyptian walking onion, yucca and
daylilies. From the front of the garden, it is a great representation of a tall meadow, riddled with
many types of forbs. The name of the Late Garden was created due to the fact that it was the last
garden to be in full bloom around the time that Jim left Alberta to go back to Ontario.
Bee Balm, Pincushion, Speedwell, Karl Foerster, Manitoba Maple & Caragana.
Elm Allée
The Elm Allée stretches from the center of the property near the stage, to the south end where it leads
into the Writer’s Cabin. There are 12 American Elms (Ulmus Americana) on each side of the pathway. The
entire base of the elms are surrounded by the native smooth aster. Aster laevis. It is a spectacle of
solid purple, with a couple bunches of native grasses in the mix. The best time to see the asters
blooming is around Late July – Early August.
Brandon Elm.
Grass Plots
On each side of the Elm Allée, are 16 plots of native grasses, giving a total of 32 different species that
are native to Western Canada. The grass plots provide a wonderful example of the diversity of indigenous
prairies. These plots have been designed for educational purposes as well as for progress towards prairie
restoration. Each year we harvest the seeds and store them for future use, either within the grassplots
themselves or elsewhere on the property. From early spring to very late fall the grassplots are constantly
going to seed and changing colors. The most significant grass known for its red fall color is the Little
Blue Stem. (Schyzachrium scoparium).
Different Native Grass Plots – Fall Grass By Bench is Little Bluestem Grass.
Sedge Circle
The sedges are planted within the stone circle. The Stone circle is a representation of the many others
found all over the world, the most common known one being Stonehenge. There are 7 different species of
native sedges growing in round plots between the stones; some species include, Norway Sedge, Low Sedge
and Raymond’s Sedge.
Laurel Leaf Willow & Sedges.
Sunflower Bed
The Sunflower bed is located on the east side of the Tapp House. This location protects the sunflowers
from our strong southwest winds which could blow them over very easily in the fall season. This garden
adds a lot of character to the Tapp House, and provides forage and seed for the American Gold Finches
and other small birds. With the bed being right outside the window of the Tapp House you can watch the
birds foraging right up close.
Self Seeding Sunflowers.
South Barn Bed
The South Barn Bed is another brand new addition to the Coutts Centre. Built in 2014, it was created from
salvaged plants from another site. When these plants were brought in, there was no telling what color the
blooms would be on the lilies, irises or holly hocks, we were pleasantly surprised in 2015 with an explosion
of yellows and pinks. It is a very quaint little garden that adds a lot of color to the South Barn area.
Meadows
There are multiple tall meadows throughout the property that add a wonderful contrast between the manicured
areas and the wild areas. The meadows are meant to represent natural prairie meadows filled with grasses
and different forbs. Jim was an advocate for prairie restoration and believed that these meadows could one
day truly represent a healthy native stand.
Mixed Grasses.
Stage Area
The stage is a new development that was built in 2013. It is constructed out of field stones harvested from
the neighboring farmland and paving stones for the base. The bordering field stones are dry packed with a
variety of different plants placed between the stones. Beyond the stage there is an Ohio buckeye that is
an excellent feature tree with Iceland poppies planted at its base. To the south of the stage is a mature
stand of pussy willows, with native kinnickinnick planted at the base. The stage is an excellent venue for
the University to put on plays such as Shakespeare in the Park.
Hops, Ohio Buckeye & Green Ash.
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