IMPORTANT!
The garden tours are reserved for members of the Société québécoise de la pivoine and members of the Canadian Peony Society.
An invitation to celebrate peonies with us!
Join us for a weekend of activities organized jointly by the Société québécoise de la pivoine, the Canadian Peony Society, and the Reford Gardens on Saturday, July 4, and Sunday, July 5, 2026.
On the program:
Explore private gardens in the region and the Reford Gardens, attend engaging lectures, and enjoy connecting with fellow peony enthusiasts.
Please note:
- The garden tours and activities will take place rain or shine.
- Members are asked to register in advance for one or both days via the registration form (starting March 2026).
- The contact details of the private gardens to be visited will be sent by email to registered members during the week preceding the tours.
- A valid membership card must be presented on both Saturday and Sunday. The CPS will mail membership cards in advance.
- No organized transportation. Participants travel on their own, but carpooling is encouraged.
- Some lectures may be presented in French. A person will be available on site to provide translation.
Preliminary Program
Saturday
Reford Gardens
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
- Opening lecture- Elsie’s peonies (Alexander Reford)
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
- SQP – AGM
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM
- Peony show opening
- Lunch on your own
Grand-Métis Region
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
- Private garden tour (details to come)
Matane Region
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Garden tour: Manuel Ouellet’s garden
4:30 PM – 5:15 PM
- Garden tour (details to come)
6:00 PM
- Restaurant dinner (at your own expense, reservation required, limited seating)
Sunday
8:45 AM
- Registration and housekeeping
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
- Guest speaker (details to come)
9:45 AM – 10:30 AM
- Le Conservatoire de la pivoine (Bénédicte de Foucaud)
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
- Saunders’ Peonies (Lois Girton)
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
- Guest speaker (details to come)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- Lunch on your own
1:15 PM – 3:00 PM
- Guided or on-your-own tour of Reford Gardens and of the International Garden Festival
5:30 PM
- Tour of the Pivoinerie de Kamouraska’s peony farm (to be confirmed)
Local private gardens
The Reford Gardens / Jardins de Métis
Created between 1926 and 1958 by a visionary horticulturist, Elsie Reford, the Reford Gardens / Jardins de Métis are a National Historic Site of Canada.
Her bold project was to transform a fishing camp into an exceptional garden. With the help of people from the region, Elsie succeeded in turning a spruce forest into a remarkable garden that would become one of the most important plant collections of its time.
Today, some 3,000 species and varieties of plants, including the famous Himalayan blue poppy, are spread across about fifteen gardens.
Peonies at the Reford Gardens
With more than 120 species and cultivars, the peony collection is one of the richest in a northern climate. In late June, the peonies behind Villa Estevan are in full bloom—a true delight for the eyes and the senses.
And that’s just the beginning! The hundreds of peonies along the Allée Royale take center stage in July, transforming the path into a majestic avenue of fragrant flowers.
Paeonia ‘Elsie Reford’
International Garden Festival
Adjacent to the Reford Gardens, the largest festival of contemporary gardens in North America features around thirty installations created by some 70 landscape architects and designers from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. It creates a dialogue between history and modernity, between conservation and innovation.
