The team from the Gardens are working with artists, curators, researchers and organizations to offer a range of exhibitions linked to the history of the gardens, the different owners of the estate, regional history, horticulture and the environment.
This summer, Les Jardins de Métis celebrate nature in all its complexity — from the fragility of a rare flower to the richness of artistic imagination. Through three exhibitions, our museum team invites you on a captivating journey through history, art, and science.
At the heart of the season is the centennial of the Himalayan blue poppy, our emblematic flower, marking 100 years since its introduction to the horticultural world. Its story inspires a signature exhibition by artist T.M. Glass, curated by Alexander Reford and Marjelaine Sylvestre. This celebration also features a renewed perspective on the notion of the “exotic” in the plant world, along with the delicate and detailed work of Marcel Jomphe, a master of botanical drawing.
We invite you to explore this season’s program and meet the artists and curators during our summer events.
100 years ago, the Himalayan blue poppy was close to extinction. This rare, stunningly beautiful flower was saved from extinction by the British perennial expert, Frank Kingdon-Ward with an extraordinary mission to protect the plant from medicinal hunters digging up its roots. Kingdon-Ward took many Himalayan Mountain expeditions to find blue poppy seeds, returning for more after he couldn’t get them to germinate. At last, he was able to display blue poppy flowers at the 1926 London Chelsea Garden show, which caused a sensation. He distributed blue poppy seeds to gardens around the world and now, 100 years later, his efforts to save the gorgeous blue poppy from extinction continues in Victoria, British Columbia, at the Butchart Gardens, Pennsylvania at Longwood Gardens, in Quebec at Reford Gardens, and in Scotland at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, where the plants receive the special care, climate and soil needed to survive. What makes this centennial celebration important is that earthly concerns and distress over industrial environmental issues can sideline concerns for declining treasures of the botanical world. This exhibition shines a light on how people in different parts of the world are working hard to save one tiny, endangered flower that is difficult to grow: the Himalayan Blue Poppy (botanical name: Meconopsis betonicifolia).
The exhibition presents Marcel Jomphe’s artistic career from three angles: scientific illustration, botanical art and imaginary works inspired by flora.
Over a career spanning some fifty years, he has observed, explored and drawn the morphology of plants. In this exhibition, he shares his observations on the diversity of forms he has found in flowering plants, and what has inspired him to create works based on these architectural forms.
The first part is an inventory of the sketches used to scientifically illustrate the plant elements represented to scale. This is followed by works representing identifiable species, in which the aesthetic dimension takes precedence over scientific use. Finally, the third series of works reveals the artist’s imagination, where emotion and creativity dominate the compositions.
The remarkable skill with which he handles his pencil or brush betrays years of experience. His mastery of the art of depicting the natural world demonstrates his ability to capture its unique complexity and intelligence. The poetic beauty and metaphysical overtones of his works reinterpret the forms of nature. They open a window onto an invisible realm that leads us to question our ecological and existential realities. His meticulous drawings invite viewers to look beyond the surface and consider the deeper, metaphysical aspects of existence. Jomphe’s work invites us to immerse ourselves in the details of every stroke and curve, evoking a form of introspective contemplation that is both rare and profound.
Don’t miss the artist’s lectures* with piano accompaniment by Lydia Clapperton. ▶ On Saturdays, July 5 and August 16, at 2:00 PM at the Aire Desjardins of the Great Hall *Bilingual lecture
To mark the centenary of the first appearance of Himalayan blue poppy plants (Meconopsis betonicifolia) in Western amateur gardens, Exotique. Dreaming of a Plant World questions the use of this qualifier to name that which comes from afar. Isn’t a plant exotic to one person indigenous to another? Can a specimen growing nearby inspire a sense of foreignness?
Based on these questions, the exhibition presents both botanical discoveries made in the 19th and 20th centuries and contributions from current science. The latter, aimed at protecting biodiversity, allows for the meticulous study of specimens. This detailed observation inspired fashion designer and artist Ying Gao in the creation of Can’t and Won’t, two interactive dresses integrated into the exhibition.
A part of the exhibition is also dedicated to the presentation of plants from here and elsewhere, as well as to cultivars, that is, human creations, planted by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958 in her gardens at Grand-Métis.
Exotique. Dreaming of a Plant World thus invites visitors to discover the horticultural universe.”
Discover the World of Carnivorous Plants, by Paolo Greenhouse ▶ Saturday, August 9, 1:00 PM, at the Desjardins Hall of the Great Hall
Pinguicula Arrangement Workshop ($25)*, by Paolo Greenhouse ▶ Saturday, August 30, 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., at the Aire Desjardins of the Great Hall *Registration required
This exhibit takes visitors through the life and times of Elsie Reford.
Best known for her gardens, Elise also had many other interests ranging from politics, to women’s health art, and international affairs. Her involvement in politics and public debates led her to cross paths with many of the era’s leading figures. For the first time, new facets of this remarkable woman will be revealed through a collection of pictures, objects and stories.
This exhibit is presented on the 2nd floor of the historic Estevan Lodge.
The Museum of Tools holds an impressive collection of garden tools acquired by the Reford Gardens in 2013.
Just like gardening techniques, gardening tools have evolved tremendously over the centuries. Tools once handmade and designed to last a lifetime are now manufactured en masse in factories. Garden tools are often considered collectors’ items and many gardeners form attachments to their tools as though they’re old friends. It is rare to see so many under one roof, and rarer still to see them on display for all gardeners to enjoy! Shears, trowels, wheelbarrows, spades… the list goes on. Come see what you can discover!
photo: Jardins de Métis
Robert W. Reford was one of Canada’s first amateur photographers. He acquired his Kodak No. 1 in 1888, as soon as this first Kodak hit the market. This would be the beginning of his lifetime passion for photography.
In 1926, when Elsie adds a second storey to Estevan Lodge, she sets up a dark room for her husband. Located in the couple’s private quarters, few ever had the chance to visit this room. This multimedia exhibit grants you the privilege of assisting Robert at work in his darkroom. This exhibit is complementary to the Elsie through the eyes of… permanent exhibit, which has been presented in the Estevan Lodge since 2018. It lifts the veil on the intimate gaze Robert’s posed on his wife through his camera lens.
Presented on the second floor of Estevan Lodge.
photo: Umanium
Go back in time to explore the history of salmon fishing along the mythical Metis River in Quebec’s Bas-Saint-Laurent region. The rivers, and the salmon that return to spawn in them, have fascinated people since time immemorial. Discover how the Metis River participated in the region’s development and how it went from being a wild oasis to a private one, only to become the protected salmon river it is today.
Elsie In Her Own Words is a virtual exhibit that gives online visitors an opportunity to hear Elsie Reford, the gardens’ creator, read some of the writings that will help you better understand her. In it, we hear Elsie retell personal experiences that were drawn from the writings she left behind discussing everything from her horticultural experiences to summers in Métis and her social, political, and philanthropic involvement during her time spent in Montreal throughout the rest of the year. The exhibit was created by Montreal’s Umanium firm with research by historian Karine Hébert. It was developed with the help of the Société des musées québécois and Quebec’s Ministère de la Culture et des Communications “Programme d’aide en numérique” program.
Internationally recognized for its breathtaking landscapes and coastal route forming an 885 km loop, the Trip Around the Gaspé circuit is now over 90 years old. Through period pictures, stories, and newspaper excerpts, discover the epic story behind the tourist circuit that has long been recognized as a great destination.
PODCAST | From Downton Abbey to the Reford Gardens
Butlers, chambermaids, footmen: the large teams of domestic staff who served the aristocracy of Britain’s Edwardian age are widely known. Perhaps less well known, however, is the fact that this lifestyle straight out of “Downton Abbey” existed in Quebec as well, among certain wealthy families of English Montreal early in the twentieth century. Listen to this immersive experience, produced by the Reford Gardens, and find yourself in the Estevan Lodge during a busy summer!