In support of nature, literacy and heritage

The Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Fund helps to support the long-term sustainability of the Historic Gardens that showcase gardening methods, designs and materials representing more than four hundred years of local history.

Annual proceeds from this fund are given to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens Society, a nonprofit registered charity that owns and operates the Historic Gardens. The capital of the fund is preserved over time to ensure a steady source of income for years to come.


The Historic Gardens are a 17-acre horticultural paradise located in Annapolis Royal. Historically themed areas of the gardens tell the story of Nova Scotian settlement from an agricultural and horticultural perspective:

  • The Pine Forest represents the huge eastern forests that once covered a vast area, long before Europeans settled in North America.
  • La Maison acadienne shows an early French settler’s dwelling, garden, and dykelands, based on 1671 records, before the Acadian Deportation of 1755.
  • The Governor’s Garden is based on an 18th Century design when Annapolis Royal was the capital of Nova Scotia.
  • The Victorian Garden, filled with showy annuals, reflects the prosperous days of shipbuilding and vigorous trade of the 19th Century.
  • The Innovative Garden demonstrates modern horticultural methods and newly introduced plant material.

These historically based core gardens are linked by paths through other display areas. One of the most magnificent of these is the Rose Collection, which has more than 230 cultivars, from ancient roses like the Apothecary Rose to modern hybrids, including roses of the Canadian Explorer, Parkland, and Artist series.