An hour or two at these exceptional gardens and you’ll see why they were named the 2015 Canadian Garden of the Year at the Canadian Garden Tourism Awards. Open to the public since 1981, the 4-hectare (10-acre) grounds are uncommonly beautiful, with a mix of formal and informal gardens dating from various epochs. Set on a gentle hill, the plantings are placed among lawns and shady trails, all overlooking a beautiful salt marsh. You’ll see a geometric Victorian garden, a knot garden, a vegetable garden, and a perennial border garden. About 2,000 rosebushes (of 230 cultivars) track the history of the flower’s cultivation from earliest days through the Victorian era to the present day. Also on site: a replica Acadian pioneer cabin and garden, a cafe and a gift shop.