Kingsbrae Garden St Andrews By the Sea, New Brunswick

During my visit to New Brunswick we had the opportunity to explore Kingsbrae Garden in St. Andrews by the Sea. This garden is a popular cruise excursion for passengers during the late summer and fall.

The Kingsbrae Gardens are 27 acres and features include a maze, multiple pods, sculpture garden, a small area with alpacas and goats, and so much more. There is a childrens garden and houses that kids can play in.

Kingsbrae Garden features more than 2,500 different varieties of trees, shrubs and plants to enjoy. The gardens pay tribute to great traditions in gardening including white, rose, knot, perennial and cottage gardens. The gardens are great for all ages. The garden is well laid out and easy to navigate with the garden map or by just wandering around. There are display gardens that feature collections of specific plant species.

One of my favorite parts of the gardens was the Rose Garden. The moment I walked in I was transported to my grandmothers flower garden and rose garden. I had to pause for a moment to just savor the scent and think about how much fun I used to have gardening with my grandmother.

There is an extensive sculpture garden on site that changes frequently. The gardens host a biennial sculpture competition that includes $35,000 in prizes. The gardens keep the winning sculputues and the remaining sculptures are available for sale to the public. You can find out more about the competition and sculptures on the Kingsbrae Garden Website.

The artists featured are from all across Canada.

There are over 50,000 perennials planted in the garden. I can't imagine the crew that is on staff to keep the gardens clean and looking amazing.

You can grab a fantastic lunch onsite at the Garden Cafe. Keep an eye out for the alpaca free roaming on the lawn in front of the restaurant. We learned that the alpacas come out for an hour or so each day to help with the weeding of the lawn and for guests to enjoy. It was great seeing the kids giggle as the alpacas went by. They were very friendly and the kids were able to pet them.

The garden has a variety of great lunch offerings including a daily quiche that was wonderful.

One of the highlights of our visit was the live ladybug release. The guide released ladybugs into the rose garden with the help of the kids in the group. We also had the chance to meet Lucy the Ladybug the mascot for Kingsbrae Gardens. The gardens do ladybug releases daily.  In the summer, every morning at 10:30, there is a live ladybug release in the Garden, for those who wish to experience it – for children and the young at heart! This benefits the plants, as the ladybugs eat the bugs that prey on roses and other beautiful flowers.

Travel Tips

If you are staying at the Algonquin Resort the gardens are a few minute walk down the hill.

Parking is located just past the gardens on King Street or there is street parking next to the cemetery down the hill.

The gardens are open from 9am to 8pm daily.

If you are worried about mobility issues within the gardens you can book the Magical Carpet Ride and have a private guided tour around the gardens.

For current admission rates please visit the Kingsbrae Garden Website.

Address

220 King Street
Saint Andrews
New Brunswick
E5B 1Y8 Canada