Saskatchewan in bloom: Iconic, beloved plants and historical gardens of the province

CBC's virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan. 

Stories of contemporary and historical gardeners, gardens and plant life are plentiful in Saskatchewan. They're a reminder that connection with nature can be inspiring and restorative. 

Imagine that the year is 1923. You and your family have come to Canada from Europe to start a new life as farmers on the Prairies. As a passenger on the Canadian Pacific Railway, you are bound for Saskatchewan. 

Looking out the window, you see what seems to be an endless scene of dry and often harsh Prairie land. Maybe you think, 'How do I cultivate this land and provide from my family?" You search for comfort. 

Finally, you arrive at the Moose Jaw railway terminal and find the comfort you have been looking for. You are greeted by a lush, ornate garden filled with greenery and blooming flowers.

This is one of the Canadian Pacific Railway's railway station gardens. 

To encourage additional settlement on the Prairies, the federal government decided to bring symbols of eastern and European civilization to the west. According to researchers, gardens represented success and civilization to immigrants of the period.

These railway gardens operated from the late 1800s until just after the Second World War, according to Stephanie Bellissimo, a heritage researcher at the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre in Beamsville, Ont., who has spent years researching gardens in Saskatchewan. 

"When people would be on the trains coming through, new people settling in the area stopping at this point of entry ... it was a way of making a good first impression," said Bellissimo. 

"There were actually the railway gardens themselves and then the nurseries that were company-run from CPR that would supply these places with the plants. So they would actually send the plants down the railway line, stopping at each place."

The Canadian Pacific Railway had gardens at a handful of Saskatchewan stations, including Kennedy, Broadview, Moose Jaw, Swift Current and Regina. The Saskatoon station grew potatoes during war time to feed people in the CPR dining cars. Many other stations grew vegetables during the war as well. 

"At that time, gardens were created more with civic and moral betterment in mind. They felt these gardens could instill good moral values and civic pride in people and help make better citizens," said Bellissimo. 

Any trace of the railway gardens is now long gone. 

"People from rural communities were starting to feel the lure of the city, starting to work in factories. The economy was changing," Bellissimo said.