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Friends of Reader Rock Garden Society

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The Garden

The Garden
Garden Concept & Statistics

Garden Concept & Statistics
Plant Collection

Plant Collection

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Open from sunrise to sunset

FoRRGS AGM – Completed – Thank-You to Attendees!

April 2, 2026May 4, 2026
Blog Events News #ReaderRockGarden #yyc

Welcome 2026!

February 26, 2026
Blog Events News

Registrations Are Now Open! NARGS Conference and AGM

February 4, 2026May 5, 2026
Blog Events News

About Us

1

Friends of Reader Rock Garden Society ("FoRRGS") is a non-profit, volunteer advisory group that works in conjunction with the City of Calgary to uphold the integrity and beauty of this Legacy Park/Garden and National Historic Site.

One man’s vision

In 1913, William Reader had a vision which transformed the city landscape into a garden oasis. By 1943, over 4500 plant varieties had been lovingly cultivated in the three acres of land adjacent to Union Cemetary.

Today, the rehabilitation and progress of the Reader Rock Garden continues as we strive to maintain Reader’s vision.

Learn more.

 

 

readerrockgarden

📍 Canada’s First Green Flag Award Winner 🏆
📍 First Legacy Park in Canada
📍 Canadian National Historic Site
Happy Mother’s Day to all who nurture, tend, and p Happy Mother’s Day to all who nurture, tend, and protect their own quiet corners of the world. This is the Upper Garden, Martha Rose Reader’s private retreat. While her husband William Reader worked across the rest of the garden, Martha kept this sanctuary just for herself. Their grandchildren remember being allowed in only with permission, and best behaviour was always required. Imagine Martha, from 1912 through 1944, retreating to this sanctuary above the house, watching the garden come to life below and around her. No noise, only the space she had claimed as her own. That small sanctuary still exists today. This photo was taken on May 8, 2026. We invite you to imagine having such a place for yourself. #HiddenGemYYC #GardeningHistory #SpringVibes #CalgaryParks MarthaReader Source: Reader Rock Ramblings, 2009, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 3
Signs of spring: deep purple crocus in bloom. 💜 N Signs of spring: deep purple crocus in bloom. 💜 Nothing says hope like these little petals breaking through the soil. 📍 May 8, 2026 #SignsOfSpring #PurpleCrocus #SpringBloom #HelloSpring #GardenMoments
The light slipped through the leaves just so. An The light slipped through the leaves just so. And I fell in love without any warning at all. I already know what comes next week: a new love waits somewhere in the green. #ReaderRockGarden #CalgaryBlooms #SpringInLove GardenMoments
🌸 Our spring dreams have come true ❤️ From first 🌸 Our spring dreams have come true ❤️ From first buds to full bloom! This is the season we’ve been waiting for. 🌷✨ 📸 taken April 30 in Reader Rock Garden Tell me in the comments: which flower is your spring spirit? 👇 #SpringDreams #FloralFeels #BloomSeason
Happy 20th anniversary to the reopening of Reader Happy 20th anniversary to the reopening of Reader Rock Garden. Spring 2006 marked a new chapter for this beautiful historic site. Twenty years later, it remains a place of peace, history, and natural beauty in the heart of the city. Whether you visit for the rocks, the garden, or the quiet moments in between, this landmark continues to inspire. Celebrate this milestone by taking a walk through time and nature. #ReaderRockGarden #HistoricSite #GardenAnniversary #YYCParks #Spring2006
If you listen closely, you can hear the hum of spr If you listen closely, you can hear the hum of spring settling in. Two blooms, two busy pollinators, and a garden waking up right on time. Reader Rock Garden on April 30, 2026. Nature’s first handshake of the season. #ReaderRockGarden #CalgaryPollinators #Spring2026 #GardenBees #SeasonalRhythms
You can feel the weight of 1916 in every sentence You can feel the weight of 1916 in every sentence of the city’s annual report. William Reader didn’t just write about flowers and grass cuttings. He was trying to grow a city’s soul from raw prairie soil. He warned that the city’s excellent natural history collection might leave if nobody gave it a proper home. He wanted that collection housed inside a park, not hidden away in some dark basement. He believed a park building would “insure the remaining in the city of a collection that is likely to become of very considerable value.” Behind every tree planted and every dandelion sprayed stood a man who refused to think small. 8,588 trees went into the ground that single season alone. 24,484 perennials. 5,589 bulbs. He even grew tulip bulbs and ripened vegetable seeds to prove what this place could produce. He saw what frost and wind and a “most unfavorable spring” could destroy. And he kept planting anyway. He loaned his own chairs and tables to the golf course clubhouse so citizens could sit in dignity. He sprayed elms against the poplar leaf beetle swarms and hunted down potato bugs in private plots. He argued that fifty well trained men could outwork one hundred uncertain hands every time. He was not just arranging flower beds. He was arranging the future. Read his own words from the Annual Report of the Parks Department, City of Calgary, 1916. Then look around at what William Reader helped build. We owe him more than we know. 📸 Photo taken April 30, 2026 #YYCHistory #ParksWithPurpose #1916 #BotanicalLegacy #CityAsLivingMuseum
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