Garden Strolls

2021 Openings

The gates to Darts Hill Garden Park are open to welcome the public this fall. Explore the garden during our drop in Public Garden Strolls, open from 11am to 3pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from September 3 to Sunday October 10, 2021.

Plan a visit

Darts Hill Garden Park will be open this fall for drop in garden strolls.

• General Admission is by cash donation
  • Suggested donation is $5
  • Donations are collected onsite at the welcome table
• Children under 12 can enter for free with an adult.
• Entry is free for Garden Members

Hours of Operation

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 3pm
September 3 to October 10, 2021

Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society and the City of Surrey are following the guidelines of the COVID-19 Public Health Orders so all activities, programs and events are subject to change. Before travelling to the garden, please check the Darts Hill Garden Park calendar to confirm opening.

To enhance your enjoyment of the garden three seasonal maps are available for download. Scroll to the bottom of this page to access them plus a colour garden map. The main pathways are gravel with inclines; they may be suitable for some wheelchair users.

Special Events and Activities

Partners in Parks Special Events: Public Family Programming:

Organized by the City of Surrey Partners in Parks, the intent behind family programming is to have parents or caregivers and children participate in self-guided activities throughout the garden. The goal is to spark an interest, appreciation and connection to Darts Hill Garden Park in younger families so they will continue to engage with the garden for years to come.

Spring Scavenger Hunt: Families will be provided with markers to find and tasks to complete throughout the garden trails. Markers and tasks (ie. Find garden bed #25 and write down the name of the plant) along the trails. This activity is meant to spark an interest in the different plant species in the garden as well as teach families how to engage with the garden appropriately.

Flower in Bloom Drawing Station: Families and individuals will be presented with the opportunity to draw the flowers in bloom. Art supplies and easels will be provided at intervals throughout the garden where spectacular seasonal flowers are in bloom.

Flower Seek & Find: Much like a scavenger hunt, families will be given pictures of seasonal flowers in bloom to find throughout the garden. Markers will be placed by the flowers to give the common and specimen names, as well as description. At the end families will be encouraged to tell hosts their favourite and why.

Meadow Story Time: Safely distance story time for families that incorporates thematic importance of wild flowers and bees. Story times can be run at various intervals throughout the day to ensure that time slots are not too full.

Live Music Programming:

Organized by the City of Surrey Partners in Parks, the intent behind live music in the garden once per month is to provide an outdoor music experience in a casual way that can be enjoyed while wandering throughout the garden. Music will be projected via speakers on 100 foot cables from a central location by the pond. Exact locations to be determined.

Dates of our 2021 Special Events and Activities appear on our calendar.

Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society and the City of Surrey Partners in Parks are following the guidelines of the COVID 19 Public Health Orders so all activities, programs and events are subject to change.

Sounds of Summer

Sounds of Summer may also return to the park in 2021. Wednesday July 28 and Wednesday August 11 are tentatively booked for these popular concerts held on the pasture. In 2020 both of these were cancelled and may be cancelled again this year but they are on the schedule! Check the DHGCTS website closer to the dates for cancellation updates.

The Society and the City of Surrey are following the guidelines of the COVID 19 Public Health Orders so all programs and events are subject to change.

Plant Sales

(Plant Sales are tentatively scheduled for 2021. Please check the events/calendar for more information and the dates of these Sales.)

Plant Sales are available by appointment. Lots and lots of choice beauties for your own garden. Contact [email protected] to book your time to purchase them.

The Society and the City of Surrey are following the guidelines of the COVID 19 Public Health Orders so all programs and events are subject to change.

Our plant sales offer a wide selection of perennials, ferns, ground covers, shrubs, and trees at very reasonable prices and ready to be planted in your garden. These plants have been selected from Darts Hill Garden and cared for by our Propagation Team.

Art in the Garden

Photographers, painters, and multimedia artists find inspiration in Darts Hill Garden Park in all seasons of the year. The Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society supports and encourages temporary art and art making in the Garden. The Society is also pleased to support an Artist in Residence during Garden Open Days. For more Information about becoming an Artist in Residence at Darts Hill Garden Park please click here.

2021 brings five Artists who will participate in the Society’s Artist in Residence program in Darts Hill Garden Park. The Society is pleased to host two Artist in Residence in the month of May. Sylvia Grace Borda will capture the apple blossoms with a special photogram process and Scarlet Black will collect images of the garden’s Rhododendrons for her photobook. In June, Willa Downing will be on hand, while Cora Li-leger and Rosemary Burden are the July Artists in Residence. You may have an opportunity to chat with these folks as they work in the garden. Look for the posters at the Welcome Table identifying the artist and time they are in the garden. The calendar has more information as does the late May edition of The Oracle. Ask questions and discover how Darts Hill inspires each artist to create art in the garden!

The Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society is also pleased to sponsor “Resplendent”, a temporary art display in the garden. Friday May 7 marks the beginning of “Resplendent”. Surrey-based Z.inc Artist Collective has organized another temporary outdoor exhibition ”Resplendent” at Darts Hill Garden Park, May 7 – July 31, 2021. Building on two previous successful exhibitions at Darts, Z.inc and invited artists continue to explore new ways of making art in this spectacular natural setting. Using a variety of materials, the artists create installations – evocative, contemplative, beautiful – that provide novel ways for visitors to experience the garden.

Scarlet Black

Willa Downing

Cora Li-Leger

Resplendent Explained:

Ten artists of the Z-inc Art Collective and Friends, the creators of Resplendent, a temporary art installation exhibition in Darts Hill Garden Park held a series of Zoom talks plus Q/A. These were held on three Thursday evenings, June 10, 17, and 24 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm. Each evening featured three artists who spoke about their art installations and answered questions. Here is the schedule:

June 10: Rosemary Burden, Amelia Butcher, Willa Downing
June 17: Polly Gibbons, Marcus Macdonald, Sophie Macdonald
June 24: Claire Moore, Cora Li-Leger, Cora Li-Leger and Jan Storer, Elizabeth Carefoot

If you missed the scheduled event, for your viewing pleasure use the link below to join the host, the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society and the artists of Resplendent for three evenings of recorded Zoom talks. The recorded talks, named Resplendent Part 1-3 are informative and fun! The artists discuss their work with lively Q/A sessions at the end of each Zoom recording. Resplendent is now in Darts Hill Garden Park until the end of July.

Resplendent Part 1-3