Our Walled Garden illustrates the aesthetic possibilities of native plants. It is a transition garden that marries the formal Georgian-style architecture of the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre with the picturesque landscape of the Acadian Forest Region. Although at first it looks like a typical English garden, all of the plants are native species of the Acadian Forest Region.

The garden is bordered to the east and north by the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre building and by 10-foot-high brick walls on the west and south. This enclosure creates a microclimate that coaxes flowers to bloom approximately two weeks earlier than those in adjacent garden habitats.

The garden is divided into quadrants around a fountain pool in the centre. Each quadrant is bordered by a low-boxed hedge of inkberry, a native evergreen holly that bears dark blue-black berries. The centre of each quadrant is planted with the native high-bush blueberry. Around the outside of each quadrant are beds planted with various species of low-bush blueberries.

Along the south and west walls are borders planted with flowering shrubs and perennials. In spring, the serviceberry defines the corners of each bed with its early white flowers. Later, the native wild rose adds a splash of pink colour to the middle border backed by the fragrant hedge of bayberry. Be sure to watch for the mayflower in bloom in late April.