The restored manse where Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery lived from 1911 to 1926, with a memorial garden planted with flowers mentioned in her journals and novels. A pilgrimage site for Montgomery fans, 40 minutes north of Toronto.
Neighbourhood: Leaskdale (40 min north of Toronto) · Address: 2103 Durham Regional Rd 1, Leaskdale, ON · Hours: May–Oct, daily 10am–4pm (check lmmontgomery.ca for seasonal hours) · Price Range: Free
The Lucy Maud Montgomery Memorial Garden is a literary pilgrimage site that is also a genuinely beautiful garden — the restored manse where Montgomery lived while writing some of her most famous works, surrounded by a memorial garden planted with flowers from her journals and novels.
The combination of literary significance, horticultural beauty, and personal history makes this one of the most meaningful heritage sites near Toronto. The garden's design connects directly to Montgomery's writing in a way that no other Canadian literary site achieves.
The Lucy Maud Montgomery Memorial Garden in Leaskdale is one of the most meaningful literary pilgrimage sites near Toronto, and it is also a genuinely beautiful garden in its own right. The site includes the restored manse where Montgomery lived from 1911 to 1926 — the period when she wrote many of her most famous works, including The Blue Castle and Emily of New Moon — and a memorial garden planted with the flowers she mentioned in her journals and novels.
The manse is a typical Ontario Presbyterian minister's residence from the early 20th century — two storeys, wood siding, a wraparound porch, and a practical layout designed for a family with a modest income. Montgomery's husband was the minister of the Leaskdale Presbyterian Church, and the family lived in the manse for 15 years while raising their two sons. The interior has been restored to its 1910s appearance, with period furnishings, Montgomery's writing desk, and displays of her personal effects.
The memorial garden is the site's most distinctive feature. Planted around the manse and extending into the church grounds, the garden includes species that Montgomery specifically mentioned in her journals and novels — roses, lilies, sweet peas, hollyhocks, and delphiniums among them. Each plant is labelled with the journal or novel reference that connects it to Montgomery's writing, creating a literary-botanical experience that is unique among Canadian heritage sites.
The garden is designed to be beautiful as well as meaningful. The plantings are arranged in beds and borders that create colour and texture throughout the growing season. A rose arbour provides shade and fragrance. A herb garden includes medicinal and culinary plants that would have been familiar to Montgomery. A children's garden, with plants mentioned in the Anne books, engages younger visitors with the literary connection.
The site is 40 minutes north of Toronto, in the rolling farmland of northern Durham Region. The drive itself is pleasant, through countryside that has changed little since Montgomery's time. The manse and garden are open seasonally (May through October), and admission is by donation. Guided tours are available, and the volunteer staff are knowledgeable about both Montgomery's life and the garden's horticulture.
WTF Toronto creates guides using independent editorial research, official sources, local knowledge and firsthand experience where available. Commercial relationships are disclosed where applicable.