Budd Gardens

Perhaps Budd Gardens’ story begins back in the fields of Ukraine, when a young Peter Bodnaryk lost his father to a lightning strike, leaving him an orphan to be raised by his village. Or perhaps the story begins when, years later and at the urging of a poster inviting Ukrainians to Canada, Peter sold his small plot of land and hopped a boat to Quebec City. Regardless of where the seed of Budd Gardens’ was planted, the true story began to unfold in Ottawa in 1913. It was then that Peter—having shortened his surname to Budd—met his wife Theresa, and the two joined forces to found a business that would end up thriving through most of the 1900s and into the new millennium.

More than a century has passed since these events unfurled, and Peter and Theresa’s hard work and passion for gardening has been lovingly tended to and passed down through the Budd family, resting now with their grandsons, Don and David. The brothers immersed themselves in the business early on, piloting tractors around the farm at the tender age of 10, working each summer in the greenhouse, and selling the farm’s bounty at local markets. Today, the pair works tirelessly to maintain the same values of uncompromising attention to detail and customer service that were set forth by their grandparents decades ago.

Budd Gardens’ close-knit staff—comprised of family members and seasoned veterans who return to the gardens year after year—takes their work seriously, bustling about the sprawling farm to coax vibrant blooms and verdant plants forth from the soil. The knowledgeable team remains on hand throughout the day, offering up their horticultural prowess to help visitors choose suitable plants for their home gardens and to dole out advice, such as when to plant what or how to quash lawn-gnome uprisings. Though they are purveyors of numerous plants, including hardy field-grown perennials, their signature flora remains hostas, which, because they are sold in their juvenile stage, promise to yield years of greenery.