For folks wanting to get a break from a Manitoba winter, you can simply drive down to the International Peace Garden’s Conservatory and see cacti and succulents in bloom!
For the second year the Peace Garden is offering seniors 55 and older to visit them at no charge on their ‘Free Seniors Wednesdays’ from now until the end of April.
“Every other Wednesday will also include some programming that we’re excited to share with folks this year,” shares CEO Tim Chapman. “And there is always something blooming at the cacti and succulent conservatory!”
Special programming dates scheduled:
February 11 and 25: local history and Peace Garden history 1:00-3:30 pm
March 11 and 25: focus on plant demonstrations and pollinators 1:00-3:30 pm
April 8: more focus on plant demonstrations and pollinators 1:00-3:30 pm
Pollinators is the 2026 theme for the Peace Garden this summer!
International Peace Garden – Betty Sawatzky/Discover Westman
“We all know how monotonous winter can get. So, we just want to do our part to encourage folks, whether it’s individuals or families or even senior homes that have access to buses or vans that can bring more people down to come on down and really enjoy the warmth of the Conservatory,” invites Chapman.
“Each of these free senior Wednesdays is based down at the Conservatory. When there’s programming involved, the first hour focuses on the presentations and then it is followed by a stroll through the cacti and succulent collection with some highlights from our staff who work in there,” he adds.
Education and Volunteer Coordinator, Deborah McCallum wraps up each of those Wednesdays with a craft or art that all those who attend can do and take home with them – and they can enjoy a little teatime as well.
International Peace Garden – Betty Sawatzky/Discover Westman
“Folks are starting to realize more and more the value of being in a warm, green and hopefully sunny space to break up that winter of endless white and gray,” says Chapman. “And yeah, it’s just a fascinating thing to see year over year too, because the plants are growing so well in the expanded space that every few months, you’re going to kind of get some different vantage points as these plants continue to grow and take over their space.”
“People are shocked, but the expanded Conservatory has really added a whole new level of wellness and health for the plants. But every winter, a lot of the African plants have always done well. So, there’s aloes in bloom right now, there’s some agaves in bloom… it really just kind of depends on the week,” he continues.
“But spring is fast approaching, believe it or not, because we know come May and April a lot of the plants that experience a little bit of dormancy are going to be back up and continue to green the space out!”
International Peace Garden – Betty Sawatzky/Discover Westman
Free Senior Wednesdays is for 55 and older and they encourage any family member who maybe aren’t at that age to attend as well. For the Peace Garden, it’s a $10 entry for the day or some folks probably already have their annual memberships that go through the 12 months since they last bought one, says Chapman. “So yeah, we try to make it as easy as possible. Those $10 daily fees or annual memberships really go a long way though in supporting our operations throughout the year.”
The International Peace Garden hours of operation:
The Don Vitko Cacti & Succulents Collection within the Conservatory is OPEN to the public.
The Collection is open Monday to Friday from 10 am – 4 pm. And open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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