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Peony Festival

Peony Banner

Toddler smelling flowers in a garden

Welcome to a virtual Peony Festival. Let us bring the garden into your home!

The safety, health, and well-being of our community members and staff is the City’s top priority. In support of the government’s efforts to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the City is encouraging community members to view the peony blooms virtually. Community members who use Oshawa parks and trails are reminded to adhere to posted safety protocols, government orders and health authority guidelines.

Covid-19 Update
For more information visit COVID-19 Updates and frequently asked questions.

Visit our Facebook and Twitter for festival updates.

Would you like to share a photo or memory you have of the festival? Tag @culturecountsoshawa on Facebook or @OshawaCulture on Twitter with the hashtags #OshPeonies.

Peony Garden Tours

Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens Tours

Enjoy tours of the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens with City Gardener Noelle Rees!

Canadian Peony Society Garden Tours

Members of the Canadian Peony Society share a glimpse inside their private peony gardens.

Oshawa Garden Club Tours

Oshawa Garden Club member are proud to showcase their talents, especially when it comes to landscaping with peonies.

New! Jill's Garden 2021

New! Toni's Garden

Jill's Garden

Greg's Garden

New for 2021! Peony Advice

Activities for All Ages

Order lunch or dinner from a local restaurant and watch peony videos!
Word Scramble
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Garden Crossword
How to Paint Rocks for Your Garden
How to Draw a Word Art Garden
Flowers 1 Colouring Page
Flowers 2 Colouring Page
Gazebo Colouring Page

Parkwood Estate Garden Tours

Robert McLaughlin Gallery Exhibit and Art Activity

Oshawa in Bloom

Oshawa Public Library Activities

Hair Clip Craft

Greeting Card Craft

Story Time

LivingRoom Community Art Studio Activities

Coffee filter peony

Oshawa Museum

Take a garden tour of the Henry House Museum.

Find your way through a maze or tackle a colouring page!

Oshawa is a Bee City

The City of Oshawa has an exciting partnership with TeachingCity/Durham College Fast Start/Bee City and 3eehive.

Visit 3eehive to receive a packet of free wildflower seeds and to the take the Bee City Pollinator Pledge!

They have also produced the following video for the Peony Festival.

Pollinators in the Garden

Get Involved, Enter a Contest!

Visit the Peony Festival Contest page for all the details!

Art Competition

Sponsored by Tim Hortons, entrants are encouraged to submit their interpretation of a peony in any medium. Photo submissions of your work accepted between June 1-15. Prizes are gift cards from Curry's and Tim Hortons.

Photo Competition

The photo competition returns! Sponsored and judged by Harmony Hill Retirement Community, the contest is open to photographers to submit photos of Oshawa peonies from June 16 to June 30. First, second and third prizes are a gift card from Henry's.

Canadian Peony Society (C.P.S.) Virtual Peony Show

Take your best shot! Through a photo capture the image of how peonies inspire and enrich lives. Open June 15 to August 15.

Fabulous Peonies Picture

PineRidge Arts Council is running their monthly Pic of the Month with the theme, Fabulous Peonies. Submit your pic to their Instagram page in the month of June for a chance to win a $50 prize. Just use #PineRidgeArts when posting to Instagram.

Artisans

We appreciate all of our artisans and food vendors that had committed to participating in the Peony Festival in the past. Visit the Artists and Vendors page and consider supporting local!

What's Blooming Now

Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens is home to one of the largest contemporary peony gardens with over 300 varieties of peonies. Check out What's Blooming Now week by week.

Unique Ways to Explore the Garden

Here are three unusual ways to experience the Peony Garden virtually.

Behind the Scenes at the 15th Annual Peony Festival

A sneak peek behind the scenes at Peony.

Durham College Augmented Reality

In 2019, Durham College students, under the supervision of Durham College faculty member Linda Cheng, designed new Augmented Reality (AR) technology to encourage the community to explore and learn about one of Oshawa’s premier parks, the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens. The community can use the technology to learn about the park, identify points of interest and launch a navigation guide between landmarks. This was a partnership between the City of Oshawa and the Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and School of Media, Art and Design, and an initiative through TeachingCity Oshawa. The City is excited to see this pilot project enhanced and expanded through future collaborations with DC students. Just click over the icons on the map for the area you wish to explore.

Top 100 e-book

Take a look at what makes the Peony Festival an award winning memorable event.

View the accessible P.D.F.