Now in its fifth year, the VIA Rail Garden Route program, organized by Landscape Ontario, highlights some of Canada’s most magnificent feature gardens along VIA’s Halifax to Vancouver Island network.  Three new garden destinations have been added to this year’s route.

“According to the most recent Travel Activity and Motivation Study (TAMS), visiting a botanical or garden-theme attraction while on a trip ranks in the top ten culture and entertainment activities undertaken by pleasure travelers in Canada,” said Steve Del Bosco, chief marketing and sales officer at VIA Rail.

“In the spirit of enhancing the tourism appeal of the garden experience, and to enable travelers to enjoy the beauty of a variety of gardens in each city they visit, we continue to add feature gardens and garden attractions to the program,” said Tony DiGiovanni, executive director of Landscape Ontario. In 2010, Edmonton’s Muttart Conservatory, Oshawa’s Parkwood Estate and Sainte-Croix’ Domaine Joly-De Lotbinière have been added to the route.

From June 12 to Sept. 6, visitors to each participating feature garden along the Garden Route and the 2010 Communities in Bloom destinations can enter a contest for the chance to win a round-trip for two in either business or sleeper class to Ottawa in the spring of 2011 to the Canadian Tulip Festival.

For a complete listing of feature gardens, local garden attractions and Communities in Bloom destinations, visit www.viarail.ca/garden.