A Spent Gravel Pit Becomes a Green Space for the Community

Everything fell into place when John Patterson, a retired businessman, came up with the idea of bringing a local gravel pit back to life as a garden. He’d been to see Butchart Gardens, a national historic site near Victoria, B.C., and the Eden Project in Cornwall, U.K., the largest indoor rainforest in the world, both of which are rehabilitated open-air mines and world-class gardens.  He was inspired by the idea of creating a greenspace where the community can gather, learn and enjoy and began his search for a gravel pit in Haliburton County.

Abbey Gardens is on a glorious heritage parcel in the Haliburton Highlands. For the past several decades this 310-acre parcel of land has operated as a gravel pit, helping to pave the way for growth and development in Haliburton County. Now the community is gathering around efforts to remediate the site and create a stunning visitor attraction. The site features local food shopping, interpretive trails, heritage breed displays, programming and event spaces, picnic areas, gardens and more.