Horticultural information counter

Notice : To offer our visitors more efficient service, we wish to advise you that only requests made in person at the horticultural information counter are accepted. Our team no longer answer questions submitted by mail, email or fax. We invite you to consult our Green Pages, which contain a wealth of information, or to stop by our counter at the Jardin botanique. Thank you for your understanding. 

The horticultural information service is located in the Jardin botanique de Montréal reception centre and offers the following services free of charge:

• Identifying plants
• Identifying problems with cultivation, pests or disease
• Providing horticultural tips and information about specific plants

Opening hours

Free parking is available (in the signposted zone) for up to 15 minutes.

Help us help you better!

Planning to visit the horticultural information counter? Be prepared! If you need help identifying a plant or cultivation problem, follow the tips below.

Identification of a plant or a tree

Bring either the entire plant, some sections or representative pictures: stem with leaves, buds, flowers and/or fruits.

Observe and note:

• The plant measurements (height, width, form) and its habitat.
• The leaf arrangement on the stem (alternate, opposite, verticillate).
• The form, size, color of leaves, flowers and/or fruits.

Identification of a problem (on annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees*)

Bring representative samples of the damaged plant: leaves, stems and/or fruits slightly, moderately, and highly infected. In the case of a tree,* bring an infected branch of 30 cm or more.

Observe and note:

• The growing conditions: Light (sun, shade), soil type (clay, sand), drainage, habitat (forest, garden, plants growing nearby...)
• The symptoms: Insects, injuries, holes, spots, necrosis, outgrowths...
• Their location on the plant: On leaves, stems, trunk? Everywhere equally or only on an isolated section? Inferior, intermediate or superior branches?
• The progression of the symptoms: From top to bottom? From the center to the exterior?
• Date of appearance of the symptoms and the speed of their spread.
• Plant history: watering, fertilization, pesticides/chemicals applied directly on the plant or its surroundings, any unusual event that could have an impact on the plant (digging, construction, heavy machinery ...)

Identifying mushrooms

Leave fresh mushrooms at the horticultural information counter at the Jardin botanique. A specialist from the Montréal Mycologists’ Circle will contact you to give you the results. However, specimens will not be returned.  Please note that mushrooms will not be identified based on photographs.

What to do?

• Place each specimen in a paper bag (not plastic!).
• Remember that specimens must be whole (don’t cut the stem).
• Label each bag with your name and phone number.
• Each person is limited to five specimens per identification request. Place the specimens in separate bags. Number each bag and keep a numbered specimen for yourself.

The service does not include:

• Lab analysis (soil, disease, etc.)
• Expertise for legal purposes
• Landscaping plans
• Monetary appraisals of plants
• Assessment of risks associated with trees (hazardousness, damage caused by the roots, and so on)
• Tree felling recommendations
• Addresses or references for purchasing goods and services, including providers of horticultural goods and services
• Identification of plants for schoolwork
• Floral inventory of natural sites or an exhaustive inventory of a garden’s ornamental plants.

Please note: The Jardin botanique does not return items submitted with your questions.