History

The West End Horticultural Society was founded in 1933, in the Notre Dame de Grâce area of Montreal.  Its early members came from NDG but also from Hampstead, Cote St Luc, Montreal and Westmount. Created while the Depression was in full swing, the W.E.H.S. must have provided a welcome distraction from the poverty and hardship at the time.

The W.E.H.S. organized competitions for its members.  These contests, which included Spring Garden, Rose Garden, and Flower Show, were often judged by professionals from the Montreal Botanical Gardens. 

Financial support came from membership fees, raffles grants from the Québec government as well as perennial sales (the first such sale was held in May of 1977 under the leadership of then-president Edda Mark).

The very first meeting of the West End Horticultural Society was held in 1933 at the Trinity Memorial Church at the corner of Sherbrooke Street West and Marlowe Avenue.

Beginning the following year and for close to 60 years, meetings were held at the Wesley United Church, on the corner of N.D.G. and Royal Avenue.

In 1996, the W.E.H.S. meetings were moved to the Knox Crescent Kensington Church on Godfrey Ave just below Monkland Ave.

Finally, since 2018, the W.E.H.S. has been holding its meetings at the Monkland Community Center, at the top of West Hill Avenue.

Over the years, the W.E.H.S. has had many fine guest speakers at its monthly  meetings.  Some of the better-known speakers have included Dawn Smith, owner of Smith Brothers Florist who gave her first presentation in November 1978, and went on to give presentations many more time over the years; Stuart Robertson, the well-known columnist for the Montreal Gazette; Elwood Quinn from Quinn Farm; and Pierre Bourque, who was a horticultural engineer by training and was director of the Montreal Botanical Gardens before going on to become mayor of Montreal.

The history of the West End Horticultural Society is closely linked to that of the NDG Garden Club.  A lot of members of the Club were also members of the Society and participated enthusiastically in the various WEHS competitions.  Unlike the W.E.H.S., the NDG Garden Club, provided land for its members where they could grow fruits and vegetables in order to supplement their food source.   The Club's initial home was a plot of land belonging to Loyola College.  Over the years, it moved to FIelding Avenue, then Cote St Luc Road, followed by Somerled and then near the Montreal Association for the Blind.    From there it moved to Bessborough Avenue next to the Richardson Hospital and finally, in 1978, to the Salvation Army Eventide Home (pictured) on the border between NDG and Montreal West, where it remained for 20 years.  The land was eventually sold and the Club disbanded.  Since its members could no longer enter the W.E.H.S. competitions, these soon came to an end.

While some aspects of the W.E.H.S. have evolved since it was first established in 1933, with less emphasis on competitions and more of a focus on community and learning, its underlying purpose, which is to encourage interest in gardening, remains unchanged.  We hope it will continue for many years to come!