Spring Photography in Montreal: A Day at the Montreal Botanical Garden!

The winter of 2025–2026 was long and brutal, even by Montreal standards. Near-freezing temperatures hung around until almost the beginning of May, and even by the second week of May, the thermometer still seemed deeply suspicious of the idea of climbing above 10 degrees Celsius.

Frankly, I was exhausted from staring at sad brown leafless trees for months. There is only so much minimalist landscape I can take in life. At some point, the soul demands colour. Not beige. Not grey. Not “subtle seasonal texture.” Actual colour.

And finally, spring is here. Or at least its advance party has entered Montreal.

One of the best places in the city to experience this annual act of botanical rebellion is the Montreal Botanical Garden. It is not free, as such things rarely are. The standard adult ticket is around $25, though concessions are available for various categories. But if you want to witness spring arriving in full colour, especially if you enjoy photographing flowers, birds, trees and all the smaller visual surprises of nature, the garden offers enormous value.

On its best spring days, the garden has an astonishing spread of tulips in almost every possible colour. This week, many of them were still in their infancy, looking like they were rehearsing for the main performance. Full bloom should arrive very soon. But that did not take away from the charm of the place. Plenty of other flowers had already stepped forward, restoring my confidence that my eyes could still recognize more than white, grey and winter-brown.

There were also cherry blossoms, quietly doing what cherry blossoms do best: making everything look more poetic than it probably is. The sky was bright blue, with thick tufts of cloud drifting across it, and every time the sun broke through, the flowers seemed to glow with complete disregard for modesty.

For a photographer, this is the real joy of spring. Not just the flowers, though they are obviously the headline act. It is the feeling that the city has started breathing again. Colour returns. Movement returns. Birds return. People slow down. Cameras come out. And after months of winter discipline, the eye is finally allowed to feast.

As spring continues its transition into summer, the parks and fields around Montreal will begin filling with tulips, blossoms, strawberries, apples and all the small signs that the long grey season has finally loosened its grip.

For now, the Botanical Garden is a wonderful place to begin.

1. Nikon Z 5ii along with Z 180-600mm f 5.6-6.3 VR lens. This is an awesome paring for wildlife. The duck photograph above is shot using this combo
2. Nikon Z7 with Tamron 90mm f2.8 di sp macro lens. The macro and close -up shots are taken using this combination. I absolutely love the AFS F mount lenses on Z bodies.
3. Nikon D 750 with Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 E FL VR lens. Another solid pairing that produces photographs with beautiful micro contrast and bokeh circles.
   
   Please click each photograph to look at their exif data on the camera and the lens combination used.