Welland Community Orchard
Gather, harvest, and learn at one of the largest and most diverse community orchards in Canada. Once the backyard of local conservationist Rex Welland, the orchard is home to nearly 200 fruit trees and vines, including many rare varieties of apple, pear, plum, fig, grape, hazelnut, kiwi, paw paw, and more.
It was Rex’s vision to have his land loved, used, and stewarded by the public, and since 2013 we’ve been working with the Town of View Royal to turn the orchard into a community resource.
Can I visit the orchard?
All are welcome to explore this unique public treasure!
Located just off the Galloping Goose at 1215 Stancil Lane, the orchard is easily accessed by cyclists. There are two bus routes that drop you within walking distance. There is also a small parking lot.
We host work parties alternating Mondays from 10am-12pm and alternating Sunday from 1pm-3pm where you can learn from our wonderful Welland Coordinator and help us maintain this beautiful public space. Each week we focus on a different aspect of the orchard and tackle tasks ranging from mulching to pruning to weeding to seeding and much more! For specific dates and additional information, please sign up on our Gleaning Hub and search for Work Party Shifts!
Welland Workshops
If you’d like to brush up your knowledge of local fruit tree care and more, we provide workshops throughout the year to share knowledge on pruning, grafting, native pollinators and more.
The next upcoming Welland Workshops of the 2024 season are Summer Pruning and Eco-Printmaking!
For more information about these and many more awesome Welland Workshops, please visit our Eventbrite by clicking the link below.
Workshop prices range per event and per demographic.
History
The orchard is nestled between Knockan Hill and Portage Inlet, two important Indigenous food gathering areas. For over twenty years, Rex Welland worked to transform his yard into the mixed orchard it is today. His vision was for the property to be protected and developed as a public asset, and to ensure this, Rex placed the land in trust with The Land Conservancy and gifted the property to the Town of View Royal.
He managed to pack quite a bit into his ⅔ of an acre, including an incredible collection of over 100 different varieties of apple (some of which may be the only known varieties and many of which are quite rare). When you visit the orchard, you’ll see 100 heritage apple trees on espalier trellis, pruned to the oblique cordon style. Other fruit trees include fig, pear, plum, persimmon, sour cherry, paw paw, hazelnut, shipova, medlar, and quince, and there are also grape vines and kiwi!
Passionate about native pollinators, Rex kept meticulous notes on the habits and life cycles, constructing nesting structures and habitats for the impressive diversity of solitary wasps and bees.
Rex’s dedication to the ecosystem is an inspiration, and we are humbled to be a part of his legacy by working with the Town of View Royal to care for and continue to develop this local treasure. With the help of our volunteers and supporters, we hope to build a public park that might help fulfill his ambitious dreams.
Interested in volunteering?
We provide hands-on education to volunteers interested in helping to care for and restore this unique heritage orchard.