About Tangled Garden
Three-acre herb and sculpture garden in Grand Pre with award-winning herb jellies, a classical labyrinth, gift shop and afternoon tea.
Features & Highlights
Detailed Information
Tangled Garden sits on Highway 1 at the edge of Grand Pre, three acres of herb beds, sculpture, and garden rooms that have been growing since the early 1990s. It began as one woman's project and grew into one of the Annapolis Valley's most-visited gardens, a stop that combines a serious ornamental garden, a working herb farm, and a shop full of jellies, vinegars, and liqueurs made on the property. The garden is open to the public from late May through October, and the shop runs most of the year. Google reviewers give it 4.6 stars, placing it among the most-loved stops in the Grand Pre area.
The garden was created by Beverly McClare, whose family homestead the property. What started as a kitchen garden expanded room by room into a sequence of enclosed garden spaces: a dry stream bed flanked by grasses and perennials, a rose walk, and a classical seven-circuit flower labyrinth roughly 80 feet across, its paths planted with clover and edged in flowers. The labyrinth is one of six Canadian gardens included in the international compendium The Gardener's Garden, and it is the piece most visitors remember. Benches and sculpture are placed throughout, with views over the Bay of Fundy from the upper end of the property.
The Garden Rooms and Labyrinth
The design rewards slow walking. Each room has a different character, and the planting changes constantly from the first daffodils in May to the last asters in October. The labyrinth sits in a sunny open area and takes about fifteen minutes to walk; there is no wrong way through it, and children delight in following the clover paths to the centre. Guided Tangled Tours with the owner are available by reservation for groups of up to five, and the garden hosts weddings and events through the summer, so a weekday morning is the quietest time to visit. The garden is at its fullest in late June and July, but each season has its own show, from the herb blooms of high summer to the warm colours of September.
The Shop: Jellies, Vinegars, and Liqueurs
The shop is the other half of the experience. Tangled Garden's herb jellies and vinegars have won awards and built a following far beyond the valley: basil wine jelly, apple sage jelly, currant rosemary jelly, and a line of herb vinegars and oils, all made with herbs grown on the property. The shop also carries cordials, shrubs, fruit and herb liqueurs, honey and mustards, chutneys, and gift boxes. Staff offer tastings, and the products travel well, which is why so many visitors leave with a jar or two. A Yelp reviewer who had moved away from the province wrote that she fell in love with the herbed jellies and vinegars even while living in Toronto, and another called a raspberry mint vinegar so good it was all a salad needed. The liqueurs and cordials, made in small batches, are the most distinctive items in the range, and the shop ships gift boxes for those who want to send a taste of the valley home.
Plein Air Afternoon Tea
From mid-June to mid-September, the garden serves a Plein Air Afternoon Tea on Saturdays and Sundays. Guests reserve a basket and pick it up in the shop, then find a spot in the garden: fresh-baked scones with lemon curd and herb-infused preserves, finger sandwiches, house-made pastries, and a choice of tea, coffee, or a sparkling herb cocktail. Each basket is $60 and includes garden admission for the day; reservations are required and book up on summer weekends. The picnic-style tea is served rain or shine, with covered spaces and umbrellas when the weather turns, and the kitchen offers gluten-free and vegan versions on request.
Practical Information
Address: 11827 Highway 1 (Nova Scotia Trunk 1), Grand Pre, NS B0P 1M0. Tangled Garden is on the main highway between Wolfville and Grand Pre, about 10 minutes from Wolfville and 5 minutes from the Grand Pre National Historic Site.
Hours (2026): Shop open Monday to Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The garden opens May 22 and runs to October 24, with the same hours as the shop.
Admission: Garden admission is $10 (HST included), free for children 15 and under. A 2026 season pass is $28. Afternoon tea baskets are $60 and must be reserved in advance; a booking deposit applies and is applied to the basket on arrival.
Contact: (902) 542-9811 | tangledgardenherbs@gmail.com | tangledgarden.ca
Parking: Free lot on site, directly off Highway 1.
Getting There: From Halifax, take Highway 101 to Exit 10 (Grand Pre), then follow Route 1 south for about 5 minutes. From Wolfville, it is a 10-minute drive east on Route 1.
Best time to visit: The garden peaks in late June and July, when the perennial borders and labyrinth are at their fullest; September brings quieter crowds and good colour. Pair a visit with the Grand Pre National Historic Site, a winery tour, or lunch in Wolfville. Allow an hour for the garden and shop, more if you stay for tea.
