This important botanical garden is distinguished by its first class horticultural collection. Originating in the late 1920s, it developed as a series of discrete gardens and a wildlife conservation area within an urban context. Some of Canada's most talented landscape architects, botanists and plant curators have collaborated on the garden, imparting an overall unity and aesthetic appeal. In 1975, the Royal Botanical Gardens was designated the International Registration Authority for the names of cultivated lilacs in honour of its world-renowned lilac collection.