Discover gardens, natural products and monarch butterflies at Garden Path Homemade Soap

What started as homemade gifts has grown into a five-acre destination where you can wander through gardens, learn about monarch butterflies and discover how herbs and flowers become handcrafted soaps and natural products.

Located near Vankleek Hill in Prescott and Russell, Garden Path Homemade Soap is about an hour east of Ottawa and an hour west of Montreal, making it an easy day trip from either city. Coming east from Toronto, it’s about a five-hour drive. 

At Garden Path Homemade Soap, owner Tara MacWhirter has created a place where education, gardening and entrepreneurship grow side by side.

“I first made homemade soap for Christmas gifts for my family and friends,” Tara said. “After attending my first local craft fair and realizing how well received my soaps were, I saw a market for them.”

As she looked around the property she had purchased, she said she saw potential in the herbs and flowers already growing there. Those plants became ingredients for soaps and other natural products and helped shape the vision for Garden Path Homemade Soap.

Tara registered the business in 2012, launched a website and gradually expanded into retail locations across eastern Ontario. Today, the business employs five part-time staff members and continues to produce its products on site.

When you arrive, give yourself time to explore.

A self-guided tour takes you through the property using a laminated map designed by a local artist. As you stroll through the gardens, you’ll learn about the herbs and flowers grown on site and how they are harvested and prepared for use in the products sold in the boutique.

You’ll also have an opportunity to peek into the production room, where staff create soaps and other natural products.

“Our staff are knowledgeable not only about our products but also about the behind-the-scenes processes, such as preparing the herbs and flowers and caring for the monarchs that call our property their summer home,” she said.

The gardens are busy from June through September as herbs and flowers are harvested for use throughout the year. Summer also brings tea parties and private group events in the gardens.

One of the property’s most popular attractions arrives with the monarch butterflies.

From June through October, you can observe various stages of the butterfly’s life cycle and learn about the importance of creating habitat for pollinators and other species.

“We hope visitors will bring nature into their yards,” Tara said. “We can all do our part to help the monarch butterfly and other creatures whose habitats are threatened.”

The Monarch Motel becomes especially active from late July through October, offering opportunities to observe monarchs as they develop and prepare for their long migration south.

The gardens change throughout the growing season. During winter, the boutique remains open year-round.

“The colours and textures of the gardens change with the seasons, but each one brings a uniqueness,” Tara said.

Education remains at the heart of everything happening on the property.

Before launching Garden Path Homemade Soap, Tara spent five years teaching in the classroom. Today, she shares her knowledge through soap-making workshops, presentations for horticultural societies and visits with school groups.

“Although I left the classroom, I am still teaching in so many ways,” she said.

As you make your way through the gardens, you’ll discover how plants become products, why pollinator habitats matter and how small changes at home can support local ecosystems.

Helping people make those connections is an important part of the experience.

“Learning about what we grow here and why makes the visit to the boutique that much more meaningful,” she said.

So plan ahead. Set aside more than a quick shopping stop. Garden Path Homemade Soap is best experienced at a slower pace, giving you time to explore and discover the perks of the visit.