About the Founder
Brian Scullion
Founder & Artistic Director, Jardin Scullion
Brian Scullion is a multidisciplinary artist, horticulturist, and visionary whose life has been shaped by an enduring passion for nature, design, and the living arts. Born in Alma, Quebec in 1959, he is the founder of Jardin Scullion — a world-class botanical garden recognised among the 150 most beautiful gardens on the planet.
From an early age, Brian displayed an extraordinary sensitivity to the natural world. By the age of ten, he was building aquariums, breeding fish, and studying birds and mammals — already showing the curiosity and dedication that would define his life’s work.
Over the course of his career, Brian has become a widely respected figure in the world of ornamental horticulture and garden design. His early success as production manager at the Girardville Forest Cooperative — where he oversaw the growth of more than five million trees annually and trained over 60 employees — laid the foundation for his broader creative vision. He later served as President of the Alma Horticultural Society and has delivered more than 900 lectures and presentations to audiences across Quebec.
In 1987, Brian was awarded the “Devenir Entrepreneur” prize for his horticultural business plan, leading to the creation of Pépinière Scullion, a wholesale nursery serving the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Chibougamau, and Côte-Nord regions. This venture planted the seed for an even greater ambition — to build a public garden that would blend rare plant species, inspired architecture, and immersive landscapes into a singular artistic experience.
That vision came to life in 1999, when Brian and his wife and co-founder, Josée Fortin, opened Jardin Scullion to the public. Set across 42 hectares of meticulously designed terrain, the garden is home to more than 2,000 plant species and cultivars, including one of the world’s largest collections of conifers. Signature features — such as the iconic 520-ton stone bridge, inspired by classic English gardens, and kilometres of electric-cart trails — reflect Brian’s deep commitment to beauty, accessibility, and harmony with nature.
A true artist at heart, Brian is also an accomplished painter and composer. His oil landscapes capture the vastness and emotion of the Canadian wilderness, while his original piano compositions express the rhythmic, living pulse of the natural world. This aesthetic sensibility permeates every aspect of Jardin Scullion, which stands as a living canvas of form, movement, and seasonal change.
Brian’s contributions have been widely celebrated. Jardin Scullion has earned multiple Grands Prix du tourisme québécois, the Growth and Dynamism Award from the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie Lac-Saint-Jean-Est, and international recognition in Ulysse’s guide to the world’s most beautiful gardens. His expertise has reached thousands as a horticultural columnist on TVA, Radio-Canada, and various regional stations, and through his landscape design work on hundreds of residential and public projects across Quebec.
Today, Brian continues to cultivate his artistic and horticultural practice both in Quebec and on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, where he and Josée have created a second garden — a tranquil winter refuge that reflects the same principles of resilience, beauty, and unity with the land.
Brian & Josée
