The landscaping on each of the Bison Courtyard’s three levels was created to mirror the three zones of vegetation in the mountains that surround us.

On the first level you’ll find plants from the montane zone: the valley floors and lower mountain slopes. Look out for purple asters, hairy arnica and Jacob’s ladder. There are also aspen trees and the bristly blackcurrant shrub.

Up on the second floor you’ll find the subalpine zone represented, which is above the montane but below the tree line. This snowy area is where larches and wild strawberries thrive: they’re joined in the courtyard by red osier dogwoods.

On the third floor we celebrate the alpine zone, the high mountains above the tree line, which are often exposed to extreme weather. Spruce, limber pine, moss campion and saxifrage make their home here despite the harsh conditions. These hardy plants are survivors – sometimes they appear to be dead, only to spring back to life the following year.

The limestone and rundle rocks that complete our gardens are locally sourced from a small quarry between Banff and Canmore. You might even spot a fossil preserved in the stone.