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The purpose of the Public Gardens was to present as large a variety of plants to the visitor as possible. One way of achieving this was by the use of flower beds of several distinct types.
 Carpet beds consist of densely arranged dwarf plants with contrasting leaf colours. The plants are usually not permitted to flower and are clipped once or twice during the season to keep the lines sharp. Although rare in North America, the Public Gardens contain two which are used annually to commemorate special events.
Annual beds contain flower displays that are planted out each spring. The practice of bedding out thousands of greenhouse grown plants, so popular in the middle of the 19th century, is still faithfully followed in the Halifax Public Gardens. Commonly found in these beds are fuchsias, dahlias, gladioli, alyssum and lobelia. The aim of the annual bed is to provide masses of dazzling colours.
Perennial beds contain plants that come up year after year. A carefully selected set of perennials will provide flowers throughout the growing season. These may include daffodils, tulips and crown imperials in May, to Scotch thistle and peonies in early summer, through to late blooming phlox, rudbeckias and perennial sunflowers.
Tropical beds were at one time planted for educational purposes and to intrigue and delight a public, most of whom were unlikely ever to travel beyond Nova Scotia. Agave, cacti, palms and dracaenas can be found in these beds. Rose and Shrub beds contain fine examples of polyantha roses, azaleas and rhododendrons. Some examples of which are old varieties, no longer sold commercially, and dating from early in the century.
Apart from the flower beds and lawns, the Victorian garden was expected to have avenues of trees and a complex of winding footpaths connecting the different features. The trees and shrubs in the Public Gardens were obviously selected with great care, and there is an astonishing number of species and varieties still present even though time must have eliminated many.
The Gardens contain elms, American Chestnuts, ash, beech, birch, willow and white mulberry. Among the examples of shrubs and flowering trees present, are magnolias, tulip trees, crabapple, katsura, ghost tree and the Indian Bean tree. Conifers were highly prized by Victorians, and there is a wide selection scattered throughout the Gardens.
Unusual species include the Swiss stone pine, the Japanese umbrella pine, and the California incense cedar.
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