A kaleidoscope of colors flows all around you as you enter the Butchart
Gardens on Vancouver Island just a few miles from Victoria.
We spent a fabulous day wandering around a series of beautifully
landscaped gardens that were started in 1904 by Jennie Butchart on the site of
a worked-out quarry her husband had used for his Portland cement plant. The family continues to maintain and share
this elegant environment with over a million visitors each year. It was a window into another era when formal
estate gardens were being developed to showcase homes and grounds.
The rose garden and beds of dahlias captured my attention with the
richness of the colors.
The Japanese gardens felt calm and serene as we walked through them.
The dancing fountain at the bottom of the quarry gave off a varied water
pattern in 10 minute cycles and made me think that this could almost be called
an ‘adult theme park’.
As we enjoyed ourselves, we had to chuckle at the extent to which they
had even incorporated plants into the trash containers.
Lovely photos. It is such a beautiful garden. You are having fantastic weather! We are in Paso Robles tonight...tomorrow Napa!
ReplyDeleteThe camera is getting a good workout on this trip. So many lovely sights.
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