Victoria Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens is one of Victoria's more popular garden tour attractions. The network of paved paths meander around exploring meadows and gardens of flowers blossoming in reds, blues, yellows, whites and oranges. The trails lead to ponds and fountains, walking over wooden bridges and crossing over rumbling creeks. Many paths loop in circles leading to viewing benches, shelters and open grass fields. The Butchart Gardens is a wonderful opportunity to be surrounded in vibrant colors and floral scents.

But not all is what it seems. The Butchart Gardens started as a limestone quarry in the early 1900's. After some time the quarry then became the Victoria Butchart Gardens. In 2004, the Butchart Gardens celebrated its 100th year in operation since the quarry days. Media from around the world often recognize the Butchart Gardens as one of the must-see sunken gardens, tea houses and rose gardens in the world.

The Victoria floral gardens story began long ago on a whim when Robert Pim Butchart, a cement entrepreneur, and his wife, Jennie Butchart , moved west to Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island from Ontario, Canada. A timely move because at that time the Canadian Pacific Railway was replacing it's wooden bridges with cement. This was right up Robert Butchart's alley. Butchart heard through the grapevine that, nearby Tod Inlet, might have a limestone deposit large enough for a cement factory. It did and in 1904 the Vancouver Portland Cement Company opened its doors. Even today, there is some vestiges for viewing from the 1900 limestone factory located at the Ross Fountain at the Butchart Gardens!

Jennie Butchart, embraced the west coast wilderness. She had an inkling that the mild temperatures and lush environment were ideal for gardening. It is reported that the first seeds planted at the gardens, sweet peas and a rose bush, were planted outside the home of the Butcharts by Jennie Butchart. What started as a dug out quarry ended up slowly growing into a world renown floral garden named the Butchart Gardens. The life of the Butcharts came with many accolades like Robert Butchart being given the key and made a Freeman of the city of Victoria in 1928. While Jennie Butchart was named Citizen of the Year in 1931. Both were amazing people blazing a unique west coast path along a garden trail.

Nature took over the Butchart Gardens after the passing of Jennie Butchart. The grounds were left unattended and became a wilderness garden up until 1946. It was then that Ian Ross, the grandson of Jennie Butchart and his wife, Ann Lee Ross, worked the gardens back to life and resurrected Butchart Gardens. To help with bills the Butchart Gardens started charging admission and generating revenues from their Seed and Gift Store and the Benvenuto Tea House. It was said that Jennie Butchart served over 18,000 cups of tea in 1916 at the Butchart's residence named, aptly, the "Benvenuto".

Open year round, the Victoria's Butchart Gardens is well known for its red Rose Gardens. The flower rose arrangements are best viewed from late June to September. Each rose is marked with the country of origin like the English Rose and the Charles Austin. Overall there are 10 roses each of the 117 varieties of tea rose plants, 64 types of floribundas, and 400 grandiflora roses planted on the 55 acres of Butchart Gardens.

Further to roses - the rhododendrons are a dominating sight in the early spring. The assortment of perennials is the seasonal star of the Butchart Gardens throughout most of the year. The Chinese Gardens and the Italian Gardens is a natural treasure in the fall seasons to explore.

Butchart Gardens is always entertaining families with such events as a fireworks display and stage shows running in the summer between July and August. The winter season, especially near holiday season, the Butchart Gardens are lit up in Xmas lights with carolers and a brass bands bringing joy to the world.

Butchart Gardens, 800 Benvenuto Ave, Brentwood Bay