On the cruise there
had been two primary excursions in Victoria: Whale Watching and Butchart
Gardens. Unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time to do both – so my primary
reason for going back to Victoria was to visit Butchart Gardens.
In 1888, Mr. Butchart began harvesting Limestone (for
manufacturing cement) from a quarry in Victoria, and by 1909 all the Limestone
had been exhausted. Mrs. Butchart started converting the abandoned quarry into
a Sunken Garden – and it grew and expanded over the ensuing decades, primarily
at the hands of their grandson (who literally spent 50 years at creating these
gardens).
I arrived mid-morning to begin strolling the 55-acre
grounds, camera at the ready. From the moment I stepped from my car, I was
surrounded by luscious foliage and stunning floral displays. There are walkways
and arbors and bridges that lead you through this magnificence. And the
numerous ponds, surrounded by flowers, plants, and trees are so meticulous
planned and executed that you feel that you are walking through a Dream.
The first stop is the Sunken Garden, which is absolutely
breathtaking. You wander along a gently winding pathway that leads you to a
spectacular view from the top edge. Everyone pauses for a moment just to gaze
at the incredible scene at your feet – acres of formerly-desolate rock, now all
beautifully landscaped over the past century until it has achieved absolute
perfection. Leading you into this Sunken Garden are decades-old stone
staircases to the bottom, with paths leading you along the looping pathways – and in the center a
large pond and a beautiful park-like lawn. Each path is bordered with a myriad
of flora, with just the right mix of colors and variety to dazzle the eye.
In the center of the Sunken Garden is a large mound, with a
small walkway on top – so I took the 51 stairs to the top. There are
waterfalls, and trees of every variety – and high above, at least on this day,
clear blue sky and big white puffy clouds floating overhead.
From there I wandered over to the Dancing Fountains, and
watched spellbound as it cycled through dozens of different formations. Then on
to the Rose Garden, which has literally hundreds of different types of roses,
each more breathtaking than before – planted in a much more formal English
Garden design and pattern. Upon entering the Japanese Garden you feel that you
are in a completely different place, with tall trees creating heavy shade, and
much longer and steeper paths leading you down to the heart of this garden. It
is spectacularly manicured, and the much windier paths have a calming Zen
quality – and the whole place feels exquisitely serene, even with kids running
around underfoot. Some paths even lead to stepping stones that lead you across
small ponds, carefully watching your footing – yet safely experiencing that
thrill of almost walking on water.
And in-between each
of these gardens (and the more I haven’t even mentioned), more pathways,
fountains, and flowers of every color, size and shape imaginable. It’s the type
of place that Monet could have lived and painted, and never run out of
inspiration.
I walked around for 4-hours, before taking a break for a
French Dip Sandwich at the restaurant there – a lovely open window out to the
gardens to capture my attention during my late lunch. And even after 4 hours of
walking in the warm summer sun, I just couldn’t pull myself away just yet – and
spent almost 2 more hours strolling around.
If you’ve been to Butchart, you’ll know that I’m rushing
through and downplaying it quite a bit. And if you’ve never been to Butchart Gardens,
it’s definitely somewhere that should be added to your Bucket List – and
definitely also checked off. I added nearly 500 miles to my roadtrip to ensure
that I got the chance to spend a day there, and I am so glad that I did.
Here’s a link to some of the photos I took (saved on
YouTube); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u31V8XIdTnI&feature=youtu.be
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