Victoria’s Butchart Gardens dazzle in any season
When planning trips to public gardens, most of us tend to think of spring or summer as being the best time for a visit. Yet we’re often neglecting one of the prettiest seasons in a garden: the fall.
My husband, Bill, and I recently traveled to Victoria, British Columbia. Anytime we’re in Victoria, it’s guaranteed that Butchart Gardens will be one of the stops. We’ve been there several times over the past 30 years but it’s always been in the spring to see the flowering bulbs or in the summer to enjoy all of the colorful annuals and perennials. We weren’t sure what to expect. Would there be much color left in the gardens?
We were pleasantly surprised. Not only did the gardens look fabulous during our early October visit, but it was less crowded as well.
Upon arriving at Butchart Gardens, we enjoyed looking at the seasonal displays of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash laid out on and around straw bales. They were combined with mums of all colors, ornamental grasses and flax.
The next stop was the much anticipated sunken garden. It was originally a limestone quarry developed by Robert Pim Butchart in 1904. After the quarry had been exhausted, his wife Jennie decided to transform it into a garden by having enormous quantities of topsoil brought in by horse-drawn carts. The result is breathtaking.
Those who have never been to the gardens tend to be unaware of the sight that awaits them because it is hidden from view until the last moment. It’s not uncommon to hear gasps of delight once the sunken garden is revealed at the overlook.
This visit was no exception. We were treated to sights of mums in burnt orange and creamy white planted among many late-blooming perennials. One attractive combination was magenta mums interplanted with silvery dusty miller.
Japanese maples, locusts, flowering plums and other trees were already sporting their fall colors, which were also reflected in the sunken garden lake. The flower heads of hydrangeas had changed to dusty rose and pale green, and the cotoneasters were laden with thousands of bright red berries. Fall-blooming asters, Joe-Pye weed and goldenrod added to the colorful scene.
The pathway led us to the Ross fountain, with its multiple fountains shooting upward in continually changing patterns. It’s a popular stop for visitors who take it all in while relaxing on a bench.
Emerging from the sunken garden, we wandered past the dahlia beds in full bloom. Visitors were drawn by the beauty of so many different sizes, types and colors of blossoms. Bees busily made their way from one flower to the next, seemingly unaware of just how many photos were being taken of “their” garden.
The next stop was the rose garden. Even though the roses were no longer covered with blossoms, it’s still a beautiful place with clipped hedges, arches covered with climbing vines and beds bursting with colorful flowers.
The circuitous path led us to the serene Japanese garden. Created in 1905, it features moss gardens, lanterns, attractive water features and trees that are over 100 years old. Well-placed benches afford visitors the opportunity to enjoy the tranquility.
As we headed toward the Italian garden, we stopped to enjoy the star pond, which used to house the Butcharts’ ducks. It was framed by bright red wax begonias and neatly-clipped hedges during our visit. The centerpiece of the pond is a collection of spitting bronze frogs.
I have to admit the Italian garden is one of my favorite areas. After entering it through a white gateway framed by a huge Leyland cypress hedge, I eagerly took in views of the formal water garden filled with water lilies and pickerel rush. It was edged with orange and yellow mums; nearby planters were filled with colorful annuals.
All of this wandering in the garden made us hungry for lunch. Butchart Gardens has a formal dining room that serves high tea, a coffee shop and the Blue Poppy restaurant, which is where we usually eat. It features tasty, cafeteria-style dining in a comfortable, airy setting.
Before we knew it, our day at the gardens came to a close. Our fall visit made me realize the changing seasonal displays make Butchart Gardens a delightful destination no matter what time of year it is. I’ve heard they light up the gardens during the Christmas season and have an outdoor ice skating rink. Looks like that will be the next season to visit this magical place.