Butchart Gardens and Vancouver Island, Canada

CHARLIE TRAVELS: Butchart Gardens and Vancouver Island, Canada

March 25, 2010 by Charlie Shugart · 2 Comments

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In my previous blog entry I took you sightseeing in Victoria, British Columbia, and left with a promise of going to Butchart Gardens. So here we go.

Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, BC

World-renowned Butchart Gardens is located in Brentwood, between Victoria and the ferry terminals at Swartz Bay and Sidney. There are several ways of getting there, including guided tours from the capital city. Although I’m sure they are all fine tours, I recommend getting to the gardens unencumbered by any kind of time table. Some people can whiz through in less than an hour before they head straight to the gift shop. Others spend the whole day in the gardens—and then head for the gift shop. Until you visit them, however, you can’t really tell how long you want to stay. So be flexible. If you’re one of those people who really likes to stop and smell the roses, it might take you two days—they’ve got thousands of them wafting their fragrances right to your nose, tempting you. And there are more than roses in the gardens; the list of beauties includes begonias, fuchsias, dahlias, hibiscus, and much more.
Butchart Gardens is open year round, but different plants are at their best at different times of the year. Generally, summer is the time to go for the flowers. It’s also when the delightful Mediterranean climate is at its best.
Robert Butchart settled here and began mining the limestone rock he used in his portland cement business. In 1904 he and his wife Jenny had their home built near the quarry. By 1906, Mrs. Butchart began the gardens. At first she only had a Japanese-style garden. When the quarry was exhausted of its high quality limestone in 1909, she turned the pit into a sunken garden. She then created an Italian garden, and a rose garden.

Autumn in Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

The expansion and improvements continue to this day. Still family owned, Butchart Gardens is a Canadian national historic site.
There is an admission fee, but several hours of walking along the paths and thoroughly enjoying the flowers, creative landscaping, fountains, ponds and statues makes it well worth the cost. Butchart Gardens is the best I’ve ever seen, and I live near Portland, Oregon, the City of Roses.
Okay, time to hit the road. Back to Victoria and north to Nanaimo and beyond. We’ll be driving along the northeast shoreline of Vancouver Island—which, at 12,407 square miles, is the largest island off the west coast of the Americas. This is the southernmost section of the Inside Passage—that fantastic cruising route through coastal British Columbia and southeast Alaska. Separated from the mainland by the straits of Georgia, Johnstone and Queen Charlotte, Provincial Highway #19 is scenic all the way to Port Hardy. You’ll find many places to pull over and enjoy the views, whether of the straits or the forests that surround you. The mountains form a spine that runs the length of the island, and separates the wild and windy west coast from the east coast. You might have some precipitation, but probably not, because you’ll benefit from the “rain shadow” provided by the mountains. Summer temperatures can get warm, but are seldom uncomfortably hot. All-in-all, it’s a great place to travel, and making occasional side trips to interior lakes and enjoying the uniqueness of the Pacific northwest’s temperate rainforests all add to the experience.
But our visit to Vancouver Island isn’t over yet. Next time we’ll continue all the way to the far north, where I’ll discuss a really exciting ferry trip with you. And I want to talk about one of the best extended excursions I’ve ever taken: searching for—and finding—killer whales in Johnstone Strait.
See ya.  Charlie