| Everybody that goes to Vancouver to visit ends | | | | with country of origin and year selected b the |
| up going to Victoria on Vancouver Island. It is a | | | | American Rose Society. The path curves though |
| great place to go with lots of history. And the | | | | and open pergola, the arches covered with |
| best thing to see and do in Victoria is Butchart | | | | climbing and arbour roses, and leads to the |
| Gardens. | | | | Sturgeon Fountain. |
| If you like flowers, you will love this place. It is | | | | The Sunken Garden is also breathtaking. If you |
| simply amazing. It is the best flower garden I | | | | see any postcard of Victoria, and it has a picture |
| have even been to. It has more roses than | | | | of a garden on it, it will be of the Sunken Garden. |
| several of the worlds best known rose gardens. | | | | And the garden is even more beautiful in person |
| It has flowers of all types, of different climates, | | | | than in the postcards. |
| and they are all beautiful. Of course when we | | | | My husband is not a big garden person. And he |
| went they were all in bloom. The best time to go | | | | was kind of wondering why we were paying so |
| is in the summer months of June- August. | | | | much to go see a garden. But when he got inside |
| Covering 55 acres, Butchart Gardens began with | | | | he fell in love with the place as well. If we had the |
| an idea by Jeannie Butchart to beautify a | | | | time we would have spent all day there. |
| worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied | | | | Inside the actual Butchart Gardens you cannot sit |
| her husbands nearby cement plant. Through the | | | | or walk on the grass. But right outside where the |
| skillful mixture of rare and exotic shrubs, trees, | | | | parking is there are the Mediterranean Garden and |
| and flowers, often personally collected by the | | | | here you can sit and picnic on the grass or play |
| Butcharts during their world travels, the now | | | | Frisbee or whatever. There is even plenty of |
| famous Sunken Garden was created. What | | | | shade to relax for a nap. |
| started as a hobby and one garden grew into the | | | | During July and August they even have nightly |
| Japanese, Rose and Italian gardens. By the 1920s | | | | fireworks displays that attract thousands of locals. |
| more than 50 thousand people came every year. | | | | You can sit on the lawn close to the Concert |
| Now, over a million people visit the gardens every | | | | Stage and enjoy classical musical concerts during |
| year. | | | | the day and fireworks at night. After dusk the |
| My favorite was the Rose garden. A short walk | | | | gardens are illuminated by hidden lights that |
| through traditional perennial borders, covered by | | | | transform them into something else entirely. You |
| rose arches, leads to a frog fountain and to the | | | | have to see it for yourself to understand what I |
| right, a wishing-well of Italian wrought-iron. You | | | | am talking about. |
| then wander the garden with its lawn surrounded | | | | If you are in Vancouver, do yourself a favor and |
| by dwarf boxwood hedges and a flagstone walk. | | | | get to Butchart Gardens. You will remember it for |
| Many varieties of Hybrid Tea Roses are marked | | | | the rest of your life. |