Butchart Gardens

Strolling through a garden in bloom is one of life’s simple pleasures, and there’s no place better for the ultimate garden experience than Brentwood Bay’s Butchart Gardens — near Victoria, British Columbia. With a fascinating history, 55 acres of gardens, and over 900 plant varieties, Butchart Gardens draws in more than a million visitors every year.

About Butchart Gardens

A large estate that is also a National Historic Site of Canada, Butchart Gardens features millions of bedding plants across several gardens, including:
• Sunken Garden
• Rose Garden
• Japanese Garden
• Italian Garden
• Mediterranean Garden
All of the gardens are tended by 50 full-time gardeners and supplied by 26 on-site greenhouses, creating a sensory wonderland that has expanded to include several other on-site attractions.

Visiting Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens are filled with incredible flora, of course, but also many other interesting collections. From elaborate birdhouses and trained pigeons to large bronze statues of boars, donkeys, and sturgeon, visiting the Butchart Gardens is one of Victoria’s most unique outdoor experiences.

Its website has a guide on the best ways to get there.

History

When Robert Pim Butchart and his wife, Jennie, came to Canada’s west coast for its rich limestone deposits in the late 1880s, they never could have dreamed that their homestead would turn into one of Canada’s most-celebrated gardens.

Establishing their home on Vancouver Island in 1904, Butchart made a living manufacturing Portland cement, but the limestone quarry dried up in 1909. Tired of looking at a quarry as her backyard, Jennie transformed the now-unused area into the Sunken Garden—completing it in 1921. From 1906-1922, the Butchart’s worked to expand the gardens, creating Italian, Japanese, and Rose gardens across the property.

By 1939, the Butchart’s decided to pass the torch to their 21-year-old grandson, Ian Ross. Ross went on to develop the gardens into the incredible attraction they are today, dedicating his life to their maintenance and care until his death in 1997. The Butchart Gardens remain in the family, and they were passed down to their great-grandson, and finally their great-granddaughter, Robin-Lee Clark—who has owned and managed the property since 2001.

Interesting Facts

The world-renowned Butchart Gardens is more than just an incredible display of plants from around the globe—it is also a full attraction that makes it the perfect stop for families and nature-lovers alike. With events taking place throughout the year, from local entertainment in the summer to winter ice skating, there’s never a bad time to stop down and take a walk through the garden paths.

• Upgrades to the gardens over the years include miles of underground wiring for night illumination in 1953, installation of the Ross Fountain in 1964, and two 30-foot Classic Coast Salish-style totem poles added on the 100th anniversary in 2004.
• The Canadian pavilion gardens in Orlando’s Epcot Center was inspired by the Butchart Gardens when they were designed in 1982.
• The Children’s Pavilion and Rose Carousel, added in 2009, features a wide range of 30 carved basswood animals done by some of the last remaining carousel art carvers.
• An electrically driven boat was added to the gardens in 2008, and it takes visitors on educational and sightseeing tours of the local coastlines.
• Butchart’s grandson, Ian Ross, added outdoor concerts and the Magic of Winter celebration to the gardens, while their great-grandson introduced firework displays set to showtunes on Saturday nights.

Points of Interest

The dream of the Butchart’s to turn their former quarry into a showstopping garden has been fully realized through multiple generations, and today, the beauty of the gardens is open for all to enjoy. Whether you come for the flowers, the live music, or the children’s area, visitors can spend the day lost in the beauty and sweet scent of nature at Butchart Gardens.