UPDATE: 15 October 2003
Butchart Gardens
Bryan
and I spent our honeymoon on Vancouver Island off
the western shore of British Columbia, Canada. During our stay at The Aerie Spa
in Malahat, we drove down to spend a day at the Butchart Gardens just north of
Victoria.
The Butchart Gardens were built by Mrs. Jennie Butchart whose husband founded Portland Cement around the turn of the last century. The Butchart's quickly became very rich and moved to Vancouver Island. In 1904, they built a home outside Victoria near a Portland cement limestone quarry. The quarry left the area looking like a mess, so Mrs. Butchart decided to do some landscaping. Her home became a real showcase and by the 1920's they were receiving tens of thousands of visitors annually. The gardens have continued to grow over time and today they cover 55 acres.
The picture to the right is the Sunken Garden which had ponds and tiered landscaping along the ledges surrounding it.
It was tulip season in the gardens. There were tulips in so many amazing colors... like this black cherry color!
This fountain reminded me of the manicured hedges and fountains at palaces in Vienna. MORE INFORMATION:
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This unique fountain sits outside the Japanese Garden at Butchart.
The Japanese Garden was amazingly lush.
Have you rubbed the wild boar in Florence, Italy? If you know the origins behind rubbing the nose of a wild boar for good luck, please send me an e-mail.
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