by Composthp

Singapore, Singapore

October 13, 2008

Best of IgoUgo If you love flowers and have only time to take in one tourist attraction while in Vancouver Island, then you MUST visit the Butchart Gardens. The gardens were created by Mrs Jennie Butchart to host and entertain guests in 1906. She began with a ...Read more If you love flowers and have only time to take in one tourist attraction while in Vancouver Island, then you MUST visit the Butchart Gardens. The gardens were created by Mrs Jennie Butchart to host and entertain guests in 1906. She began with a Japanese garden, expanded the gardens into the nearby disused quarry and created a unique sunken garden. From there, the garden grew to include fountains, rose garden, herbs garden spaning a total of 55 hectares in all.

We signed up for the Butchart gardens tour with the Pacific coach line. For CAD$142 return, we did not have to worry about the transportation to and fro Vancouver mainland to the island. The tour included entrance into the gardens and a short tour of Victoria after before returning to Vancouver in the evening. In all, the tour took about 12 hours.

We departed at the Pacific Central station and headed for the BCferries that will take us to Swartz Bay in Vancouver Island. Our driver cum guide hailed from Prince Edward Island, was laconic in his narration and had a tendency to go off tangent. Still, he offered interesting insights on life in Canada. We arrived at the Butchart gardens just after noon. Our first glimpse of the gardens at the entrance had everyone in the bus excited. By the time the coach was parked, we were all eager to head straight for the gardens. We were given 3 hours to explore and wished we had more time.

The garden was in full bloom with some autumn froliage. Words like spectacular, beautiful, picturesque could not describe the full beauty of the gardens. We were given a book identifying the various blooms in the garden as well as a map which was useful during our self-guided tour. For those who have more time, there is a restaurant, cafe and an ice-cream kiosk in the garden.

Go Here for further details on admission and events.

From the Butchart gardens, we departed for Victoria for a short bus tour covering the uplands, the Beacon Hill park and Mile Zero. As the coach turned a corner towards the Empress Hotel, I was surprised and delighted to see a familiar building- the iconic school from South Park. We were given about an hour to walk around Victoria, as we strolled around town, we could see why Victoria was a popular filming location. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and wished we had time to stay overnight.  Close

by weeblewobble46

Marietta, Georgia

June 29, 2007

Best of IgoUgo What do you do with a day in Vancouver, BC, when you don't have a car? You go on a bus tour!We woke at 6am and got ourselves ready for an 8am pickup. D'Arcy, our driver for Land and Sea Tours, was prompt and courteous. He picked us up at our hotel ...Read more What do you do with a day in Vancouver, BC, when you don't have a car? You go on a bus tour!

We woke at 6am and got ourselves ready for an 8am pickup. D'Arcy, our driver for Land and Sea Tours, was prompt and courteous. He picked us up at our hotel in a 24 passenger van. This was so-o-o much better than a large bus. We were able to hear everything that he said and everyone was able to have a part in the conversation.

We caught the ferry for Victoria (a 90 minute ride across some of the smoothest water I have ever seen) and were able to enjoy the fresh air on the 6th deck before heading inside to get some refreshments.

Our arrival on the island brought us to land several kilometers from the city, but D'Arcy kept us entertained with tidbits of information (and a few jokes) during the ride. We were dropped off at Chinatown (Pan Tan Alley is the narrowest alleyway - barely a meter wide in some places) and walked along Wharf St. toward our eventual gathering place at the RBC Museum. The whole walk could have been finished in about 20 minutes, but we stopped for lunch at Chandler's. The walk through this picturesque town was an easy one. There are no hills along the waterfront, although there are some a block or two inland. The gardens and hanging baskets on every streetlight bring color to every corner of the town.

The tour gives you entrance to one of several museums - we chose the Royal British Columbia Museum since that was where D'Arcy would be picking us up later in the afternoon.

He then drove us to Butchart Gardens, a floral fantasy world developed by one woman with a love of plants. We spent about two hours there and walked the whole garden. Of course, with the time constraint, we were not able to take a leisurely tour...my hubby was glad for that! The entrance fee for the Gardens was also included in our original tour fee, so we did not have to worry about any additional expenses except for "treasures" for those left at home.

We were able to eat dinner on the ferry back to Vancouver. It was the "Spirit of Vancouver Island", a newer ship, and there was a buffet on the 5th deck that filled our tummies with some very good-tasting fare.

We said "Bye," to D'Arcy and the rest of the weary tourists around 9:30pm. We were very happy to reach our room and put up our feet while we reviewed all we had seen and experienced today.  Close

by weeblewobble46

Marietta, Georgia

June 15, 2007

Best of IgoUgo What do you call a limestone pit that has been transformed? Butchart Gardens!I never would have believed the beauty in that riddle until I witnessed the springtime beauty of the gardens. The flowers that were in bloom ranged from the ethereal whites ...Read more What do you call a limestone pit that has been transformed? Butchart Gardens!

I never would have believed the beauty in that riddle until I witnessed the springtime beauty of the gardens. The flowers that were in bloom ranged from the ethereal whites to the deepest reds. I was surprised at the amount of flowers that were in bloom. I guess that I shouldn't have been since the zone 8 gardens are in a temperate rain forest microclimate and have abundant moisture and warm temps for most of the year.

The hanging baskets that seemed to be an everpresent item in Victoria were also in abundance here. Our tour guide, D'Arcy, took photos of each of us under an arbor laden with the multicolored baskets.

For those from climates where flowers and trees are just average, the shock of the floral sizes here will flabbergast you. Towering pines with trunks too big to hug, begonia flowers as big as your hand, and innumerable roses of almost every color of the rainbow are there for your viewing (and smelling) pleasure. Be sure to leave enough time to cruise through the gift shop. They have everything from seeds to Christmas ornaments and T-shirts.

Although there is a restaurant on the premises, we were not able to eat there since we had a limited time to tour the garden proper.

The walking paths are easy to navigate, and don't worry if you lose your map - there are maps located throughout the gardens with "you are here" dots on them. There is even a ramp to the sunken gardens for those not able to navigate the steps. (The sunken garden is the original garden planted by Mrs. Butchart when the limestone quarry ran out. The huge mound in the center is a section of poor limestone that was not quarried and now serves as a vantage point for those willing to climb the steps.)

This is a "must see" for those who enjoy gardens. Take an extra day before or after a cruise (or plan an extra day in your Vancouver visit) and take the ferry to Vancouver Island to see the gardens. It is well worth it.

PS - Don't worry if it starts to drizzle during your tour, there are stations at almost every junction of paths with clear vinyl umbrellas there for your use. Close

by moatway

Riverview, New Brunswick

June 8, 2007

Best of IgoUgo When Jennie Butchart decided to turn her husband’s limestone quarry into a garden, she had a few things on her side. Obviously, she had money, but she was also able to borrow workers and equipment from the cement plant, the tall chimney of which ...Read more When Jennie Butchart decided to turn her husband’s limestone quarry into a garden, she had a few things on her side. Obviously, she had money, but she was also able to borrow workers and equipment from the cement plant, the tall chimney of which still rises just beyond the garden. In answer to the question of whether or not a garden admission could possibly be worth $23 (2007)… yes, don’t miss it. It is the one thing that you must see in Victoria.

Our mid-May visit saw a profusion of tulips in every colour imaginable set in the midst of a number of other varieties of annuals and perennials. Near the beginning of the visit, we made our way into the sunken garden, and it is, indeed, sunken…in the deepest part of the quarry. The quarry walls that were once a hardscape of stone were softened by Mrs. Butchart who planted them with ivy. Now, the green walls are broken only by a small cascade of water. The area is filled with rock features, one of which is a mound covered in plantings that almost obscure the stairway to the top. From that vantage point, you can overlook a large pond and much of the former quarry floor. We learn that Mr. Butchart once stocked a second pond with trout that would rise to feed when he clapped his hands. Beyond that is another vista and yet another pond which houses the beautiful Ross fountain.

Every turn in the walkway opens up a new scene, whether it is a sculpted plant or a massive redwood rising out of swaths of purple, red, and green. For the rose lover there is a larger rose garden with countless varieties, each of which has a small plaque containing the name of the rose and the country and date of its conception. May was too early…we would love to return just to see them in bloom.

From the rose garden we passed into Mrs. Butchart’s first formal garden, the Japanese Garden which can be entered through a torii gate. You can expect understated beauty, winding paths, water features, and stands of bamboo built into a gentle hillside leading down to a small cove where the Butcharts once kept their boat. Once through that garden, we passed the Star fountain and enter the Italian garden… a pleasant, classical place to sit and perhaps have a gelato.

End, or start, your day in the plant identification centre (Take a picture of that mysterious plant with your digital camera and they will be able to identify it for you.), one of the restaurants or in the large, well-stocked, up-scale gift shop. Regardless…no description of Butchart Gardens can truly do them justice; they simply must be seen.

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by mcgarcellano

Houston, Texas

August 10, 2006

Butchart Gardens offers a wonderful array of floral display as one walks along the paths of the fifty-five acre lawn. The best time to visit is anytime from mid-June thru mid-September.

by btwood2

Rodeo, New Mexico

May 25, 2006

Best of IgoUgo Red arrows on our guide show the recommended route. The Begonia Bower, our first "stop" on this self-guided tour of Butchart Gardens, used to be an aviary for caged birds and ornamental fowl. Sun backlights through brilliantly colored begonias and ...Read more

Red arrows on our guide show the recommended route. The Begonia Bower, our first "stop" on this self-guided tour of Butchart Gardens, used to be an aviary for caged birds and ornamental fowl. Sun backlights through brilliantly colored begonias and fuchsias, causing shutterbugs to snap away in ecstasy. Glancing right, the Piazza is a hub of activity, with little ones climbing on bronze ponies and Tacca the bronze boar, in front of the old Butchart residence.

Around a bend we find ourselves on the brink of the Sunken Garden. It’s awe-inspiring enough to warrant a sharp intake of breath at the sight of all that perfectly groomed color below—flowerbeds, bushes, lawn and trees bisected by neat walkways. These lead to Quarry Lake, a large pond. The demure Nude Girl statue presiding over the west side of the garden is constructed of Portland cement, as are stone-looking paths and wood-looking handrails.

Descending into the garden, beds of petunias in shades of purple, red salvia splendens, and striking tubular white nicotiana sylvestris alternate with yellow fremontodendrons. One remaining cement stack looms half-hidden behind trees. A rusted ore bucket and cable remind us of this garden’s "roots."

Around the bend, Ross Fountain comes into view below. Created by grandson Ian Ross in 1964, this moving fountain shoots jets of water from floating platform, causing the display to constantly change. Exquisite, brightly colored dahlias lining the pathway draw the eyes away from the fountain momentarily.

The soda fountain beyond, serving ice cream and beverages is extremely welcome; strawberry-kiwi bar for me, ice-cream cone for Bob. Past bog garden we turn towards newly carved Salishan-style totem poles. The 30-foot poles created by First Nations master carvers, were erected last year, celebrating Butchart Garden’s 100th anniversary.

At the nursery overlook, rows upon rows of baby plants grown for the gardens. More incredible dahlias in riotous solid and variegated colors line the curvaceous pathway to the Rose Garden.

Armies of rose bushes (more than 6,000), their blooms a bit past prime, surround hedged circular lawn. Tree-roses entwine a long arbor.

In front of the Japanese Garden, we pause to admire glistening bronze sturgeons forever encircling a fountain, an enlargement of a casting by sculptor Sirio Tofanari. Across the lawn, people are seen enjoying afternoon tea on the porch at Benvenuto.

Stepping underneath the red tori gate, we’re in the calm quiet of the Japanese Garden. Small ponds and streams run through it, crossed by stepping-stones or arched bridges. Maple leaves are barely beginning to turn red. On the far side of the garden lies sheltered Butchart Cove, in Brentwood Bay. Peek through a window in the thick hedge, or walk a short distance out to the cove, where boats lie anchored.

Steps lead up to Benvenuto via a unique twelve-pointed star pond, with white latticed "duck house" on one side. Formal Italian Gardens surround a cross-shaped pond, and are decorated by statues. Here you can buy gelato at Gelateria Benvenuto.

Gardens are largely handicap accessible.

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by btwood2

Rodeo, New Mexico

May 25, 2006

Best of IgoUgo Nothing short of spectacular describes these famous formal gardens, covering 55-plus acres in lawns, paths, trees and above all, flowers, flowers, FLOWERS. Don’t sell yourself short and spend less than a full day here. The four major gardens are the ...Read more Nothing short of spectacular describes these famous formal gardens, covering 55-plus acres in lawns, paths, trees and above all, flowers, flowers, FLOWERS. Don’t sell yourself short and spend less than a full day here. The four major gardens are the Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and Italian Garden.

Two restaurants, a coffee shop, and several snack bars keep crowds well-fed. Afternoon plays and evening concerts provide entertainment. During summer, the gardens are lit up after dark, and fireworks take place on Saturday nights.

We easily find the gardens, a leisurely 30-minute drive by car from Victoria up west Saanich Peninsula. At the entrance gate, we’re welcomed, charged C$22 (C$23 as of 2006), and handed a visitor guide and flower guide. Beyond, white-gloved traffic managers direct us to the large well-marked parking lot.

Walking past coffee shop, gift store, and visitor center, paper guide and signs clearly indicate where to begin. Posted here also, the events of the day and evening: an afternoon play in Waterwheel Square, evening concert performance at the outdoor band shell, night illumination of the gardens after dark, and plant identification center at the end of the tour. Plants are unlabeled as part of the effort to maintain "the graciousness of a private garden."

A brief history is in order here. Robert Pim Butchart of Ontario, and his wife Jennie Foster Kennedy of Toronto, married in 1884. They moved to Vancouver Island with two young daughters in 1902, to manufacture Portland cement. R.P. recognized the Tod Inlet area as ideal for cement production. All the materials—limestone, gravel, rock, clay, running water, and coal within 50-water miles—were present untapped and in abundance. Thus, an idyllic location was transformed into a rather ugly quarry and cement plant, filling the air with powdery, corrosive cement dust.

Yet out of this economically profitable ugliness, seeds of beauty eventually began to sprout. Jennie planted a rosebush and some sweet peas by their house, and was amazed by how well they flourished, apparently far enough away from the pollution. Her first major project was a Japanese garden in 1906, planted with the expert assistance of Isaburo Kishida on the slope down to Butchart Cove.

Three years later, the limestone quarry was played out, a ravaged and barren pit. For five years, Jennie and the Butcharts’ Scots head gardener, Hugh Lindsay, put their heads together to plan a sunken garden in this denuded depression. Gardener William Westby helped in the implementation stages. Tons of topsoil were brought in and Jennie herself, perched in a bosun’s chair, planted ivy in the cracks and crevices of the stark, rocky walls.

The cement business did well enough that R. P. and Jennie were able to expand their home, named Benvenuto, continue to add more extensive gardens, and frequently entertain on their estate. Though the Butchart home is now a restaurant, teahouse, and museum of sorts, descendants of the Butchart family own and continue to manage the Gardens.

(866) 652-4422 toll free
http://www.butchartgardens.com

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by ak1

Auburn, Washington

December 9, 2005

Best of IgoUgo What a spectacular place. I didn’t know that any setting could look this remarkable with only flowers and plants. You’ll definitely envy the Butchart Gardens for having perfect lawns and the flower beds, if you visit. Everywhere I looked ...Read more What a spectacular place. I didn’t know that any setting could look this remarkable with only flowers and plants. You’ll definitely envy the Butchart Gardens for having perfect lawns and the flower beds, if you visit. Everywhere I looked in this garden color blossomed all around me. Walking leisurely through the gardens I felt overcome with a serene and undisturbed sensation, until I realized I couldn’t stay here forever. Although I thought it would be a perfect place to build my house.

The Butchart Gardens offers 55 acres of floral displays and beautiful scenery with a few look outs to the bay. They have a lovely rose garden and even display a sunken garden. The whole area is covered with paths and trails for easy access to conveniently get around the property. There are two restaurants on the grounds and a few little convenient stands that offer ice creams and snacks. The dining room restaurant offers afternoon tea and nicer lunch and dinner selections. The Blue Poppy Restaurant offers a cafeteria style meal where you pick and choose everything that you want from a counter.

The gardens are open all year round. The admission fee changes per season, the lowest I noticed was $12, and the highest was $23. Their website shows the current admission rates in case you are interested (www.butchartgardens.com). I originally thought the fee to get in was a little high but when I went and experienced these gardens I felt like the lifelong memory was well worth the money.
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by getawayguy

Los Gatos, California

February 5, 2005

Best of IgoUgo Robert Pim Butchart and his wife, Jenny, built their home here in 1904, to be near his thriving business of manufacturing Portland cement. When the limestone quarry near their house was exhausted, Jenny decided to refurbish the ugly pit by hauling ...Read more Robert Pim Butchart and his wife, Jenny, built their home here in 1904, to be near his thriving business of manufacturing Portland cement. When the limestone quarry near their house was exhausted, Jenny decided to refurbish the ugly pit by hauling in topsoil and planting a flower garden in it. This became the Sunken Gardens. Later, they added Japanese gardens, Italian gardens, and rose gardens. Butchart Gardens is now a 55-acre floral extravaganza where a played-out limestone quarry used to be. From March to October, you will find the gardens in bloom with various types of flowers. In the summer, on Saturday evenings, they have fireworks displays, and evenings find the gardens decoratively lighted. "Benvenuto", the family residence, is open during the wintry weather for visitors to view a display of memorabilia chronicling the development of Jennie Butchart’s garden. Furnishings, correspondence, and photographs follow the development of the gardens and allow the visitor to step back into the graciousness of the period. Staff members are on hand to assist visitors with their questions. Afternoon tea, served in the Dining Room Restaurant, is available daily.  Close

by flags2rus

Spokane, Washington

January 11, 2004

During the Christmas holidays, Butchart Gardens comes alive with a festival of lights that equals the best in the world. Thousands of lights glow in the darkness, each directed around one of the 12 days of Christmas, which is the central theme. Each ...Read more During the Christmas holidays, Butchart Gardens comes alive with a festival of lights that equals the best in the world. Thousands of lights glow in the darkness, each directed around one of the 12 days of Christmas, which is the central theme. Each display has the central figures (e.g., ten lords a-leaping, seven swans a-swimming, etc.) surrounded by glowing lights. Several excellent restaurants, a gift shop, and many accommodations along the walk will make your holiday come alive. Don't leave home without a camera (preferably video) and allow about 2 hours for this walking tour. The nicest, friendliest people on earth are the Canadians. Must be something in the water.  Close