VANCOUVER ISLAND
VICTORIA and the GULF ISLANDS
Gardens
The incredible mild weather that we enjoy throughout Vancouver Island, Victoria and the Gulf Islands allows for some of the most beautiful gardens in the world! In the South Island region, you’ll find out why Victoria is recognized as the “garden city”. Spend day one and day two discovering the horticultural delights of Victoria including Abkhazi Garden, built by Prince and Princess Abkhazi. They made their home in Victoria on the property that Princess Abkhazi had purchased the year before their marriage and they set about designing and building their garden, even before the house they eventually moved into. Clearly proud of its completion, their “child” as they came to refer to it, was opened for viewing by the public in 1949. After their deaths (he in 1987 and she in 1994), the land was purchased several times before finally coming to rest with the Land Conservancy of BC in 2000. Now you can wander through the Rhododendron Woodland Garden, South Lawn, Yangtze River (inspired by the princess’ birthplace of Shanghai, China), Summerhouse, East Path and House Terrace during your visit to this stunning garden. Finnerty Gardens, located on the University of Victoria campus, began in the 1970’s when the University was bequeathed the estate of Mrs. Jeanne Buchanan Simpson who, along with her husband George, developed an impressive collection of rhododendron species. Today the gardens display over 200 rhododendron species, which can be viewed in flower between midJanuary and late June. You can walk through the gardens at any time of year however, to look at the many accompanying plants that are in bloom throughout the remainder of the season. Visit Government House, the “Ceremonial Home of all British Columbians” where you can walk throughout approximately 14 acres of gardens, which are maintained primarily by the Friends of Government House Gardens Society. There are many spectacular gardens to see including the English Country Garden, Herb Garden, Victorian Rose Garden, British Columbia Native Plant Garden to name just a few. At Royal Roads University is Hatley Park National Historic Site, which includes exquisite gardens for the public to enjoy. Developed on the grounds surrounding the historic Hatley Castle, the gardens allow for a leisurely stroll with minimal amount of crowds. Be sure to visit the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific in Saanich. While they manage over 100 acres of land, only 5 acres are intensively cultivated for the purposes of garden displays for the public, education and preservation. Gardens accessible to the public include the Takata Japanese, Fruit & Vegetable and Zen gardens. Also on the Saanich Peninsula is Butchart Gardens, one of the most popular and beautiful attractions on the Island. Celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2004, the gardens are situated on fifty-five acres and to this day remain a family business. With over 700 varieties of plants there are many gardens and displays to visit including the Begonia Bower, Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Fountain of the Three Sturgeons. On day three, take the ferry from Swartz Bay over to Fulford Harbour on Salt Spring Island for a visit to Apple Hill Farm. Their 43 acres of property house a beautiful inn, extraordinary flower and vegetable gardens, orchards and stunning scenery. You can stay in their charming inn and roam throughout the grounds taking in the sights of the island and smells of the gardens. It’s truly a relaxing getaway! Be sure to check out the home studio tours on Salt Spring. On day four, take the ferry from Vesuvius over to Crofton (back on Vancouver Island) and make the short trip north on Highway 1 to Ladysmith. A visit to the Hazelwood Herb Farm is essential. Over 400 varieties of herb plants are grown and sold here, with more varieties added all the time. All the plants are grown in their three greenhouses and the selection changes constantly. In the community of Cedar, just south of Nanaimo is the Barton & Leier Gallery, featuring the artwork of Nixie Barton and Grant Leier. With their stunning use of colours, each showcases their obvious love of flowers in beautiful paintings that feature irises, poppies, roses, sunflowers, tulips and more. The view outside their gallery is also unique, with an eclectically gorgeous collection of flowers popping up here, there and everywhere. In Nanaimo, be sure to go to Bowen Park to visit the Hailey Rhododendron Grove. Located in the heart of Nanaimo, it is part of an increasing garden within the park that is cared for by the Nanaimo
In 2004, readers of Condé Nast Traveler ranked Vancouver Island as the Top North American Island for the fifth consecutive year.
Suggested Minimum Travel Days Victoria—2 days Gulf Islands—1 to 3 days Cowichan Valley—1.5 to 2 days Nanaimo—1.5 to 2 days Parksville / Qualicum Beach—3 days Port Alberni & Pacific Rim—2 days Comox Valley—1.5 to 2 days Campbell River—1.5 to 2 days North Island—2 days
The “garden city” of Victoria
Special points of interest:
• Abkhazi Garden • Barton & Leier Gallery • Cougar Annie’s Garden • Finnerty Gardens • Hailey Rhododendron Grove • Hatley Park National Historic Site • Horticulture Centre of the Pacific • Ronning’s Garden • Tofino Botanical Gardens
Gardens
Sample Itinerary 9
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Rhododendron Society. Named for Ellen Hailey who donated over 350 rhododendrons from her collection, the grove contains many unknown hybrids of the plants that may not exist anywhere else in the world. OPTION A If you keep heading west along Highway 4 you’ll come to the picturesque community of Tofino, which welcomes thousands of visitors each year. The Tofino Botanical Gardens is just one attraction that entices many people. Situated on 12 acres of gardens, forest and shoreline, it was created in the late 1990’s as a place to “explore the relationship between culture and nature in Clayoquot Sound”. Take the self-guided tour throughout the Kitchen Garden, Children’s Garden, First Nations Garden, Hippie Garden and other unique sites. In addition to the gardens, the scenery alone is worth the trip. The gardens are flanked by dozens of acres of forest reserve and the shoreline overlooks in excess of 5,000 acres of protected wildlife habitat. The popular Café Pamplona is also on-site, which uses the organic herbs, greens and vegetables that are grown in the Kitchen Garden. Perhaps one of the most treasured gardens on Vancouver Island is Cougar Annie’s Garden, located in Boat Basin, 55 kilometres north of Tofino. Begun in 1915 by Ada Annie Rae-Arthur, the gardens inhabit 5 acres of land with over two kilometres of pathways twisting and turning throughout. Now cared for by the Boat Basin Foundation, there are still over one hundred varieties of imported trees and shrubs surviving on the land as well as an immense array of perennials and bulbs, which continue to bloom to this day. There are even some apple, pear and plum trees that still bear fruit. Visitors are welcome to the gardens on a limited basis with the Foundation providing assistance in making travel arrangements. Plan at least half a day to a full day for this excursion. OPTION B Continue north along Highway 19A (following the Oceanside Route) to Qualicum Beach, a town known for its beautiful horticultural displays. Enjoy beautiful Milner Gardens & Woodland, which was acquired by Malaspina University-College in 1996. The property features a 4-hectare garden area and 24-hectare woodland that is not only a popular touring garden, but also offers excellent learning opportunities to horticulture students. The acreage is home to over 500 varieties of rhododendrons as well as many trees and shrubs from all over the world. Walk throughout the gardens and then enjoy time in the woodland, which is an old-growth forest with many informative interpretive panels throughout. You can even take a break at a viewing platform, which looks onto an active bald eagle’s nest. Also in Qualicum Beach is the Brown Property, over 50 acres of Coastal Douglas Fir forest. Located just a short walking distance from the Town Centre, the forest is cared for by the Brown Property Preservation Society with the purpose of preserving its natural habitat, which includes numerous endangered and rare plant species. Spend day five further north in Comox at the Filberg Heritage Lodge & Gardens. The estate, on nine acres of exquisite terrain, features rare and exotic trees from the world over in addition to heathers, spring bulbs, dwarf conifers, various annuals and perennials and hundreds of rhododendrons.
Butchart Gardens in Victoria (photo by Tourism BC)
Lupins (photo by Tourism BC)
Photo courtesy of Milner Gardens & Woodland
In the neighbouring community of Courtenay is the Kitty Coleman Woodland Garden a beautiful property spread over 24 acres. While the gardens are designed to showcase the over 3,000 rhododendrons there are also many spectacular plants and trees throughout. Continuing north along Highway 19A is Campbell River, home to Mystic Woods Nursery. Surrounded by many species of trees including fir, spruce and cedar, the woodland gardens offer a relaxing opportunity to enjoy the landscape. A natural stream flows throughout the woods and there are many places to stop and soak in the peaceful serenity Mother Nature provides. At the northern tip of Vancouver Island in the North Island region is Port Hardy. Ninety minutes west of here, near the small village of Holberg, is secluded Ronning’s Garden. Situated on 2 hectares of homestead property, this lovely garden features an eclectic collection of trees and plants. While the eucalyptus trees, sequoias, daffodils, bluebells and rare Himalayan rhododendrons are Contact Us: certainly well worth the trip, it is the pair of Chilean Monkey Puzzle trees that will leave you awe-struck. The trees, a male Tourism Vancouver Island and female species, are among the largest and oldest in British Columbia and one pair of only a few in North America Suite 203, 335 Wesley Street that continue to deliver viable seeds.
• Victoria’s annual flower count •
in February sees upwards of 3 billion blooms? Qualicum Beach was awarded the Five Bloom Award in 2001? It is the top honour for a community of its size in the C o m m u ni ti es i n B lo o m Competition. Ada Annie Rae-Arthur was known as “Cougar Annie” because she is reputed to have shot and killed about 70 cougars? Butchart Gardens was developed on what used to be a limestone quarry owned by Robert Pim Butchart? When the supply was depleted, his wife Jennie decided to refurbish the land and the Sunken Garden now sits atop the site of the old quarry.
Did you know?
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Nanaimo, BC, V9R 2T5 Canada Tel: (250) 754-3500 Fax: (250) 754-3599 Email: info@islands.bc.ca Website: www.islands.bc.ca
Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands boast some of the most exquisite gardens anywhere in the world. With the mild weather we enjoy all year long, visiting these properties is a joy at any time!