TRAVEL
Benvenuto at
Butchart Gardens
Delia McCrae Article and Photos
It ’ s hard to believe the worldrenowned fifty-five acres of garden at Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island was a limestone quarry in the early 1900s .
The transformation from quarry to garden began as a vision of Jennie Butchart , shortly after she and her husband Robert moved from Ontario in 1904 to set up a cement plant near the quarry on Todd Inlet on the Saanich Peninsula .
Jennie Butchart helped design and transform the cavernous quarry and surrounding area into the gardens you see today . The Butcharts named their home Benvenuto — Italian for “ welcome ” — and were gracious hosts , serving tea to all who came to see their creation in the early years . In 1939 , Butchart Gardens was gifted to their grandson Ian Ross . Robin-Lee Clarke , great-granddaughter of the founders , is the current owner . The gardens were designated a national historic site in 2004 .
Many updates and changes have occurred over the years . In 2004 , the year of the gardens ’ centenary , two tall totem poles were erected and a few years later , a carousel was installed . While built for children , adults also enjoy sitting in a chariot
Spring cherry trees , tulips , and hyacinths in the Sunken Gardens . Visitors avail themselves of transparent umbrellas provided for those who don ’ t want to miss a thing .
or hopping on a colourfully painted hand-carved wooden ostrich , zebra , horse , or rabbit to become reacquainted with their inner child !
Butchart Gardens uses the Victorian beddingout system , popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s , to create its stunning floral displays of annuals and perennials . Fragile plants are returned to the greenhouse when the temperature cools . Over fifty gardeners tend to more than nine hundred varieties of flowers and shrubs throughout the gardens and in greenhouses .
Pathways throughout the gardens are perfect for meandering and benches are well situated so visitors can pause and enjoy the fragrances , ranging from deep woods to heavenly roses .
In the sunken garden , climb the mound in the centre for a panoramic view . Then walk toward Todd Inlet to the end , past the ponds , to see the Ross Fountain built in 1964 by Ian Ross . On summer evenings , it glows with colours .
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