Stunningly Beautiful Butchart Gardens

by Sarah
(Montreal, Quebec)

No visit to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada should be complete without a visit to Butchart Gardens. Stunningly beautiful, Butchart Gardens is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives.

Close to Brentwood Bay, Butchart Gardens encompasses 55 acres (22 ha) of natural wonder. Once you step upon the grounds, you will find it hard to believe that Butchart Gardens now occupies what was once a worked-out limestone quarry.

Initially started in 1904 as a hobby by Jennie Butchart, the gardens were planted with plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs gained around the world on Robert Pim and Jennie Burtchart’s travels. The Sunken Garden was the first to be completed.

Butchart Gardens was quickly expanded to include the Japanese, Rose, and Italian Gardens. As the gardens grew, so did the amount of visitors. Robert Pim and Jennie Butchart decided to rename their estate to "Benvenuto," the Italian word for "Welcome," in honor of their many visitors. The visitors most certainly made themselves welcome.

By the 1920s, over fifty thousand people were visiting Butchart Gardens each year. Today, over one million people visit the serene tranquility of Butchart Gardens every year.

In 2004, at the 100 year anniversary, Butchart Gardens was designated a Natural Historic Site of Canada. Come discover what so many others have by visiting Butchart Gardens!

Enjoy the many gardens, restaurants, and even wandering entertainers as you make yourself welcome on the grounds. Who knows what inspiration might strike you as you wander the many paths that meander through grounds. Perhaps the ideas gained by your visit will help turn your hobby garden into the next Butchart Gardens?
Photo credit: Squeaky Marmot/Flickr