September 30 - 1st post - Butchard Gardens

I’m going to do the entries for 30 Sep in 3 parts. This is because the day was absolutely FULL of wonderful sights. I wish every one of you could have been with us. One of the highlights of the day was a visit to Butchard Gardens near Victoria on Vancouver Island. As we entered the gardens we noticed the sign, 100 years in bloom. We learned that Mrs. Butchard had designed the gardens and began cultivation 100 years ago. She eventually left it to the Island for the public’s viewing pleasure. I cannot include all of the pictures but am adding some that I hope you will enjoy. I have added names to some of the pictures. The others are self-explanatory. Just a little note about the “Sunken garden.” This area was a rock quarry that adjoined the property of Mrs. Butchard. Once the quarry was abandoned, she bought the area and designed the rock garden to overcome the ugliness of the quarry. That also explains the two deep pools of water (one with the large fountain and the other where I tried to capture the reflection. I hope you enjoy the gardens – we certainly did.