The Butchart Gardens are a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island in Canada. Robert Pim Butchart (1856-1943), who worked in the industrialization of cement, stood with his wife on Vancouver Island. They had a quarry on Tod cove at the foot of the Saanich Peninsula on the island and in 1904, they added a saltwater pond, a bowling alley, tennis courts and an orgue. Jennie, his wife, two years later created a Japanese garden with the help of designer Isaburo Kishida. In 1909, the quarry was exhausted and Jennie decided to turn it into a sunken garden. They chose the name of their property ‘Benvenuto’ and they began to receive visitors arriving in boats. After a few years the tennis courts has been replaced by an Italian garden and the vegetable garden has been transformed into a roserie. There we find many varied flowers, shrubs, fountains, statues and a carousel. A high quality food and entertainment service are completed the sculpted gardens. There are five gardens: the Sunken garden, the Rose garden, the Japanese garden, the Italian garden and the Mediterranean garden. They usually receive over a million visitors a year.
Tips
If you visit the gardens in July or August, you will find a lot of visitors so if you want to make beautiful pictures without so many people go early in the morning at the opening (9:00).
Note that if you are a smoker, you must comply with the restriction of no smoking and go only on both areas intended for it.
