"Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway ~~ We're the best of friends ~~ Insisting that the world keep turnin' our way…" Willie Nelson – Johnny Cash
Butchart Gardens is one of the most spectacular formal gardens in the world and one of the most visited spots in Canada. Located on the site of a former limestone quarry owned by the Butchart family, it was transformed into a floral garden by Jennie Butchart once the limestone was exhausted. The colors of the flowers are stunning, especially during the summer season.
We purchased season passes to the gardens so we could go as often as we liked, and we eventually went a half dozen times. Butchart Gardens has live music outdoors every night at 8 PM and we attended twice, once for a musician from Senegal in West Africa and once for a bluegrass band from Vancouver. Who would have guessed that there is an excellent bluegrass band in western Canada?
Butchart Gardens also offers a boat tour around the adjacent Tod Inlet, which we took a couple of times. We saw a bald eagle, lots of small jellyfish, and a colony of purple martins that spend the summer in Canada before migrating to Brazil.
Hanging baskets at Butchart Gardens.
Owl totem pole by the fountain.
Charlie by the fountain.
Monkey Puzzle tree. Blast from the past for Carrie from when she was 6 years old and lived in Seattle.
Sunken Garden. Smoke stack from the quarry can be seen in the background.
Bog garden early July.
Bog garden late August.
Carrie’s new glasses match the pink and purple flowers.
Monkey Puzzle tree.
Sunken garden.
Sunken garden.
The yellow line marks the boat tour of Tod Inlet that we took while we were at Butchart Gardens. The blue dot is approximately where the purple martin birdhouses are located. The red line is a hike that we took from the road to the Inlet a few times, in Gowlland-Tod Provincial Park, just outside Butchart Gardens.
Jellyfish were seen on the boat tour of Tod Inlet.
Boat anchored at Tod Inlet growing weed.
Birdhouses in the shape of travel trailers and RV’s attract purple martin birds during the summer.
Back side of Butchart Gardens from Tod Inlet. The old cement stack can be seen.
More birdhouses.
Japanese Garden at Butchart, designed by the same man who designed the Japanese garden at Hatley Castle.
Matilija poppy in the Mediterranean Garden.
Succulents in the Med Garden early July.
Succulents in the Med garden, late August.
Yucca in the Med Garden in July.
View of the Italian garden from the Dining Room.
Charlie seated on the porch of the Dining Room where we had the Tea service.
