Butchart Gardens in Victoria – Best Place to Enjoy Spring

At Butchart Gardens in Victoria (British Columbia), the flowers will happily welcome you. This is one of Canada’s largest gardens with a designation as a National Historic Site. As you can guess from its name, there are gardens within this huge garden that was made possible by Jennie Butchart, wife of a Canadian businessman who manufactured Portland Cement. Today, the garden receives one million visitors every year and these pictures below will tell you why.

Taking a bus to Butchart Gardens

On a beautiful Spring day, I spent my whole morning strolling from one garden to another. From downtown Victoria, I took a bus early to avoid the heat that was predicted that day. It took me around 45 minutes to arrive there. Though the bus won’t stop at the gate of Butchart Gardens, the bus driver was kind to drop me off at the exact stop/location and walked from there.

A Stroll in the Gardens

Before coming here, it is better to check out the gardens’ virtual tour on their website. If you want to be surprised, then avoid doing it. However, once you arrive and pay your entrance fee, remember to get a map so you will be guided on where to start and go. The dominant flowers here were tulips of different colours.

Bog Garden

Peaceful and quiet, the garden is also a nice place to walk under the shades – if you’re avoiding the sun. 🙂

The Concert Lawn and Stage

Well, the wide lawn is a restful spot to eat your snacks. After walking around, I sat down here and enjoyed the surroundings.

Dragon Fountain Garden

You guessed it right! There’s a distinctive bronze dragon sculpture in this garden. Of course, the sculpture was a gift from China.

Italian Garden

This garden used to be the Butchart family’s tennis court. Now, there’s a rectangular pond surrounded by flowers and a statue in the middle of it. And what could be more Italian than a gelato sold at the Gelateria Benvenuto nearby? Go for it, especially when the sun is unforgiving!

Japanese Garden

You know you are in a Japanese garden when you enter under a grand red Torii. As most Japanese gardens are, the area is serene and calming to the soul. I was just disappointed that there were no cherry blossoms.

Rose Garden

It was a letdown at Rose Garden. Roses weren’t in full bloom yet and I wasn’t really happy. LOL. This was the garden that I was really looking forward to but my heart sank when I saw it. I was looking forward to having my photo taken on a pathway under the rose-laden arches. But, well, maybe next time?

Ross Fountain

After strolling the Sunken Garden, Ross Fountain welcomes you with delight! The photo below looks like a trio of waterfalls but they’re actually water fountains pleasing to hear along with the sounds of insects and birds nearby.

Star Pond

Surrounded by flowers, as you can see, the pond is shaped like a star. Well, not exactly like a 5-point star that we know of because this is a 12-point star pond. Notice that in the middle of the pond, there is a rising frog sculpture.

Sturgeon Fountain

Visiting this spot was educational for me. I didn’t know that sturgeon is a kind of fish. Well, the three sturgeon sculptures were a clue, right? I did stop and google about them. I was just assuming that the garden was in honor of someone whose name or family name is Sturgeon. LOL.

Sunken Garden

This is my favorite garden of all gardens. Can you imagine that this used to be a quarry and turned into this amazing garden filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and more? Standing from above, the bird’s eye view of the garden was inviting. Though I was excited to go down to explore it, I took my time standing a little bit longer to drink in the vista. You’d definitely love it here and I have no doubt this will be your favorite, too! Don’t forget to walk up the rock mound in the middle of it to see everything.

Totem Poles

If you have more time to explore, don’t miss the Totem Poles. They’re there to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Canada’s First Nations.

Typically, Butchart Gardens can be explored in two hours. That is if you have limited time. I ended up spending 4 and a half hours here because I was resting everywhere. I was having a feast taking in the views of colors, hearing sounds, and purely enjoying the sceneries.

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