The summer of our 50th wedding anniversary took us on a magnificent sojourn of discovery in western Canada and Washington State – Driving the Canadian Rockies, Revisiting the Arts + Culture of Canada’s First Nations, savoring Afternoon Tea at fabulous Fairmont Hotels, and enjoying the quiet beauty of Hood Canal at our daughter’s cabin.
If that wasn’t glorius enough, we also visited five wonderful Pacific Northwest gardens – three in Vancouver, BC, one in Victoria, BC, and one in Seattle, WA. Although garden “types” such as rose display garden, Japanese garden, and old growth forest, for example, were featured in multiple locations, each site uniquely interpreted their displays and really made the most of their particular settings. As two midwesterners with Purdue University’s Master Gardener and Master Naturalist training, we really got into the region’s terrain, stunning beauty and biodiversity. I hope you enjoy this photo tour of VanDusen Botanical Garden, University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, Nitobe Memorial Garden (UBC), Butchart Gardens, and University of Washington Botanic Garden/Washington Park Arboretum.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Ken & I were intrigued to explore this public garden built on the site of a former golf course. The garden is jointly operated by the City of Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association, a charitable non-profit organization. The partnership has created a delightful garden with excellent posted visitor information such as a Bloom Calendar for the month of your visit and numbered self-guided tours. I’m always happy to see packets of seeds saved from a garden we’re visiting!
The VanDusen Elizabethan Maze is made of 3,000 pyramidal cedars, Thuja occidentalis ‘Fastigiata’, planted in the autumn of 1981. There is an observation terrace from which the less adventuresome visitor can view the maze.
University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
Twenty minutes west of the VanDusen Botanical Garden, the UBC Botanical Garden is located on the campus of the University of British Columbia. Established in 1916 to research the native flora of the province, the scope now includes “education, research, conservation, community outreach, and public display of temperate plants from around the world.” Their garden store also featured collected seeds for sale. We visited in late August, and the posting recommending August-September planting of cilantro & arugula to avoid bolting was a timely reminder!
We were visiting several sites on campus, so we decided to limit our exploration of this garden to two specific areas of interest – the BC Rainforest Garden and the Greenheart TreeWalk. On the way to the Rainforest Garden is the lovely Moon Gate & Tunnel connecting to other parts of the garden. Although I was SO tempted to dash through and discover what lies beond the gate, I behaved myself knowing we had one more amazing garden on campus still to be discovered. Even though we experienced only the tip of the iceberg at UBC Botanical Garden, it was enough to let us know we would welcome a second more lengthy exposure!
The BC Rainforest Garden displays native plants local to the region, representing elements of southwest British Columbia’s coastal rainforest. Although the day was quite warm, shade from the tall old growth trees made for a comfortable stroll through the diversely planted area.
The Greenheart TreeWalk is a tree top canopy walkway that hangs from huge old Douglas firs, cedars and grand firs. We were impressed that the cable system uses no nails or bolts and doesn’t damage the trees or the surrounding delicate ecosystem. What a crazy view of the rainforest you must get from up there! And no, we didn’t walk the walk… we senior chickens just scouted the experience in hopes of bringing back grandsons one day. Judging by the laughs and shrieks heard overhead from traversing families, the TreeWalk offers a terrific experience.
The Nitobe Memorial Garden, also part of the University of British Columbia, is located just 5 minutes from UBC Botanical Garden. The Japanese Tea and Stroll Garden is notably one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan, and I must say, it is truly wonderful. Ken and I agreed it was the most lovely Japanese garden we’ve ever visited. The textures – built and planted – were striking, and the depth of shades of green was unbelievable. Dotted with lanterns, the lush garden and it’s beautiful reflective pond achieved the harmony with nature that designers intended. Tucked back from the road, this garden might be missed, but don’t do it! It was wonderful in late summer, and I can only imagine what it would be like with spring’s cherry blossoms.
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Butchart Gardens
The Butchart Gardens is both huge and magnificent. Located in Brentwood Bay, a half hour drive from downtown Victoria, the garden’s 55 acres are filled with a variety of beautiful display gardens. If you’re planning to visit, earmark the better part of a day! The expansive garden was created in 1904 from a former limestone quarry. The Gardens are still privately owned and operated by the Butchart family and have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
The BUTCHART ROSE GARDEN is abloom summer to early autumn and boasts a collection of 2,500 floribundas, ramblers, climbers and Hybrid Tea Roses. According to the website, “that’s 7 types of roses, 780 varieties, 3,500 plants, 30 rose arches.” Crazy! Ken, or as I like to call him, “Mr. Hybrid Tea”, was in heaven snapping plant labels for further research (aka shopping) for our garden at home. As you exit the Rose Garden, you see one of Butchart Gardens many water features, the Sturgeon Fountain.
The BUTCHART JAPANESE GARDEN. The beautiful Torii gate leads you to a lush landscape filled with 500 rhodies and azaleas, 74 Japanese maples, and a long flowing stream. Ken’s other plant passion, the woody ornamentals, made him wish we’d visited in spring to see the rhododedron and azalea display. Leaving the Japanese Garden, you pass the Star Fountain.
The BUTCHART ITALIAN GARDEN was originally the Butchart family’s tennis court! Another immense floral display, this garden of 21,780 square feet features 18 flower beds, 85 varieties of plants, 22,000 spring bulbs & perennials. Holy moly. There is also a beautiful pond featuring a bronze statue of Mercury. I loved the bright orange zinnia beds, and on close inspection found a tiny green leaf frog among the blossoms. And I’m proud to say, the photo snapped of this colorful scene became the cover of my local Valley Hills Garden Club yearbook!
The BUTCHART SUNKEN GARDEN is the actual site of the former quarry, and feels like a world unto itself. It took 9 years to create and features 5 acres of gardens, 151 flower beds, 65,000 spring bulbs. Such a masterpiece of setting.
My personal favorite area within Butchart Gardens was the showy DAHLIA DISPLAY. Yes, we missed spring blossoms in the Japanese gardens, but our August visit rewarded us with the vibrant rich colors of the dahlia. They are wonderful flowers for arrangements, but my lazy gardening self won’t embrace “the lifting of the tubers” in fall and replanting in spring. So for me, it was a real treat to be surrounded with these highly textural blooms. If I had traveled with clippers, I might have beem tempted to snip… NO, never – but I wanted to!
Moving on, we passed by an area of trees surrounded with beautiful begonias, and passing the Snail Pond, we completed a circle around Butchart Gardens. This was our last Canadian garden excursion on our Golden Anniversary Celebration Tour, but after ferrying on to Seattle, we had one more garden stop planned.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
University of Washington Botanic Garden
We knew we had a day to kill before we would head to our daughter’s cabin on Hood Canal in Seabeck, Washington to go crabbing, gather oysters on the shore, and hang out with Carrie and our grandsons Henry and Max. I’d seen online that UW Botanic Garden/ Washington Park Arboretum offers FREE walking tours the first Thursday of every month, so that was the plan!
The montly tours, led by trained volunteers, meet at the Graham Visitors Center at 11:30am. (The tour lasts until 1pm, but there’s plenty of opportunity to shop the Arboretum gift shop before or after.) Our walking tour was the first Thursday in September, so our guide focused on the Fall season and the plant changes taking place. She led us through areas in the Arboretum to find evidence of seeds and seed pods found on garden plants. We examined evergreen cones, fern fronds and more. We ended the tour at one of the Arboretum’s “Champion Trees“, Malus fusca or Western Crabapple, so distinguished as the largest tree of the species.
The tour was another “tip of the iceburg” garden experience during our travels, but we look forward to seeing more and learning more about the UW Botanic Garden/Washington Park Arboretum on future Seattle area trips to visit our family. Our garden exploits in Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle were an amazing botanical adventure. If you love gardens and gardening and can incorporate one or more of these sites in your itinerary, you won’t be disappointed!
