The Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens offers 22ha (55 acres) of floral display located in Greater Victoria on Vancouver Island. One of the world's premier floral show gardens this National Historic Site of Canada is still privately owned and operated by family descendants. Jennie Butchart began to shape this magnificent landscape in 1904. An abandoned limestone quarry was transformed into the dramatic Sunken Garden, a reflection of the early 20th-century beautification movement and an exceptional achievement in Canadian gardening history. Through successive generations, The Gardens has retained much of its original design. There are five seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Christmas and Winter. Each has its own delights. In the summer season there is nightly entertainment and Saturday nights have spectacular fireworks, plus Night Illuminations. Christmas has its magic with tens of thousands of lights, traditional carolers and festive brass in the evenings. There is even an outdoor ice skating rink. The Children’s Pavilion and Rose Carousel operates year round. The menagerie includes thirty animals and two chariots able to accommodate disabled persons. The pavilion also has an event room for such things as children’s birthday parties. From the early days of cups of tea served on the lawn, The Gardens has expanded its offerings to include simple, tasty fare to exquisitely prepared fine lunches and dinners: http://butchartgardens.cn/