Friday, August 12, 2022
CapitalPress.com
9
BUTCHART GARDENS
More than 1 million visitors a year
By GAIL OBERST
For the Capital Press
VA N C O U V E R
ISLAND, B.C. — Visit
Butchart Gardens and see
for yourself: its festoons of
blooming annuals, reali-
ty-defying topiary, fl ower-
ing trees and shrubs create
the impression that you have
arrived in a land of wealth
and beauty.
That impression is not
far from the truth. The gar-
dens — there are seven the-
matic sections — were built
Gail Oberst/For the Capital Press
in a former limestone quarry
that the owners, the Butchart The Sunken Gardens at Butchart Gardens near Victoria, B.C.
family, transformed into a
garden estate available to Brian Nixon, horticultural ering 2 acres beyond the
the public.
manager. As a result, the public gardens — the entire
For nearly 120 years, the gardens are renewed each working gardens are on 135
Butchart family has main- season.
acres. There the 900 vari-
tained 55 acres of colorful
Depending on the season, eties of annuals are either
and clever displays that look from 300 to 600 staff ers — grown from seed or vege-
as if they sprang eff ortlessly including 50 to 70 garden- tative cuttings and potted in
from the soil. The gardens’ ers — work to maintain the the greenhouse until ready
magical quality attracts gardens, making the gardens for planting in the gar-
more than 1 million visitors one of the largest employers dens the next spring. Tens
each year.
on Vancouver Island.
of thousands of bulbs that
Beyond magic, the gar-
Although some trees and had been dug up by hand
dens are a demonstration of shrubs have been in the gar- are examined, and some
skillful landscaping, plan- den for decades, annuals replanted, but most are
ning and nursery work. The and perennials are replanted replaced each year.
work changes each year, each year.
Each bed is rototilled
depending on what nature
Preparations take place before it is replanted, a pro-
decides to do, according to in the 26 greenhouses cov- cess that takes three weeks,
Butchart Gardens
One of hundreds of staff ers tends to a small corner of
Butchart Gardens.
while continuing to maintain
the grounds.
Pruning the gardens’
2,500 roses is a two-week
process.
The previous year’s
plant material is not wasted,
Nixon said. It is mulched,
composted and returned to
the soil.
“This is an enormous
undertaking requiring plenty
of planning and strenuous
hands-on labor,” said Nixon.
Butchart Gardens aims to
delight and inspire its visi-
tors. As a result, much of the
planning focuses on aesthet-
ics. “Some of the things that
we are looking to perfect are
color combinations, fl ower
timing, textures and fl ower
height.”
The gardens’ century of
work has not been lost on
the professional world. As
a member of several inter-
national fl ower societies,
Butchart consistently wins
awards for its innovative
nursery work designs.
For more information
about Butchart Gardens,
visit its website, https://
www.butchartgardens.com.
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