Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens is a large, privately developed floral garden complex near Brentwood Bay, just north of Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The gardens were created from a former limestone quarry beginning in the early 20th century by Jennie Butchart and opened to the public in the 1920s.

The site contains several distinct garden rooms and landscapes, including the signature Sunken Garden, a Rose Garden, a Japanese Garden and an Italian/Mediterranean section; the total site area is about 55 acres. Visitors come to see extensive seasonal bedding displays, specimen trees and formal garden layouts across a network of paths and ponds.

The gardens evolved from an industrial quarry into a planned ornamental landscape in the first decades of the 20th century and have been maintained as a tourist attraction and horticultural collection since then.

Butchart Gardens sits on Vancouver Island near the town of Brentwood Bay, roughly a 30-minute drive north of downtown Victoria, and is accessible by road and public shuttle services from Victoria.

• Origins and size: Originally developed from a decommissioned limestone quarry by Jennie Butchart beginning in the early 1900s and opened to visitors in the 1920s, the gardens cover roughly 55 acres.
• Visiting times: Located near Victoria on Vancouver Island, the gardens are open year-round with peak floral displays in late spring through early autumn and special evening events in summer.

What to See #

• Sunken Garden: A recessed, former limestone quarry transformed into the Sunken Garden, featuring dense perennial bedding and specialty plantings organised in formal terraces and pathways.
• Rose Garden: A formal rose garden with beds arranged for seasonal display and a large collection of heritage and modern roses.
• Japanese Garden: A Japanese Garden with ponds, bridges and maples designed for contemplative viewing, reflecting Edwardian garden styles.
• Italian and Mediterranean Gardens: An Italian Garden with clipped hedges, statuary and symmetrical beds, and a Mediterranean Garden showcasing drought-tolerant and subtropical species.