Lessons from Butchart Gardens: Ideas to Adapt at Home

Beyond the Spectacle

At first glance, Butchart Gardens appears lavish and theatrical—a sort of horticultural Hollywood. But look closely and you'll find plenty of ideas to adapt in your own garden.

Practical Takeaways

Hang Baskets from a Trellis

For interest at eye level, fill moss-lined wire baskets with bright annuals like petunias, then hang them from a trellis as shown in the Rose Garden.

Pair Plants for Color

Plant blue forget-me-nots among pink double tulips for a spring show. For fall, combine red dahlias and yellow coneflowers in front of crimson liquidambar and golden black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia').

Encourage Natural Touches

When moss carpets trees and rocks, it creates a woodsy feel.

Get Creative with Containers

Even foliage plants can become focal points when paired for contrasting leaf size and texture. An elephant's ear's big, smooth leaves tower over bacopa's delicate tracery, with begonias adding a splash of color.

Frame a View

If a hedge or tree blocks a desirable view, prune a "window" in the greenery. — Fiona Gilsenan

Visiting Butchart Gardens

Location

800 Benvenuto Ave., Brentwood Bay, 13 miles north of Victoria, B.C., on the Saanich Peninsula. Take Hwy. 17 north 10 miles; veer northwest onto Keating Cross Rd., which becomes Benvenuto, and continue about 3 miles. Reach Vancouver Island by ferry from Tsawwassen, B.C., or Port Angeles, WA; by hydrofoil (Victoria Clipper) from Seattle; or by plane. www.butchartgardens.com, (866) 652-4422 or (250) 652-4422.

Dining

Options include the Coffee Shop (year-round), Blue Poppy Restaurant (sandwiches and salads; seasonal hours), and the Dining Room Restaurant (high tea, lunch, dinner; seasonal hours). Check hours online or by phone.

Centennial Events

Historical garden photographs are displayed at 16 sites throughout the gardens.