Hatley Park - Japanese garden

Part 3

The Japanese garden looks the same as usual. Several gardeners were working there.

I can't remember what these purple and pink flowers are called but they are quite tiny and grow low to the ground. Update: the plant is Pulmonaria or Lungwort.

It's a good time of year for skunk cabbage apparently.

Sundial in the rose garden. I especially remember being here as a kid with my Grandmother. There is a wall on one side of this garden, and this visit was the first time I've ever been through the gate. On the other side is a house and greenhouses... and more gardeners.

This waterwheel used to be painted. When I was little I was fascinated by this "huge" waterwheel. Years later I went back and was shocked to find that it shrunk considerably. That's how it seemed once I was bigger anyway.

End of Hatley Park tour.

Hatley Park - statues

Part 2

The statues in the park are the same as always, except they look a little neglected.

I love this lion. It's probably my favourite work in all of Victoria.

A few years ago when I visited with my dad and sister, the lions were nearly pure white. Now they look coated with soot.

Little statue at the top of the front stairs. It was disappointing to see some things not working, such as the nearby Neptune-sculpture fountain which was turned off.

The statues representing the four seasons are still in the Italian garden. There is Flora, Pomona and Ceres... but I can't guarantee they're shown here in the right order.

But my favourite of the four has always been Hebe, representing winter. Glenn painted this statue during a paint-in once and the painting sold before it was finished.

Hatley Park & Castle - March 18, 2010

Part 1

Revisiting places can lead to disappointment.

My parents first took me to Hatley Park in greater Victoria when I was very little. Many glorious summer days were spent in the rose, Italian and Japanese gardens when my grandmother and other relatives came to visit. I particularly remember sitting in the shade of the castle's porte-cochere, and gazing at the 'huge' water wheel which turned out not to be huge at all - I was just small. I always felt relaxed and at home at the park as if it was my own personal garden. I continued to go as an adult with family and friends.

All my life the park had been FREE to visit. This all changed a few years ago after it became a National Historic site operated, I believe, by a university. Somebody decided to charge a fee and this then involved fencing in the garden area. There was a public outcry but the operators eventually got their way. They appeased locals in the immediate neighbourhood by allowing them free access and by lowering the proposed fee for everyone else. I hadn't been back since.

The fee of under $5 might not be a lot but I resent paying to see 'my' (and the public's) park which, in my opinion, should still be free.

Information for the visitor is very poor. I couldn't find any indication, for instance, that parking is extra. Expect to pay a couple of dollars for that. One website shows an entrance fee of $4.75, another shows $4.50 increasing to $9 from May to October. Entry with castle tour is more. We felt bad for a couple of visitors what had come all the way from Vancouver expressly to tour the castle only to find it closed.

I'm a little disgusted with some of the changes that have taken place, such as the addition of more modern buildings, and fences chopping up the grounds. The lion's head fountain was turned off and some things had an unkempt appearance.

Nowadays you have to park below the castle. It's unfortunate that an ugly parking lot interrupts the sweeping views to the lagoon and ocean. First time visitors wouldn't know to drop less mobile people up at the castle since there is no indication upon entering where you have to pay.

The castle from the Italian garden.

At least the huge mast eyesore from when it was run by the military is gone from the front of the castle.

Back lawn.

Arbutus tree. (Some photos have odd colouring because our camera was on the wrong light setting.) I used to see deer on the lawns on occasion.

The peacocks are still around. I didn't notice any white ones this visit.

Part of the Italian garden. It probably would have been better to visit about a month from now when there would be more plants and flowers.

Butchart Gardens March 14, 2010

Indoor garden

Pretty blossoms.

Magnolias again.

Rhododendron bud.

Yes, you can see gerbera daisies at the florist, but they add a nice bit of colour here.

The Alcanterea revisited

You may remember this unusual plant and the picture of the sign I posted back in January.

Well, now there is a new sign. Now the plant is from Brazil instead of Chile, and the new spelling of Alcanterea with the 'ea' ending rather than 'ia' ending is probably correct. The plant is nearly finished flowering so, sadly, I guess that will soon be the end of it. Who knows if I'll ever see another one of these in my life.

And that was the last weekend of the Spring Prelude indoor garden at Butchart's. Correction: I was wrong - it actually continues to the end of the month.

Butchart Gardens March 14, 2010

Sunday March 14 - Daylight Saving Time begins

Outside

The new path is not open yet.

Lots of shoots are coming up.

A few red tulips are appearing in this flower bed in the sunken garden.

Ground cover under the fir trees.

I'm not sure that I've ever seen this kind of daffodil before.

More standard types were in this basket. I read that they planted nearly 80,000 of 75 daffodil varieties.

A walk around town - March 6, 2010

Near the harbour, Victoria, BC

These banners in town generally sum up the activity in the harbour. I always wonder who designs and makes the banners.

Police people, especially in these outfits, are somewhat of an unusual sight for Victoria. They probably were not on hand to watch the mobs of people herding onto whale watching boats during 'Be a Tourist in your own Home Town' week. More likely they were there for the torch relay for the Vancouver Paralympic Games. A stage was set up by the harbour for the event and a woman was singing.

A much more common sight in Victoria are protesters - these ones for Tibet. They were probably heading to the Francophone Festival in Centennial Square.

Which came first - did the truck smash into and uproot the tree, or did the tree fall on the truck? My guess is the former. See the blue post on the very left? It is one of the relatively new parking kiosks around town. On any given day, you can see people standing at them with puzzled expressions on their faces. Imagine the poor tourists.

The latest sidewalk art on Government Street.

Chinatown

Chinatown is decorated with these festive lanterns.

Now here is something you don't see every day, at least not around here - the "Mighty Michelle" shopping bag! At the bottom centre it says "First Lady of Fabulous." Made of recycled material, it felt like brittle plastic.

I'm all for tea rooms, although I don't think this one does an afternoon tea and the location is odd - smack in the middle of Chinatown. They serve wraps, grilled ciabattas, melts and organic teas & coffees and they had some fine looking desserts.

Butchart Gardens March 4, 2010

Indoor garden

Trees are blooming inside and out.

It's hard to imagine that there was a time I didn't care for this kind of tulip. Tastes change.

Butchart Gardens March 4, 2010

Outside

Along the driveway to the parking lot on a dewy morning, the only sounds were ravens calling. No tour buses! We had the gardens almost to ourselves.

Indian Plum. This plant is usually at the head of the pack for coming into leaf but this year it seems late by comparison. I don't actually remember ever seeing so many other plants in leaf before it as I've seen this year.

Early tulips opened in the sunlight.

If the sundial reads noon when it's really 11:00 am, does that mean the sundial is on Daylight Savings Time?

Lousy photo but it shows that lots of crocus are still out. A few other flowers are appearing too.

There were a few surprises such as this lady all dressed in white as if it was summertime. I liked it, as it made me feel we were back in time in an English garden.

We were amazed to see this worker mowing! One would expect to see only ride-on type mowers used here, but at this time of year when the grass is long and thick they do it this way.

Work continues down on the new path along the side of the sunken garden. I think this will be a good addition. Up until now, the path has led to a dead end.