Butchart Gardens March 23, 2011

Outside

Crocuses! So nice to see in the ground, in pots, anywhere.

And a splash of orange in a planter.

Inside - the Spring Prelude garden

What a difference 6 days make

Butchart Gardens Tuesday November 2, 2010

Left: last week. Right: this week.

In the Japanese Gardens the orange foliage had really faded. So it seems that the last week of October is usually the best for colour here.

There were still some reds, much of it on the ground.

The lovely Callicarpa (Beautyberry) kind of drives me nuts. The bushes are in awkward places - and here, you can't just tramp through the flower beds for a closer look - plus the berries are quite small, making them a challenge to photograph.

I'm not sure when these potted shrubs showed up.

There were some orange colours outside of the Japanese garden.

Butchart Gardens September 9, 2010

We're starting to see that soft, autumn light.

It's dahlia time.

A 'snail.'

Gladiolus (this surpises me) Acidanthera. Don't ask me the name of this plant in an hour because I'll have forgotten.

Ditto the 'Rudbeckia Nitida.'

August leftovers

As Glenn dismantled his N scale model train layout (in order to start a new one), he took part of it outside to take photos in natural light. This layout was based loosely - very loosely, on Summerland, BC (orchard not shown in this view).

An appaloosa we spotted in a field up-island.

Back to Butchart's - I may have shown this view before but it's one of my favourites.

It always surprises me how much trimming goes on by hand at Butchart Gardens. Even lawns are edged by hand. I have never seen a weed eater or a leaf blower used there.

Butchart Gardens June 30, 2010

According to the plant identification booth at the gardens, this plant is called Astrantia. It's another one of those wort plants - also known as Masterwort or Great Masterwort, not sure which. The name 'wort' just doesn't seem to suit flowers.

Less than two weeks ago on June 18th, roses weren't in flower at Butchart's but now the rose garden is full of blossoms. Every year there are types I've never heard of such as: Bucks Fizz, Rotary Sunrise and Neptune.

The Passion Flower has mighty strange design when you really look at it.

Butchart Gardens June 18, 2010

My sister was in town for a visit so we wandered around Butchart Gardens one afternoon.

I like the plastic-like texture and the Thrills gum colour of this whirligig flower.

Columbines are one of my favourite flowers but I'm not happy with any of my photos of them this year.

Hosta leaves are intriguing.

I rode on a zebra while my sister sat in one of the bench-seat sleighs. A couple of horses were missing though. One was the first horse I rode on opening night - a white one with flowers. We were told it was being used in a parade, so apparently they have carousel animals in reserve. Instead, there was this white horse, which I like better, and also a horse with armour. The other missing animal was my favourite, the RCMP horse.

I spotted it a week later being used in this advertising display on the Empress Hotel lawn.

Butchart Gardens June 10, 2010

Now - to do a bit of catching up.

The roses weren't out yet but lots of columbines, peonies and delphiniums were.

Can't help myself - blue poppies were still blooming too.

These irises are always photogenic.

I don't remember if we'd seen this elephant topiary before. It's by the Rose Carousel.

Butchart Gardens May 9, 2010

We took the visitors to Butchart Gardens. Unfortunately, most of the tulips were beginning to fade so they weren't at their most spectacular. I expected to see a more lush display of blue poppies this week but it may be a bad year for them. The few specimens looked weak and battered, so I was lucky to get that photo of a fairly nice one a week or two ago.

Not a good picture but columbines are out and they're one of my favourite flowers.

I think the beds by the entrance gates are at their best this time of year.

Some tulips had been dug up already. I believe one of the gardeners said they keep about 10% of the bulbs.