B.C in bloom - British Columbia's gardens

Sunset, July, 1999 by Steven R. Lorton, Jim McCausland

Near Vancouver and Victoria, lose yourself in a profusion of gorgeous gardens

Take a land blessed with good soil, clement temperatures, and lots of rain. Add gardening traditions reaching back to England, Italy, and Asia. Southwestern British Columbia is rife with horticultural opportunity, and gardeners here have not squandered it. From a lavender-scented Tuscan farmhouse in Langley to the formal (and floriferous) Butchart Gardens near Victoria, you can sniff, nibble, and ogle your way through a remarkable array of gardens here. Indeed, for garden-minded travelers, British Columbia may be one of the best destinations in the world.

To give these gardens a fair sampling, allow at least a day in the Vancouver area and a day on Vancouver Island. Take a camera and notebook. Bringing most kinds of seeds to the United States is possible, but obtaining customs permission to bring plants is rarely worth the hassle. Garden admission is free unless noted; prices are in Canadian dollars.

Vancouver area

* VANCOUVER

University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. The UBC Botanical Garden shows off an extraordinary collection of ornamental plants. But anybody who grows food will want to see the garden's edible collections. Amble down paths bordered with every kind of fruit espalier you can imagine, then peruse the raised vegetable beds. 6804 S.W. Marine Dr.; 10-6 daily. $4.50; (604) 822-4208.

* RICHMOND

London Heritage Farm. Diked in on a windy swatch of Fraser River delta land, the farm goes back more than a century. What remains of a once-larger property is a restored farmhouse (stop by for crafts, tea, and a tour) and a remarkable trial garden, which features nearly all of the 400 vegetables offered in the West Coast Seeds catalog. 6511 Dyke Rd. Grounds open 9-dusk daily; house open 10-4 daily July-August, 12-4 Sat-Sun September-June. (604) 271-5220.

* LANGLEY

Tuscan Farm Gardens. When Arleigh and Heather Fair decided to build a barn near their home southeast of Vancouver, they asked the architect to make it resemble a Tuscan farmhouse. He did such a great job that the Fairs had him convert the barn into a bed-and-breakfast. Flanked by a 4-acre echinacea field and a series of Mediterranean-influenced gardens, this place really does seem to belong in Tuscany. Peak echinacea bloom is celebrated at "The Blooming" on July 18. 24453 60th Ave.; 10-5 Tue-Sat. $4, rooms from $135; (604) 530-1997. Vancouver Island

* SAANICH PENINSULA

Butchart Gardens. Among the most famous gardens in the world, Butchart comprises 50 acres of spectacular plantings. In the Sunken Garden, the site of an old quarry, cosmos, fuchsias, and other summer show-offs should be in bloom this month. In the Italian Garden, 'White Cascade' petunias and blue lobelia spill lushly from window boxes; in the afternoon, you can drink in this view - along with tea - in the adjoining restaurant. 800 Benvenuto Ave., Brentwood Bay, 13 miles north of Victoria; 9-dusk daily. $15. 75; (250) 652-4422.

* VICTORIA

Beacon Hill Park. It's more like a botanical garden than a city park, with 154 acres of oak meadows and meticulous plantings, including 30,000 summer annuals. South end of Douglas St. (a five-minute walk from Inner Harbour); dawn-dusk daily. (250) 361-0600.

Government House Gardens. Here you'll find 12 different gardens covering 36 acres around the residence of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. The Victoria Rose Garden is patterned after one at Warwick Castle in Britain. 1401 Rockland Ave.; dawn-dusk daily. (250) 387-2080.

* COLWOOD

Hatley Park National Historic Site. Once the estate of a former premier of British Columbia, Hatley Park is now home to Royal Roads University. The 600-acre site has the horticultural variety of an English country house. Stroll through the Italian Garden, Rose Garden, and the Glen - a natural stream with a series of waterfalls, embellished with plants from the Himalayas. 2005 Sooke Rd., Colwood, about 10 miles west of downtown Victoria; dawn-dusk daily. (250) 391-2511.

* SOOKE

Sooke Harbour House. This has become such a popular inn you'll need to reserve way ahead for dinner or a room. But you can wander the house's seaside gardens anytime. Almost everything you see is edible, from kiwis to chrysanthemums - and most turn up on the dining tables inside. Talk with the gardeners if you get the chance; they know a vast amount about Northwest kitchen gardening. 1528 Whiffen Spit Rd., about 40 minutes west of Victoria. Rooms from $190; (250) 642-3421.