Regal sights at Government House Gardens: visit a grand estate in Victoria, British, Columbia

Sunset, Sept, 1994 by Steven R. Lorton

Visit a grand estate in Victoria, British Columbia

AS WE GO TO PRESS, Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled on August 18 to dedicate Victoria's Government House Gardens to the people of British Columbia. Restored and enhanced, the gardens look grander than ever. If you visit this month, you can still see some late-summer floral majesty and the first royal flushes of autumn color.

For nearly 130 years, Government House has served as the residence of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. But in recent years, the estate's gardens had been neglected. Then, in 1988, David C. Lam was appointed lieutenan governor, and he and his wife, Dorothy, both zealous gardeners, set out to rectify the situation.

Today, you can stroll through 11 different gardens spread over the 36 acres tha surround the house. Enter through the main gate and walk directly to the front door of Government House. Next to the guest register, pick up a map for a self-guided tour of the front gardens. Here are some highlights.

English Country Garden. If you think summer is over, you'll get a pleasant horticultural surprise at this garden just inside the entry gate. Even now, the English Country Garden should be a riot of colorful blooms.

Sunken Rose Garden. In Victoria, the last rose often opens around Christmas, so the hybrid teas should be blooming vigorously in September. Climbing roses clamber and tangle over long wooden arbors, creating welcome shade on hot days.

Flower Garden. Flowers are grown here as crops for use in bouquets. You'll find both common and rare flowers: Artemisia lactiflora, Aster frikartii 'Monch', Japanese anemone, Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum), and purple smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple').

Rockland Border is a fine example of a traditional English border garden. Running the length of two city blocks and backed by a tall, handsome iron fence the border mixes shrubs, perennials, and even a few annuals.

Victorian Rose Garden is an elegant link between England and North America. A gift from the Lams to the people of British Columbia, this new garden is patterned after the rose garden at Warwick Castle in England. Most of the antique roses will be past their bloom, but look for a good show from the collection of David Austin's English roses.

Government House is at 1401 Rockland Avenue, about 1 mile north of downtown Victoria, and an easy walk from the Empress Hotel. The gardens are open during daylight hours year-round, except on the rare occasions when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police close them for a visiting head of state. Admission is free.