A problem in Jennie Butchart’s backyard.
We all have problems, some big, some small, some seemingly insoluble. Jennie Butchart had a huge problem: a big hideous hole in her backyard.
Admittedly the hole was off to one side and the property was large. On the other hand, the hole was actually a pit, a gigantic scar on the earth left behind when her husband’s company extracted tons of limestone from the quarry.
So what would you do? Jennie’s first attempt to mitigate the problem was to plant poplars and Persian plums between the pit and the house. Good. Problem solved. Right? I might have added a fence so no one would fall into the abandoned quarry. But it was 1908. People weren’t so concerned about safety in those days.
A bold solution.
In the face of a problem as colossal as a limestone quarry in the back yard, you and I might have thrown up our hands in despair or taken half measures and left it at that.
Not Jennie Butchart. She conceived a bold plan for a sunken garden. She’d have the rubble at the bottom of the pit pushed into piles to make the basic structure of terraces and hills. Then she’d have massive amounts of topsoil brought in by horse cart.
a hill inside the quarry
As things got underway, she realized the gray quarry walls looked grim, so she dangled over the side in a boson’s chair and planted ivy in crevices in the rock.
Her husband, Robert, had spent six years (1902-1908) digging out the limestone and making a fortune selling bags of cement up and down the West Coast. It took Jennie until 1921 to complete her sunken garden.
From famous and free to a commercial venture.
The gardens were famous even before they were finished. In 1915, 18,000 people showed up to view the fantastic gardens. The Butcharts, who had named their home Benvenuto, didn’t turn anyone away or charge them a penny. In fact, they welcomed visitors in and served them a cup of tea.
the star pool, part of the Italian Garden
Jennie’s unflagging generosity continued into the 1930s and ‘40s. Eventually the couple moved to Victoria. Before Mr. Butchart’s death, they gave the gardens to their grandson, Ian Ross, for his twenty-first birthday. Quite a birthday gift, eh? Ian ran Butchart Gardens for the next fifty years, transforming it into a commercial venture and an internationally famous destination. Today his daughter is in charge of the gardens that her great-grandmother brought into existence.
The dahlias were in full bloom when my sister and I visited on October 13, 2015.
Fall color and a sunny day in October … Victoria, BC, receives 308 sunny days a year and only 26 inches of rain thanks to being in the rain shadow of Washington State’s Olympic Mountains.
This grouping is on its last leg, but I liked the contrast of colors and textures.
Butchart Gardens has 50 full-time gardeners, 70 during the summer. This gardener is watering forget-me-nots that will bloom in the spring. Tomorrow, if the bulbs from Holland arrive on time, he’s going to plant 5000 daffodil and tulip bulbs in this one flowerbed. Then, after one season, the bulbs will be pulled up and thrown in the compost heap. After that, new ones will be planted.
According to the gardener, these begonias were going to be pulled out two days after I took the photo.
I liked the romance of these arches.
Next week’s post will be about the Japanese Garden which is also part of Butchart Gardens. It has quite a different look from what I’ve shown here. If you haven’t already subscribed and you’d like a reminder, you can leave your email address at the top of the page.
Hi Nicki, I have just visited the gardens, and Nancy from “Spirit Lights the Way” saw my post on it and sent me over here to read yours, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 🙂 It’s a wonderful place, isn’t it? How amazing to have built something so beautiful out of something so ugly.
I’ve been to Butchart Gardens three times, once in the spring. It’s always different. On other trips we drove. This time we took a bus tour. The driver supplied lots of interesting information (and a few jokes), but we only had two hours to tour the gardens. Fortunately we had great weather.
I was in Victoria in the winter, no good famous gardens for me! ARG! I’m drooling with envy. I love dahlias, too. What an ingenious woman 🙂
I guess they have a light show around Christmastime, but that’s not the same as enjoying the flowers. Dahlias have such perfect petals, a sturdy flower that comes in so many varieties. I usually forget about them until they start showing up around the neighborhood.
Wow, beautiful gardens, Nicki. My boyfriend and I always say that big projects get done by doing one small portion at a time. I’d say Jennie would agree with our logic. Amazing what she was able to accomplish. Thanks for sharing.
This was fascinating Nicki! I wonder how Mrs. Buchart got a hold of so many different plantings way back then. I haven’t been in several years and now can’t wait to go back.
We took a bus tour this time, and the driver/tour guide was very informative and funny. I suppose Jennie Butchart was on the lookout for plants wherever she went, and they did travel to Europe and Japan. That’s how she got the idea for the Japanese Garden and the Italian Garden. Plus, her husband’s company shipped Portland Cement all up and down the West Coast.
Wonderful transformation. Thanks for a gorgeous share, Nicki.
Jennie Butchart is a model for bringing about transformation through vision and hard work.
Such a beautiful garden the Butchart Gardens is. What a humble beginning you have and I’ve never heard of tea being served to visitors. Very kind of them, such a hospitable gesture. Beautiful images of the flowers. It certainly looks well maintained and I’m sure everyone who’s involved takes pride in upkeeping the place 🙂
I think in the early 1900s, when no one had televisions or computers and there weren’t so many proper tourist sites, it was more common than now to go visiting. Still, even in those days, Jennie Butchart most have been unusually hospitable to serve tea to so many visitors.
The gardens not only are well maintained, they’re replanted with different flowers several times a year when the seasons change.
Wow! What a beautiful transformation. Thank you for sharing the history and your stunning photographs, Nicki
Thank you, Jill. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I don’t do much gardening these days, but I do enjoy looking at gardens grown by other people.
Your photos are gorgeous. I can’t imagine the work it took to transform the quarry into these fabulous gardens. We have quarries here, and it would be cost prohibitive for anyone to transform their ugliness to beauty.
I agree, Michelle. It takes a special woman with lots of energy and a rich and loving husband to think she could transform a quarry into a garden.
I’ve always heard of Butchart Gardens but never had any idea where they were. They’re simply stunning. I’m glad the family has continued the tradition ~ and if they can make a living while doing so, good for them. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, Nicki.
Adults pay between $26 and $32 depending on the season, and with almost one million visitors each year, they’re definitely making a go of it. On the other hand, they do have costs. They have 550 staff in the peak season, 70 of whom are gardeners, 290 staff in the off season, 50 of whom are gardeners. They grow most of their own flowers in 26 greenhouses. It’s amazing to me how this large business has grown up from the imagination and hard work of one woman.
All because she wanted a beautiful back yard!
What a vista. A room with a view. Quite!
I think we all feel happier when surrounded by beauty.
Oh, beautiful! And such great photos. The autumn leaves are my favorite. I want to have tea in those gardens so badly. 🙂
I had to laugh about the infamous “rain shadow of the Olympic Peninsula” bit. The locals must say that to everyone!
It isn’t just the “rain shadow.” They also like to brag about the moderate climate, especially in comparison with the rest of Canada. I’ve been coming to Victoria since I was a teenager. It’s amazing how much it’s grown. Many of the newcomers live in condos next to the water with walking paths along Victoria’s extremely long and winding coastline. It used to be the place Canadians went to retire, but they now have a thriving tech industry that’s attracting younger people.
This reminds me (minus the pit) of Longwood Gardens back east. Also a family house that has been turned into a wonderful place to visit. I am astounded at how wonderful the “pit” is.
Last time I visited Butchart Gardens, we rented a car, so we could stay as long as we wanted. This time we took a bus tour that gave us only two hours to walk around the 55 acre garden. It wasn’t nearly enough time to take pictures all the pictures I would have liked to take.
What a lovely way to bring beauty out of ashes. What a gorgeous place! So glad to see it through your photos.
I’m guessing that back in the early 20th century, when most wives were expected to stay at home and cook and clean, energetic women like Jennie Butchart still had to find a big outlet for their creative energies. I’m so glad she found one.