It’s dubbed the “City of Gardens.”
And for good reason. Victoria – the capital of British Columbia (or BC), Canada – literally blooms with colorful flowers and show-stopping gardens!
Indeed, the gardens in Victoria, BC, are a big draw for visitors and one of Victoria’s top tourist attractions.
Even in bleak November, hanging baskets of yellow and purple pansies brighten doorways of downtown shops near the city’s picturesque Inner Harbor.
We know – we live here in beautiful Victoria, and we’ve seen the flower baskets blooming as winter approaches!
Then come February, with most of Canada still blanketed by snow, Victorians celebrate the city’s annual Flower Count.
For one week, they count all the crocuses, daffodils and pink cherry blossoms flowering in the sunshine – an astounding 45,932,377,422 blooms in 2020.
(Can you think of a more fun thing to do than count flowers?)
Best Victoria, BC, gardens
While there are many Victoria, BC, gardens to visit, the following five are the most popular. (They’re our favorites too).
Is it hot outside? Cool off at these great beaches in Victoria
1) Butchart Gardens
In the early 1900s, Jenny Butchart wanted to beautify the limestone quarry her husband Robert had mined.
With topsoil transported by horse and cart to the abandoned pit, she set about creating the “sunken garden.”
She had flowering trees planted and tucked ivy into the sides of the quarry walls.
Additional rose, Italian and Japanese gardens were added later.
Jennie’s vision turned into the Butchart Gardens.
Today, Butchart Gardens is considered one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.
The world-renowned gardens wow over 1 million visitors a year.
They’re the largest, most well-known and best gardens in Victoria.
We particularly love the magnificent displays of annual flowers, curving manicured lawns, weeping willows and small lake with the 70-foot dancing Ross Fountain.
The Rose Garden – home to some 2,500 rose bushes – is wonderful too.
The World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) recently honored it with an Award of Excellence.
If you visit in summer, don’t miss the spectacular Saturday evening fireworks.
Pioneered by Jennie Butchart’s great-grandson, the fireworks show is choreographed to music.
Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC
Visiting from Vancouver? This best-selling tour of the gardens includes the ferry ride from your Vancouver hotel.
For more information, see Butchart Gardens.
2) Beacon Hill Park
Stroll through Beacon Hill Park in downtown Victoria, and you see spandex-clad joggers pounding the trails, moms pushing baby strollers and grey-haired gents chatting on park benches.
Shaded by maple, arbutus and soaring Douglas firs, the 200-acre landscaped park is interlaced with moss-covered bridges, lakes, rock gardens, lily ponds and meandering paths.
Peacocks and ducks roam about freely.
On one visit, we spied a huge bald eagle on top of the totem pole (the world’s largest) which towers 125 feet high in the park.
The south end of this Victoria, BC, park offers sweeping water views of Juan de Fuca Strait.
Beacon Hill Park, Victoria
For more information, see Beacon Hill Park.
3) Abkhazi Garden
This is the “garden that love built.”
And Abkhazi Garden is the teeniest of the five Victoria gardens covered here.
The small (one-acre) but oh-so-pretty West Coast garden was created by Peggy and her husband, Prince Nicholas Abkhazi.
They met in 1922, and later were both prisoners in WWII.
After finally meeting up again in 1946, they got married and settled in Victoria.
Tucked away in a residential neighbourhood, Abkhazi Garden is very natural in design, playing up the shapes of the rocks, trees, bushes and alpine plants showcased.
There are magnificent oak trees, huge 50-year old rhododendrons with gracefully sculpted branching trunks, Japanese maples and duck ponds.
Nicolas especially liked waterfall effects.
So rock-hugging firs cascade down boulders in front of their former home, now a delightful tea house.
Abkhazi Garden, Victoria
Reservations are recommended for The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden.
For more information on the gardens, see Abkhazi Garden.
4) Government House
The Victoria gardens surrounding the official residence of British Columbia’s lieutenant governor are open to the public.
They include cut flower gardens, beautiful rose gardens, orchard and native plant sections, and more…
Discover shade-loving hostas, perky geraniums, a Garry oak woodland and apple, plum and quince trees.
Also enjoy the small waterfall and duck pond.
Victoria, BC, Government House Gardens
These gardens are free.
For more information, see the Government House gardens’ website.
5) Hatley Park National Historic Site
Grand in scale, this Edwardian estate once belonged to coal baron James Dunsmuir, a former premier of British Columbia.
He and his family lived in the lavish 40-room “castle” built in 1908.
White orchids imported from India graced the conservatory, and 120 gardeners and groundskeepers tended the formal gardens.
Today, Hatley Castle is part of the Hatley Park National Historic Site.
In summer, you can tour the rosewood-paneled rooms inside the stone mansion, now the administrative center for Royal Roads University.
Also be sure to smell the candy-colored roses in the walled rose garden, admire the boxwood-hedged Italian garden and explore the Japanese garden with its pond, well and stone lanterns.
Hatley Castle, Victoria
Guided walking estate tours are offered from mid-April to early September.
For more information, see Hatley Park Gardens.
Best time to visit these 5 Victoria, Canada, gardens?
In spring, bountiful rhodos and azaleas paint the city with huge splashes of hot pink. It’s probably the most beautiful time of the year in the garden city of Victoria.
But anytime from March to fall is a great time to visit the city and its gardens.
Victoria, the “City of Gardens”
People love to garden in Victoria!
Walk any of the neighborhoods in the city, and you’ll see that even the simplest of homes proudly boast colorful flower beds and pots.
Interestingly, the gardens are a little more untamed than the more manicured gardens we’ve seen elsewhere. They’re wilder, and some overflow with plants and bushes. A few weeds? They’re allowed to grow.
The lawns too are thicker and longer – not mowed as tightly. Dandelions pop up here and there. Victorians are staunch environmentalists, so this probably accounts for why their gardens look more natural.
Of course, the drier island climate has fostered a different ecosystem, creating one of the last refuges for Victoria’s beloved Garry Oaks – we have lots in our own back garden.
Recommended reading: Have you visited Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden? You must!
Where to stay in Victoria
Read our posts on:
Victoria Airbnbs | We love these 5 delightful Airbnbs in Victoria.
Victoria hotels | Check out our insider guide to the 7 best luxury hotels in Victoria. We’ve stayed at all of them!
How to get to Victoria? See our post on taking the ferry From Vancouver to Victoria (A complete guide)
Photo credits: 3, 18 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | Remaining garden photos courtesy the respective Victoria, BC, gardens (except where noted)
About the authors:
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George are the owners and founders of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, luxury hotel reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!
Marc
Monday 15th of June 2015
Hi Janice, first, great topic and wonderful pictures. I have been to the Butchart Gardens and It was wonderful. Unfortunately, We couldn't see the rest of it. We probably will do that next time.
Janice and George
Monday 15th of June 2015
Well, you saw the most famous gardens :-). And now you've got something to look forward to for your next visit to Victoria...
joan keeley
Monday 18th of May 2015
Gardens with ponds are the most precious exposure of beauty and I love them.
Carol Kozoway
Thursday 30th of April 2015
Nice photos.
Kimberly
Saturday 11th of April 2015
We were just in Victoria a few weeks ago and somehow missed Hatley Castle. It looks so neat, I'm disappointed we weren't able to see it! Next time we visit that will definitely be on our list. My husband and I are planning a trip back to Victoria this Summer and will be staying either at Abigail's or Magnolia - it's a tough choice! Great article, thanks!
Janice and George
Saturday 11th of April 2015
Hatley Castle is easy to miss because you have to drive out of Victoria a bit (and it's not as well-known as the Butchart Gardens). We wouldn't have known about it either if we didn't have the assignment to write the gardens article for Taste of Life magazine. You'll be happy at either Abigail's or Magnolia - and summer will be a great time to visit Victoria!
Suze
Friday 10th of April 2015
Abkhazi Garden looks wonderful, we have a Japanese garden in London - the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, it's one of my favourites!