It all began with one woman’s vision and passion.
With a former limestone quarry for her backyard, Jennie Butchart envisioned landscaping a sunken garden in its place, transforming the property for her family—and visitors—for generations to come.
Since that early beginning, each succeeding generation of the Butchart family has added features, creating an incredible immersive experience of beautiful gardens. With over 900 plants, the gardens include the Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden and more.
The Butchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada.
Learn more on their site. Check out “Our Story” for a history of the gardens and “The Plants” page to see what you’ll experience when you visit the gardens, in-person or online.
The Butchart Gardens – Environmental Initiatives
Beyond nurturing plants and creating beautiful gardens, The Gardens feel responsible for minimizing an impact on the earth, implementing environmental initiatives wherever possible.
- Use of natural, reusable wood flats instead of plastic flats
- Repurpose wood waste, branches and leaves into mulch and/or compost
- Extensive use of manual, mechanical and non-chemical weed control methods
- Utilize drip irrigation wherever practical
- Implement a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management program to control insect pests and diseases
- Comprehensive composting program