Cheerful

Visiting Butchart Gardens in Victoria Canada was an artists paradise! The kaleidoscope of color is simply breathtaking. It’s hard to believe the variety of flowers here, each on perfect display. We were fortunate to have a clear sunny day as we visited, strolling hand in hand. I look forward to painting many more scenes from these exquisite gardens.

History of the Gardens

Robert Pim Butchart, a pioneer in the thriving North American cement industry, was attracted from Owen Sound, Ontario to Canada’s West Coast by rich limestone deposits. In 1904, he developed a quarry and built a cement plant to satisfy Portland cement demand from San Francisco to Victoria. Jennie Butchart became the company’s chemist. Close to the quarry, the Butcharts established the family home complete with sweet peas and rose bushes.

As Mr. Butchart exhausted limestone deposits, his enterprising wife Jennie, made plans to create something of beauty in the gigantic exhausted pit. From farmland nearby, she had tons of top soil brought in by horse and cart and used it to line the floor of the abandoned quarry. Little by little, the quarry blossomed into the spectacular Sunken Garden. Read more on the Butchart Garden Website

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