Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The Japanese Garden

The second part of the Butchart Gardens that Jennie Butchart developed was the Japanese Garden, built during the 1920's after the Sunken Garden was mostly complete.  It's located in a small valley leading down to a cove on Brentwood Bay.

You enter the Japanese Garden past this beautiful fountain of three inter-twining Dolphins, at this time of year surrounded by Daffodils.

There are quite a few interesting large shrubs or small trees that have either been pruned, or grown to interesting shapes.  In nearly 100 years there has been plenty of time to develop these.

You catch a glimpse of various interesting features as you wander the narrow paths through the garden - like this classic example of a small Japanese bridge that reminded me of the one in Claude Monet's garden at Giverny.

Under the trees in front of me as I took that picture was this patch of the incredibly beautiful Fawn Lily, a western species which I've never seen before.   It also comes in a white version which I think is more common (and I later saw in Victoria).  They remind me so much of the Trout Lilies that grow here, but are bright yellow.  Both are in the genus Erythronium.

Lots of what I think of as 'typical' Japanese garden features, from raked gravel to stepping stones.  Yes, that's the Furry Gnome on our adventure.  Everywhere things were covered in moss, which has had many decades to spread and grow.

You leave the garden through this gate, and finally you catch a glimpse of the cove at the bottom of the valley.  A beautiful peaceful garden to wander through, and we're still not finished yet!

13 comments:

  1. More lovely photographs.
    These are such wonderful gardens.

    All the best Jan

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  2. I am glad you are not done yet...I am really enjoying the tour!

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  3. Raked gravel, a beautiful spot to have peaceful thoughts. Loved the wee flowers, and the last view , wow.

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  4. I get the impression that if you hung about for too long on those stepping stones, Stew, that the moss would envelop you too. I'd also like to think that the Japanese(?) on the sign at the top did not actually say 'The Japanese Garden', but something rude to make the Japanese tourists laugh. Wonderful, though!

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  5. That is my favourite part of the Gardens and your pictures just brought everything back nice and clear. Thanks again.

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  6. So wonderful! And best of all, a picture of the Furry Gnome! :-)

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  7. Great pictures of a lovely garden. Thank you for walking us through.

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  8. Very beautiful! I've never seen a pink lily like that before (we have yellow ones in our mountains that we call avalanche lilies)

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  9. The raked gravel reminds me of the zen garden over at the Museum of History.

    Beautiful shots!

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  10. Lovely garden! The lily is gorgeous.

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  11. Lovely gardens---I do like to visit any Japanese Garden---just so manicured and mossy.
    MB

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