Victoria’s almost secret gardens
Hatley Park at Royal Roads University and the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific worth a look
You don’t need to be a gardener to enjoy gardens, particularly those in Victoria. While most visitors have strolled the world-famous Butchart Gardens, several other gardens are less well-known but just as worthy of attention. Whether searching for horticultural inspiration, feasting your eyes on new flower candy or taking time to calm down and reflect, these gardens offer something for everyone — without the crowds.
Time it right at Hatley Park Gardens at Royal Roads University and you could stroll parts of the grounds surrounding Hatley Castle without a soul in sight, even though these fine Edwardian gardens have been around for almost a century.
“People associate Hatley Park with a military college and Royal Roads University, so we don’t get many visitors,” says head gardener Barrie Agar, “but once they start to explore and realize how extensive the gardens are, everyone is pleasantly surprised.”
Agar says most visitors come to see the castle, look at the Italian Gardens, the croquet lawn and maybe the Rose Gardens. But venture further on this 565-acre estate to the Japanese Garden, the woodland garden and down a path flanked by 26 elms to the lower lake and the bog garden.
The gardens remain largely intact since designed in 1913. “I don’t care what it costs, just build it,” said James Dunsmuir, referring to his gardens and Hatley Castle. Many centurion trees come from all over the world: the beech trees date back to the early 1900s and ditto with plantings in the Japanese garden. And the views. Agar’s favourite is the white wisteria in the Japanese garden, with Esquimalt Lagoon and snow-capped Olympic Mountains in the background. “This wisteria blooms every long weekend in May, no matter the weather, as regular as a Seiko watch,” says Agar, laughing.
The Gardens at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP) is a gardener’s garden. Anyone wishing to learn more about gardening should visit botanical gardens such as HCP, where plants perform in their “zone” and they typically grow to their maximum size, without over-pruning.
HCP’s winter garden (from December through April) is an exceptional example of where you can see the true potential of a plant.
“We encourage you to visit yearround, but we brag about the winter garden because it’s the only place in Canada that is gorgeous in the winter,” says head gardener Linda Petite. She says the locals return for tips on how to grow vegetables and three times a year at the plant sale they stock up on unusual varieties that can’t be found at regular garden centres. And if you’re bonkers for bonsai, here is the largest bonsai garden in Canada.
“About 80 per cent of our plants are propagated from existing plants in our garden, thanks to our volunteers,” adds Petite. “Many people support us because we are nonprofit, and without our volunteers, we wouldn’t exist.”