Butchart Gardens — The Most Beautiful Gardens in the World

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TRAVEL

[/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 30px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 20px 20px 10px 20px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_text class=”center-text “]by Danny de la Cruz, Founding Editor[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]When it comes to the most beautiful gardens in the world, there is no question that Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia ranks up there as one of the finest, but is it the best?

Years ago, I walked through the Gardens at Versailles, France and it is also a stunning creation. The Gardens at Versailles is about formality, grandeur and intricate symmetry. There’s an air of perfection in every plant specimen that has been selected. It’s also hard  to overlook the beautiful palace as its backdrop which just adds to the drama. While Butchart Gardens is nothing like the Gardens at Versailles, it instead has a natural aspect, an informality to the beautiful landscaping that was born from an excavated quarry and the vision of an everyday wife, rather than a king. Butchart Gardens has a breathtaking beauty that blends in with its surroundings — natural and unforced — a complete contradiction to the Gardens at Versailles.

I’ve been fortunate to explore Butchart Gardens twice, both times during different seasons — providing me with completely different landscapes. And each time, I had a chance to explore different parts of the gardens — there’s just so much to take in. This isn’t a place to go rushing through — this is an opportunity to meander along and enjoy each section of the gardens and to “stop and smell the roses” and any other flower you encounter along the way. Each section has an intimacy to it, a self-contained garden that is different from the next. Yet as you walk from one to the other, it all just flows together. This is the genius and beauty of Butchart Gardens.

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On this latest visit, I set foot in Butchart Gardens on an overcast, rainy day in September. Despite the rain, there’s so much beauty and vibrant color around every turn that the gentle raindrops were a perfect accompaniment to a day of exploration under an umbrella and a hooded rain jacket.

Wander through the magnificent gardens via a few of the photos I captured during this visit. Even in the fall season, the gardens are stunning — can you imagine what they’re like during the height of summer?

During my exploration, I had a chance to wander through the dahlia gardens. Funny, I never thought that I would be growing dahlias in my own garden. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see some of the beautiful dahlias that I have. 

[bctt tweet=”There’s a beautiful intimacy to each section of Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. #travel”] Maybe after viewing these photos, I’ll have you convinced that Butchart Gardens is the most beautiful garden in the world. It’s hard to believe that this was once an excavated quarry that was born from the dreams of a simple woman. For me, the transformation and the natural beauty she created is just one of the many reasons why I do think that Butchart Gardens is the most beautiful garden in the world.

If you’re ever in Victoria, British Columbia, this is one destination you have to see for yourself.[/x_text][x_share title=”Share this article with friends ” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”true” linkedin=”false” pinterest=”true” reddit=”true” email=”true”][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section]