Victoria BC bound? The Butchart Gardens Greenhouse Tours offered in November

If you're curious as to what happens behind the scenes at The Butchart Gardens, put Victoria BC on your destination list this autumn. Each weekend in November, the gardeners of The Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay will lead one-hour tours. The tours take place Saturdays and Sundays in November at 10AM, 12PM and 2PM. During the tour, topics you may learn about include:

• Propagation methods used in seed production
• Vegetative plant production
• Over-wintering of plant material
• Integrated Pest Management practices
• Indoor growing environment challenges
• Production of the diverse floral displays

Due to the uneven terrain and narrow spaces on the tour, wheelchairs and scooters can not be accommodated. And please, no children under the age of 12 or pets are permitted on the tour. Admission to The Butchart Gardens is required, but there is no additional charge for the tour.

Reservations Required 

Reservations for the tour may be made starting October 21 at 9AM by calling 250.652.4422. Spots fill quickly, so book sooner than later! 

Photos courtesy The Butchart Gardens

Free Whale Watching on Vancouver Island? Head for Victoria's Inner Harbour

"Surfacing," by artist Sandra Bilawich. Photo by Sue Frause.

OK, that headline is a little misleading. Yes, you can go whale watching on Vancouver Island, but it will cost you (one of my favorite operators is the Prince of Whales in Victoria). But there's a different kind of whale watching happening in BC's capital city, and it's on dry land. 

Although I visit Victoria several times a year, this summer was the first time I noticed an eco sculpture on a corner near The Fairmont Empress. Titled Surfacing, it was created in 2010 by artist Sandra Bilawich of Elemental Designs in Vancouver, a joint venture of the City of Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association. It's located at the southeast corner of Humboldt and Government Streets, across from Tourism Victoria's Visitor Centre.

The sculpture features a mother and baby orca in the form of a three-dimensional horticultural display. Unfortunately, I took a picture of the side where the baby orca doesn't show (top photo), but you can see both the mother and baby below. Commonly referred to as The Orcas, it's 14 feet high and 21 feet long. Or in Canuck talk, four metres tall and six metres long.

The garden display of a mother and baby orca riding a wave was inspired by similar three-dimensional garden structures in Burnaby, BC and Montreal's Mosaiculture Garden. The sculpture is re-installed in May every year and is a popular photo op for residents and visitors throughout the summer. In the fall, mom and baby orca return to their Beacon Hill Park nursery to spend the winter in a greenhouse.

Surfacing by Sandra Bilawich. Photo courtesy City of Victoria.

The project started in 2010 with two phases of construction: the design and manufacturing of the frame, and the preparation and planting of it as a three-dimensional garden bed. The frame took five months to build, utilizing steel in a grid-like fashion (the interior is hollow). The planting takes place over two weeks in February at the Beacon Hill Park nursery. That's when the frame is covered with a landscape fabric that's filled with 5.5 cubic metres of soil mixed with sand for drainage. Then 15,000 plants are added, including two varieties of Alternanthera and one variety of Santolina, annuals known for their colorful foliage and low maintenance. To maintain the display, the sculpture is trimmed bi-monthly and receives regular watering. 

Fun Facts About Surfacing (The Orcas)

• Mother orca weighs 3,750 lbs.
• Baby orca weighs 1,050 lbs.
• Mother's dorsal fin weighs 80 lbs.
• Wave and base weigh 6,500 lbs.
• Total display weighs 11,380 lbs.

Mosaicultures Internationales (Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal) Opens at Montreal Botanical Garden

Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013 - Land of Hope opened at the Montreal Botanical Garden June 22 and runs through September 29, 2013. Now in its fifth edition, the horticultural arts competition includes more than 50 creations by participants from 20 countries. Mosaicultures Internationales de Montreal was presented in the Parc des Ecluses du Vieux-Port de Montreal in 2003, attracting more than 755,000 visitors.

More than three million plants along the 2km circuit have been sculpted into living creations. The juried event includes the Grand Honorary Award along with the Qatar Airways People's Choice Award. The theme of the exhibition, Land of Hope, reflects the message of the organization: the importance of preserving our planet's biodiversity. The event itself is very green, and sustainable development practices have been integrated at all levels. Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013 is the largest event to have received green certification from the City of Montreal, meeting the environmental requirements of the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (Quebec standards bureau).

The venue for Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013, the Montreal Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanique), features a collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivars, 10 exhibition greenhouses, Tree House and more than two dozen thematic gardens throughout its 75 hectares (190 acres). Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2008, it's located minutes from downtown Montreal near the Biodome and Olympic Park. Free shuttle bus service is provided during the exhibition, running from the Pie IX station with stops at the Botanical Garden parking lots, the Insectarium and the Biodome. Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013 is open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM.

Photographs by Guy Boily

May at Vancouver's VanDusen Botanical Garden: Classic British Car Show and Bloomin' Laburnum

Laburnum Walk at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Photo by Nancy Wong.

Springtime is in full bloom at Vancouver's VanDusen Botanical Garden. On Saturday, May 18, the ABFM (All British Field Meet) of more than 600 classic British vehicles (both cars and motorcycles) will be on display on the Great Lawn from 10-4. Tickets are available online at Western Driver or at the VanDusen.

On the flora side of things, it's the annual Laburnum Alert. Keep an eye on VanDusen's website beginning May 13 for updates on the Laburnum Walk. It only blooms for three weeks a year, usually the last two weeks of May and the first week of June. If things warm up again this month, it could be earlier.

VanDusen Botanical Garden is located in the Shaughnessy neighborhood of Vancouver. The 55-acre garden, named for local lumberman and philanthropist Whitford Julian VanDusen, opened in 1975 and is jointly managed by the Vancouver Park Board and the non-profit VanDusen Botanical Garden Association.

British Columbia represented at Seattle's 25th Annual Northwest Flower & Garden Show

The Dining Room Restaurant at The Butchart Gardens in springtime. Sue Frause photo.

Very fun to see British Columbia represented among the 350+ exhibitors at this year's edition of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, February 20-24 at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.

The BC exhibitors include Gardens West, a popular Canadian gardening magazine with three editions across the country (Booth 2166); Salt Spring Island Cheese Company (Booth 2417); The Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island (Booth 1313); and Tourism Vancouver Island (Booth 2371).

Salt Spring Island Cheese Company's Farm Shop is located near Fulford Harbor. Sue Frause photo.

I don't have the numbers on how many Canadians attend the popular show in Seattle, but it has to be a big draw for garden lovers north of the border. While my hubby and I were on Maui earlier this month, we met a couple from North Vancouver who were planning to fly back to Seattle and spend a few days at the show before heading home to B.C. 

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, this year's theme is The Silver Screen Takes Root ... Gardens Go Hollywood. The Hollywood theme will be carried out in 23 Display Gardens scattered over six acres.  Teams have come up with such creative themes and titles as A River Runs Through It; Audrey's Roman Holiday; Honey, I Shrunk the Yard; On the Road to Oz; and Renewal: Enchanted April in the Northwest.

There will also be more than 120 seminars during the five-day show that feature a number of gardening "luminaries" sharing their latest trends and how-to information. The Play Garden returns with hands-on fun for children and their parents, and in addition to the 350+ exhibitors in the Marketplace, there is a new Vintage Garden market shopping area. This special market spotlights repurposed and shabby-chic treasures for both the garden and outdoor living spaces. Small space gardening will be spotlighted in themed container garden displays and there will be performances by local musical groups at several venues in the convention center. 

Adult Admission: $20 one-day | $29 two-day pass | $65 five-day pass. Youth Admission: $5 (13-17), Children 12 and under are free.  Special Hotel Packages are available if you're planning on spending more than a day at the show. And there are even special packages for Canadians only, which must be booked by calling 800.821.0339.

Summer at Milner Gardens & Woodland in Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island. Sue Frause photo.

Forget LBD's! Vancouver's Little Green Dress Projekt unveiled at VanDusen Botanical Garden

This is one of the more fun "green" projects that's landed in my email box in some time. Vancouver BC environmental artist Nicole Dextras has created The Little Green Dress Projekt that is part of the Earth Art 2012 exhibit at VanDusen Botanical Garden this summer. The outdoor installation will eventually include 28 organic dresses draped over wooden stands.

The concept evolved out of that longtime fashion adage that harkens back to the 1920s when every woman needed to own a little black dress ... today referred to simply as a LBD. Dextras proposes that instead of having a LBD, why not have at least one item of clothing that's produced in a sustainable and equitable manner? The purpose of her project is to "promote awareness of the impact of industry on our environment and to offer a realistic opportunity for change by creating a demand for better practices through consumer purchasing." To that end, the dresses will be made entirely from organic materials, with the tagline being: Wear it and Compost it!

The 28 dresses will be made from locally sourced leaves and flowers, with the design based on the classic sleeveless dress introduced in the 1960's by designer Coco Chanel. Each dress will be created and built on site for a woman selected for her support and involvement in eco-fashion. The creations will be made for a cross-section of women representing all ages and sizes, from fashionistas to gardeners. Here are some fun facts about The Little Green Dress Projekt:

• The 28 dresses reflect the lunar cycle
• Each dress will be designed specifically for the participant's measurements
• The basic design is a sleeveless, knee-length shift dress
• The structure for each dress will be made from basketry reed and seagrass
• Dresses will be covered with plant material reflecting the participant's personality
• A participant's statement will be displayed along with each dress
• Vancouver participants will supply their own plant material
• International participants' dresses will be covered with local plant materials harvested by Dextras
• It will take hundreds of leaves to complete each dress
• The dresses will be installed on VanDusen's Great Lawn as they are completed
• Ms. Dextras will attempt to create one dress a day beginning July 16
• Each dress will be titled with the participant's first name
• Each dress will be photographed when complete and left outside to wilt and decompose
• Progress on the project and photos of each dress will be posted at The Little Green Dress Projekt

First prototype for a dress by Nicole Dextras
Photo courtesy Nicole Dextras

Canadian Tulip Festival: Will weather, funding affect 60th edition?

I'm off to Holland next week, where I'll be attending Floriade 2012. It's the World Horticultural Expo, held every ten years in Venlo in the Northern Limburg region of Eastern Netherlands. I'll also be going to the Keukenhof flower gardens, the site of more than seven million flowers. The gardens are open for two months, March 22-May 20, and the blooms seem to be right on schedule. Plus I'll be spending time in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where I last visited 30+ years ago. Cheese, chocolate, spring in bloom! 

That brings me to Canada, which across most parts of the country is experiencing a very warm first full day of spring. An article in The Gazette headlined it this way: 'March-Mildness' in Canada upstaging the winter that wasn't: Environment Canada. 

So does that mean that the Canadian Tulip Festival, scheduled for May 4-21 in Ottawa, may be out of blooms? A check of its website gives no programming or information about this year's festival, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. I found that a bit odd, since it's only six weeks away, so I wasn't surprised to read that the hotels in Ottawa are getting a bit nervous about the lack of advertising for the world's largest tulip festival. As one commenter on the CBC article stated: "The festival is obviously on its last legs."

The history of tulips and Canada goes back decades. Here's an excerpt on the Canadian Tulip Festival's history link about the connection: "In the fall of 1945, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs. The gift was given in appreciation of the safe haven that members of Holland's exiled royal family received during the World War II in Ottawa and in recognition of the role which Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands."

Canadian Tulip Festival Update: According to canada.com, "It's full bloom ahead for Ottawa's tulip festival." The Canadian Tulip Festival received word of a $350,000 Celebrate Ontario grant on March 21. The festival website still has yet to been updated, but word is that a full schedule will be online March 26. 

Tulips in bloom near English Bay in Vancouver | April 28, 2007 | Photo by Sue Frause For more of my spring flower photos, see the slideshow here.

Quebec's International Garden Festival in Grand-Metis through Oct. 3, 2010

Any chance I have to write about Quebec, I do. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know it's one of my favorite Canadian provinces ... not that I have favorites!

Several years ago, I attended International Flora, the Montreal Garden Festival. Although it's no longer being staged, I bumped into another festival that looks equally impressive. The 11th International Garden Festival is at the Les Jardins de Metis / Reford Gardens in Grand-Metis, Quebec. Located near Rimouski at the base of the Gaspe Peninsula, the festival runs June 26 to Oct. 3, 2010. It's the leading contemporary garden festival in North America.

The 2010 edition's theme is Paradise, and features a record 21 gardens. Berlin is the invited/featured city, and the program includes the broadcast of the new documentary film, Twice Upon a Garden. There are also culinary, musical, cultural and artistic events held throughout the summer.

The festival's focus is on conceptual gardens at the crossroads of landscape architecture, garden design, architecture and environmental art. Sixty-five designers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, United States and the United Kingdom have created the 21 ephemeral gardens. The 2010 competition attracted 276 proposals by more than 600 architects, landscape architects, designers and artists from 34 countries.


Garden sticks from International Flora in Montreal
Photo by Sue Frause

Great Canadian Hotels: Wake up at home in your own designer bedroom

This is one of the more unique contests I've encountered in the hospitality industry. Billed as the Wake Up To Your Designer Bedroom Contest, it's Great Canadian Hotels' way of letting you take the hotel home (minus room service and chocolates on your pillow).

Here's the deal. Log onto their website (click the link above) and enter to win a designer bedroom makeover. You can select from two design themes: Estate ("classic furniture and warm tones make this design timeless and inviting") and Metropolitan ("with dark finished furniture combined with cool contemporary colors, this design is modern and urban").

If your ballot is selected, you'll receive all the items needed to create a hotel-inspired bedroom. Great Canadian Hotels will provide the design, furniture and decorative accents; all the winner has to do is assemble them to create an in-home hotel suite. The prize package includes:

Phone consultation with a professional designer to select one of two design options
Presidential bed, mattress and box spring (full, king or queen)
Headboard (queen only)
Bed linens (sheets, bed covering, decorative acents)
Two bedside tables
Two lamps
One dresser
One 37" flat screen LCD TV
Designer paint
One piece of coordinating artwork
All freight and delivery charges

Deadline for entry is Sept. 8, 2010. One ballot or entry per household; open to residents of Canada except Quebec. The drawing will be made on Sept. 15, 2010.

Great Canadian Hotels' (two dozen hotels across Canada) Wake up to Canada promotion continues through Sept. 8, 2010. Stay two nights or more, and receive a free night during your next stay. If you don't plan to re-visit, the voucher is transferable to family and/or friends.

A garden display at International Flora, the Montreal Garden Festival in 2006
Photo by Sue Frause

The Fairmont Empress and The Butchart Gardens team up in Victoria

Two century-plus icons of Vancouver Island, The Fairmont Empress and The Butchart Gardens, have reunited for the second year in a row.

The Butchart Gardens' Model T Ford pick-up, festooned with flowers, is on the front lawn of The Fairmont Empress. This year, the Model T has an added feature, a mounted police horse from The Rose Carousel at The Gardens.

The collaboration of the Victoria landmarks is to raise awareness to both locals and visitors about their afternoon teas and other highlights of their businesses.

The Model T Ford pickup was designed and produced in 1908, the same year The Fairmont Empress opened. When The Butchart Gardens was developed in the 1920s, the Model T was the most common vehicle on the roads.

Many of the trucks were used to transform the rock quarry into what has become a magnificent display garden. This particular truck delivered rural mail from 1926-1949 and is still a working part of The Gardens' fleet.

Photo courtesy of The Butchart Gardens

Enjoy five seasons at Victoria's Butchart Gardens

Springtime at The Butchart Gardens
Photo by Sue Frause

Interesting that while the rest of us enjoy four seasons in the Pacific Northwest, The Butchart Gardens in Victoria celebrates five: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Christmas and Winter. Here's a video of the five seasons, complete with lovely music.

I visited The Butchart Gardens last spring during tulip time, and it was beautiful. Make sure you're there around lunch or tea time to enjoy The Dining Room Restaurant.

Note that there's a special Mother's Day Afternoon Tea served on May 9, 10`0 and dinners will start up again on June 15, 2010.

Think spring in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Summer flowers in bloom at the provincial capital of Regina
Photo by Sue Frause

Spring has arrived in Saskatchewan and Gardenscape 2010 is the third largest show of its type in Canada. Located at the Prairieland Park Trade Centre in Saskatoon, it runs March 26-28, 2010.

It's both for home gardeners and those in the horticulture industry, whether you want to finally fix up your yard or learn more about gardening and food production.

On site will be 420+ booths with exhibitors spread throughout four buildings. In addition to display gardens, there will be demonstrations and workshops during the three-day event.

There is also a Gardenscapes Art Show & Sale; Prairie Berry Cafe, Bistro & Wine Bar; Butterflies & Blooms live butterfly exhibit; and a plant auction on Sunday, March 28 at 6:30 PM.

Last year, more than 26,000 people attended the show.

In the Kitchen: Four Chefs One Garden

Four of Vancouver's finest chefs are featured in Vancouver author Evaleen Jaager Roy's cookbook, Four Chefs One Garden. This is Jaager Roy's writing debut; prior to that she was with with Electronic Arts.

As she states on her website, she turned in her Blackberry for real blackberries:

"One year ago, I walked away from the boardroom, overnight flights and Blackberries and walked into my garden. And bit by bit, as spring turned to summer and summer to fall, the world began to slow down. I was left with a few simple joys: the joy of digging in the dirt and watching things grow and the joy of cooking – taking the best of each season and turning it into sustenance and celebration with people I love."

In her lushly photographed book, Jaager Roy reviews a year in her garden, which includes gardening tips from gardeners such as Brian Minter along with recipes from four of Vancouver's finest chefs: Michel Jacob (French), Umberto Menghi (Italian), Hidekazu Tojo (sushi) and Vikram Vij (Indian fusion).

The book is available at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks in Vancouver.

Farmer Bob's Garden on Whidbey Island
Photo by Sue Frause

Window on Canada: Autumn in Montreal

The Magic Lantern Festival at the Jardin botanique de Montreal (Montreal Botanical Garden) runs through Nov. 1, 2009.

Cold Cut Combo performing at The Butchart Gardens' final fireworks show of the season

Hopefully the wind/rain won't dampen the last fireworks show of the season at The Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. Following the show that begins at 8:45 PM on Saturday, Sept. 5, Cold Cut Combo will be playing their special brand of gypsy jazz music from 9:15-10:15 PM.

Chris Sartisohn of Cold Cut Combo
Photo by Sue Frause

Travel Via Rail Canada's Garden Route from coast to coast

Entrance to The Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Vancouver Island
Photo by Sue Frause

What a lovely way to see both beautiful gardens and colorful Canada -- via the Via Rail Garden Route. The route runs from Victoria all the way to Halifax, and includes a series of 15 gardens and 30 Communities in Bloom, which are all winners of the prestigious 5-Bloom Award. In 2009, many of the featured gardens have added attractions so visitors can maximize their garden experience.

VIA Rail Canada's website has a map on its Garden Route page (linked above), from Victoria's Butchart Gardens to the Halifax Public Gardens. There is also a list of the 5-Bloom Communities located in seven provinces and the Via Rail trains that run along the Garden Route. They include:

•  The Ocean (Montréal-Moncton-Halifax)
• The Chaleur (Montréal-Québec City-Mont-Joli-Percé-Gaspé)
•  Québec City-Windsor corridor trains (southern Ontario, southern Québec)
• Toronto-Niagara Falls (with stops in Aldershot)
• Toronto-London-Windsor (with stops in Aldershot)
• The Canadian (Toronto-Vancouver)

Springtime at The Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay near Victoria on Vancouver Island is 104 years old this year. She's lookin' good; and not an ounce of Botox!
Photos by Sue Frause

Canadian Tulip Festival blooms brightly in Ottawa each year

Tulips in Vancouver's West End near Stanley Park. Photo by Sue Frause.

The largest tulip festival in the world is not in Holland, but in Canada. Ottawa is hosting the Canadian Tulip Festival for 18 days, from May 1-18, 2009. More than 1,000 volunteers produce the colorful show that has expanded its venues and activities. The Tulip Route includes the traditional sites at Major's Hill Park, Commissioner's Park and Dows Lake, but activities will also be held at Festival Plaza outside City Hall and Lansdowne Park by Queen Elizabeth Drive.
Celebridee, the festival's celebration of ideas, will be staged in the Belgian Mirror Tent located at Festival Plaza in front of City Hall. Musical acts include Ian Tyson, Kleztory, Lynn Miles, Meredith Luce, Kellylee Evans and Fred Penner. The Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe will give 23 performances in the Mirror Tent, presenting the best in Chinese acrobatic and circus performances. Also in the Mirror Tent is Seven Fingers, an ensemble of Quebec's top circus performers in their production of La Vie.

The International Pavilion expands this year at Lansdowne Park with 25 embassies and local cultural groups. A new event, the Circus School and Vintage Carnival, will give people the opportunity learn circus skills such as juggling, stilt walking, trapeze techniques and trampoline skills. There are also free live performances, vintage rides on a 1917 Ferris wheel and such speakers as Rick Mercer, Margaret Atwood and Lawrence Greenspon.

Oh, and there will be tulips, too!

Vancouver Orchid Festival March 21-22

The Vancouver Orchid Festival + Sale blooms Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, at VanDusen Botanical Garden's Floral Hall in Vancouver. Plant lovers and orchid enthusiasts will be able to see and buy from this exclusive selection of orchids, orchid art and companion plants.

The weekend event will raise funds for the Pacific Northwest Judging Center-Vancouver Supplemental and canned food drive for A Loving Spoonful -- a volunteer-driven, non-partisan society that provides free, nutritious meals to people living with HIV/AIDS in Greater Vancouver.

For more information and to download a discount coupon, go to www.orchidfest.com.

Hong Kong Orchid
Photo by Sue Frause

Vancouver's Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden hosts outdoor concerts

Photo by Sue Frause

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver hosts outdoor musical performances on Friday nights throughout the summer. Now in its 14th season, this year's series includes classical, world, fusion, Asian, Gypsy jazz and African music. All shows begin at 7:30 PM (doors open at 7 PM). Tickets are $15 CAD.

The urban garden is located in Chinatown at 578 Carrall St. The entrance is in the lane off Carrall between Pender and Keefer. Look for the discreet doorway along the wall. Open daily from 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM.