Mo'a Romig-Boyles

A Window for Wednesday

Butchart Gardens

 As I promised in my last post I am going to take you for a short walk through the Butchart Gardens.

Let's go for a walk and admire the varieties of trees and bushes.

There is something new around every corner.

We need to remeber to look up, or else we will miss the sight of a beautiful Fuchsia....

....as well as to look down to see the just watered Tuberous Begonias...

...and to listen for water.

Speaking of water, here is one of my favorite water feature in the gardens...Yes, dogs are welcome and I saw many strolling through the gardens with their owners.

There were places to sit and enjoy the surroundings and to notice the play of light, shadow and reflection on the water. 

There were a number of Japanese lanterns in the Japanese Style Garden...this one was keeping company with the Blue Poppy.

An then as one walks around another corner, there is a vista of breathtaking proportions.

Then just as you catch your breath and turn around and look up....there is the majestic red wood.

There are things to smile at...a tree, tree helper, made from cement.

There are questions...Is this a Scabiosa aka Pincushion Flower ? Please tell me if you know.

Then there is time for a delicious Afternoon Tea in the former Butchart residence.

I hope you enjoyed our garden walk.  Next time I will take you to a different garden...one that is mostly glass.

 

 

Gardens And The Blue Poppy

Those of you who know me and have followed my blog, may have noticed that I am wild for gardens and plants.

My favorites are white flowers and interesting leave textures and shapes.  I have noticed lately, that I am becoming more and more passionate for blue flowers...the rarest flower color...and the blue poppy in particular.

Forty one years ago the summer after we got married Ken and I went to Iceland for a visit.  One of the things from this trip that I remember so well, were flower borders filled with blue poppies, flanking a walk up to a church.  There was a flash in my mind to my childhood when I fell in love with the blue poppy. My mother who is an avid gardener and lover of gardens, must have shown it to me.  There it is imprinted on my mind like the smell of ones first rose and the taste of the first apple. 

I am hopelessly in love with this flower...the blue poppy,  Meconopsis betonicifolia or the Himalayan blue poppy...It is the national flower of Bhutan.  I say hopelessly as in my area it is too hot for this beauty.   Here in the US it grows in Alaska, Northern New England and the Pacific North West.  It also grows in Eastern and North West Canada and Scandinavia.

So what to do?  Travel to where they are grown.  And we have done just that. Several years ago we traveled to Reford Garden in Quebec also known as Jardins de Metis.

A couple of weeks ago Ken and I went to Seattle and Victoria BC in search of the blue poppy which is a feature of The Butchart Gardens located near Victoria BC.  Below is the banner for one of their restaurants...aptly named The Blue Poppy.

The Buchard Gardens are one of the most amazing gardens that I have ever visited and needs a separate post in the near future.  All the photos in this post were taken there by Ken and me.  I wanted to show you just a few more blue flower photos.

I would love to go back to Buchard Gardens again. I picture myself dancing through the garden searching for the blue poppy wearing this dress...I just hope it does not rain as the dress is made up of blue poppy paper napkings.

Do you have a favorite garden?