Victoria the Garden City on Vancouver Island

 

An understatement, as the whole city of Victoria, BC, looks almost like a botanical garden. 

Spring starts here in February, and snow is very rare. This winter, not even a single flake. Blooming cherry trees can be admired without large crowds, unlike in Japan. 

Every year, I spend the early spring weeks between February and April here to enjoy the blooms, while in other parts of North America, snow covers the soil, and it often takes until May before the first blooms appear. 

Victoria is called the Garden City because of its unique climate. 

The city is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Salish Sea, and protected by mountains. This gives it the mildest climate in all of Canada. All the photos in this article were taken in March of this year.

The garden cities' nickname has roots going back to the early 1900s, tied closely to the city’s British heritage. Early settlers brought their love of English gardens, and over time, that love turned into a full-on obsession with flowers and greenery. Generations later, that same spirit lives on in parks, in neighbourhoods, and even in how homes and public spaces are designed.

Several small botanical gardens, such as the Botanical Gardens at HCP on Quayle Road in Victoria, invite visitors. 

But there are free public gardens where Azaleas, Rhododendron, Cherry and Plum trees, Daffodils and Tulips are blooming too:

• Beacon Hill Park on Cook Street, 
• Governor's House Garden on Rockland Ave 
• Finnerty Gardens on Cedar Hill Cross Rd, near Uni of Victoria, 
• Abkhazi Garden on Beach Dr 

These are among the best gardens in the city. 

However, walking through the Rockland area, east of the Craigdarroch Castle, especially on Pemberton and St. Charles St, one can admire beautiful gardens next to posh villas. 

Flower Baskets All Over Downtown

Over 1,000 baskets go up each year, filled with bright blooms that add colour and charm to every street in the downtown area and beyond.

Garden Tours

Explore nine stunning private gardens on Mother’s Day across Greater Victoria, each alive with spring blooms and featuring live performances by talented students and faculty from the Victoria Conservatory. https://vcm.bc.ca/support/garden-tour/

Another option is the garden tour on June 14, which will feature 10-12 unique gardens clustered throughout the Braefoot, University Heights, Tattersall, and Jubilee neighbourhoods, plus a few bonus stops along the way. 

https://victoriahospice.org/event/teeny-tiny-garden-tour-2026-presented-by-peninsula-co-op/

Victoria is called the Garden City for many good reasons. Its mild climate, world-famous gardens, and beautiful public spaces - all make it a city filled with flowers, trees, and green beauty. The name isn’t just a nickname; it’s a way of life and a paradise for plant lovers.
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Flower Bouquets Are Deadly

 

What a delightful moment when someone presents you with a marvelous bouquet of fresh flowers. But no matter how carefully you treat them and change the water daily - they start to wilt away from day three... Once flowers are cut, they are doomed to die!

• The floriculture industry has huge impacts on the environment through water usage, pollution, pesticides, land degradation, and fossil fuel transportation emissions. The majority of cut flowers that are offered for sale in Europe and North America are coming from Africa and South America.
  
  
• Sending the roughly 100 million roses of a typical Valentine’s Day produces some 9,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the field to North American florists.
  
  
• The floriculture industry, which has loose regulations, generates a lot of chemical pollution through fertilizers and pesticides. 
  
  
• A third of the chemicals used in the floriculture industry in developing countries are banned or untested in North America -- but yet, they are imported.
  
  
• The health impact on workers who are exposed to these chemicals is tremendous.
  
  

There are better flower gifts for Valentine's Day:

The most eco-responsible choice if you want to enjoy flowers are those of the locally grown, organic, in-season variety.  Or choose potted spring blooms as a Valentine's Day gift.  They will bloom much longer and later can be dug into the garden to bloom every spring in the coming years.  For friends or family with a garden or balcony, flower seeds would be the perfect solution. Nothing is more environmental-friendly.

One of the best gifts you can make!

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