I'm sorry there has not been newer updates lately. I've just like most of you have either been on vacation and/or professional duties since the beginning of June. I hope this will wet your appetite until I start uploading more material.
At the beginning of June my family and I took a vacation to Vancouver and spend a couple of days exploring Vancouver Island before our cruise to Alaska. If you have not been on the island before its a nice slower pace than the city of Vancouver itself. While, visiting we stopped by an attraction that is a must for all plant lovers called Butchart Garde
Similar to how Huntington Library and Descano Garden been established. A rich Industrialist made their fortune and with the money leftover built a private estate which now became a national landmark in Canada. While the gardens have a Huntington Library feel with its French and English inspired formal gardens.
The Japanese gardens takes a back step and in my option lacks the refinement what the Huntington Library has to offer with the depth and breathe of Japanese garden formal art form.
It does have its Toro gate to mark the start of the Japanese garden. But as structure in the garden it does not have a tea house it does have its other hardscape like the formal japanese fence that borders the front area of the Japanese garden.
But, if I was viewing this as strictly a Japanese style landscape it does passes the mark with the elements that it does have.
Most of the landscape plants here are established and do have bonsai like quality to them all. I think this is a type of needle juniper that I could not identify or find a marker for. But as you can tell it has the form but not the full impact of what it could be.
This was the only rock garden in the area that I could find. Simple and refined how they should look. Excellent form with the raking of the smaller stones.
Several great photo spots like this bridge over a small river/pond passage. I don't think I took good form photos of all the Japanese Maples they had in this area. With the good amount of rain and cooler weather these maples just take off with no leaf burn at all! Something that we in Southern California fight each year off.
Butchart Gardens is a must stop if you are in the Vancouver area. I would keep in mind that this garden is better as a whole than its individual pieces and I would visit it again. Until next post.