From lodgings at Oak Bay Guest House, my hubby Rick and I ramble daily through quiet Tudor-style neighborhoods and discover wondrous gardens.

Ada Beaven established Windsor Park Rose Garden in 1937 by donating over 500 roses.

Inside manicured hedges, we try telling time on the sundial and relax in scented serenity on a weathered stone bench. On at the next corner, we breathe herbal fragrances in a new scent garden. Looping through charming Oak Bay Village and along the picturesque shoreline we locate another garden featuring 1.4 acres of native plants, also endowed by Ada.  

Just beyond Oak Bay, we travel to the garden that love built, finding enchantment and inspiration. In 1920’s Paris, Peggy Pemberton-Carter and exiled Georgian Prince Nicholas Abkhazi fell madly in love; they married in 1946 and over 40 years transformed this rugged hillside into the exquisite Abkhazi Gardens. From their original summerhouse, we gaze over the passionate results of loving dedication. Lush landscapes swirl around ornamental evergreens, lofty century-old rhododendrons and towering Garry oaks. Coppery Japanese maples and weeping conifers tumble down rock-faces toward reflection pools; alpine flowers blossom profusely in rocky niches.

World-famous, the Butchart Gardens provides a worthwhile day trip from Victoria or Vancouver. For us it was just a short bus ride from Oak Bay. Open since 1904, this remarkable labour of love began with ton-after-ton of topsoil delivered by horse-cart from a nearby farm.  Jenny Butchart gradually transformed her husband’s unsightly limestone quarry into this wonderful garden… where she sometimes even dangled from a boson’s chair to tuck ivy into high rocky crevices. Jenny’s family continues her vision.

The original sunken gardens tantalize our senses. Pathways loop around stately trees, ponds and flowerbeds dizzy with color: feathery pink spirea, fleshy begonias, trumpeting petunias, vibrant impatiens and graceful purple, white and blue delphiniums. An antique fountain sprays silvery strands above the spring-fed pond.

Following a dahlia border sprouting gigantic flower heads, we wander toward extensive perfumed Rose Gardens flaunting 250 flamboyant varieties. Another pathway leads us through the vermillion Torii gate into the tranquil Japanese Garden. Above, classic Italian Gardens offer formal arrays, bronze sculptures… and refreshing gelatos. Lastly, the Mediterranean Gardens simply dazzle with showy succulents and other water-wise plants, including luxuriant portulacas and palms.

Day tripping around beautiful gardens near Victoria definitely motivates us to improve our less disciplined floral borders!

Victoria Garden Links:

• Abkhazi Garden
• Butchart Gardens

About the Author:
Chris Millikan is a freelance writer/photographer living near Vancouver, BC. As a former teacher and elementary school principal, Chris now presents articles as an inviting ‘curriculum’ depicting the joys of travel. Many BC community newspapers, Open Road Driver Magazine and Senior Living Magazine regularly publish her articles; In-flight Magazines, the Vancouver Sun and Province have also featured her stories. As BC Association of Travel Writers Vice President, she supports colleagues’ aspirations. And traveling off the beaten track with writer/photographer partner and hubby Rick, their published tales reflect great adventures. Their 2009 Kalama Award acknowledged an array of their stories reflecting the rich culture of Maui, Molokai and Lanai.

I am standing at the entrance to a splendid castle, its fireplace decorated with boughs of mistletoe and ivy, its hallway aglow with lights, and its grand staircase banisters wreathed in garlands of holly. The rich aroma of stuffed roast goose in a sage and onion gravy draws me to the dining room where distinguished guests exchange animated conversation across a table set in elegant style. The women wear silk gowns, their diamond necklaces winking in the light of candelabra centrepieces; the men sport mutton-chop moustaches and side-burns, and sip mulled wine from crystal goblets. A child’s laughter echoes faintly from one of the upstairs rooms. The ghosts of Christmases past still linger in the rooms of Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, and although these guests at their Christmas banquet are figments of my imagination, the castle still celebrates this most joyous of all seasons by donning a mantle of dazzling Yuletide finery.

Today, in the drawing room on the entrance floor, a small girl, her eyes round with wonder, surveys a Christmas tree surrounded by antique toys, its branches arrayed in red ribbons, bows and silver ornaments. In Joan Dunsmuir’s first floor sitting room, the mantelpiece adorned with a satin hammock filled with pine cones, boughs of holly and silk tartan ribbons, draws an admiring ‘aaah’ from a group of Japanese visitors. Further along the corridor, a boy who is a dead ringer for Harry Potter—glasses and all—points out the curious looking brass speaking tube which once functioned as an intercom between this floor and the kitchens below. His younger sister waves an “I Spy” leaflet impatiently, wanting to continue her hunt of identifying treasures throughout the castle.

Craigdarroch Castle was completed in 1890 by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, who spared no expense in furnishing his stately mansion with exquisite stained glass windows, oil paintings, and lavish Victorian furnishings. The family history, depicted in photos, memorabilia and information panels in the Exhibit Room on the second floor traces the lives of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir, their ten children and some of their grandchildren. The Dunsmuir progeny for the most part, however, seem to have been lonely, neurotic individuals, cursed rather than blessed by their inheritance.

Hatley Castle, built by James Dunsmuir—the sole surviving son of Robert and Joan—is also in festive Christmas attire, and the entrance hall is cheery with twin Christmas trees flanking a fireplace. Festoons of evergreen boughs intertwined with poinsettias and twinkling lights lie across the mantelpiece.

James Douglas (not a ghostly revenant of the first Governor of British Columbia but a flesh-and-blood young man!) talks about Hatley Castle’s history and the Dunsmuir family’s quirks and foibles as he ushers me through the tastefully appointed rooms, each with its own distinctive wood panelling, and specially designed furnishings.

Although Hatley Castle’s Christmas decorations aren’t as elaborate as those at Craigdarroch, I am riveted by the wealth of anecdotal history surrounding the lives and times of James Dunsmuir’s family, much of it filled with tragedy—particularly the loss of an adored second son (and namesake) on the Lusitania during World War I. James’s daughters were “a wild lot…with energy and money to burn” according to a 2006 article in the Times Colonist newspaper.

Hatley Castle is haunted by ghosts of its past, and although stories of eerie occurrences abound, there are no easy explanations. Would one of these unhappy spirits be the sad alcoholic Dola, (James’ youngest daughter) who had a brief, unsuccessful marriage, and was then involved in a lifelong intimate relationship with actress Tallulah Bankhead? Who knows!

Leaving Victoria’s past and returning to its present, I stroll through the corridors of the Empress Hotel to admire sixty or more exquisitely decorated Christmas trees which are part of their annual Festival of Trees celebration. Sponsored by local businesses and organizations, to raise funds for the B.C. Children’s Hospital, it is a fitting commemoration of the Child born in Bethlehem and His ageless message of love and compassion.

After a gourmet dinner at the Inn at Laurel Point’s Aura Restaurant a group of us are whisked away by stretch limousine into an enchanted fairyland—the Butchart Gardens in all their shimmering Christmas splendour. I am reduced to childlike awe at silver spangled trees, willow-the-wisp lights flickering through the bushes, avenues of lighted archways, ginger-bread type houses, and dancing “snow flakes” powdering the trees.

Each year, visitors have eagerly anticipated the newest addition to the Garden’s theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and we are fortunate enough to be here in the twelfth year when the carol’s complete set of ‘gifts’ are on display along the illuminated pathways. First up is the partridge in a pear tree, followed shortly after by two turtle doves nestling together, and so on… Particularly charming, however, are three French hens cavorting under a lighted Eiffel Tower, five golden rings floating on a lake and eight graceful maids a-milking. Turning a corner, we pause to watch a carousel with nursery rhyme and story book heroines twirling to the strains of music from the Nutcracker Suite, while a family with three children gleefully identify their favourite Mother Goose characters. At the end of our tour through fantasy-land, we are treated to a hearty rendition of Christmas favourites by a four-piece brass band.

But the evening isn’t over yet. Before boarding our limo under the gaze of twelve drummers marching overhead, our hosts from the Inn at Laurel Point offer us a choice of hot chocolate or eggnog beverages. I lift a mug of steaming hot, satiny smooth eggnog, laced with an out-of-this-world combination of rum and spices, and drink a toast to Victoria’s ghosts of Christmases past, and to its magical spirit of Christmas present.

If you go:

The Inn at Laurel Point is the epitome of luxury and attentive personalized service.

The rooms in the newly renovated Erickson Wing offer spectacular views from private balconies overlooking the harbour and a tranquil Japanese garden. The room décor is not only aesthetically pleasing with contemporary accents, natural colours, and plenty of natural light, but offers guests practical amenities such as an abundance of drawers and surfaces for personal belongings, desk space for laptop use, and excellent spot lighting around the room. Guests sink into cloud-soft beds and, as befits a world class hotel, they are pampered with body products by Molton Brown of London and Aveda.

The Inn’s elegant dining room, the Aura, features the culinary wizardry of Executive Chef, Brad Horen, nationally acclaimed as Canadian Chef of the Year by the Canadian Culinary Federation in 2007 and gold medalist at the 2008 Culinary Olympics in Efurt, Germany. Brad is modest and unassuming despite his towering achievements at both national and international levels. Wine pairings with each course, feature B.C. winery products and are expertly selected by Stuart Bruce, Restaurant Manager.

Few hotels can equal the quality of service offered by the Inn at Laurel Point, whether it be pampering guests with breakfast in bed, or their nightly turn-down room service that freshens the bathroom and plumps up pillows for bedtime. Visitors also enjoy complimentary wireless high speed Internet connections and access to movies on demand.

It doesn’t come much better!

For more information go to www.laurelpoint.com

Craigdarroch Castle: www.craigdarrochcastle.com/ offers their Christmas programme schedule at www.craigdarrochcastle.com/pdf/web_calendar_08_.pdf

Hatley Castle is located on the grounds of Royal Roads Military College and Royal Roads University. Detailed information (including a map and entrance rates) as well as their Christmas programmes may be accessed via their comprehensive website at www.hatleycastle.ca

Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Empress:
blog.vancouverisland.travel/2007/11/15/festival-of-trees-tour-tea/
www.tourismvictoria.com/Content/EN/436.asp?id=3216

Butchart Gardens:
The Magic of Christmas: www.butchartgardens.com/christmas
Home page: www.butchartgardens.com

About the Author:

This week Traveling Tales welcomes Margaret Deefholts, an author and freelance travel writer who lives in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver B.C. Learn more about Margaret at her website www.margaretdeefholts-journeys.com

About The Photos:

1. Craigdarroch Castle: Margaret Deefholts
2. Hatley Castle: Winter Wonderland – Photo: Courtesy Hatley Castle
3. Festival of Trees, The Empress Hotel: Margaret Deefholts
4. Butchart Gardens: Photo Courtesy of “The Butchart Gardens Ltd., Victoria, B.C.”
5. Alcove in glass fronted banquet hall at the Inn at Laurel Point: Margaret Deefholts