By Thea Hegland

There is something special about a warm summer evening – and an evening stroll at the beautiful Butchart Gardens is a perfect way to spend some quality time. The evening light casts a golden glow that plays with all the colours of the flowers and is usually a quieter time to visit with many highlights that are not seen earlier during the day. Mysterious, sweet fragrances linger in the air, soothed by the deep humming of dragonflies in flight.

A quiet evening in the Sunken Garden

The many highlights these days include the mass plantings of soft pink Astilbe (False goat’s beard), nearly 140 different types of Begonia including a wide selection of Tuberous, Fibrous and Rex can be found throughout the garden in the hanging baskets, containers and flower beds.

Our Rose Garden is, simply put, stunning. Endless blossoms spill over the arbors while old-fashioned favourites mix with newer treasures in a rainbow of colours. All of this is accompanied by the familiar Rose fragrance we all know and love.

Now is the perfect time to see our Roses in full glory!

Newly acquired by The Gardens is Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’, with unique flowers accompanied by a sweet apple-like fragrance. Also known as ‘Sweetshrub’, this beauty is attracting some attention from keen garden enthusiasts. You will have to look for it as it’s not easily found but when you come across it you will know it is something special!

Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’

Plants that are currently blooming

• Abutilon
• Acanthus (Bear’s breeches)
• Aconitum (Monkshood)
• Achillea (Yarrow)
• Alocasia (Elephant’s ear)
• Antirrhinium (Snapdragon)
• Astilbe
• Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’
• Aruncus (Goat’s beard)
• Astrantia
• Baptisia (False indigo)
• Begonia (Tuberous and fibrous)
• Bletilla
• Brugmansia (Angels’ trumpets)
• Calceolaria (Scotsman’s purse)
• Callistemon (Bottlebrush)
• Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’ (Sweetshrub)
• Cardiocrinium (Giant lily)
• Catalpa speciosa (Indian bean tree)
• Cephalaria gigantea (Yellow scabious)
• Clematis
• Colocasia (Taro)
• Cornus kousa (Korean dogwood)
• Crambe
• Delphinium
• Deutzia
• Dianthus
• Digitalis (Foxglove)
• Disporum (Fairy bells)
• Eremurus (Foxtail lily)
• Filipendula
• Fuchsia
• Helenium (Sneezeweed)
• Heliotropium (Cherry pie plant)
• Hemerocallis (Daylily)
• Hibiscus
• Hydrangea
• Hypericum (St. John’s wort)
• Inula
• Impatiens
• Iochroma cyanea
• Lantana
• Leptospermum (Tea tree)
• Lobelia
• Maglieta
• Mandevilla
• Manettia
• Matthiola (Stock)
• Monarda (Bee balm)
• Pachystachys lutea (Lollipop plant)
• Pelargonium (Geranium)
• Pentas
• Persicaria (Knotweed)
• Petasites
• Phlomis
• Phlox
• Poncirus trifoliata (Hardy orange)
• Punica granatum (Pomegranate)
• Rheum
• Romneya coulteri (Tree poppy)
• Rosa (Rose)
• Salvia
• Spartium junceum (Spanish broom)
• Stachys marcantha
• Tagetes (Marigold)
• Tecoma
• Thalictrum (Meadow rue)
• Torenia
• Tradescantia (Spiderwort)
• Viburnum
• Weigela
• Wisteria