Veena Chimes: Digging up nuggets from the past- A visit to some beautiful gardens

The surreal year 2020 went by, I can't say I was sad seeing it go. Sometime in the first quarter of the year, something that no one saw coming suddenly took centerstage and changed the world forever. COVID- the dreaded word took the world by storm. Everyone's life was disrupted in a strange sort of way.

2021 rolled in and five months have passed already, and yet some uncertainty remains. People are feeling hopeful that the worst is behind us and may that be true. Things that we always took for granted like meeting friends, eating out, and travel were all severely curtailed or paused until now. Everything is starting back up, and hope the trend continues towards the better. I miss the travel part now, especially after catching up with friends, and dining at our favorite restaurants. I still do not feel like getting into a plane with a mask on, and sitting there for 3-4 hours waiting to get to wherever the destination is.

So I decided to go through pictures of my vacations from past years. Since gardening has been on my mind for the past couple of months... spring is always such a hopeful season... one of the first albums I visited was of our trip to Vancouver and Victoria, BC. The year was 2012, and two of the many highlights of our trip, Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver and Butchart Gardens in Victoria made me look at gardens differently! Such delightful places to visit!

Here are a few pictures. The first set are from Queen Elizabeth Park, and the second set from the enchanting Butchart Gardens.

Fuchsias seemed to love the weather up there! Little bells hanging from the canopy!

Colorful blooms and foliage lining well manicured lawns..

A clock tower in the park..

Close up of Fuchsias..

A bronze sculpture in the park, I did not quite get the information on this one. Interesting piece!

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An absolutely breathtaking ferry ride took us from Vancouver to Victoria BC.

As soon as we got off the ferry, we made our way to The Butchart Gardens. I had heard so much about it and it sure did not disappoint.

A snail fountain with lilypads lay on one side as we began our much anticipated tour of the gardens.

We were then greeted by a covered walkway adorned with flowers from hanging baskets. Different kinds of blooms that left one mesmerized. Fuchsias galore, and so many kinds of blooms!

A big patch of Hydrangeas was next, and those mauve/lavender tones looked very appealing.

We walked along and followed the curving path, never expecting to see this stunningly landscaped garden lying below with stairs leading down to it.

More Hydrangeas..

There is a lot to this garden, many different areas that highlight one thing or another, but I will not share pictures from all those places. That is something to be experienced in person.

Then came an area that were replete with Dahlias! Gorgeous colors and hues of classic blooms and the cactus variety enthralled visitors. Pictures do not do justice to the what one sees actually!