In the early 1900s, I moved to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to open a cement plant with my husband. Here in Brentwood Bay, winters are mild and the Pacific Ocean surrounds us. In 1906, I began creating my Japanese Garden by the sea. In the 1920s, I planted my first Himalayan blue poppies—one of the first to do so in Canada. Quite an achievement!
Over the years, I developed several gardens. The closure of the cement plant in 1912 gave me the opportunity to create a truly unique garden: the Sunken Garden. I also created a rose garden with 2,500 fragrant rose bushes.
The Butchart Gardens are also a National Historic Site of Canada—they are precious and must be protected.
Today, my gardens attract over a million visitors each year. They span 55 acres!
