To visit one of the region's major sights, follow Interstate 17A north for 22 km to the charming Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula. Here, in 1904, Jenny Butchart, the wife of a wealthy quarry owner, began to lay a fragrant garden in the abandoned limestone work. Prosperous, not least because of the temperate climate, the parks have since been developed into 20 round plateau gardening vigorously without a rival in Canada.
The Italian Garden, the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden and the Sunken Garden are some of the coolest rooms. The open spaces between swimming pools, fountains and many exotic plants are used in artistic and musical performances.
