GPOD on the Road: Government House Gardens


Cherry Ong has visited the beautiful gardens at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, which is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. More to our interests, however, it is set in 36 acres of beautiful gardens. Here are some incredible views that Cherry captured.

pink white and purple lewisia growing up a stone retaining wallCheck out this floriferous explosion of lewisia (Lewisia longipetala, Zones 5–8) on this retaining wall at Government House. I’ve been waiting to see how this vertical garden turned out since I first saw it newly built. It was worth the wait!

close up of light pink Lewisia flowersLewisias are succulent plants native to western North America.

close up of white Lewisia flowersLewisias make rosettes of succulent leaves and clouds of beautiful flowers.

close up of bright pink Lewisia flowersThe flowers are generally shades of pink, but they also come in soft yellows, oranges, and peaches.

close up of fuscia-colored Lewisia flowersLewisias are famous for their beautiful flowers and for being a bit fussy to grow outside of their native range.

close up of pink Lewisia flowers growing between stonesClearly these are completely happy.

more pink Lewisia growing between stonesThe flowers just GLOW.

view of garden through large garden archBut there is more to the garden than just the lewisias. It is a beautiful space all over.

close up of leaf detail on metal garden gateHere is a beautiful detail on a gate in the garden.

close up of small ornamental grasses with silver foliageI had to check out the mass of Astelia in the perennial garden bed. I always wonder if it made it through the harsh winter, and indeed it did—beautifully at that! I believe the key to its success is the protected location. The plants are in shade bordered by the fence, the gate, and a gigantic (maybe 60-feet-tall) conifer. So smart!

giant conifer beyond a garden bed with lots of green plantsHere is the HUGE conifer that is helping give protection to the Astelia.

close up of white Rhododendron flowersGorgeous white Rhododendron flowers

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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Originally posted 2023-05-12 16:40:03.