The Butchart Gardens is a 120 year-old privately-owned garden located just outside Victoria, BC. The Butcharts had come to the area to run a cement plant, and after the company exhausted the limestone, Mrs. Butchart developed a sunken garden in the resulting quarry. The family continued to expand the project over the following decades, adding a variety of thematic gardens. The property was opened to the public in 1939.

My dad used to photograph flowers, and I never understood why he bothered. I mean, they’re just flowers, right? Walking among the beds, I began to see the appeal. I still wouldn’t use film the way he did, but some of these suckers really are remarkable when viewed from close up.

Next: a little more Victoria.