• The shuttle bus for The Bchart Gardens starts Victoria. The bus schedule is from 9:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening at certain intervals of 30 minutes. It takes 45 minutes. It was written, "It is effective since July 2nd until September 3rd" in the timetable of the bus at this time. It might be different in winter. The charge is a round trip of 12 Australian dollars. It is necessary to have just that amount of money so that there is no change though the ticket can be bought in the bus. Admission fee is 23 Australian dollars. It was written as "THE GARDENS CLOSE 11:30 PM TODAY" in the ticket on this day. It is open till late at night.

• This day was fine weather on August 13, 2006. I was impressed by the richness of the flower of summer colorfully in full bloom. Especially, Sunken Garden, which utilizes the hollow shape in the area, can bring us like walking in the flower garden.

• History
  The Butchart Gardens borders on Tod Inlet, close to Brentwood Bay, and 21 km (13 mi) from Victoria. Covering 22 ha (55-acres), The Gardens began with an idea by Jennie Butchart to beautify a worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied her husband Robert Pim Butchart's nearby Portland cement plant. Through the skillful mixture of rare and exotic shrubs, trees and flowers, often personally collected by the Butcharts during their extensive world travels, the now famous Sunken Garden was created.
  The Gardens, started as a hobby, constantly expanded, spilling over into the Japanese, Rose and Italian Gardens. By the 1920s more than fifty thousand people came each year. In a gesture toward their visitors, the hospitable Butcharts christened their estate "Benvenuto", the Italian word for "Welcome Today, the horticultural excellence achieved by the Butcharts is viewed by over a million visitors each year. In 2004 The Butchart Gardens, in bloom for 100 years, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Source: The Butchart Gardens Brochure

• Shishiodoshi in Japanese is generic name of provision installed to threaten birds and beasts that damage agriculture etc. , and to drive away. Scarecrow, clapper, and Shishiodoshi in general but in narrow sense Shishiodoshi means this particular mechanism that automatically generates the sound by water power. The fulcrum is installed in the vicinity of the center of the bamboo cylinder. Water is poured into the bamboo cylinder where a part is opened. When water becomes full, it inclines in the weight, and water flows out of it to become empty inside. Then, the cylinder returns to former inclination. It beats the supporting table (usually stone), and at this time, the sound occurs. It is often set up as a decoration of the Japanese garden, and there is the one of Shisen-do Temple in Kyoto assuming that it is typical.

The name is interesting as "Dining room restaurant."		The Rose Garden can be seen from the restaurant.
Garden of the restaurant.	Lawn of Rose Garden.	"Sunken Garden" was named because of its shape.
In 1964, Ian Ross, grandson of the Butcharts, created the Ross Fountain.		Sides of passage are decorated with flowers.	Begonia blooms in pure red.
Impressive allover begonia.	Occupied by all purple orchad flowers.	Yellows are Mum flowers.	Surroundings are covered with trees.
Shrub area, too.	Primary color flowers bloom all over.	Lawn works between flower field and passage.	The sense of color arrangement is good.
Looking down at Sunken Garden.		Concert Lawn.	Totem Poles.
Benches near Concert Lawn.	Arbor surrounded by flowers.	Hanging baskets with flowers at Rose Garden.	Looking at Italian Garden beyond.
Big oval lawn in Rose Garden. Surrounded and decorated with flowers.		Shrine Gate at Japanese Garden entrance.	Boats and yohts in Butchart Cove.
Japanese style of Bamboo Fence, too.	Walking on stepping-stones.	Typical dry landscape garden.	Traditional style Bridge like in Kyoto.
Shishiodoshi refered to explanation describes above	This was started in 1906, with the expert assistance of Japanese landscaper, Isaburo Kishida.		Looking at Rose Garden from Star Pond side.
"Star Pond" indicates star shape as shown in the name.		Entrance of Itarian Garden	Bronze statue of Mercurie
Flower bed of Itarian Garden was the Butchart's concrete floored tennis court.		The long narrow building housed a bowling alley and it now offers shade to the Gelateria "Benvenuto".

2007/10/01