Victoria's Butchart Gardens, Part 7: Outrageous Echinacea, Luminous Blossoms and Much More! (+10 insets)

(+10 insets!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Pictures" for image information)

Trip Talk: Great Timing, Tub Transfers and Preparations!
The RV we chose for our home on the road is so popular that only a few are available across the country. In fact, the one that Steve got to walk through wasn't even at the RV show! The manufacturer, Keystone, had only just delivered the rig to the RV seller that morning. It was still at their receiving facility, waiting to be shuttled to the show for display. After Steve described the sort of trailer we were after, the lady he was talking to took him around to a few units that fit our needs but she couldn't find the one she really wanted to show him. Eventually she realized that it wasn't on the grounds yet, but told Steve it was only 15 minutes away if he'd like to check it out. It was the first day of the show so Steve made plans to go see it the following day, which he did. He was totally delighted and sent me lots of pictures--I was immediately smitten as well. When the best choices were compared, we decided this was the winner.

The reason this is cool is because our RV was not at the huge show, though it would have been. The show was so popular that instead of getting a few thousand visitors each day, they got over 10k every day! That translates to a lot more people tromping through units with potential damage and wear. When we made our decision to buy that model, we learned that we'd be getting the very unit that Steve walked through at their receiving facility! Totally pristine and unmolested by the hoards, hooray! It's extra cool that Steve has physically been inside our new trailer—how excited and happy we are!

Within two weeks, all of the financial and prep work will been completed. Then we'll be able to drive down to pick up our new RV and since it will be a trade-in (hooray! ), we'll be taking our Grey Wolf, dropping it off and switching over to our new RV. We are so excited!

It's also going to mean moving everything from the old trailer into the new, so we'll be getting a bunch of tubs to help in the transfer. We'll put everything into these containers before we leave and when we arrive, we'll just carry them into the new trailer, easy as pie! Happily, we don't have any excess junk with us so we won't have to spend any time going through our stuff and pulling out the excess clutter. The pieces will soon be coming together! :)

Today's Pictures
You may not know the love affair I have with echinacea, but let me tell you...this flower and its zillions of hybrids totally steal my heart. They are so photogenic and have such lovely details that I lose my mind when I find a garden brimming with blossoms. My first introduction to echinacea was years ago when Steve and I were on a bike and rode past a garden full of hybrids. I nearly flew off my bike for lack of attention to the task at hand! We did an about-face and returned, where I proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes going crazy with my camera. Since then I am always on the lookout for these beauties and of course Butcharts had bunches of species to swoon at.

What can I say about this crimson beauty?! ALL BOW BEFORE ITS RADIANT BEAUTY! It's even got a "sweep of hair" to add to its loveliness. I got many pictures of others around it but this one is the queen of all she surveys. The moment I saw this picture, there was no question about her presentation...and now she has stolen your heart too. :)

Inset 1: a magnificent golden echinacea with others in bokeh behind...oh my heart...

Inset 2: this purple petunia was glowing like neon with the afternoon sun shining through its petals. The background is added candy that makes this a favorite for me!

Inset 3: on the way in and out of Butchart Gardens is a pathway lined with decadent plantings including a parade of hydrangea that would knock your socks off. Here is a stunning trio of blossoms paving the way for the enormous ball of flowers to come. Incredible!

Inset 4: cascading down from their hanging planter, these begonias were lit by sunshine that warmed their petals and made them look like Mother Nature's most beautiful lamps!

Inset 5: I was lucky enough to get a nice picture of this pewter-colored damselfly as it sat on a golden echinacea!

Inset 6: the sun shining through this begonia's petals made the original image look so overly saturated that I decided to turn it into art instead, muting the colors and giving a richer and darker background. Winner-winner-chicken-dinner!!

Inset 7: a lovely lavender bud stretches up before a field of coral zinnias, what a sight!

Inset 8: what a lucky day I had with insects! Here is Pine White butterfly sipping eagerly on a stalk of yellow blossoms...I don't know what species they are though. (do you know??)

Inset 9: another plant that makes me fall over and float away are hostas! So many varieties, colors, textures and sizes, the only bummer about them is the required shade they need. As Steve and I headed up a path above the Sunken Garden I turned and looked into an inset area next to us and couldn't BELIEVE the vast carpet of hostas and other gorgeous plants growing pristinely below. Are they not breathtaking?! *swoon*

Inset 10: Butchart Garden has their own incredible computer-controlled fountain, which mesmerized all who gazed upon it. Cycling through many formation of elegant displays, Steve and I couldn't help but wish we could see it lit up at night in a rainbow of colors, accompanied and tracking some beautiful classical piece. If you have ever been to Las Vegas's Bellagio Hotel, you will know the incredible fountain show they have. The experience left me sobbing from the incredible beauty and emotional performance and every time I see this show (they have many), it threatens to reduce me to tears once again. Please, do yourself a favor and end your visit with me by clicking on this link to see Bellagio Fountains: Time to Say Goodbye show. Bring tissues.

Pam, have you tried growing echinacea in your garden? The native species is supposed to be quite hardy but I wouldn't know...the few I've had are merely deer and squirrel food! I hope this bright and sunny day is the same for you my dear! *BIG HUGS* from southern Oregon!

Explored on 10/15/19; highest placement #1.