Mildest Climate in Canada: Vancouver Island

… and the most beautiful gardens can be found in Victoria, capital of British Columbia, Vancouver Island, and other parts of Vancouver Island. It is such a pleasure to walk through residential areas and admire the well-kept and enchanting front and backyards.  
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Rhododendron blooming in January

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Mahonia - Oregon Grape

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Picking raspberries from a shrub during a hike in late December on Vancouver Island, I realized once more the huge climate difference to the rest of Canada.  Hummingbirds and bees in the midst of the winter were my next big surprise.

Climate Chart: https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,victoria,Canada

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A Canadian magazine wrote: “The capital of British Columbia is one of Canada’s “hotspot” for a reason, renowned not only for its mild climate and stunning gardens.  But also for its fine dining, numerous tourist activities, and breathtaking vistas.  When it comes to climate, summers are warm but not oppressive (averaging about 25 degrees Celsius) while winters are mild and usually snow-free.  Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria can also boast five times more sunny days than nearby Seattle, WA, and it has only half of Vancouver’s rainfall. 

Rhododendrons in late December

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Blooming Shrubs in Winter

Due to the mild temperatures - the Hardiness zone is 8-9 - a huge variety of ornamental plants, evergreen deciduous trees and perennials are really thriving on the island.  And lawns are certainly green year-round. Even though they are not so dominant as in the rest of North America. Gardens on Vancouver Island are planted with a huge variety of blooming shrubs - which give gardens even in Winter lots of color.

http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-british-columbia-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php

Palm trees in many gardens on Vancouver Island

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Pyracantha

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January in Nurseries and Garden Centers

Auricles and Pansies in all colors invite first purchases for the garden or window sill.  It’s time to plant fruit trees as the soil is certainly not frozen and there are great varieties available.  Gardeners get ready for serious work now in the midst of winter: planting, pruning and mulching the flower beds.

Osteospermum Flower

When visiting Victoria, don’t miss this nursery and garden center:

GardenWorks Victoria North (Great Cafe/Restaurant)

Great Workshops for Gardeners

4290 Blenkinsop Rd, Saanich, B.C.

https://www.gardenworks.ca/hours-locations/saanich/
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Skimmia Japonica

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Giant Trees on Vancouver Island

Another difference to the rest of Canada are the huge trees you find everywhere. They are often taller than four or five-story houses.  Don’t miss to visit the giant Douglas Fir trees further north, half an hour from Nanaimo. Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, not far from Port Alberni, is one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island.

Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, is one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island. Here visitors can stroll through a network of trails under the shadow of towering ancient Douglas-fir trees, majestic pillars untouched by the modern world – some more than 800 years old.

MacMillan Provincial Park is a provincial park, located 25 km west of Qualicum Beach and 16 km east of Port Alberni, the park straddles Highway 4 in central Vancouver Island on the way from Nanaimo to Ucluelet and Tofino. 

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/macmillan/

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Ancient Trees Are Still Found Here

A massive Sitka spruce was recently discovered near Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island, in the territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation people.

Sitka Spruce in the Rain Forest

If you don't mind an occasional rain, it's a rain forest after all. But Vancouver Island is an interesting alternative to your Winter in Florida. So much to discover and to do here: beautiful beaches, sailing, floatplane flying, golfing, hiking, antiquing, kayaking,
snow-shoeing in the mountains...  Oh, and certainly visiting the wonderful nurseries, botanical gardens, and well-stocked garden centers. However, it is not a really cheap area.  Do you know what B.C. means? Bring Cash!

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Sue Grafton's Kentucky Garden

The famous bestselling author is gone … to heaven’s garden.  Her family, friends, and readers will miss her terribly, but her legacy of books and her lovely Kentucky Garden will stay forever.
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Kinsey Millhone, the spunky protagonist of Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries, wouldn’t be caught dead spading compost onto a perennial bed. “I hate nature. I really do,” the fictional detective proclaims in F Is for Fugitive.

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Grafton, who has called Millhone her “alter ego,” admits she once shared those sentiments. How, then, to account for the garden transformation taking place at Grafton’s 1912 estate, Lincliff?  Perched above the Ohio River eight miles east of downtown Louisville, the grounds were a vine-tangled mess when Grafton and her husband, Steve Humphrey, bought the place in 2000. 

Today, the once-crumbling fountain trickles and shimmers, boxwood parterres have been trimmed into shape, and a handful of spectacular new features, including an intricate knot garden, grace the property.

Humphrey, a philosophy of physics professor raised in south-central Los Angeles, is an equally unlikely suspect.  “We had a tiny yard,” he says. “My father made the kids get up early on Sunday morning and hedge and weed. I never liked yard work, especially when forced to do it at gunpoint.”

The turnaround appears to be the work of professionals, but the couple swears no landscape designers played a part. So whodunit?

Upon further questioning, the truth emerges. “Something clicked when I met Sue,” Humphrey explains. “We rented a house when I was a graduate student at Ohio State, and I planted a vegetable garden. When we bought a house in Santa Barbara, I got into roses. I realized I love creating gardens.”

Grafton has a confession of her own: She’s becoming a garden lover, too. “Steve has taught me a lot about the virtues and benefits of a well-cared-for property,” she says.

Grafton grew up in Louisville but as a young woman, rebellious and burning with ambition, moved to California to become a writer. “When I left the state of Kentucky, it was ‘Thank you, Lord Jesus, I’m out of here!’” Grafton says. 
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Decades later, after penning dozens of best sellers, she felt the pull of home. “I’ve been to a lot of places in the world. Coming back here, I realized Kentucky is quite beautiful. I’m proud to be a resident of this state.”
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Read more about how Sue Grafton transferred her garden - even up to growing veggies, fruit and berries: 
http://gardenandgun.com/articles/sue-graftons-kentucky-garden/

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