Butchart Gardens is a 22-hectare private flower garden and is located on the Saanich Peninsula in the south of Vancouver Island. The garden was created in 1904 by Jennie Butchart. She wanted to beautify the abandoned quarry where her husband Robert Pim Butchart had limestone quarried for Portland cement. From 1907 to 1912, the Japanese landscape designer Isaburo Kishida, who also created other parks in the region, supported her in expanding the garden. In 1939 Jennie Butchart handed over responsibility for the garden to her grandson Ian Ross. This remained responsible for the maintenance and expansion for the next 58 years. The park is still family-owned and managed by the family.
On October 12, 2004, Butchart Gardens was named the National Historic Site of Canada. (Source: Wikipedia)