I love taking the kids to see various public gardens, but my enthusiasm for such ventures is not often matched by the kids. Nothing (or at least nothing that they might want) to buy, no rides, no monkey bars, et cetera et cetera. However, I have to say that once there, the kids are usually just as happy as I am.
This was certainly the case last Friday when Damon and I took our kids and a couple of their friends to The Horticultural Centre of The Pacific, known to many as Glendale Gardens. This is a gorgeous 103 acres in Saanich, of which 9 acres are landscaped with public demonstration gardens. Admission is free for kids under 12, and $11 for adults (members are free). Also on the grounds are a library, garden shop, bistro, and the Pacific Horticultural College. The Centre offers children's summer camps, as well as many courses and workshops for adults.
The most heavily cultivated part of the garden is laid out in a loose grid pattern, culminating in a gorgeous round patio, or gathering place. All of these gardens are on a slope which looks down across a field to a large, sparkling pond, of the Beatrix Potter ilk.
The first garden we looked at, and my favourite, is the kids garden. The best thing about it is this teeny play house with a planted roof that the kids are welcome to play in. Other features of this garden are a rain stick, gumboots overflowing with flowers, a little angel on a swing in a shrub, and various planted wheelbarrows.
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This was certainly the case last Friday when Damon and I took our kids and a couple of their friends to The Horticultural Centre of The Pacific, known to many as Glendale Gardens. This is a gorgeous 103 acres in Saanich, of which 9 acres are landscaped with public demonstration gardens. Admission is free for kids under 12, and $11 for adults (members are free). Also on the grounds are a library, garden shop, bistro, and the Pacific Horticultural College. The Centre offers children's summer camps, as well as many courses and workshops for adults.
The most heavily cultivated part of the garden is laid out in a loose grid pattern, culminating in a gorgeous round patio, or gathering place. All of these gardens are on a slope which looks down across a field to a large, sparkling pond, of the Beatrix Potter ilk.
The first garden we looked at, and my favourite, is the kids garden. The best thing about it is this teeny play house with a planted roof that the kids are welcome to play in. Other features of this garden are a rain stick, gumboots overflowing with flowers, a little angel on a swing in a shrub, and various planted wheelbarrows.