The Story of Butchart Gardens

**From the author:** Welcome to the world of Butchart Gardens. In researching this incredible story I've uncovered many "facts" and figures, countless anecdotes, and many "quotations" made by the Butchart family and their successors. A phenomenon such as Butchart Gardens cannot exist without myth and legend, and, of course, the odd tale of haunting. Where possible, I've verified my information, checked the facts, and heard the tales first hand from employees and associates. However, when dealing with almost a century of history, and thousands of people, it is impossible to completely separate fact from fiction. Good legends, I suspect, have a good dose of both. The gardens themselves, depending on whom you ask, seem to vary in size from twenty-five to seventy-five acres. The distance from the Gardens to Victoria is another elastic measurement, reportedly being anything from ten to twenty miles. Some of these "facts" I've tried to establish, while others will be the topic of debate and discussion for years to come. This is what makes the archivist's job vital, the researcher's job challenging, and, hopefully, the reader's job interesting. I soon realized that my task was not to prove nor disprove. In a few cases this is impossible, as many answers have long been buried with the only people who could confirm or deny a "fact." The stuff of legend is what makes a good story, and the stuff grows here as quickly as a well-tended flower bed. Legends cannot be proved or disproved, merely recounted and enjoyed. Mystery and speculation only serve to make them more durable. Butchart Gardens is certainly a legend.