It’s worth your time to make the short drive to the town of Saanich, just outside Victoria to the Glendale Gardens and Woodlands. There is a huge area to explore and five of those 103 acres are gardens!

When you get here you’ll see the gardens set in a conservation park with nature trails, wetlands and bird watching sites. Wander through the Winter Garden, Japanese style Takata Garden, Zen Garden, rhododendron garden, heather garden and trial dahlia garden.

Make sure you take notice of the colorful perennial borders, lilies, hardy fuchsias and herbs. Glendale Gardens and Woodlands is home to the accredited Pacific Horticulture College and provides a one-year landscape horticulture program, as well as gardener workshops, community education and Master Gardener courses. 505 Quayle Road, Saanich.