Winter is my to the lowest degree favorite season, as well as I constantly expression for opportunities to larn away--either physically or at to the lowest degree mentally. While I nonetheless convey quite a few posts left to write nearly my recent
Arizona trip, I decided today to caput due north instead of south: dorsum to
Victoria, British Columbia. In belatedly August, my married adult woman as well as I helped our oldest immature adult woman larn settled into her novel life every bit a educatee at the
University of Victoria.
While immature adult woman #1 was doing educatee things, my married adult woman as well as I took the chance to explore to a greater extent than places inwards Victoria that nosotros hadn't seen on our previous trips (
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2). This included Beacon Hill Park, a 200-acre urban common stretching from the Strait of Juan de Fuca almost all the agency to downtown (
here's a map). I didn't know what to expect, other than a large world park, only inwards hindsight I shouldn't convey been surprised at the stunning displays of flowers for which Victoria is world-famous. I don't know how much the metropolis spends on world landscaping, only it must last significantly higher than other cities its size since fifty-fifty the medians inwards streets far away from where tourists stray are total of beautifully maintained blossom beds. I had fallen inwards honey alongside Victoria on my kickoff trip, as well as this honey matter deepened fifty-fifty to a greater extent than on this, my third, visit.
While the climate of Victoria is fairly mild, it is isn't frost-free (this wintertime they had snowfall on several occasions), only there's an undeniable lushness. Daughter #1 definitely could convey picked a far worse position to become to college!
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| We saw stone outcroppings similar these inwards many places, specially inwards the eastern suburbs where nosotros were staying |
Beacon Hill Park is non a botanical garden then in that location are no found labels. I was able to position roughly plants only many were novel to me. If you're able to supply found identifications, delight larn out a comment.
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| My married adult woman as well as I jokingly called Beacon Hill Park the pathetic man's Butchart Gardens |
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| I convey no persuasion how oftentimes they water, only the flowers looked perfect |
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| Is this princess blossom (Tibouchina urvilleana)? |
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| Look at that papyrus! |
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| The largest ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris) I've e'er seen |
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| One of many ornamental ruby-red bananas (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii') |
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| And elephant ears (Colocasia sp.)! |
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| Look at the people to larn an persuasion of how tall these plants are |
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| More Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' |
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| Fuchsia folks, is this Fuchsia magellanica? |
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| Those Ensete again! They photobombed quite a few of my images! |
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| Massive cedar, perchance Western redcedar (Thuja plicata) |
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| And a quirky weeping bluish Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca pendula') |
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| One of my favorite trees, the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). I saw several specimens inwards the park. |
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| Cannas are attractive fifty-fifty without the flowers! |
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| My favorite photograph of the day: castor edible bean (Ricinus communis) |
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| Who knows what this tree is? |
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| Nature does weird things all on its own! |
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| Far from home, only nonetheless beautiful (and yes, invasive inwards many places): Argentinian pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) |
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| What could last to a greater extent than relaxing than a motion painting of ducks nether a weeping willow! |
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| Weeping willow (Salix babylonica) |
I wonder what Beacon Hill Park looks similar correct now, inwards the dead of winter? I convey to shipping immature adult woman #1 to reconnoiter.
POSTSCRIPT: Reader Dan A. from Victoria shed roughly low-cal on what happens to the sensitive plants inwards the winter: "There is genuinely a large greenhouse close Cook Street at the border of the common where they shop all the frost-tender touchstone plants as well as perennials."
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Index: Victoria as well as Vancouver Island, BC, September 2016 Sumber http://www.succulentsandmore.com/
