Happy Friday GPODers!

We’re back on the road with another segment from my trip to Vancouver Island. First, I highlighted the fabulous summer arrangements in the capital city of Victoria (Annual Arrangements in Victoria), then I took you into the rainforests to see from of the island’s biggest celebrities (The Famous Trees of Vancouver Island), and now I’m bringing you back to Victoria to a famous park with fabulous public gardens.

Beacon Hill Park is about 200 acres and features many notable attractions like ocean views, one of the largest totem poles in the world, numerous sports fields, and even a petting zoo during the summer. I came here on a time crunch, so you know there was one thing on my mind: plants.

While annuals are to be expected, and some tropical plants usually make it into that mix, I can confidently say I would have never imagined seeing palm trees in a Canadian public garden garden like this. If I had more time, this bench perfectly placed in the shade would have been a sensational spot to stop and enjoy this stunning long border.

Lots of varied paths criss crossed through the park, leading you on all different types of adventures. One such path brought me to this beautifully maintained intersection, featuring many of the same plants seen in the long border above. Many of the colors on display also reminded me of the incredible hanging baskets I saw scattered throughout the city (be sure to check those out here), and gave me the sense that every planting in the city was connected. Maybe just a coincidence, but absolutely a beautiful one!

In the center, this sun dial gets tons of character with a touch of patina and contrasts so nicely with the explosion of color behind.

A closer look at one of those beds, getting a better look at the tropical foliage and those incredible papyrus plants (Cyperus papyrus, Zones 9–12 or as an annual). Truly the fireworks of the plant world!

Then I finally made it to the main reason I squeezed this park visit into my trip: Beacon Hill Park’s famous Moss Lady. Purposefully hidden in a shady garden bed, this incredible sculpture is made of cement, boulders, metal pipe, and vinyl-coated chicken wire to support clay-based soil that clings to its surface. Unfortunately, the sleeping lady wasn’t looking particularly mossy on this day, but I was excited to see what looks like lots of new plantings onto her body. Would love to go back in the future and see how the plantings has evolved and grown.

If you walk by too fast, you’ll absolutely miss it (I did on the first pass!), but once you find her face it’s incredible to see her body seemingly appear right before your eyes.

Not far from this Moss Lady I found another unexpected sight in a Canadian public park, a peacock! No, not another interesting art installation, there are actual peacocks that roam wild at the park after being introduced in 1891. He seemed to enjoy this shady garden area as much as I did!

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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