You know those guided meditations which start, ‘imagine yourself in a beautiful place in nature…’? Well, ever since I’ve visited the Tofino Botanical Gardens on Vancouver Island, that’s exactly where I imagine myself. Perhaps it’s not surprising when you feast your eyes on these pictures…
In fact it’s both beautiful and surreal. Especially when you suddenly come across a piece of home…
Or a reminder that’s it’s been some time since you wrote in your journal…
The gardens is designed to inspire conservation of, and provide information about, the world’s Temperate Coastal Rainforests. A series of boardwalks take you through to ‘pocket gardens’ which display plants that thrive in other temperate coastal rainforests around the world, some designed so you can look at all levels of the planting.
There’s also the fascinating Bernardo O’Higgins homestead, recreated after a chance find some years ago. Somehow I don’t imagine Bernardo had much time for meditations.
Bird hides to look out at the mudflats, part of a Wildlife Management Area.
And in the middle of the wild landscape, the thriving Tofino Community Garden.
A children’s garden that this ‘unsupervised adult’ found just a little tempting…
Art was everywhere, adding to rather than taking away from the plants, although sometimes so much so that it was hard to tell whether it was natural or manmade.
Not to mention other fun things to do…
Possibly the best selection of books on gardens and garden history in the cafe library, where there was also a reminder of the serious scientific endeavour behind the gardens…
And, of course, a cup of London Fog through which to view the garden!
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