Gardens of Vancouver & Victoria A Pacific Horticulture Society tour June 6-13, 2016 Escorted by: Linda McKendry Tour Manager: Cheryl Nichols Sold out. To join the waiting list, please click HERE. Join us in Vancouver, the world’s most livable city, and Victoria, named 2015 International Garden Destination of the World. We will visit top public gardens and a collection of private gardens including Thomas Hobb’s personal estate and his Southlands Nursery, called a “must see” by Martha Stewart. We’ll be based at the legendary Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver and the boutique Hotel Oswego in Victoria. Garden visits include Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, VanDusen Botanical Gardens, Bloedel Conservatory, Abkhazi, and Butchart -- one of the world’s premier floral display gardens. Monday, June 6: Arrival Vancouver’s International Airport. Take a taxi, airport shuttle, or the Canada Line express train to the hotel. Meet your traveling companions for a welcome reception at the Fairmont Hotel. Later we will enjoy a welcome dinner with wine at the hotel. The 4 star property is centrally located near shops and restaurants. Rooms are air-conditioned with designer toiletries. The hotel has a restaurant, pool, and spa. Reception, Dinner Tuesday, June 7: Today we will be treated to a private tour of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden before it opens to the public. This was the first Ming Dynasty Scholar’s home and garden outside of China. Fifty-three Chinese master craftsmen constructed the Garden using traditional methods and materials brought from China — no glue, nails, screws or power tools were used. The garden design was based on the harmony of four main elements: rock, water, plants, and architecture. Together, these four elements combine to create a breathtaking experience of perfect balance, yin and yang. We will continue to VanDusen Botanical Garden where we will be greeted by the Curator of Gardens and enjoy a docent led tour. The elegant landscape has plant species representing ecosystems ranging from the Himalayas to the Mediterranean, and from Louisiana swamps to the Pacific Northwest. Lunch will be in the picturesque Garden Pavilion. This afternoon we join a local guide for a short orientation tour of Vancouver including Gastown, Chinatown, and Granville Island with a behind the scenes tour of Stanley Park. The park is a national historic site of Canada and a magnificent green oasis in the midst of the heavily built urban landscape. Transfers will be provided back to the hotel. Those who would like a little exercise or refreshment may stay on and return to the hotel at their leisure. Breakfast, Lunch Wednesday, June 8: After breakfast we will visit Thomas Hobb’s richly planted 20 acre personal garden. Thomas is a florist, nurseryman, television personality, and the author of The Jewel Box Garden and Shocking Beauty. Next we’ll visit his Southlands Nursery called a “must see” by Martha Stewart. The nursery has been featured on The Victory Garden, Recreating Eden, and Martha Stewart. Departing Southlands we will pass through a gate into a private, moated English-style garden surrounding a 400 year old Norman Barn turned into a charming home. Following is a visit to a garden, with the feel of an old English village. The garden stones, pavings and antiques were imported from England and enticing garden paths meander down to the sea. Breakfast, Lunch Thursday, June 9: Today we meet noted landscape designer Chris McQuilkin. Chris will accompany us to some of the private gardens he has designed including his piece de resistance, a project so large it has required 3 years work and its own nursery! After lunch we will tour nearby Nitobe Memorial Garden, a traditional Japanese Tea and Stroll garden located at the University of British Columbia. Nitobe is considered to be the one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America and is among the top five Japanese gardens outside of Japan. The garden includes a rare authentic Tea Garden with a ceremonial Tea House. Breakfast, Lunch Friday, June 10: Today we transfer to the ferry for the short cruise to Victoria. Upon arrival we will be met by our private coach and transferred to Butchart Gardens. Over a century ago Jennie Butchart began creating what is now one of the world’s premier show gardens. The Sunken garden includes beds of annuals and flowering trees. The Rose garden has an extensive collection clearly labeled for the home gardener. The serene Japanese garden dates from 1906 and leads into Italian and Mediterranean gardens. We will enjoy a delicious lunch in the original Butchart family residence with spectacular views of the gardens. Later we transfer to the Oswego Hotel. We’ll gather at 7:00pm for a presentation by Allan Mandel, a professional garden photographer. His topic is the breadth and diversity of gardens in Victoria. Breakfast, Lunch Saturday, June 11: After breakfast Allan will join us for the day. We begin with a gentle walk through Garry Oak Meadow, a natural area of indigenous Live Oaks. Next we will visit two innovative gardens. Lily Maxwell’s half acre garden has been “a work in progress for the past twenty years”. It continues to evolve and change with new plantings, reshaping and expansion of planting areas. Lily says, “I love working with foliage, texture, and color. Every six weeks or so, "the look" of the garden changes as new plants emerge and others fade out. As a collector, there are unusual and rare specimens, but most importantly, plants need to behave and perform well for them to retain their place in the garden.” Her garden was once chosen Garden of the Year by Canadian Gardening Magazine. Terry Le Blanc has a 1930’s English-style house with beautiful, traditional garden on an old country estate. The garden, rich in horticultural treasures, is under a canopy of old Oaks, one over 400 years old. We will enjoy a picnic by the seaside before returning to town to see the Government House Gardens where Allan will give us a tour. The lovely grounds include an English Country garden and Sunken Rose garden which should be at the height of bloom. In addition, the property contains a Native British Columbia Plant garden, Fountain Pond with bamboo and laburnum, Herb garden, Rock and Alpine gardens. Breakfast, Lunch Sunday, June 12: Today we will visit some small private gardens in James Bay. Located in the oldest part of Victoria, Judith Mc Lauglan’s small collector’s garden, is whimsical and delightful. Richard Mosselman’s townhouse garden is continually evolving into a private urban retreat. The garden is multi-leveled with areas set aside for entertainment and relaxation. Several beds have been redone with a focus on shade-tolerant plantings and small-space trees to anchor them. Creative 'pot-scaping' with dwarf cultivars and bonsai maximizes the limited space. Richard says, “As with most plant collectors, it is a constant struggle to control the chaos in this magical green oasis”. We will take a short drive along Beach Road to Abkhazi Gardens where we will have a tour by a horticulturalist. Prince and Princess Abkhazi began creating Abkhazi Garden in 1946. The garden has dramatic glaciated rocky slopes, magnificent native Garry oaks and gorgeous vistas. It flows around the rock, taking advantage of deeper pockets of soil for conifers, Japanese maples and rhododendrons which over the last 50 years have grown to an impressive maturity. There are carpets of naturalized bulbs, choice alpines and woodland companions. We will enjoy a light lunch comprised of local products in the Garden restaurant. The late afternoon is free for sightseeing or shopping. This evening, we will walk to the Empress Hotel for our festive farewell dinner in a lovely room overlooking the harbor. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Monday, June 13: Following breakfast at the hotel, time to say Good bye to Victoria. Breakfast TOUR LAND COST PER GUEST BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: Based on a minimum of 14 guests per trip: $2495.00 per person for members of Pacific Horticulture Society, $2595.00 for non-members*. Supplement for single occupancy of a room with private bath: $835.00. *Membership starts at just $28 so if you are not a member, we strongly encourage you to join before you register for the tour as you can then receive the member price. You can join online here: http://membership.pacifichorticulture.org/joinrenew COST INCLUDES: • 4 night’s accommodations at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver • 3 night’s accommodations at The Oswego Hotel Victoria (see HOTELS below) • Hotel taxes and service charges • 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 2 dinners, 1 reception • Motor coach transportation, and ferries as specified in itinerary • Local guides where mentioned in the itinerary • All sightseeing and entrances as per the itinerary • Deluxe portfolio of documents • Escorted by Linda McKendry - Tour manager Cheryl Nichols • Donation of $200 to Pacific Horticulture Society COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE: • Airfare • Travel insurance • Tips to your local guide HOTELS ---Our first hotel is the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, known as the 'Castle in the City. The recently refurbished hotel reflects timeless luxury and history. It is located in a prime downtown location, steps from Vancouver’s shopping and entertainment. Amenities include a bar, restaurant, state-of-the-art health club, indoor pool and spa. We suggest arriving a day early to experience the grand tradition of Afternoon Tea at Fairmont and to have time to sample the museums and shopping. Our hotel in Victoria is the boutique Hotel Oswego, centrally located near the bustling harbor and many shops and restaurants downtown. Single rooms include a kitchenette. Double rooms have a Queen bed plus sofa bed in the living room. Rooms with 2 beds and 2 baths available at extra cost. FLIGHTS ---Vancouver and Victoria are served by major US airlines, including Alaska, United and Delta. We suggest booking flights to arrive in Vancouver by 4:00PM on day 1 of the tour, so you will have sufficient time to reach the hotel before the welcome reception and dinner. If meeting this schedule is a problem, please consider coming a day early. Extra nights at the hotel can be arranged upon request. We suggest contacting Leslie Garber of Cadence Travel for assistance booking flights. Leslie charges a fee for her service, but our guests find her service to be of value. PASSPORT--a passport valid at least 6 months beyond trip date is required for this trip. PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES - These tours include a SIGNIFICANT amount of walking, frequent use of stairs and steeply sloped pathways on uneven or unpaved surfaces. Some of the places we will be visiting can only be seen on foot with no other access possible. Guests with limited mobility MUST consult with Sterling prior to tour registration. To view or print the itinerary, please click HERE To view or print the Booking Form with Terms & Conditions, please click HERE For reservations and information, please contact: Sterling Tours, Ltd 2907 Shelter Island Drive Suite #105-262 San Diego, CA 92106 Tel: 619 299-3010 800-976-9497 CST2023849-40 |