Mother’s Day Musical Garden Tour

Saturday, May 7, 9:05am update: Tickets are now SOLD OUT. Thank-you for supporting the Victoria Conservatory of Music!

Mother’s Day Musical Garden Tour

Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8, 10:00am to 4:00pm

Celebrate Mother's Day, beautiful spring gardens, live music and being together for the first time in two years.

On May 7 & 8, stroll through Victoria's most beautiful spring gardens while enjoying music from students and faculty of the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

Two-day passes are $40 (plus service charges where applicable) and include exclusive access to 10 spectacular private gardens, 1 public garden, and our Amazing Plant Sale!

It's a great way to celebrate Mother's Day while supporting the VCM's efforts to keep music education, performance, and wellness thriving in Victoria.

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Magical Musical Gardens

Slip behind the garden gates and visit 10 hidden backyard gems and 1 public garden treasure!

Read on to find out more about each stunning garden. Addresses are provided when you collect your tickets, so be sure to buy early and visit each stop!

Garden #1

On first entering this garden, you will be surprised by the wide view of Cordova Bay and, if Mother Nature allows, Mt Baker. As you make your way through the back, don't miss the decorative wall of found objects that the homeowner has artfully painted and put together. The garden has been skillfully designed to lead you down a path among spring bulbs and flowering shrubs to a lower garden featuring a playful miniature train running through the garden beds. Don't miss the lively and intriguing sculptures reflecting the owners' love and participation in the international music world, and of course, the “Gary Karr Rose”, named after one of the home owners.

Garden #2

This garden was established over 32 years ago from a bare construction storage site. The gardener's vision was to create a private oasis in the back with a formal garden and an English country garden in the front. The front garden is easy care, using a method of mulching from clippings which allows the annuals and bi-annuals to reseed. Flowering shrubs and perennials are mixed among these, making a home for many birds and bees. The peaceful back garden has a fountain and quiet sitting area among clipped boxwood hedges overlooking raised beds for vegetables and roses.

Garden #3

This beautiful garden was a labour of love rooted in family tradition for both homeowners. Coming from a long line of Italian gardeners and famers, Betty has a passion for edible plants. Vegetable beds, espaliered fruit trees, including lemon and apricot, and the grape covered pergola provide a symphony of seasonal edible delights. Chris, the son of Ann and George Nation who founded the Mother's Day Musical Garden Tour, can trace his love of ponds and perennials to his parents. Many plants originated from Ann and George's garden, including a rose lovingly created and named for his grandmother, the Alix G. Don't miss the waterfall and pond feature the owners created from material found on property.

Garden #4

Situated on 1.3 acres, this homeowner has followed the first rule of gardening — “work with what you have”! Father and son have taken what was once a low soggy area at the bottom of the garden and turned it into a peaceful Asian inspired oasis featuring a large pond complete with a waterfall and rainbow trout and surrounded by Japanese maples, irises and Mt. Fuji cherry trees. A large deck reaches out over the pond and offers the perfect summer area for casual dining or just quiet contemplation. Further down a winding path there is a veggie garden, a berry garden, small lavender field, and a fuchsia bed.

Garden #5

Welcome to “Mulberry”. This picturesque property named after the sprawling mature Mulberry tree in the front garden has never been on a tour and lucky us — we are the FIRST to see it! Enjoy the many spring flowering shrubs and uncommon bulbs along the recently planted perennial bed that runs adjacent to the front lawn. As you make your way through to the back garden you will pass the newly completed Japanese inspired garden, displaying a collection of bonsai plants with an unusual ‘Torri Gate'.

The back garden started out two years ago as a vacant lot and has undergone a dramatic and stunning landscape transformation. The owners rescued 60 mature rhododendrons (many of them of substantial size and age) from a nearby construction site and stored them until their new garden plans were completed. These rescued rhododendrons have found their home along the gravel path that meanders through ferns, hellebores, and other woodland plants in what is now the shade garden. Across the large lawn is the sunny Mediterranean garden complete with succulents, lavenders, espaliered fruit trees, berries and other warm climate plants. A large outdoor entertainment area with a pergola and fireplace overlooks the whole garden and a greenhouse for a lemon tree and other tender plants compliments the elegant setting.

Garden #6

Full of fun and fancy, this garden has it all! Mixed among found objects are a variety of perennials and annuals that add dramatic effect to the use of mirrors and sculptures throughout the garden. Be sure to see the water fountain made from retired musical instruments – a perfect nod to our garden tour theme.

Garden #8

Located in the centre of the city on 36 acres for all to enjoy. Wander the grounds to discover native species, formal rose garden and much more.

Garden #9

This 20-year-old garden is packed with a collection of rare and unusual rock and alpine plants. Also unique is the dry Mediterranean garden and Tufa outcrops. The owners' knowledge of alpine crevice plants is extensive, and he has just co-authored The Crevice Garden, How to Make the Perfect Home for Plants from Rocky Places with Co-author Kenton Seth which will be released later this year.

Garden #10

Eclectic and passionate, this plant lover has spent the last ten years filling his garden with rare and unique plants! The first thing you will notice is the distinctive collection of alpine plants and side perennial borders. As you enter the back patio area, you will be delighted by the water garden featuring Koi and water lilies. Other striking features of this compact garden include a vibrant cutting garden and a unique carnivorous plant bog garden. The two glass houses are not to be missed! One holds the owners collections of various cacti, succulents, African bulbs, and pelargoniums while the houses one of the largest collections of frost-free high elevation orchids on the island.

Garden #11

These two musical and environmentally conscious gardeners have turned this average city garden of shrubs and lawn into a small but sustainable working vegetable garden where they can grow bountiful amounts of food. Through an organization called Hatchet and Seed, who designed and helped to install the layout, they have been able to grow everything organically; from the natural building of the soil to the harvesting of fruit and vegetables. Using a water capture irrigation system, they water multiple raised beds made of both wood and ferrocement. A new greenhouse has been added this year which will be used for vegetable starts and tomatoes with plans to include a lemon tree and other more southern tender fruit trees. As they tend their garden, they can find a quiet moment or two under the covered sitting area to enjoy the spectacular view of beautiful Royal Bay!