Minter Gardens

Yesterday afternoon we escaped from the farm and all the work staring us in the face, and headed out to Minter Gardens. This week and last week they had a half price evening (4-7pm) admission, and being the tight wad frugal person I am, that was right up my alley.  Unfortunately it was a cloudy, rather dull and cool day, so the pictures aren't great, but the gardens were lovely all the same.  It just could have done with being a bit warmer!


Taken from the Minter Gardens brochure.....


Centuries ago, a massive mountain slide wept over the fertile lands of the eastern Fraser Valley. The rock fall pushed north across the Fraser River and ended its westerly flow at the area which is now Minter Gardens. The unique land formations left the area unsuitable for crop farming, but early settlers found it ideal for raising cattle and other animals. Tall native specimen trees added to the charm of the location, and thousands of wild geraniums, columbine, roses and bleeding hearts added a finishing touch. It was this site that Brian and Faye Minter first saw on Christmas Day, 1977. The landscape was so unique, and the setting against 7,000 foot Mt. Cheam so picturesque, that a once-in-a-lifetime dream was born: to create one of the most beautiful gardens in the world! Their dream became reality in May of 1980.

Minter Gardens is ever evolving, and each season offers a dramatic view. Close to 100,000 tulips, imported from Holland, welcome visitors each spring. More than 1000 rhododendrons provide riotous colour amid huge cedar trees and rock wall terraces. Summer brings masses of annual colour adorning topiary features and beds, along with the traditional blooms of the Rose Garden, and the cool, quiet woodlands that surround gurgling brooks and water falls. The Gardens are at once a kaleidescope of colour, a place of serene beauty, and a gardener’s source of inspiration. To learn about everything it has to offer, visit Minter Gardens’ virtual home.

There is a lovely spot or two for a wedding, a kids garden, and loads of water features.  And....you can even take your dog! 

We didn't find that out until we got there, and I don't think we would have bothered anyway.  The dogs would have been frustrated.....


Look, look, at that lovely piece of grass....can you throw the ball, can you, can you?


How about that pond, huh, huh...?  We're hot and we need a swim...


Sometimes it's just nice to go somewhere without the dogs.
(Don't tell them I said that!)