Finnerty Gardens, University of Victoria
If you’re looking for peace and quiet, be sure to visit Finnerty Gardens on the University of Victoria campus. There are 3 ponds, winding paths, and lots of benches.
When my sister and I visited 2 weeks ago, the pond was surrounded by marsh marigolds and skunk cabbage, while the rhododendrons, camellias, and forget me nots were flowering in the woods.
The garden contains over 4,000 different trees and shrubs with more than 1,500 rhododendron and azalea on a 6.5 acre site. Many of the rhododendron were donated by Jeanne and George Simpson who had grown them from seed and been tending them for up to 50 years at their Lake Cowichan home.
The gardens are open to the public free of charge during daylight hours.