Four Victoria garden laps that are better in October

October is the honest month for Victoria gardens. The tour buses have thinned out, the light arrives sideways, and the ground is wet enough that the whole place smells like it is doing something. Four laps below, none of them long, all of them open this week. Hours and admission were checked on October 7.

Government House, Rockland

The easiest yes on the list. The grounds and gardens are open to the public 365 days a year and are free to visit, and there are more than twenty distinct garden areas on the estate plus a Garry oak meadow. In October the beds matter less than what is happening above them.

Parking is free in the Lower Lot at the Cary Castle Mews or in front of the House. The spaces near the Bandshell are gone now, closed to protect the root systems of the trees around them. Dogs are welcome on leash. The posted 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. window is the spring and summer one, so treat an October visit as a daylight visit. If you want names for what you are looking at, the Friends of Government House Gardens Society runs guided walks through most of the twenty-odd gardens.

One note straight from the estate's own visitor rules, and a seasonal one: death cap mushrooms grow on the property. Do not touch or pick any mushrooms on the grounds, and keep an eye on children and dogs.

Finnerty Gardens, UVic

Finnerty is the one everybody associates with rhododendrons, and UVic will tell you plainly that April and May are when those are at their best. Which is precisely the argument for going now. What is left in October is the structure: three ponds, a network of winding paths across 6.5 acres, and dozens of benches, each one placed for a different view.

There is no admission charge and the gardens are open every day during daylight hours, year-round. Allow about an hour. UVic publishes a self-guided walking tour as a PDF if you want the plant names to go with the walk.

Abkhazi Garden, Fairfield

Abkhazi switched to winter hours on October 1, so check the day before you go: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last entrance at 4. Admission is a suggested donation of ten dollars, which goes to The Land Conservancy's upkeep of the garden. It is at 1964 Fairfield Road.

The teahouse keeps the same five days and takes its last tea seating at 3:30 p.m., so if tea is the point of the trip, aim for early afternoon rather than late. Both are open on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12.

Two things worth knowing before you go. The teahouse is wheelchair accessible, but many of the garden paths are gravel or have steps. And the number 7 bus from downtown drops you at Fairfield and Foul Bay, one block short of the gate, which is the better call than hunting for street parking.

Swan Lake Christmas Hill, Saanich

The least garden-like of the four and the best one in the rain. The grounds, nature trails and parking lot at 3873 Swan Lake Road are open dawn to dusk every day, and the walk gives you two ecosystems in one short loop: wetland around the lake, and a rocky Garry oak and camas meadow at the top of Christmas Hill.

The Nature House and gift shop run their own hours, Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sundays and statutory holidays. That means it is shut on Thanksgiving Monday even though the trails are not. Admission to the Nature House is by donation, suggested five dollars a person or ten a family. Visitors under thirteen need an adult with them.

One to put in the calendar

If a few of these make you want to do something with your hands rather than just look: Saanich Parks runs Tree Appreciation Day at Cuthbert Holmes Park on Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to noon. They bring the tools and the gloves, you bring boots. It is free and all ages, and you do have to register first.