Fantastically FOrmal Italian
October 2021
August 2015
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November 2006
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Hatley Castle, built in 1908 for coal baron James Dunsmuir, is one of Canada's renowned National Historic Sites. The castle is grand, elegant and very beautiful – inside and out. Located in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, this mansion and extensive grounds is also home to the Royal Roads University. Among the 650 acres there's the Rose Garden, The Italian Garden, the Japanese Garden and hundred of heritage trees dotted around the estate including a 250 year-old immense Douglas fir.
This is part of the circular corridor (loggias). A wisteria covered gazebo is at each end of the loggia.
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A view of the house from the curved loggia with an angel trumpet on the left and an elephant's ear (Colocasia) on the right.
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The Italian Garden is a perfect example the symmetry and geometry associated with formal designs. From the central pavilion lies a rectangular garden. Each corner of the rectangle is anchored by a large ornate marble urn. The urns are dressed differently each year with inventive and delightful plant combinations using bedding and tropical plants. The shape of the rectangle is denoted by tightly clipped hedges with openings for paths that open up to the outer area. The hedges, paths and statues are the bones of the garden; they never change, however, the beds that surround them do. They are filled with bedding plants such as dusty miller, fountain grass, purple kale and coleus. Since the plant combinations change yearly, the garden is never the same. Inventive plant groupings never fail to inspire. I was blown away when purple kale was used in bold rows, behind blue salvia and dusty miller. It's such a creative use of kale. It made me look at kale in a whole new light.
October 2021, this formal border includes fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln') at the rear, dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) in the middle and a deep maroon coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) in the foreground.
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August 2015. Curly purple kale plants rise above the blue mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea) with dusty miller in the foreground.
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There are two parts to this article as the grounds are extensive. The first instalment covers the Italian Garden, the second part is all about the exquisite Japanese Gardens and surrounding grounds. These pictures are mostly from my visit from October 2021, but I have also included some ones from the past to show how inventive the designs are over the years. I was a bit too late for the Rose Garden since I visited late in October, however Italian and Japanese Gardens were in full autumn glory, much to my delight. I hope you enjoy this walk through the Italian Garden at Hatley Castle estate. To go to their website click on Italian Garden.
August 2015. White snapdragons, tower above purple heliotrope with salmon African daisies (Osteospermum) in the foreground.
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October 2022. Although this is a formal design, it is still feels quite casual due to the informal forms of the plants.
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The paths are framed by openings from the covered path attached to the main pavilion.
Potted standard trees are typical accents in an Italian garden.
Three Roman urns are simply spectacular!
A path leading to the wisteria covered arbor and entrance to the loggia.
One of the four statues representing one of the four seasons.
The wisteria covered curved loggia is a walk through an Italian villa.
Yes, they even have banana plants!
Looking towards the castle from the pavilion.
They must store this orange ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) in a frost free place over winter as it isn't hardy in B.C.
I managed to capture a visiting hummingbird!
A princess flower (Tibouchina) in the foreground and a white angel trumpet (Brugmansia) are the stars of the formal gardens at the front of the castle.
Anise-scented sage, Salvia guaranitica. A true-blue annual with blackish stems attracts hummingbirds and pollinators.
Red cabbage, with white lavatera in the background and white verbena in the foreground make an unusual but attractive grouping. From November 2015.
A lion statue is peeking through the blue flowers of anise-scented sage (Salvia guaranitica).
A bee attends a white cup-and-saucer vine, Cobaea scandens 'Alba'.
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A lush perennial garden is adjacent to the Italian Garden.
A borrowed to the perennial garden view from the pavilion.
A view of the Hatley Castle from the Italian Garden.
Simple, symmetrical, and elegant.
A pink sage (Salvia splendens), accents one of the four season statues.
Even in October, the garden is full of flowers and colour.
Impressive art deco light posts.
The urn lined path to Royal Roads University.
Tropicals are included in the garden, including this dramatic white angel trumpet (Brugmansia).
Verbascum nigrum, dark mullein, is a short-lived perennial or a biennial.
A pink Japanese anemone, (Anemone hupehensis var. japonica).
Black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) flower at the same time.
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'Prairie Sun' Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta is a bright and cheery annual.
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Monk's-hood, aconite or wolfsbane (Aconitum napellus).
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A Delphinium and white mullein (Verbascum).
A creamy-white dinnerplate dahlia from the perennial garden.
The perennial garden is on the other side of the Italian Garden and is well worth a visit.
A delicate pink hardy fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica var. Molinae)
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An orange dahlia and anise-scented sage (Salvia guaranitica) make a great combo.
It's all about the purple fountain grass in this elegant marble urn.
A white Himalayan poppy Meconopsis baileyi 'Alba', is a rare cousin of the blue Himalayan poppy.
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Hatley Castle, October 2021