CHILLIWACK — Minter Gardens — the world-class 13-hectare show garden in Chilliwack that has been a popular destination for garden lovers for the past 33 years — will close in October.
Owner Brian Minter said he made the “heart-wrenching decision” following long deliberations with his family and his bank over the future of the gardens, which he and his wife Faye started from scratch in 1977 and officially opened in 1980.
The final day of operations will be Oct. 14.
“There were a lot of factors in this decision. The weather has not been good to us over the past few years and attendance has been down. The garden is no longer financially viable,” Minter said.
The high-profile garden promoter, who has a radio show on CBC Radio One, also runs Minter Country Garden on Young Road North, along with his wife. That business, one of the largest garden centres in B.C., will remain open.
“I am also close to retirement and as a family over the last six months we have been looking at succession planning. We came to the conclusion that this was the best thing for us to do.”
The garden employs 40 to 50 people. Minter said he gave staff the news on Monday.
“We tried to break the news as gently as possible and are trying to be as kind as we can.”
Minter said he is not seeking to sell the property, just closing it at the end of the season after honouring all the commitments to people who have events scheduled, including couples who have their weddings booked there. The fate of the plants is undecided.
The garden is open from April to October. It is famous for its displays of tulips, daffodils and rhododendrons in spring, and roses and dazzlingly colourful flower borders in summer.
Located in east Chilliwack, Minter Gardens is made up of 12 individual gardens, including world-class collections of 750 roses and more than 1,000 rhododendrons, as well as formal perennial borders and a spectacular water feature.
There is also a scent garden, children’s garden, maze, Asian garden, lake garden and fern dell.
Over the years, the garden has been recognized as one of B.C.’s quality tourist attractions.
