The Flower Count is an annual light-hearted promotion sponsored and organized the Greater Victoria and Saanich Peninsula chambers of commerce, Butchart Gardens and Tourism Victoria. The goal is to bolster community pride and increase awareness of Greater Victoria as an attractive shoulder-season tourism destination. It brings national and international attention to the fact that Victoria (City of Gardens) has the mildest climate in Canada. While the rest of Canada and much of the US is still in the cold clutches of winter weather, Victoria often enjoys spring temperatures of 10-15° Celsius (up to 60° Fahrenheit).

Community Challenge

Each municipality across Greater Victoria is encouraged to take up the challenge to be the “Bloomingest Community” of the Greater Victoria area! People reporting flower counts will have their number attributed to their community. Whether they live on the Saanich Peninsula or in Sooke, every flower counts, for their own community and for the overall total.

How Did It Start?

In the late 1960’s, members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce started a promotion called “Victorian Days”. In late February, dressed in Victorian era costumes, they would visit cities such as Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg, handing out daffodils to the general public, radio stations and news rooms. In 1976, the event expanded to involve Victoria residents and create a fun promotional story through the counting of February’s flowers. The Victoria Flower Count had begun.

City of Victoria Wins 2011 Flower Count

The total number of blooms counted in this chilly 2011 during the 35th Annual Greater Victoria Flower Count was 260,457,579.  Victoria came in as the leading municipality with 138,920,564.

“The annual flower count is a great reminder that Victoria really is the City of Gardens. Even with the recent blast of winter cold, our brave blossoms came peaking through to win the day,” said Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin. “Thanks to everyone who participated in the count again this year – it is a wonderful way to welcome in the Spring.”

The classroom competition for a trip to Butchart Gardens was won by Mrs. Susan Holmes’ grade four class at Cordova Bay Elementary School who counted 30,425,335 blooms. The competition was open to grades four and five who practiced using their multiplication tables to participate.