Residents of Greater Victoria have counted a staggering 17.2 billion blooms for the 39th annual Flower Count, smashing last year’s snow-affected count of approximately 1.4 billion.
Taking place at a time which saw most of Canada locked in chilling temperatures, regions of Greater Victoria continued to experience unseasonably mild conditions with temperatures reaching highs of 17 C.
“Flower Count is a key community event that we are happy to support,” said Paul Nursey, president and CEO of Tourism Victoria.
“Our climate in the spring differentiates our destination from others and attracts tourists from all over the world.”
The highest Flower Count on record took place in 2010, when 21 billion blooms were counted. Each year, the regional municipalities go head-to-head, with residents submitting counts for their city.
The winner of the Bloomingest Community for the second straight year was the City of Colwood. The District of Oak Bay and the Township of Esquimalt came in second and third place respectively.
“Engagement on social media was quite high this year and there were some really stunning photos of plum and early cherry blossoms put out there,” said Scott McDonald, spokesperson for The Butchart Gardens.
“People really seemed to be having fun with the count against the backdrop of the warm temperatures and early spring.”