August 31, 2006 

 On August 31, 2006 The Butchart Gardens received formal recognition as a National Historic Site of Canada with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.

The Honourable Gary Lunn, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands and Minister of Natural Resources, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment and Minister Responsible for Parks Canada, shared the honours with Ms. Robin Clarke, great granddaughter of the founders of The Gardens, Robert and Jennie Butchart. Dignitaries, invited guests and media joined together on the main lawn in front of the Butchart family's former residence for the ceremony.
The Commemorative Plaque reads:

The Butchart Gardens Jennie Butchart began to shape this magnificent landscape in 1904. She established, in the style of the grand estates of the period, several distinct gardens to evoke a range of aesthetic experiences. An abandoned limestone quarry was transformed into the dramatic Sunken Garden, a reflection of the early 20th-century beautification movement and an exceptional achievement in Canadian gardening history. Through successive generations of the Butchart family, this site has retained much of its original design, and continues the Victorian tradition of seasonally changing the outstanding floral displays. Les Jardins Butchart Jennie Butchart commença à façonner ce magnifique paysage en 1904. Elle conçut, à la manière des grands domaines de l'époque, une variété de jardins pour créer autant d'expériences esthétiques. Une ancienne carrière de calcaire devint le spectaculaire Jardin en contrebas, témoin du movement d'embellissement du début du XXe siècle et constituant une réalisation exceptionnelle de l'histoire horticole au Canada. Au fil des ans, la famille Butchart a su conserver en grande partie le plan d'origine du site et perpétuer l'approche victorienne de changer, sur une base saisonnière, les superbes massifs floraux.