Nestled in the heart of Boundary Bay is South Delta's own Secret Garden - a labour of love for one local resident.
The garden, which now occupies a strip of municipal land that was formerly a tangle of blackberry bushes, has been quietly attracting daily visitors for the better part of the last 10 years.
The garden started slowly more than a decade ago and has been growing ever since.
Brian Whitehouse (top left photo) and his wife moved into their Boundary Bay home in 2000. At the time, Whitehouse said, he decided to plant a small flowerbed in the municipal right of way on the other side of his fence. He never envisioned it would go much farther than that.
The real inspiration to expand it came a year later.
It was Sept. 11, 2001, the day of the infamous terrorist attacks on the U.S. Whitehouse says in the aftermath of that day, he found himself working on that small garden plot. He says he was working away when it suddenly dawned on him that for a short time he had forgotten about the horror the world had watched unfold on TV throughout the day.
"On that day that was such an ominous day, I came home and I worked in the garden," he says, taking a break from doing just that. "I realized after a couple of hours that I had forgotten about what happened."
Whitehouse says being in the garden gave him peace of mind that day.
"That's the theme of the garden."
And so, the garden grew.
Whitehouse says there was no real plan. Over the years he just kept clearing away more brush and blackberries, and planting more plants and flowers, creating a meandering garden with landscaping materials that he's scavenged or had donated.
Some of the garden beds are ringed with driftwood he salvaged from the beach, while the newest addition was created using jade rocks he purchased. The rocks were left over from a water feature that was installed at the mall. Whitehouse has also added little bits and pieces throughout the garden to give it a bit of an eclectic flare. There's a rusted old engine block amongst the foliage, and a spray of bright pink flowers tumbles out of a metal coffee pot that sits atop a small vintage stove.
There are memorial benches and a wishing well bearing the names of loved ones lost.
The garden, which is barely visible from the corner of 67A Street and 4th Avenue, has become a place where locals and visitors alike can come for a few minutes of solitude and quiet contemplation.
The guestbook is full of messages from people from around the world and right here in South Delta who have come to enjoy the garden. It's attracted wedding parties looking for a place to take photos, something that surprised Whitehouse the first time it happened.
The retired roofer and roof inspector says he is most happy when he is out working in the garden.
"This is where I want to be," he says. "I'm never out here because I have to be."
