The countdown is on … to the Greater Victoria Flower Count.
From March 6 to 13, in one of the region’s favourite annual traditions, residents of Greater Victoria’s 13 municipalities are urged to slow down, #ExploreVictoria and count the crocuses, tulips, daffs and other blossoms while they do.
The light-hearted event, sponsored and organized by local businesses, Destination Greater Victoria and the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, is designed to promote the region during shoulder season. But it’s also a good reminder of what a magical place this is to work, live and play any time of the year.
The count has been held yearly since 1976, when it evolved from an earlier promotion called “Victorian Days.” Back in the 1960s, members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce would bring bouquets of springtime daffodils to snowbound cities like Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. In the ’70s, the event expanded to involve Victoria residents through the counting of February’s flowers, and the Victoria Flower Count was born.
Over the years, the municipalities have cheerfully battled to determine who truly holds the region’s petal power.
In 2023, Sidney was named the Bloomingest Community with 7,580,503,851 blossoms. North Saanich was runner-up with 7,558,368,163. Hillcrest Elementary was the winningest school. And the total number of blooms counted across Greater Victoria was 33,386,900,082.
This year, the count begins at 7 a.m. on March 6 and continues until 4 p.m. on March 13. Prizes will be given out in the photo contest, social media contest, and school contest categories (with thanks to prize sponsors Fairmont Empress, Butchart Gardens and L.A. Limousines). To enter, counters are encouraged to post their photos on social media (using hashtags #FlowerCount and #ExploreVictoria; find the rules here) and to add their count to the total at flowercount.com.