carpenter1.png

Sooke Secret Garden
and Artisan Tour

Saturday, June 7th and
Sunday, June 8th, 2025
10:00am to 4:00pm each day
Watch this page or our
Facebook page for more details!

Join us for the Sooke Philharmonic Society’s
annual fundraising event. Rain or Shine!

The Sooke Secret Garden and Artisan Tour is a great way to explore Sooke gardens and be inspired by their beauty and design. Over the two day tour, your ticket will offer such a rich variety of experiences—private gardens, artisan studios, live music, and the opportunity to meet Master Gardeners and artisans.

While the Tour has always included artisan vendors in the gardens, this year we have expanded the tour to include a few artisan studios as well. Of course, there will again be music performances by the Sooke Philharmonic musicians, as well as talented friends of the orchestra. The combined Tour will likely make for a memorable experience.

Special destinations will feature the Sooke Harbour House, Sooke Region Museum, Artisans Garden and Sooke Arts Council Gallery. Some garden owners will have plants for sale.

Call for Volunteers:

We’re looking for volunteers to help with the upcoming Garden Tour! Your duties will include greeting visitors, checking tickets, and answering questions. In exchange for your time, you’ll receive access to all garden locations for free when you’re not on duty.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator by phone 250-588-5852 or email lifeisgoodinsooke@gmail.com to sign up. We’ll send out a list of garden locations once finalized, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your location preference. It’s first come, first served, so sign up early to get your preferred choice!

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you on the tour!

TOUR DETAILS

Friends of the Tour

Sooke Fine Arts Society logo

Special Destinations

Sooke Region Museum

If you haven’t already purchased your ticket, this will be your first stop. Although the Museum doesn’t have a formal garden there are many native plants such as huckleberry, periwinkle, wild lilies, kinnikinnick and ferns sprinkled throughout the property. Take some time to explore the museum itself and the interesting gift shop and don’t miss the gigantic cross-section of log on display outside! You’ll be fascinated by the history here.

The Artisan’s Garden

Aptly named, Artisan’s Garden is a lush and peaceful garden center offering an abundance of plants for sale as well as a home goods shop specializing in local artist’s work and ethically sourced fair-trade artisans. Enjoy purchased treats from the coffee bar while you take in the magnificent ocean view and take home a plant or two to enhance your own garden!

Sooke Harbour House

Nestled along the breathtaking coastline of Vancouver Island, Sooke Harbour House offers a welcoming retreat where nature and comfort meet. Our boutique hotel combines the charm of unique west coast accommodations with unforgettable dining experiences, crafted by chefs who bring the best of locally grown, foraged, and sourced ingredients to life. Whether you’re unwinding by the ocean, exploring the surrounding natural beauty, or savouring fresh, seasonal flavours, Sooke Harbour House invites you to create lasting memories in a place where relaxation and adventure meet.

Sooke Arts Council

The Sooke Arts Council Gift Shop and Gallery embraces all forms of the visual arts from emerging makers of fine arts & crafts by artists across the Southern Vancouver Island.

The gift shop features themed art shows., painting, sculpture, fabric art, glass and photography.

Stop in and browse their selection of paintings, jewellery, textiles, clothing, home accents, gift cards and more!

DONORS

Thank You to Our Generous Donors

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our generous donors who have supported the Sooke Secret Garden & Artisan Tour. Your contributions help make this beautiful community event possible and not only enriches the experience for visitors but also fosters the growth of local artisans, musicians and gardeners. We are deeply thankful for your commitment to our community - together, we are creating something truly special.

Cafe VOSINO

Hallgren & Faulkner Law Corp.

Hub International Sooke

ML Sushi Take Out

Pharmasave Sooke

Sooke Fax & Copy Centre

Sooke Health & Fitness

Subway Sooke

Up Sooke

Village Food Markets

Our Supporters

The Sooke Secret Garden and Artisan Tour is grateful for the generous support of its sponsors from the community. We encourage you to support them in turn, while visiting Sooke or any time throughout the year!

 

How do we choose the gardens?

Many people ask how we choose the gardens for our Tour. Immediately after the annual Tour each year we face the challenge of finding new gardens for the following year.  Word of mouth, asking local landscapers, advertising and simply driving around looking, are all useful ways of arranging the Tour from year to year.  Our objective is always to select a variety of gardens, large, small, manicured, wild, some designed and maintained by their owners, others with the help of professional gardeners.  We look for some with waterfront, some with edible gardens, some rural acreages and, we hope, an interesting tour of Sooke’s beautiful back roads.  We often select a few from past Tours to show their development and offer further inspiration to visitors.

 

About the Tour

The annual Sooke Secret Garden and Artisan Tour is a major fundraiser for the Sooke Philharmonic Society and has delighted gardening fans as the Tour evolved over the years. Each year we find yet more beautiful and interesting gardens, and more gardeners who are willing to share the wonderful results of their hard work. We are grateful to them all, past, present and future.

The first Tour was organized in 2000 by Women in Tune, a group of dedicated volunteers whose mission was to raise funds for the performing arts in Sooke. With the Women in Tune’s decision to disband, the fundraising committee of the Sooke Philharmonic Society decided to re-establish the Tour as a major fundraiser for the Sooke Philharmonic Society.

Watch the 2021 Virtual Tour

Each year, Garden Owners in Sooke have generously opened their beautiful and interesting gardens for the Sooke Secret Garden Tour. Watch the 2021 video series featuring gardens from Sooke to East Sooke and music by members and friends of the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra.