Abkhazi Garden

Abkhazi Garden is a lovingly preserved urban sanctuary in Victoria, shaped by a royal love story, decades of devoted gardening, and saved by The Land Conservancy to honour its rich cultural and natural legacy

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Location

Victoria
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About

Abkhazi Garden is in the Fairfield area of Victoria and it’s managed by The Land Conservancy (TLC)
TLC is a non-profit land trust, modelled after the National Trust in Britain, and it protects nature, culture, and history across B.C.
The story of Abkhazi Garden begins not in Victoria, but in 1920s Paris—when Marjorie “Peggy” Pemberton-Carter met Prince Nicholas Abkhazi, an exiled Georgian royal
Their connection was instant, and a long-distance friendship began—sustained by letters and the rare visit
Orphaned at four and raised by distant relatives, Peggy was later adopted by a wealthy couple, spending her youth traveling the world under the control of a domineering mother—until her mother’s death in 1938 finally gave her the freedom to return to her birthplace, Shanghai
In 1919, Nicholas fled Georgia with his mother to escape the Bolshevik Revolution, hoping to reunite with his father—the hereditary Prince of Abkhazia—but that reunion never came; his father was executed in 1923, leaving Nicholas to spend the next 20 years in poverty, caring for his mother in Paris
World War II would tear them further apart as both were imprisoned—Nicholas in a POW camp in Germany, Peggy in a Japanese internment camp near Shanghai
During her internment, Peggy secretly kept a diary—later published as A Curious Cage—and hid traveler’s cheques in a talcum powder tin, using them to escape to San Francisco and eventually Victoria
Arriving in December 1945, she bought a rugged, tree-covered lot and began creating what would become Abkhazi Garden—her sanctuary and artistic legacy
In 1946, a letter from Nicholas changed everything—they had lost contact during the war, unsure if the other had survived
Reunited in New York after 13 years apart, they soon married and returned to Victoria, where the garden became their shared passion—and their 'child’
Drawing on their refined tastes and love of nature, music, and art, they transformed the land through decades of patient care, thoughtful design, and deep respect for its natural beauty
They sourced plants from the best nurseries and leaned on guidance from Victoria’s most renowned horticulturalists
Nicholas passed away in 1987 and Peggy passed in 1994, at the age of 92
After her passing the property faced redevelopment and in 2000, TLC stepped in—saving the Abkhazis’ legacy from becoming a townhouse complex
Their story lives on here, in every winding path and blooming flower
To learn more, read A Curious Cage by Peggy Abkhazi, and A Curious Life by Katherine Gordon
The garden contains several distinct areas including a summerhouse, rhododendron woodland garden, south lawn, and Yangtze River
The summerhouse was built by summer of 1946 and was used as a shelter before the main house was completed
When you visit the building today, it houses a treasure trove of items including lawnmowers that were used to maintain the grounds
One of the lovely volunteers at the garden shared that when Prince Nicholas saw the lawnmowers on the grass, he would say, “There’s my fleet!”
The summerhouse also contains Peggy’s gardening jacket and stool
The main house was completed in 1947 and now holds a gift shop and restaurant/tea house
The rhododendron woodland garden contains a collection of rhododendrons, some of which were 50 years old when planted by the Abkhazis
A giant Himalayan lily is also located here and these lilies are known to flower once four to seven years from seed but leave bublets behind to start the cycle again
The south lawn was originally a formal rose garden but was replaced with spring flowering shrubs
At the north end of the lawn, beneath the quiet shadow of the rock, the ashes of Nicholas and Peggy were laid to rest and it was Peggy’s wish that no tears be shed for her and instead to raise a glass of champagne, marking her reunion with her beloved Nicholas
Just beyond the recumbent Spanish fir, a serene lawn slopes toward a heather-lined path beneath a towering rock—one of Peggy’s favorite views, reminiscent of the Yangtze River near her birthplace of Shanghai, and part of her original vision to celebrate the land’s natural beauty through winding paths, reflective pools, and unfolding vistas
The artfully shaped azaleas stand as living proof of Peggy Abkhazi’s belief that “with a garden like this you have to prune, prune, and prune… and I love to prune!”
Be sure to visit the house terrace at the end of your visit and admire a view of the entire garden
Each year, more than 60 dedicated volunteers help make Abkhazi Garden the welcoming, urban sanctuary it is—greeting visitors and helping preserve its beauty for all to enjoy