Everything a baron could want He was a wealthy coal baron, a former B.C. premier and lieutenant-governor, a larger-than-life character who was known to tell workmen "Money doesn't matter; just build what I want."What James Dunsmuir wanted, and what he got, was Hatley Park-a 260-hectare Edwardian estate about 15 kilometres west of Victoria. When it was finished in 1908, the luxurious, $4-million Scottish castle was considered the finest residence in Canada. But just as much praise was heaped on the grounds, which featured everything a coal baron's family could want: formal and informal gardens, lakes, pastures for livestock, a dairy and a smokehouse, greenhouses supplying fresh vegetables and a glass conservatory overflowing with exotics. In its heyday, 100 men maintained the gardens and grounds, including a crew whose only job was to rake the 10 kilometres of gravel roads.Today, many of those roads have been paved, and the livestock, smokehouse and glass conservatory are gone, but the home and the gardens retain most of their former glory.A visit is like being plunked into the middle of one of the finest English estates-with a Canadian twist. Surrounded on three sides by forest with the ocean in front, Hatley Park boasts six hectares of cultivated gardens and 180 hectares of forest and trails.Credit for maintaining the grounds and castle must go to the Canadian military, which purchased the estate from the family in 1940 and established Royal Roads Military College. When the college closed in 1995, the government stepped in to create Royal Roads University. Not long after, Hatley Park, or Royal Roads as it's often called, was designated a National Historic Site.With only a small sign marking the entrance, it's possible to drive by the stone wall on Sooke Road without realizing the scope of what lies beyond. But more than 50,000 people find their way here every year to see a wide variety of plants, garden styles and many rare heritage trees. The formal Italian garden section Some of those trees are close to the castle, which is approached by way of grand, long steps overlooked by a statue of Neptune, the ocean monarch. The evergreens flanking the staircase are Cedrus deodora, a species of tree originally from the Himalayas and often found in 19th-century gardens. On either side of the steps are pruned black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia)."Most of the cultivated trees in Canadian gardens are too young to have reached this size," says head gardener David Rutherford, one of five gardeners who maintain the grounds. "And when you wander through the old-growth cedars and firs in the forest, it's awe-inspiring to think they were growing there when Elizabeth I was on the throne."The formal Italian garden is sited below the castle terrace. It contains original urns, stone benches and statues depicting the four seasons, as well as a central pavilion and a vine-covered gazebo. A spectacular 90-year-old Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) partly covers a stone pavilion at the far entrance, a popular spot for wedding photographs. Along with clipped evergreens, there are climbing roses, clematis, phlox, delphiniums, a boxwood hedge and a Mexican flannel bush (Fremontodendron mexi-canum), which produces waxy, yellow, eight-centimetre flowers for six months of the year. "They aren't traditional Italian plants," explains Rutherford, "because that's not what the Dunsmuirs planted here."The view from the Italian garden is stunning: the original croquet lawn, now surrounded by a classic English flower border, is backed by Esquimalt Lagoon, which has been a bird sanctuary since 1920, with open ocean beyond.A short walk past spectacular, large copper beeches (Fagus sylvatica 'Cuprea') and a huge horse chestnut is the almost one-hectare Japanese garden, which was built in several stages by a gardener from Japan. It features many classic Asian elements, including a large pavilion, twisting paths (to discourage evil spirits), several lakes, lanterns, stone groupings and a waterwheel. An island in one of the lakes was designed to resemble a tortoise and is inhabited by crane statues; both tortoises and cranes are symbols of longevity. Year-round Japanese garden section; visitors' notes Like all well-designed Japanese gardens, this one provides year-round interest. In winter, peeling bark from the paperbark maple (Acer griseum) can be seen etched against the sky. Also stunning is the rich, coppery red bark of the birch-bark tree (Prunus serrula) and the green and white stripes of the striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum). In spring, the magnolia trees bloom, and a bank of 'Pink Pearl' rhododendrons erupts into a mass of pinkish white. But no matter the time of year, make sure you see the rare dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), located near the rose garden. This deciduous conifer loses its needles in winter, revealing graceful branches and red bark, and opens with delicate green foliage in spring.Late June is the best time to see the geometric rose garden, which is partly enclosed by stucco walls and contains an original sundial and bench. Many of the almost 200 roses flower then, including Austin English roses, hybrid teas, old-fashioned shrub roses and ramblers. "We have the Dunsmuirs' original rose list, but the only rose that survived is 'American Pillar', a rambler with carmine-pink flowers, gold stamens and a white eye," says Rutherford.At Hatley Park, it's difficult to tell what's man-made and what isn't. A case in point is the English landscape garden in the lower lakes area, in the tradition of "Capability" Brown, an 18th-century English designer. Ornamental trees flourish here, including London plane trees (Platanus x hispanica syn. P. x acerifolia), English oaks (Quercus robur forma fastigiata) and an outstanding katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) from Japan. Enjoying both trees and water is a variety of wildlife: ducks and white swans, blue herons and eagles, mink, otters and, according to some reports, even the resident ghost, which is said to hover over the water periodically, searching for serenity.The forest glen, just east of the castle, is more wild than cultivated. And it's the only area of the garden that fell into decline until it was reclaimed in the 1980s. "We found the rock steps and stone walls and dug it out," remembers Rutherford, "and the only plants left were clumps of bamboo, hellebores and a few rhododendrons."Using the forest as a backdrop, the area around the bridges and waterfalls was originally planted up with rhododendrons, bamboos, primulas and other plants native to Nepal and Northern China. Rutherford and his crew added more rhodos and hellebores, as well as hardy geraniums, bellflowers, cyclamen and blue-eyed Mary (Omphalodes verna). They also introduced several trees, including a maidenhair tree (Gingko biloba) and a Korean fir (Abies koreana).Visitors' notesLocation: Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Rd., Victoria, V9B 5Y2Getting there: a 25-minute drive from downtown Victoria;Victoria Regional Transit System: 250/382-6161; www.bctransit.com/regions/vicHours: open year-round;daylight hours for gardenFee: free entrance to garden, pay parkingGarden tours: self-guidedtours for groups can be bookedCastle tours: dailyFor more information about tours call 250/391-2600,ext. 4456; www.royalroads.caChannels/about rru/campus information.Events: Victoria Flower and Garden Show, July 11, 12 and 13; the grounds are often used by movie production companies and are available for wedding ceremonies, receptions and photography; grounds fairly accessible to wheelchairs.