Explore The Denman Island HOME and Garden TOUR
Here is your guide to the offerings on the 2026 tour. Each of the tour’s 11 private homes/gardens is unique and reflects the vision and lifestyle of the owners. The tour also features one Denman Conservancy conservation area and three community venues located in ‘downtown’ Denman Island. Together, these 15 sites showcase islanders’ creative vision, craftsmanship, and hard work.
All funds raised go to the Denman Conservancy Association for land protection. Many thanks to these generous property owners and stewards for opening up their special places to support DCA’s ongoing work.
Denman Island South
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….. high-efficiency irrigation system and extra-deep raised beds, and his carvings, cabinetry, and functional details appear everywhere. Visit his woodworking shop for a peek into his creative process.
The deck welcomes you with an abundant pot garden of variegated boxwood, evergreens, forsythia, ginkgo, and perennials alongside fountains and whimsical sculptures.
Inside, artmaking and comfortable living coexist. An art studio occupies half the living room, and a drawing table sits in the heart of the kitchen. Artistry runs in Jayne’s family, and multi-generational creativity shows up throughout, from the basket of walking sticks carved by her father to the moon mural painted by her son.
Check out Jayne’s cabinets of curiosities—collections of bones, antlers, shells, stones, bits of driftwood, and other found treasures, thoughtfully arranged by colour, shape, or theme.
Outside, three separate garden areas overflow with vegetables, herbs, and berries, interplanted with flowers and enlivened with playful embellishments—a green ceramic chicken perched on a border, a fanciful metalwork slug tucked among the leaves. Don’t miss the beautiful sunrise-and-sunset gate into the back garden.
Facilities: Water, washroom
…… weddings, visitors, and local events. The massive pergola, festooned with fragrant wisteria, offers a particularly lovely spot to linger.
Each autumn, Corlan hosts picking parties, where community volunteers spend a day working among the vines, followed by a big harvest meal. Their annual Canada Day picnic has become a cherished Denman tradition.
‘Corlan’ is the Welsh word for sheepfold, and you might see lambs frolicking in the meadow. The farm also raises chickens, propagates grapevines, and is a stalwart at the Denman Farmers Market.
The home showcases a tasteful renovation that preserves the original octagon and post-and-beam construction, while creating more space and light. The additions are constructed from wood milled on the property by Pat. In the kitchen, a striking tree-trunk pillar features a sinuous hand-carved selkie, one of many artistic details.
Corlan is a good spot for lunch on the tour. Charcuterie boxes will be on sale via pre-order (at corlan@telus.net or 250-650-3534), and there will be live classical music in the breezeway.
Facilities: Water, washroom, picnic areas
….. succulent-filled rockery, the hand-crafted Japanese-inspired arbour, and the rhubarb-leaf water feature.
Since appearing in the 2022 Home & Garden Tour, the property has evolved. A new pond is in the works, and a new vegetable garden is thriving at the foot of the driveway. The old vegetable garden up at the house now hosts new raised beds for a cutting garden, providing armfuls of flowers for bouquets from spring till fall.
The1986 house, open for the first time, offers cozy comfort, anchored by a massive river-rock hearth and a vaulted ceiling with exposed rafters. The long dining table suggests shared meals and conviviality. The masks and paintings on the walls tell their own stories of travel and creative friendships.
The property is nestled within a West Coast forest and offers peekaboo views to Hornby Island—a beautiful reminder of the landscape beyond this carefully tended haven.
Facilities: Water, washroom, picnic areas
….. sculpture, paintings, decorative tiles, rich fabrics, basketry, lanterns, pottery, stained glass, and handcrafted cabinetry is artfully composed throughout.
The mood is both elegant and cozy. An inviting book nook tucked under the stairs and a loft bedroom create a snug cubbyhole feel, while a row of tall windows opens to the light and the long view.
Outside, curving paths, driftwood arbours, rock walls, sculpture, and terraced beds shape the space into distinct garden rooms. The rose garden includes sweet williams, Shasta daisies, honeybush, hollyhocks, and dahlias. The cottage garden brims with lilies, sedums, yarrow, columbine, coneflowers, bee balm, foxglove, black-eyed Susans, and more.
Walkways are edged with lavender, phlox, and snapdragons. A switchback path leads to the Mediterranean garden, where a fountain and small patio invite you to linger among olive, fig, and banana trees, windmill palm, yucca, opuntia (prickly pear), bay laurel, eucalyptus, and fatsia japonica (paperplant).
Be sure to visit the hand-built caravan housing Karen’s tiny office, the sauna and bath house, and the greenhouse, all enhanced with delicious use of colour and artistic details.
Most of the art pieces inside and outside were created by Denman artists. A list of works will be available for visitors wishing to learn about the island’s creative community.
This property involves a 100-metre walk from the parking area.
Facilities: Washroom (in the bathhouse) .
….. takes you on a steep 500-metre walk to the ridge top where you’ll see glimpses of the Vancouver Island mountains through the trees.
Donated by Victoria Foe in 2025, the property offers mossy paths and towering trees, including old-growth Douglas fir, western hemlock, red cedar, and patches of deciduous trees and arbutus, which create sun and shelter within the conifers. Look carefully and you may spot native orchids and lilies in the understory.
This site has a range of elevations from 64 metres to 102 metres above sea level on an otherwise relatively low-lying island. The ridgetop is part of a travel corridor for many wildlife species. The higher elevation provides unique protected perch habitat for a variety of raptors, including turkey vultures, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and at least three species of hawk.
Facilities: Picnic Area.
….. a rose collection with over 20 different varieties, and she continues to add dahlias and other cutting flowers to the vegetable beds.
This is a casual garden, with beds of flowers that burst from their borders, creating an exuberant, colouring-outside-the-lines feel. There is a little goldfish pond, an arbour with a massive mock orange, large rhododendrons, cascades of irises, a herb garden, and lovely groundcovers.
Brenda and Rory love the diversity of plants and the many animals, especially the profusion of hummingbirds, that visit the garden.
The previous owner was a fisherman, and there are funky outbuildings connected to this vocation, such as a fish-drying shack. The current owners have discovered many fun and inventive uses for old fishing gear as they made the place their own.
The house and deck, which offers views of Lambert Channel, Hornby, and the Sunshine Coast to the east, are newly renovated in a beautiful and timeless modern aesthetic.
Facilities: Washroom, picnic areas
….. the bed’s headboard and footboard feature a beautiful inlay design showing a Denman scene. In the sunroom, notice the beautiful stained-glass panel made by a Denman artist.
To see where all this was created, visit David’s workshop, a woodworker’s dream. Here you can check out the tools, see works in progress, and buy samples of David’s work.
In Joan’s lovely back gardens, find the original Concord grapevine—over 80 years old—festooning one of Denman’s longest arbours. Visit the aviary, with its colourful budgies and cockatiels, the 1922 heritage barn, and the centenarian fruit trees in the orchard. Along the way, you’ll see chickens, dogs, rabbits, and horses—both full-size and miniature.
Past the vegetables and berries, find three tranquil ponds and a charming arched bridge made by the owners’ son from a single curved fir tree. Three large cisterns and 34 solar panels provide sustainable water and energy.
Leave inspired by everything you see on this farm: gardening, craftsmanship, animals, food production, and sustainable practices.
Facilities: Water, washroom, picnic areas
Denman Island North
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….. Denman Island landscapers, orchardists, designers, and contractors, and nine years later, the dream has come to life.
Over 750 fruit trees are setting down roots in two separate orchard areas—one with French, English, and a few Dutch cider apples, and another with American heirloom varieties. Masses of wildflowers, planted to attract pollinators, create a carpet of colour between the trees.
The house features a clean, modern aesthetic with a focus on wood, glass, and spaciousness, offering a stunning panoramic view of the Beaufort Mountains. The expressive quality of the natural materials throughout complements the colours of the changing seasons in the surrounding orchards.
The logging slash is gone—transformed into wood chips to enrich the soil. The landscaping transitions gradually from the formal cultivated areas beside the home, through more natural plantings, and finally to the wild forest along the periphery.
Follow the winding paths to see the sloping rock garden with five types of lavender, the pond, the peaceful memorial garden, and the eco-hedge, designed to provide habitat for local species.
The craft cidery building is nearing completion, but alas, no cider until 2027.
Facilities: Water, washroom, picnic areas
….. a beautiful example of West Coast craftsmanship that is in constant conversation with the natural world around it.
A richly hued stained-glass window in the front door depicts a classic Denman Island scene: a heron fishing on the shoreline as the sun sets behind distant mountains.
Inside, the living room is anchored by two striking focal points: an imposing river rock hearth with a mantel crafted from a massive slab of fir, and a bay window projecting towards the ocean like the prow of a boat.
High ceilings, expansive windows, and many skylights seem to bring the outdoors in, while comfy leather furniture and an abundance of locally sourced wood keep the mood homey and intimate.
Numerous pieces of Vancouver Island Indigenous art add beauty and cultural resonance. As you approach the bow window, look up to see the mask of Dzunukwa, the Wild Woman of the Woods, a figure in Kwakwaka’wakw and Nuu-chah-nulth mythology.
The grounds feature sinuous arbutus trees, oceanside patios, roses, perennials, a greenhouse, and an orchard. Wander through the low-lying wetland to the cozy guest cabin, converted from an old boat house, and be sure to visit Chris’ woodworking shop.
Facilities: Water, washrooms, picnic areas
….. in a Vancouver alley, kitchen cabinets sourced on Craigslist, and a hand-hewn wooden loft staircase brought from the owner’s previous home.
Most of the living area is on the top floor under a steeply sloping shed roof. Big windows offer glimpses of the ocean through the treetops. The space feels like a cozy nest, perched up high in the forest.
The owners’ passion for sustainability is reflected in the home’s small footprint, greywater-recycling system, rainwater catchment, and composting toilet, which reduces water use—always a concern on an island with limited groundwater and scant summer rain.
The rambling, informal garden blends beauty and production. The vegetable beds are interplanted with colourful perennials and self-seeding flowers. Pale blue star-shaped borage—a favourite of Mary Jane’s—peeks out of every corner. Swaths of dame’s rocket create sweet-smelling clouds of pastel shades, a paradise for bees and butterflies.
Medicinal plants abound—elecampane, marshmallow, lemon balm, mullein, and more. Apple, fig, and hazelnut trees provide bountiful harvests. A seasonal stream, which the owners dug to drain the boggy soil, adds a pleasing murmur.
The property tells a story of how simple living involves ongoing hard work—and also provides daily delight, a pantry full of home-grown food, and the deep satisfaction of living in harmony with nature.
Facilities: Picnic areas
….. vegetable and berry beds and new feature trees such as a redbud (Cercis), planted just this spring, and numerous exotic maples.
Some things, however, never change: an abundance of fragrant roses, climbers, and perennials continue to frame the pathways that meander through dappled shade, with a view to the Beaufort Mountains in the distance. Pollinators still buzz and hover, drawn by the profusion of richly scented, multi-coloured blooms. The decorative trees and ornamental shrubs have matured over the decades, adding to the enchantment.
The cozy hand-built house, created by a local designer in 1978, is profiled in Builders of the Pacific Coast, Lloyd Kahn’s classic book about the “vortex of creative carpentry energy” in the Pacific Northwest.
The spacious wraparound porch includes openings for the trunks of a mature handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata) and a 45-year-old wisteria, both of which provide welcome shade in the summer. Inside, discover plaster walls, wooden beams stretching across the ceiling, a rock fireplace, woodsy details, and Stuart’s paintings of local ocean and forest scenes.
Facilities: Washroom, picnic area
….. a few overgrown plants, a collection of unruly fruit trees, a broken-down fence, and scattered piles of refuse—a far cry from Brian’s vision of an artfully structured formal garden..
Brian got to work—cleaning, planning, trimming, pruning, and planting. The result is a tranquil, orderly oasis of calm and delight, complemented by thoughtful landscaping behind and beside the house that creates a natural transition to the wild forest above.
The garden is characterized by symmetry, formal lines, and geometric design. Benches, arbours, and sculpture provide focal points, while carefully trimmed hedges and topiary create rhythm and pattern. The axial layout emphasizes balance and harmony. This is a place to sit and dream, to slip into reverie and let time pass unheeded.
Roses, lavender, irises, peonies, and many more perennials abound. A massive wisteria-covered arbour runs along one edge of the garden. On the opposite edge, a grapevine spills across a trellis. A giant California lilac (Ceanothus) and large swathes of lavender anchor the lower border.
Brian will have photos on display showing what the property looked like when he bought it—a compelling before-and-after story that brings the garden’s evolution vividly to life.
Facilities: Picnic Area
Denman Island – Community SItes
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….. Denman Island library, and her legacy remains vibrantly alive in this heritage building which now serves a new purpose, thanks to a grassroots community effort.
Some time after Dora’s death, the house went on the market. A group of local residents banded together to purchase it and transform it into a centre for the arts. The extensive renovation that followed took care to respect the historic architecture and style.
Today, the Arts Centre is used as a summer gallery and a venue for workshops and courses. The grounds, with their babbling brook, charming bridges, and art-embellished fence, host an ever-evolving sculpture park showcasing the works of local artists.
During the tour, the centre will offer an exhibit featuring the building’s history and art by local artists, created by Arts Denman, the non-profit association that owns and runs this treasured community venue.
Facilities: Washroom, Picnic Areas
….. native and drought-tolerant plants. Meandering paths were designed around some of the existing trees such as Norway maple and Indian plum. Native sword ferns around the new foundation enhance the rural character.
Around the new foundation in the front of the church, native sword ferns were placed to enhance the rural look.
Raised beds were filled with soil collected from Denman Island ditches when they were cleared that year, and a rain-harvesting system was installed to collect water from the church roof.
Behind the church, a memorial garden centres around the four original foundation stones. The surrounding beds contain dogwood, boxwood, bulbs, native plants, deer- and drought-resistant shrubs and perennials, and edibles.
You’ll find bay laurel, rhubarb, rosemary, sage, oregano, mint, and lavender and fruit trees such as winter banana apple, Bartlett pear, and Dolgo crabapples. Native plants include evergreen huckleberry, red flowering currant, snowberry, Oregon grape, and bald-hip rose.
Facilities: Picnic Areas
….. her husband, Jim, and was active in many local initiatives, gave instructions that this material should form the nucleus of a community museum.
Thanks to a major fundraising campaign and a land donation by another Denman community leader, Tess Trueman, the Denman Activity and Museum Centre was completed in 1983.
Since then, the museum has served as history-keeper and storyteller, sharing Denman’s past and culture through permanent and temporary exhibits, all curated and maintained by volunteers.
