Veronica Milner was the creative force behind Milner Gardens and Woodland in Canada. As a young bride, Veronica Villiers moved to an Irish castle. As a widow, she moved to an estate on Vancouver Island and became Mrs. Milner. In the 40 odd years after her arrival she worked on her green legacy.
Photo: gardener’s cottage potting area at Milner Gardens and Woodland, August 2022.
Talents
Veronica Milner was a keen painter and a serious gardener. At Milner Gardens and Woodland, she created a combination of garden and old growth forest.
She used her network of garden experts and their knowledge to let the green oasis develop. The world-renowned botanist Roy Taylor was one of them.
Thus, she created an exquisite Canadian adaption of a wild garden nestled in the forest.
‘She could be fascinating and charming, and she could also be a tyrant.’
Geoff Ball, executive director Milner Gardens and Woodland, 2016
Veronica was also member of several horticultural committees, like the Founding Committee of the VanDusen Botanical Garden. You can expect podcasts about these beautiful gardens in Vancouver sometime in the future.
Personality
According to Geoff Ball, the estate’s executive director and horticulturist, Veronica Milner was a very interesting character with two distinct sides to her nature. He said: ‘She could be fascinating and charming, and she could also be a tyrant.’
Family background
Veronica Milner (1909-1998) was the daughter of the British clergyman and Liberal politician Ernest Amherst Villiers. So she is also known as Veronica Villiers.
Veronica’s mother was Elaine Augusta Guest. This lady was Sir Winston Churchill’s niece. And so our Veronica could proudly say she was related to the Prime Minister.
She was even related to Diana, Princess of Wales. There’s a picture of them both, taken when the princess visited the estate. And we also came across a pretty photograph of a young Veronica.
Family life
As a married woman, Veronica Villiers lived in an Irish castle and on a Canadian estate!
She married in 1929 with Desmond Wyndham Otho FitzGerald. He was the 28th Knight of Glin. They lived in his family home: Glin Castle, County Limerick, Ireland. They had 3 children.
After his death she married the Canadian lawyer and businessman Horatio Ray Milner in 1954. She moved to his property on Vancouver Island. Her husband passed away in 1975. Decennia later, she died in the Canadian family house.
