Recently VanDusen Botanical Garden participated in a study by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the Morton Arboretum on the ex situ conservation of threatened trees in the United States by botanical gardens.
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Autumn colours are absolutely stunning at the Garden, and there are plenty of blooms still showing.
Download the December bloom guide here.
Learn MoreThe winter Garden features muted colour palettes, stunning silhouettes and a scattering of colour with winter berries and blooms.
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In spring the Garden is bursting with cheerful rhododendrons, stunning magnolias, delicate cherry blossoms and bloom-full camellias – to mention a few…
Learn MoreSummer in the Garden features vibrant colours and fragrant smells for our visitors to enjoy.
Learn MoreWhether you’re designing a small green entrance to your home or an expansive backyard oasis, this online class will equip you with the essential principles of landscape design. Join Janis Matson, horticulturist and owner of Shoreline Landscape Design, for this 4-part workshop series.
Learn foundational design concepts, such as soil, slope, sun exposure, and irrigation. Expand your learning with the principles and elements of design like focal points, scale, colour, balance, and more. Bring photos or drawings of your garden and work on your own property’s design with feedback and insight from the instructor. Leave inspired and ready to design your garden.
Botanist Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed joins the VBGA to teach you about deciduous tree identification. Participants will learn about native and commonly cultivated species found in VanDusen Botanical Garden and around the Lower Mainland. Learn key characteristics of the most common deciduous tree families and recognize them in urban and wild environments.
This illustration course taught by Katharine Dickinson will bring the fun of drawing to the world of birds.
Strengthen your observation skills for studying birds, while developing your illustration skills. In the first class of this 2-part series, capture the plain form and essential bird features with simple sketches. In the second class, explore adding touches of watercolour to your drawing. After this course, you’ll have the confidence to bring your sketchpad out to the park, or to VanDusen Garden, or Bloedel Conservatory (admission sold separately), and connect to birdwatching through art.
Educator and herbalist Lori Snyder will guide you to make medicines from the plant world to bring balance, harmony and healing to your life.
Discover native and fragrant plants in British Columbia that can be harvested or grown in your gardens to make incense cones. Flower essences are homeopathic tinctures that carry the highest vibration of the plant, which can be very helpful for your emotional health. These simple, easy DIY projects can provide benefits for your spiritual practices, purification of your home, and building an appreciation for the healing aromatic chemical components of some of your favourite plants.
Interested in growing your own food but don’t have access to an in-ground garden? Welcome to the world of possibilities for edible container gardening!
This class is perfect for urban gardeners who want to get started with growing veggies and food crops on their balconies, patios, and container gardens, with tips on how to get started. Learn which vegetable varieties are best for patios or balconies, what the best soils and companion plants are, and which container pots to choose. After receiving Jennifer’s assistance and demonstration, you will feel confident to design the layout of a container garden to plant at home.
What garden pests are bugging you? Do you have invasive insects or other critters that are competing with your ability to grow food or maintain a healthy garden? In this class meet some of the region’s most devastating garden and lawn invaders, including European chafer beetle, fire ants and European grey squirrel. Also, learn about some species that are not yet here that you should be on the watch for.
Instructor Tasha Murray is the Executive Director of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver and has been involved in conservation in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years working with land managers, professionals, volunteers and the public on invasive species projects.
