Discover Vancouver's Gardens for All Seasons

Written By Jennifer Blyth

VanDusen Botanical Garden / facebook.com/vandusenbotanicalgarden

While Victoria might wear the crown of "City of Gardens," gardeners will find much to pique their interest in the province's largest urban centre.

In addition to beautiful public spaces like Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver is also home to an array of distinctive specialty gardens, from the coastal forest, ornamental spaces and organic food garden of the UBC Botanical Garden to the urban escape of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in the city's Chinatown neighbourhood.

Here's a look at what you'll find, and how to plan your visit...

UBC Botanical Garden & Greenheart TreeWalk

Established in 1916, the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden is Canada's oldest university botanical garden. Originally established to explore B.C.'s native flora, today visitors can learn about plants from across the globe.

The UBC gardens offer a unique mix of spaces, from an alpine garden featuring plants in geographic zones to a tree-top canopy walk offering a bird's-eye view of a coastal forest. You'll also find a sustainable, organic food garden, a B.C. Rainforest Garden, a Carolinian Forest Garden, a physic garden, and more.

UBC Botanical Garden & TreeWalk / facebook.com/UBCgarden/

If you go:

Nitobe Memorial Garden

A few minutes north, the Nitobe Memorial Garden is a traditional Japanese stroll garden and features an authentic tea house celebrating the memory of Dr. Inazō Nitobe (1862-1933), who strove to promote a better understanding of Japanese culture in the West.

Considered one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the garden for the seasons includes spring cherry blossoms, summer irises and maple leaves changing colour in fall.

If you go:

VanDusen Botanical Garden

A true jewel among West Coast gardens, VanDusen is operated by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association. Stroll its many meandering paths past ponds and lakes, through trees and ornamental beds. Get lost, at least for a little while, in the maze, explore the Canadian Heritage Garden, or pause to smell the flowers in the Heritage Rose Garden.

Download a map here, then to help plan your visit, check out the bloom calendar and a variety of special events.

If you go:

  • From June through Sept. 2, the garden is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at 5151 Oak St.

  • The garden closes at 5 p.m. in September and October, with winter hours following.

  • Learn more at vandusengarden.org

Bloedel Conservatory

A lush, temperature-controlled paradise beneath a glass dome — part of a heritage building in Queen Elizabeth Park — the Bloedel Conservatory is home to more than 100 exotic birds and 500 exotic plants and flowers.

Operated by City of Vancouver Park and the Vancouver Botanical Garden Association, the conservatory offers the opportunity to learn about the complex tropical and subtropical rainforest habitats, to engage the senses in the healing garden, or to join the little ones in a scavenger hunt while you explore.

If you go:

  • From May to Sept. 2, the Conservatory is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., in Queen Elizabeth Park, 4600 Cambie St. It closes at 5 p.m. in September and October and at 4 p.m. from November through February.

  • Learn more at BloedelConservatory.ca

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

An oasis in the heart of Vancouver's historic Chinatown, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is an authentic representation of Ming Dynasty-era tradition – the first of its kind outside China.

Named World’s Top City Garden by National Geographic in 2011, it offers winding paths, rocks, plants and beautiful vistas. Adjacent is Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park, which, though separate from the garden, complements its design: "The two portions were in fact designed as one, with the park containing mostly plant material and the garden serving as the architectural heart of the scholar’s home ... There is no rivalry here, with the two sides engaged only in 'borrowing views' from each other."

If you go:

Jennifer Blyth
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