One of the most frequently asked questions at the Botanical Garden is “where are the flowers?” This is not a silly question, given that most public and large commercial gardens are designed with floral display as a primary objective. In many cases, it may not be obvious to the visitor what she/he is actually looking at in a botanical garden compared with a typical display garden. However, because the Botanical Garden is primarily a research and teaching collection, it is difficult to justify the high cost of extensive flower beds. Such a dilemma—more flowers equals more revenue, versus more science equals more value to research and teaching—is not uncommon with university botanical gardens.
Interpretive signage can help people to better understand the value or appeal of particular plants or collections of plants. Guided tours are a popular way to enrich the Garden experience. Guides can answer questions and point out what the visitor might not see. Another example of garden interpretation is signage. Signs are peppered throughout the garden explaining botanical features and historical uses of plants. Smart phone tours are another example of interpretation. QR (quick read) codes on posts in the garden call up sound and text files, which can be read or listened to at the visitor’s leisure. These often provide a broader context of information about plants or plant groups. Some smart phone tours are seasonal, such as our Rhododendron and Magnolia tours, but others, like the Asian Garden Trail Name tour, are biographical. We even have a Prehistoric Plants tour that tells of the evolutionary history of the plant kingdom.
Finally, it has to be said that outside of periods when it is exceptionally cold, there are always flowers to see in the garden. Some are borne high in the trees, while others are found close to the ground. Some are exceptionally showy and some don’t look much like flowers at all. But with perseverance and maybe a little help, visitors can enjoy a rich, diverse floral experience in the UBC Botanical Garden.
Submitted by Douglas Justice, Associate Director, Horticulture & Collections, August 31, 2014.