2024: A Year of Germination at UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden

Our Director, Dee Ann Benard, invites us to look back on the highlights of this year. Through our collective drive for growth and unwavering dedication, we have achieved significant progress, transformation, and success.

Read on for our Director’s full reflection and vision for the future of the UBC Botanical Garden team and its broader impact to our community.

 

2024: A Year of Germination at UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on UBC Botanical Garden’s 2024 highlights, growth, and accomplishments. This was a year of brand-new beginnings, challenges and changes, beauty and blossoms, community connection, and steps toward sustainability. 

Garden Highlights: Education and Community Engagement 

• Lunar New Year Market: Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, this year’s market doubled in size, offering workshops like dumpling making, calligraphy, and Mahjong instruction alongside an assortment of vendors and food trucks. 
• Biodiversity Days: This annual, month-long May event featured a book signing, a Bird Celebration, a Bat Walk, a Family Nature Walk and a very popular Grow Green Live Series. This year’s Bee Walk highlighted the importance of native bee diversity and how to help save the ‘right’ bees. 
• Branching Out: Designed to bring nature-loving LGBTQ2S+ community members to celebrate pride, the second annual event, Branching Out, was a sold-out, adult-only evening. Guests enjoyed garden tours led by our horticulture team and explored the Greenheart TreeWalk. Donations from this free, inclusive, and accessible event went to CampOUT.
• Apple Festival: Despite an atmospheric river, record rainfall and damaged tents, our intrepid volunteers (supported by our dauntless staff) hosted yet another successful Applefest. Highlights included the newly introduced Chef David’s food demos and the Director’s Corner, along with classic favourites like the apple-tasting tent and children’s area.  
• Research: 2024 was a year for genomics projects, and we contributed plant material and collections expertise. For the Canada Biogenome Project’s inaugural year of sampling vascular plants across Canada, our collections supplied over forty taxa, including rare species, and we assisted with the procurement of over a dozen more. For the Global Genome Initiative for Gardens project to fill taxonomic gaps for genomics research, we supplied four novel plant families and around 30 novel genera. 

Example Events and Projects

• Bridge Repairs: Aging garden bridges were repaired or replaced, enhancing visitor safety and experience. 
• Nitobe Memorial Garden: New programming in 2024 lays the groundwork for exciting initiatives next year. 
• Other Events: Wedding Open House; Donor Tea; Relaunch of the Amphitheatre Series.  

Noteworthy 

• 2024 began with mild weather and early blooms but soon turned into Vancouver’s coldest and snowiest January on record, bringing surprising plant outcomes. While hardy Arctostaphylos viscida failed, the less-expected Comarostaphylis diversifolia thrived (and impressively so). Similarly, root-pruned Magnolia insignis, Eucomis, and Hesperantha survived, while the Asian Garden lost at least 12 large rhododendrons weakened by hotter summers. Remarkably, the tender Camellia lutchuensis, known to dislike cold, resprouted successfully. The silver lining of 2024’s bitter January is this new information that will help us better manage the Garden for climate change. These unexpected results provided valuable lessons for managing the Garden amid climate change. Cherry blossoms were also exceptional but unpredictable, with blooms from February to April. Visitors are encouraged to check updates and visit often. 

• 2024 was an exceptional year for ornamental cherries, but unpredictable for timing of flowering. More learnings about climate change and a reminder that visitors may be able to enjoy the cherry blossom season from as early as February and as late as the end of April. Watch for updates and plan to visit often. 

New Donations and Funding Highlights 

• Plant Exploration funding of $250,000 will support the next five years of seed collecting.
• Funding of $326,000 will support the expansion of the Community Outreach Program and allow us to double our impact, support low-income schools, and increase group visitation. 
• Funding for two new golf carts and to start a capital replacement fund. 
• Miscellaneous funding to support: Kids Nature Kits for low-income children attending Biodiversity Days; a tractor forklift attachment; a covered space to store equipment; a new Food Garden patio project. 

2025: Anticipating a Year of Dynamic Growth at UBC Botanical Garden  

As we turn our attention to the new year, I’m excited about upcoming projects, especially the launch of our new strategic plan, the start of new infrastructure and capital replacement projects, and the initiation of new events and programs. 

Thank you to our staff, volunteers, members, and visitors for making 2024 successful and burgeoning with promise. And thank you to the Faculty of Science and UBC for all their support as we make big plans for the future. Together, we are cultivating not just plants but a thriving community, a deeper appreciation for the natural world, and a robust and sustainable future. 

I look forward to another year of growth, connection and camaraderie, as well as some exciting new challenges at our beautiful UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden.

 

 

Written by Dee Ann Benard
Director
UBC Botanical Garden & Nitobe Memorial Garden