Garden Communications
Uniting for Nature: Highlights from Biodiversity Days 2024
Read about our fourth annual Biodiversity Days celebration, and how the many branches of our community joined together to share knowledge on all things biodiversity! As a new Sustainability and Community Programs student at UBC Botanical Garden, May was an exciting time to start my first month on the team and dive right into Biodiversity […]
July in the Garden 2024
A summertime visit to the Botanical Garden is a singular pleasure. When the temperatures finally rise to something resembling summer heat (hopefully this will happen in July), the forested paths of the woodland areas of the Garden beckon visitors to enjoy a cool respite from the sun. It’s easy to while away the hours sitting […]
Gift Ideas for Father’s Day
Gifts from UBC Botanical Garden’s Shop in the Garden and Garden Centre offer a special touch of nature and sustainability for that botanical-loving Father. Gifts from UBC Botanical Garden’s Shop in the Garden and Garden Centre not only celebrate Father’s Day but also support conservation efforts and promote appreciation for the biodiverse world: Botanical Games […]
June in the Garden 2024
I should start this month’s despatch by correcting a mistake from the May 2024 in the Garden entry, which stated that Rhododendron decorum subspecies diaprepes ‘Gargantua’ “started flowering in mid-April,” which it did not. As is its normal habit, it will be in glorious bloom in June. Mea culpa. In my defence, I was still […]
Endangered Maples in Southern Japan March 2024
Endangered Maples in Southern Japan – March 14 – March 28, 2024 The trip participants were Dan Crowley (Westonbirt Arboretum, UK, and BGCI), Ikuyo Saeki (University of Tsukuba, Japan), Ryo Sugiyama (Nitobe Memorial Garden) and Douglas Justice (UBC Botanical Garden). Ikuyo joined us on Day 2, on our way to the Ryukyu Islands, and left […]
Importance of Native Bee Diversity: How to Help Save the ‘Right’ Bees
About the author: Terrell Roulston is a community ecologist, and pollinator expert. He recently completed his Masters of Science in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC, where he worked on untangling how honey bees (Apis mellifera) change the functioning of plant and pollinator communities using pollination networks. Terrell joined UBC Botanical Garden’s […]
8 Thoughtful Gifts for Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to honour the incredible mothers who have shaped our lives with their love, wisdom, and unwavering support. Show your appreciation with gestures that truly reflect the depth of our gratitude and affection. Here are 8 thoughtful gift ideas for Mother’s Day, from heartfelt gifts that speak to her unique […]
iNaturalist – Plant Phenology
We have created a project called Flowers of UBC Botanical Garden to understand patterns in the phenology of our plant collections. We encourage the public to participate in our project by capturing at least one photograph (ideally three) of easily accessible plants in our collections. Please remember to stay on the paths and do not trespass areas […]
May in the Garden 2024
Although April is the peak of rhododendron bloom in the David C. Lam Asian Garden, there are plenty more to come in May. The Azalea Glade, which is reached off of Henry and Fortune Trails, east of Upper Asian Way, holds a few treasures in this regard. At least two forms of Rhododendron campylogynum should […]
April in the Garden 2024
2024 will go down as an exceptional year for ornamental cherries, but one of the least predictable for timing. For example, the flowering schedule outlined in the handbook Ornamental Cherries in Vancouver, published in 2014 after several years of careful phenological observations, has been mostly turned on its head. Early cherries, like Prunus ‘Accolade’, are […]