A UBC Garden membership is more than a pass, it is a gift you give yourself and your family. It’s the perfect reason to step away from busy routines and into a space that changes with the seasons, where each visit feels like a reward. In the heart of Vancouver, UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden reveal nature’s transformations in a way that’s hard to see anywhere else. Colours shift, blooms come and go, and the forest’s views change with the wind and weather.
This summer, members will also notice a new look to our membership cards. This design highlights the spirit of the word “unlimited” and emphasizes the idea that the garden offers endless ways to experience it. Existing members can continue to use their current card, but those who want the new design can pick one up starting late August.
Join us and explore the unlimited experiences that the garden offers. During the summer, the Garden is the perfect place to spend long, warm days and enjoy the bright sunlight coming through the trees. The Alpine Garden glows along with the sunshine and grants us wonderful views. The forest trails offer cool hiding spots from the heat, and the Greenheart TreeWalk gives visitors a new perspective of the trees, but this is only the beginning.
In autumn, the air feels crisp and the gardens take on a deeper palette. Leaves in the Carolinian Forest glow in shades of amber and scarlet and the apples in the Food Garden look ready to eat. Mushrooms push through damp soil, and the changing light casts new shadows over familiar paths. It’s a time for slow walks and watching the transformation from green to gold.
Winter brings a quiet beauty. The bare branches frame the sky, and the stillness makes every sound — the crunch of frost, the ripple of water — feel amplified. Witch hazel flowers appear in midwinter, bringing bursts of yellow to the grey days, and the mosses seem to grow even richer in colour. Nitobe Memorial Garden feels almost contemplative, offering calm and space for reflection.
Spring wakes the gardens with blossoms, fresh shoots, and renewed energy. The magnolias open, followed by the vibrant rhododendrons that fill the air with colour and scent. Early flowers dot the Alpine Garden, and in Nitobe, the irises begin to rise. It’s a season of anticipation, with something new to see almost every week.
Some visitors come once and think they have seen it all, but our gardens change every day. Fruits ripen, flowers bloom, colours burst and dim and plants grow and shift. For those who return, these small shifts start to feel grounding and characteristic. Over time, the Garden becomes not just a place to visit but a place to return to and rediscover.
A UBC Garden membership lets people come back as many times as they want, unlocking unlimited experiences and unlimited memories. Some members walk alone and use this space to reconnect with nature. Others bring friends and family to explore together. Members also receive early access to plant sales, discounts in the shop and invitations to seasonal events that reflect what is happening in the Garden at that time of year.
Each visit feels both familiar and new. That sense of unlimited return, of being able to step back into the Garden whenever the mood strikes, is part of what makes membership meaningful.
Over time, the Garden becomes a touchstone for each season. A place for long afternoons in July, for walking through fog in October, for the first signs of growth in April. For many members, it is not just a destination, but a constant in a shifting city. To truly know the gardens, you have to keep coming back, and a membership makes that possible.
Written by:
Fernanda Munoz
Marketing & Communications Assistant
UBC Botanical Garden