November in the Garden 2025
November is a time when garden plants often descend into subtlety. Without frost and long spells of dry sunny weather, the potential for spectacular foliage displays begin to diminish. There are some exceptions. The sweet gums (Liquidambar species), many deciduous viburnums and a few Chinese maples can continue to increase in intensity even through […]
A Bountiful Healthy Harvest Season at UBC’s Food Garden
Step into the Food Garden at UBC Botanical Garden and you’ll discover a living classroom, a seed bank of traditions and a vision for healthier food systems. Since its beginnings in 1983, the Garden has championed growing food sustainably, drawing on both science and traditional knowledge to cultivate crops that nourish people and ecosystems alike. […]
December 2023 in the Garden
Following on from our plunge into evergreen viburnums in November, I thought it appropriate to continue delving into UBC Botanical Garden’s vast collection of broad-leaved evergreens. The rhododendron family, Ericaceae, is a good place to start for December. Rhododendron is a veritable treasure-trove of assets in the Garden, and when not flowering, provides a verdant […]
November in the Garden 2023
A wide variety of broad-leaved evergreen plants flourish in our maritime climate. Foremost among the broadleaf collections at UBC Botanical Garden are rhododendrons.
October in the Garden 2023
October is often the best month to see berries and other colourful fruits in the Botanical Garden.
September in the Garden 2023
In the Garden, September is frequently just an extension of August. It might be a little cooler, and maybe the weather systems move a little faster, but this month often still feels like summer.
August in the Garden 2023
Here we are in another dry summer. Straw-coloured lawns greet us when we arrive at the Garden.
All the Ways We Water the Garden: Strategic and smart watering practices taken from UBC Botanical Garden
As gardeners, we’re always looking for ways of getting water to our plants more efficiently, with less hassle and in less time. And hopefully, using less water too. We’re going to take a peek ‘behind the curtain’ here at UBC Botanical Garden and show you some of our irrigation systems (we use many of the […]
July in the Garden 2023
July is high season for herbaceous perennials at the Botanical Garden. There are half a dozen areas around the garden where herbaceous displays are prominent.
June in the Garden 2023
After the lull in mid-May when the rhododendrons, early herbaceous perennials and late bulbs take a needed breath, June is when the summer flowers really start coming into their own.