The Garden needs your help!
A proposed transit bus route change could see UBC Botanical Garden removed from the C20 campus shuttle around UBC (this is the bus that connects with the main UBC Bus depot and is how many of our visitors get here).
Please click through and voice your concerns via the online form by clicking on “participate online” (on the website you can also take a look at the proposed new routes). The Garden would like to see route “B” selected – busses would then go both directions and visitors could travel between MOA, Nitobe and UBC Botanical Garden without having to go one way around the whole route.
DEADLINE FOR FEEDBACK IS WEDNESDAY DEC 5 so please act now.
Thank you for your support!
Visit us all year long, and take advantage of discounts on our courses and lectures.
Get 10% off at the Shop in the Garden and Plant Centre when you present your membership card. You can buy or renew your membership in person, or online on our website. Thank you for your support.
Not sure if your membership has expired? Give us a call at 604.822.4208.
About the Garden
Established in 1916, UBC Botanical Garden curates a collection of ca. 12,000 plants, representing approximately 8,000 taxa from temperate regions around the world. The Greenheart Canopy Walkway offers an umparalleled aerial view of the west coast forest canopy ecosystem 15 metres above ground. Our UBC Centre for Plant Research conducts world-class research on topics including plant adaptation, evolution, genomics,phytochemistry, plant physiology and biotic interactions, plant breeding, and plant biotechnology.
A message from our neighbours at Wesbrook Village:
Come visit the Wesbrook Welcome Centre (3378 Wesbrook Mall) and take part in great free family activities such as afternoon movies, story time, kids crafts, and more. For details, visit: www.DiscoverWesbrook.com.
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December sometimes feels like it’s the longest of all the months. The weather often deteriorates as day length continues to inexorably slip away. In Vancouver, it is a time of scarves, sensible shoes and umbrellas. Despite having experienced Decembers passed, are we not shocked each December just how early the dark descends at this time of year? Admittedly, December can be a somber time, but gardens often provide welcome surprises that help illuminate the gloom.
Nothing brightens the day quite like the berries of mountain ashes. The Garden’s October newsletter included an account of some of the diversity of this group. But now that it’s December, most of the red and orange Sorbus berries have been taken by birds. However, our avian friends seem not to be interested in the multitudes of berries on the pink, yellow and white-fruited species, at least not yet. These plants light up the David C. Lam Asian Garden like so many Christmas lights. Standouts this year include S. Joseph Rock (golden yellow), S. glabriuscula (white) and S. vilmorinii (pink).
In the Winter Garden, the witch hazels (Hamamelis species and hybrids), Bodnant viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense) and winter honeysuckle (Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Gem’) are starting to stir. Deciduous shrubs such as these have small flowers, but powerful scents that can attract pollinators (and people) over long distances. These aromas—spicy-sweet  in the witch hazels, baby powder for the  viburnum and lemon blossom in the honeysuckle—fade in and out and mix in varying combinations, depending on wind currents and weather conditions.
There are plenty of other floral gems elsewhere in the Garden. In the Asian Garden, Berberis duclouxii (Siamese mahonia) regularly produces its crown of bright yellow flowers at this time, and the even showier, but considerably spinier B. x media ‘Charity’ is in full bloom near the Arbour. In the E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden, look for the exquisitely crinkled flowers of the diminutive Nerine undulata ‘Alba’ and its soft pink-flowered, taller cousin, N. bowdenii, amaryllis relatives from southern Africa. Nearby is the Azores blueberry (Vaccinium cylindraceum) from the opposite end of Africa, still in its autumn orange and red finery. There’s nothing like a walk in the garden to lift the mood, so why not come discover some of our treasures this December?
The Shop in the Gardenoffers an assortment of items that make perfect gifts for family and friends. From warm Christmas cards to delightful tea and dining sets, there is something for everyone. For loved ones who treasure BC-made gems, how about locally made fine jewelry or aboriginal motif leather purses and silver cheese knives? The Shop also boasts the largest selection of botanical books in Vancouver for anyone who is interested in flora, beyond just gardening.
The Shop is all decked out for Christmas with lots of beautiful gifts, tree decorations and flowering indoor plants. Come and get your holiday shopping done at Shop in the Garden! (See our flickr page for more holiday ideas.) Special Holiday Offers
Holiday wreaths
No two wreaths are alike! Beautiful, wreaths in various sizes and styles, door swags and centrepieces, all handmade by our Friends of the Garden volunteers. Visit us early for the best selection! ( Read about last year’s wreath making) Members’ Sale (Wednesday, December 5)
For UBC Botanical Garden members, UNA residents, UBC students, faculty and staff: Come and enjoy some holiday refreshments while you shop. 15% off on books and 25% off on all other regular priced merchandise. Â Favourite Books of the Year
With 2012 almost over, we would like to look back and see what your favourite books were. This year, the top favourite at the Shop in the Garden was Sharon Hanna’s The Book of Kale, a national bestseller by a local author. It is full of good practical advice on growing this nutritious vegetable as well as creative ideas on how to prepare it.
Second place goes to Linda Gilkeson’s Backyard Bounty, which is now the bible for vegetable growers on the coast. It is followed by Plants of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, the most popular of Collin Varner’s series of guides dedicated to specific regions of British Columbia. Pocket-sized, it is a great guide for hikers, with excellent photographs and notes, making plants encountered easily identified.
Another bestseller is The Art of Plant Evolution. Written for the non-specialist, this beautiful book gives an overview of the evolution of plants worldwide as represented by nearly 150 paintings, and draws on up-to-date information from DNA analysis. Finishing the top 5 list is In the Company of Crows and Ravens, a fascinating story of how crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. It is beautifully illustrated with more than 100 original drawings.
These titles and other botanical and gardening books are available at Shop in the Garden. Come and get a copy for yourself or your loved ones!
Tree chipping fundraiser benefitting Thunderbird Elementary School
December 26, 2012 – January 9, 2013
9:30 am – 4:30 pm
$5 Suggested Donation
Please drop trees off at UBC Botanical Garden. They will be chipped into mulch and used on garden trails.
Please remove decorations, including tinsel. No yard trimmings – invasive plants from other areas can harm the Garden.
Proceeds support Thunderbird Elementary School’s food garden expansion* to add a three-bin cedar composter and small orchard garden. This food garden is a SPEC School Garden Project. spec.bc.caTree chipping is generously supported by UBC Plant Operations.
*Funds may be used for other school garden purposes as needed.
An Update on David Tarrant Scholarship Fund
Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who contributed so generously to this scholarship fund.We have now raised more than $55,000, which will yield approximately $1700 p.a. toward a deserving student(s) in the new Horticultural program at UBC Botanical Garden.
David is delighted to have a scholarship in his name and at the response in raising funds for this program in particular, because it was such a horticulture program that allowed him to start a successful career in Canadian horticulture.
David Tarrant was the host of the popular TV show Canadian Gardener. He has written four books and many articles for horticultural publications, including Gardens West and Gardening Life. David had worked at UBC Botanical Garden for over 30 years.
For more information on the Horticulture Training Program, please click here.
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