Essentials of Landscape Design (Online)

Tuesday, February 7 - Tuesday, February 28 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Whether you’re designing a small green entrance to your home or an expansive backyard oasis, this online class will equip you with the essential principles of landscape design. Join Janis Matson, horticulturist and owner of Shoreline Landscape Design, for this 4-part workshop series.

Learn foundational design concepts, such as soil, slope, sun exposure, and irrigation. Expand your learning with the principles and elements of design like focal points, scale, colour, balance, and more. Bring photos or drawings of your garden and work on your own property’s design with feedback and insight from the instructor. Leave inspired and ready to design your garden.

Family Birdwatching & the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Saturday, February 11 1.00pm - 3.00pm

Bring the whole family and learn how to get involved in taking action to support wild birds! The Great Backyard Bird Count brings thousands of bird lovers together around the globe to help scientist count local bird populations before the massive spring migration.

We’ll start the day with an introduction to birdwatching, practice our skills in the Garden on a bird walk, and review how you can participate at home in the Great Backyard Bird Count between February 17th- 20th.

Adult Rate $15: Register now!

Child / Youth Rate $10: Register now!

Growing Vegetables in Container Gardens (Online)

Wednesday, February 22 6.00pm - 8.00pm

Interested in growing your own food but don’t have access to an in-ground garden? Welcome to the world of possibilities for edible container gardening! This session is perfect for urban gardeners who want to get started with growing veggies and food crops on their balconies, patios, and container gardens, with tips on how to get started. Learn which vegetable varieties are best for patios or balconies, what the best soils and companion plants are, and which container pots to choose.

Worm Composting 101

Saturday, March 4 10.00am - 12.00pm

Learn the basics and benefits of worm composting!

A great way to keep your garden healthy and green that can be more efficient than traditional composting. This session includes an introduction to worm composting, how to start your own bin, and a step-by-step process on how to build your own with minimal expense!

Invasive Insects and Other Garden Pests (Online)

Wednesday, March 8 6.30pm - 8.30pm

What garden pests are bugging you?

Do you have invasive insects or other critters competing with your ability to grow food or maintain a healthy garden? Meet some of the region’s most devastating garden and lawn invaders, including European chafer beetle, fire ants and European grey squirrel. Also, learn about some species that are not yet here that you should be on the watch for.

Organic Veggie Gardening 101

Friday, March 10 2.00pm - 4.30pm

Join Jenna Jaski for an introduction to the basics of veggie gardening. No experience necessary! You will learn about how to plan your veggie garden, sow seeds, plant seedlings, thin your sprouts, provide care throughout the season, manage the most common pests, and tips for harvesting. You will leave this course with the confidence and enthusiasm to get growing!

Intro to Botany for Plant ID (Online)

Thursday, March 16 6.30pm - 8.00pm

Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed (former faculty member at Pacific Rim College in Victoria BC, where she taught Botany and Horticulture) joins the VBGA to teach essential skills for plant identification. This class provides an introduction to the features and language to describe leaves, flowers, roots and fruit.

A Garden map will be provided to guide you to find highlighted plants in VanDusen Botanical Garden at your leisure!