VanDusen Summer Camps
Monday, June 28 - Friday, August 20VanDusen Summer Camps are sold out.
We have spaces available in our Weekend Nature Club.
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Winter
Monday, December 21 2020 - Friday, March 19The winter Garden features muted colour palettes, stunning silhouettes and a scattering of colour with winter berries and blooms.
Download the March Bloom Guide here!
Copies also available at the Garden.
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Spring
Saturday, March 20 - Sunday, June 20In spring the Garden is bursting with cheerful rhododendrons, stunning magnolias, delicate cherry blossoms and bloom-full camellias – to mention a few…
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Sunday, June 20 - Wednesday, September 22Summer in the Garden features vibrant colours and fragrant smells for our visitors to enjoy.
Learn MoreFall
Wednesday, September 22 - Tuesday, December 21Autumn colours are absolutely stunning at the Garden, and there are plenty of blooms still showing.
Learn MoreIllustrating Birds (Online)
Tuesday, March 9 - Tuesday, March 16 6:00pm - 8:00pmThis illustration course will bring the fun of drawing to the world of birds. Strengthen your observation skills for studying birds, while developing your illustration skills. In the first class of this 2-part series, capture the plain form and essential bird features with simple sketches. In the second class, explore adding touches of watercolour to your drawing. After this course, you’ll have the confidence to bring your sketchpad out to the park, or to VanDusen Garden, or Bloedel Conservatory, and connect to birdwatching through art.
Botany of Bud (Online)
Saturday, March 20 10:00am - 11:30amIn this workshop, Cannareps Headmaster Adolfo Gonzalez joins the VBGA community to provide an introductory class on the botany of Cannabis. Learn the basics of speciation and the morphological differences between plants. Adolfo’s instruction will feature bud dissection and a lesson in their key components. This class will investigate trichomes under an electronic microscope, and give participants a better understanding of the active and biochemical components of cannabis. Must be 19+ to attend.
A Story of Wild Plant Medicines (Online)
Thursday, March 25 7:00pm - 8:30pmJoin Indigenous Herbalist Lori Snyder as she weaves the stories of wild plants and shares the ways our ancestors gathered them for food and medicine. Learn to identify the most common wild plants (weeds) that grow in your backyard or local parks, and tap into the wisdom of their teachings. In this session, you are invited to turn off your screen to listen and discover for yourself who is growing around you that may be helpful for your health and the health of other species living with us.
Watercolour Landscapes (Online)
Thursday, April 1 11:00am - 1:00pmRevel in West Coast scenery by learning to paint watercolour landscapes in this workshop with Susan Pearson. Whether you’re painting an ocean or mountain scene, or adding a focused subject in the foreground layer, this class will help you learn the necessary techniques to express scenic beauty. Instruction and demonstration will cover techniques such as wet-into-wet washes, lifting colour off the page, and timing layers of colour. Recordings of classes will be available for a limited time to registered participants.
Botanical Illustration Level 1: Part 2 (Online)
Wednesday, April 7 - Wednesday, April 21Learn how to draw plants from an aesthetic and botanical perspective while improving your observation and artistic skills. This 3-session course is ideal for those with some drawing experience, and will focus on drawing with pen and ink. Instructor Katharine Dickinson will guide students through scale and perspective, accurate line and shape, tonal variation, and detail techniques. Online education includes presentations, live front view, and overhead demonstrations. Recordings of classes will be available for each week.
Get Started with Vegetable Gardening (Online)
Saturday, April 10 10:00am - 11:30amAvoid the common mistakes of vegetable gardening, and learn the basics. Join Farmer and Educator Jess Henry of Farmers on 57th to simplify your approach, and focus on growing what you’d like to harvest and eat. In this workshop for beginners, learn best practices for vegetable selection, planting, and maintenance tips like watering, amendments, fertilizers, and soil. Whether you’re gardening in containers, your backyard, or a large plot, this class will teach you when, where and how to start your seeds, and begin preparing your garden site plan.
Grow your Own Cut Flowers (Online)
Saturday, April 17 10:00am - 11:30amIn this workshop with flower farmer Jess Henry of Farmers on 57th, learn how to plan and plant a patch of flowers that will provide a rotating selection of easy-to-grow blooms. Time your planting for ongoing blooms, and learn the basics of arrangement principles. Whether you’re incorporating your flower garden into your perennial patch or framing your veggie garden, you will gain a foundation in flower-specific selection and varieties. For those with basic gardening skills, this class will encourage you to consider colour, texture, bloom timing, and more, as you plan your flower plot. Join the local, seasonal flower movement and grow flowers from your garden to your table.