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2007 December Holiday Hours

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives , Local Interest

UBC Botanical Garden will be closed on the afternoon of Dec 23 to Dec 26 inclusive. It will reopen on December 27 until January 6th from 8am to 5pm, after which regular winter hours will resume.

Nitobe Memorial Garden will be closing on the afternoon of December 21 and reopening on the morning of January 2 with its regular winter hours.

The Shop in the Garden will be open until the afternoon of December 23. It will reopen on January 13 with its regular winter hours.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:33 PM on December 14, 2007



Holiday Wreath Sale (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Each year the Friends of the Garden make up to 300 fresh Christmas wreaths for the holiday season. Including materials from the Botanical Garden and from members private gardens, each wreath is unique and many contain examples of rare and unusual plants. The styles vary considerably and range from the traditional evergreens and berries, to contemporary designs and colour schemes suitable for the most chic modern home. The wreaths come in small, medium and large sizes (10" to around 30") and range in price from $30 upwards. The wreaths are guaranteed to last well into the New Year with adequate watering (laying them out in the rain overnight works very well!)

Attractive table decorations, door swags and miniature Christmas trees are also available.

Christmas wreaths and decorations will be available at the Shop in the Garden from Wednesday, November 28th through to December 9th - or until supplies run out. Winter hours at the Shop in the Garden are from 10am to 4:30pm.

All proceeds support research, education and plant conservation at UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research.

For more information:

UBC Holiday Wreath Sale

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:07 PM on November 30, 2007



Interwoven Wild: An Ecologist Loose in the Garden

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

From the Native Plant Society of British Columbia email listserv:

NPSBC South Coast Book Launch:

Interwoven Wild: An Ecologist Loose in the Garden

By Don Gayton

Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

Vancouver Museum, Whittick Lounge
1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver BC

Free parking and admission; The public is welcome

Nationally-known field ecologist Don Gayton brings his wealth of experience to show us how nature and ecology perform their magic right in our gardens and home landscapes. Engaging the reader with real — and occasionally hilarious — gardening experiences, Gayton marries the joys of gardening to the fascinations of ecology. In charming and lyrical prose, he explores the inter-reliance of species, soil fertility, weed invasions, and how the rampion got its name. He also speculates on gardeners — their need to landscape, to purchase specialized tools, to use (or shun) chemicals, and the art they bring to the enterprise. By skilfully interweaving the work of painters, writers, and landscape architects, Gayton marks gardening and landscaping as primordial human urges, and the garden as a gift, a celebration, a revelation buried in our collective mythologies. This is a book for everyone who sees deeper meanings in their gardens and landscapes.

Don Gayton is the author of three books of non-fiction (The Wheatgrass Mechanism, Landscapes of the Interior, Kokanee), and numerous technical and popular articles. His writing has won several honours, including the Canadian Science Writer’s Award, the Saskatchewan Writers Guild Non-Fiction Award, and the US National Outdoor Book Award. Don has worked as a grassland specialist for both the Saskatchewan and British Columbia governments, and currently works as an ecologist for FORREX in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:06 PM on November 30, 2007



Boootiful Botany Haunted Halloween (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Updated Oct. 12, 2007: the poster (PDF, 1.06MB file) is now available for download and distribution.

Date: Saturday, October 27, 2007

Time: 12:00pm to 4:00 pm

Event Details: This exciting event will begin with a scavenger hunt where parents and children can work together using a garden map to find a number of spooky plant stops in the garden. At each plant stop they'll learn some weird or unusual facts and stories about plants while receiving Halloween treats. Following the scavenger hunt, parents and children can enjoy Halloween crafts and games.

Don't forget to wear your costume!

This event is proudly sponsored by UBC Botanical Garden and the Henry Eddie Foundation.

Location: UBC Botanical Garden (6804 South West Marine Drive, Vancouver)

Organizers: The Education and Outreach Program at UBC Botanical Garden

Cost: Free

Please Note: This event will occur rain or shine. Dogs are not permitted in the Garden. If you'd like to facilitate the continuation of free community events at UBC Botanical Garden, donations are graciously accepted towards the Education and Outreach Program. Admission to the Garden is by donation on the day of this event. Please contact 604-690-5375 for more information. Pre-registration is not required and all aspects of the event are on a first come first serve basis. Free on-site parking is available. Paid parking is available at the new Thunderbird Parkade and at meters along East Mall, with additional free parking available on Lower Marine Drive. Please consult the garden's page on Directions to UBC Botanical Garden for directions, maps (for cycling and pedestrians) and transit information.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:02 PM on October 11, 2007



Bulb Sale in the Shop in the Garden

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Spring bulbs are now on sale in the Shop in the Garden at 30% off. Varieties of tulip (Tulipa), iris, daffodils (Narcissus), camas (Camassia), onion (Allium), foxtail lily (Eremurus), snowdrop (Galanthus) and more are still available!

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:38 AM on October 11, 2007



Apple Festival (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

The 17th annual Apple Festival is being held on October 13th and 14th from 11AM to 4PM on both days. Admission fee this year is $2.00 for adults with those under 18 free.

There will be over 50 varieties of apples to taste and to buy, as well as many varieties of apple trees for sale. Come early to ensure that you can buy your favourite apple, as many of the most popular varieties sell out quickly.

Once again, there will be a Longest Peel contest, with prizes being awarded for those who can peel the longest unbroken apple skin. There will also be a special game for children, allowing them to explore parts of the Garden on their way to the Children's Corner.

For more information and the latest news, please visit the UBC Apple Fest web page.

Have a question about apples? Start a new discussion thread in UBC Botanical Garden's Fruit Trees online forum!

Posted by UBC Botanical Garden at 9:03 AM on September 10, 2007



Apple Festival Parking (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Planning on driving to UBC for the Apple Festival?

Parking is available in the West Parkade, which is located on Lower Mall (UBC Parking Rates - see weekend rates at parkades). Use Gates 6 or 7 to access.

Signage will be posted giving directions to the parkade. Three free trolleys will ferry people between the Botanical Garden and the parkade all day Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The trolleys are disabled equipped for those who require an extra helping hand.

UBC Apple Festival web page

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 9:01 PM on September 7, 2007



30th Annual Indoor Plant Sale (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

UBC Botanical Garden hosts its 30th Annual Indoor Plant Sale on September 13th and 14th. Always a popular event with plant enthusiasts and students, the sale is a great way to decorate a dorm room or office on a budget. Plants will be sold from 11 am to 6 pm near the entrance of the garden. Come early for the best selection!

Continue reading "30th Annual Indoor Plant Sale (2007)"

Posted by UBC Botanical Garden at 7:33 PM on August 27, 2007



Perennial Plant Sale Plant Lists (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

The Friends of the Garden are happy to release the list of plants available at the 2007 Perennial Plant Sale in advance of the event.

Please note: Plants are only available in limited quantities. Some plants on the list may not be available, due to extenuating circumstances (but not because of presales — there are no presales for this event — the FOGs have always been committed to making sale items available to the public first).

Every effort is made to ensure that plants for sale are not encumbered by any sale restrictions. Also, it is our intention to conform to the guidelines set out by the Convention on Biological Diversity. If a mistake has been made and a plant is for sale that should not be, please contact us.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 10:00 AM on May 2, 2007



Vancouver Orchid Society Show and Sale (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Vancouver Orchid Society will be presenting their 30th annual orchid show (western Canada's largest!) and sale on May 5 and 6, 2007 at the Richmond Curling Rink, 5540 Hollybridge Way in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday the 5th and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday the 6th. General Admission is $7.00. An opening gala and preview event will be held Friday evening at 7:00. Be sure to visit the event announcement at the, Vancouver Orchid Society’s Website for a complete list of exhibitors and vendors and for reservations to the preview gala.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:31 PM on April 27, 2007



Perennial Plant Sale (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Join your fellow gardeners in the hunt for exciting plants as the Friends of the Garden host the 17th Annual Perennial Plant Sale, Sunday, May 13th, 2007 from 10:00am - 4:00pm at the UBC Botanical Garden. Thousands of unusual plants are available, as well as gardening favorites, grown by volunteers and garden staff.

Continue reading "Perennial Plant Sale (2007)"

Posted by UBC Botanical Garden at 3:34 PM on April 26, 2007



Collectors' Plant Auction Absentee Bid Form (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Plant enthusiasts who wish to purchase items from the Collectors' Plant Auction catalogue, but are unable to attend on the 26th, can submit absentee bids. Please use the link below to download the bid form.

Download Collectors' Plant Auction Absentee Bid Form

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:33 PM on April 23, 2007



Collectors' Plant Auction Catalogue (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

The 2007 Collectors' Plant Auction Catalogue (PDF) is now available for download. Browse through a detailed (and entertaining and informative!) listing of auction items, view the auction program, learn about the generous donors and sponsors, and read the rules and procedures.

Read more about the Collectors' Plant Auction (and buy tickets!) via the Collectors' Plant Auction web page or the 2007 CPA Announcement on the UBC BG Community and News Weblog.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 8:53 AM on April 18, 2007



Rare Magnolia Sale (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Updated April 13: Only 7 trees remain and they are available directly from the Shop in the Garden.

(the rest of the text below was written for pre-sales in early March, 2007)

Advance orders are now being accepted for the 2007 sale of hard-to-find magnolias.

Seven choice cultivars are represented by over fifty trees.

For details on the plants being offered, please see the 2007 Rare Magnolia Sale factsheet (PDF).

Please note:

All trees were grafted to Magnolia kobus root stock for hardiness and early flowering. Grafting was done in 2005. Trees were field grown until potted up in 2 gallon containers 16 months later for over-wintering in a cool greenhouse to continue root growth. Trees will be ready for pick up in late March or early April of 2007.

GST & PST are extra.

To reserve your magnolia, call the Shop in the Garden at 604-4529 between 10am and 6:00pm, or call Charlie at 604-929-5706 in the evenings.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:07 AM on April 13, 2007



Community Earth Day Celebration (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Spring has sprung at the UBC Botanical Garden and we are inviting the community to attend our free Earth Day Celebration on April 22nd from 11am to 3pm to mark the spring opening of the Garden. This event will feature a number of exciting educational activities for adults and children including:

  • Family garden tours
  • Magic show with the Solar Power Roadshow
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Pollination Street (crafts and activities for kids)
  • Sustainable Expo (community education on organic gardening, commuting options, water and energy conservation, recycling and waste reduction, and composting)

Admission is free. Pre-registration is not required and all aspects of the event are on a first come first serve basis. A UBC Food Services BBQ will be on-site to serve delicious treats!

This event is proudly sponsored by:

Help spread the word! Print and share these posters in your community: Earth Day Poster (PDF) | Earth Day Flyer (PDF).

Please note: This event will occur rain or shine. On-site parking is not available, but on-campus parking is available at Thunderbird Stadium, the new Thunderbird Parkade and other campus locations. Participants arriving via bus at the Bus-loop or Trolley Terminal can catch the TransLink C20 shuttle running from the Bus-Loop to the Garden. The 49, 41, 43 and 480 Bus-routes stop on 16th Avenue near the Garden. Please see the map below, and the available links for information on on-campus parking, bus routes and time-tables and bike-routes to the Garden.

Getting here:

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:45 PM on April 12, 2007



Collectors' Plant Auction (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Updated on April 3, 2007: Minor changes have been made to the list of plants available.

The UBC Friends of the Garden will be hosting a gala evening and plant auction on April 26, 2007 at 6:30 pm at the UBC Botanical Garden Reception Centre (directions). Over four hundred very special trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and alpines will be offered in silent and live auctions throughout the evening.

The evening offers a unique opportunity to acquire rare and specimen plants, some of which grow in UBC Botanical Garden. Many individual plant collectors, nurseries and other botanical gardens are generously supporting this event through donations of choice and difficult-to-obtain plants. In addition to these gorgeous plants, an array of fabulous live and silent auction merchandise and services for all the gala goers to bid on will be available. Not just an auction, this is a gala evening of food, refreshments and music, combined with a unique opportunity to acquire rare plants and to support the garden and its research.

While enjoying live entertainment and a delicious hot and cold appetizer buffet, gardeners can shop for all their new garden “upgrades” while supporting the Botanical Garden. Net proceeds from the evening will support the new Carolinian Forest and the Garry Oak Meadow and Woodland Project. Both projects are underway, but significant funds are required to complete and maintain these gardens. The success of this event is important for both the overall development of the garden and its research.

Only 400 tickets are available at $125 each (partial tax rebate will be issued after the event). Tickets are now available. Send a cheque payable to UBC Botanical Garden to the attention of Pary Mohamed, 6804 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 or call 604-822-4186 with your VISA and MasterCard details to pay by credit card.

From the US? No problem! Phytosanitary certificates will be available for US purchasers.

Invitations will be mailed in early March 2007. Catalogues for the auction will be mailed out two weeks before the event to all guests.

The web page for the Collectors' Plant Auction has other details.

Posted by UBC Botanical Garden at 11:11 AM on April 3, 2007



Student Summer Jobs (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Updated April 6, 2007: please note that applications are no longer being accepted.

Several summer student positions are available for the summer of 2007.

Students are hired for available summer positions at the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research based on the following criteria:

  • employment is limited to returning first, second and third year students enrolled in a recognized Agriculture, Botany, Horticulture or Plant Biology program at UBC or another university/college, and to returning UBC Masters of Landscape Architecture students
  • preference will be given to UBC students, and to students who have not had previous summer employment at the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
  • the term of employment is May 14 to August 17, 2007

Please apply directly with resume and cover letter by closing date (April 5, 2007) to:

Ingrid Hoff
c/o UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
6804 Southwest Marine Drive
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6T 1Z4

Please mark clearly on the envelope: “Summer Student Job Application”

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:45 PM on March 1, 2007



Standing Up For Nature

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Portions of the proceeds from this upcoming concert are directed toward raising the necessary funds for the new Garry Oak Meadow and Woodlands at UBC Botanical Garden.

Paraphrasing from the press release:

The The Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs presents Standing Up For Nature - A Benefit Concert To Support Environmental Initiatives. The concert features The Nylons and will take place on Thursday, March 8, 2007 at the Kay Meek Centre (1700 Mathers Avenue) in West Vancouver. The reception and auction begin at 7:00 pm, while the concert follows at 8:00 pm. Opening remarks for the benefit will be by Rafe Mair, while Edith Wallace will open for The Nylons.

Concert proceeds will go to the UBC Botanical Garden Garry Oak and Arbutus Woodland Project, the West Vancouver Old Growth Conservancy Society and the outstanding legal costs of the Eagleridge Bluffs court injunction.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased from the Kay Meek Centre box office at 604-913-3634. If after-hours, please leave a telephone number where you can be reached

From The Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs: “The Bluffs are gone, but our commitment to nature lives on. Help create a legacy that recognizes the importance of protecting our increasingly threatened natural environment.”

Event Poster for the Standing Up For Nature Benefit Concert (PDF)

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:19 PM on February 28, 2007



How Many Plant Species Will Survive the 21st Century?

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

From the VanDusen Botanical Garden web site:

VanDusen Botanical Garden presents a free lecture by distinguished botanist Dr. Peter H. Raven. One of the world’s leading botanists and advocates of conservation and biodiversity, Dr. Raven is president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and George Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University in St. Louis. In addition, Dr. Raven is Chair of the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration as well as Chair of the Division of Earth and Life Studies of the National Research Council in the U.S. In Floral Hall at 2 p.m., admission is free.

World Losing Battle Against Extinctions, a semi-interview with Dr. Peter Raven on BBC's web site

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:44 PM on February 8, 2007



“A Very Good Sale in the Shop Greenhouse”

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

To start off the new year, the Shop in the Garden announces that it is having “A Very Good Sale in the Greenhouse”. Numerous items, including candles, vases, Christmas goods, and giftware, have been put on sale and most of them are at 60% off the regular price. At these prices, there are many unbelievable bargains to be had. The Shop opens for business on Monday morning, January 15th, at 10 am, so come on in and get a jump start on your shopping needs for the new year.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:22 PM on January 15, 2007



Christmas Tree Chipper Event (2007)

Category(-ies): 2007 Archives

Join the sustainability wave and bring your clean, undecorated Christmas tree to the UBC Botanical Garden where it will be chipped into bark mulch for our pathways. From January 2nd to January 5th, drop your tree off from 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM. On January 6th & 7th, tree drop off is available from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Garden staff will be on hand January 6th from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM for assistance and serving up hot apple cider. All other dates and times will be self-serve drop-off. No yard trimmings please, just Christmas trees. UBC Plant Operations and UBC Botanical Garden proudly sponsor this sustainability initiative. Donations are gratefully appreciated.

Christmas Tree Chipper Event poster (PDF)

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:55 AM on January 2, 2007