Can you smell it? Spring is in the air!
And Vancouver, British Columbia, is blooming right now with flowers.
(Jump to “What’s Blooming When?” below for the year-round bloom calendar.)
Daffodils and purple crocuses popped up in February.
March saw cherry trees bursting with pink and white blossoms.
Soon, tulips will show off their blood-red beauty.
And bluebells and colorful rhodos and azaleas will make you stop, look and smile – and feel that warm sense of joy knowing that summer is around the corner.
Because sometimes, when events in the world or at home get us down, we need to hang on to the bright and hopeful things, no matter how small.
Like… How good it feels to throw off winter’s shackles!
If you love beautiful gardens, then to really get your flower fix, visit VanDusen Botanical Garden, one of the prettiest and best gardens in Vancouver, BC.
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Open year-round, the VanDusen Botanical Gardens encompass 55 acres of gardens, ponds, fountains and walking paths in the heart of Vancouver.
A former golf course, the garden opened in 1975 to the public and is jointly managed by the Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association.
A whole army of 1,200 non-gardening volunteers help.
Plants and flowers
You can see some 255,000 individual plants from around the world, including collections from tropical South Africa, the Himalayas and South America to Canada’s own Pacific Northwest region.
Cute tags explain the plants and flowering bushes, and there are lots of places for pretty Insta pics.
Children, especially, love the Elizabethan Maze. And don’t miss the fantastic monkey puzzle tree!
On a sunny spring day, we smelled the sweet scent of soft pink rhodos. (Who knew some rhododendron varieties are scented!).
We tiptoed through (actually around) the tulips.
We learned about widow-maker trees that sprout 5.5 lb pine cones.
And we stuck our noses almost right inside carnivore pitcher plants (which capture flies).
VanDusen guided tours
Free tours with trained volunteer docent guides are the best way to appreciate VanDusen Botanical Garden.
And, boy, did we luck out with having Malcolm Hunter as our guide!
An absolute font of knowledge, he entranced us for over three hours. Perhaps when you visit, you’ll be equally lucky with the guide you get.
What’s blooming when?
Spring
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This is the time for camellias, cherry blossoms, striking pink magnolias, delicate trillium and so much more!
In May, the “Rhododendron Walk” is in full bloom.
Summer
Smell the roses and sweet peas, marvel at water lilies and enjoy the perennial gardens and hanging baskets from June to August.
Fall
There are still plenty of blooms in fall.
But this time of year, you also witness the fiery colors of autumn, especially in October.
Winter
Winter berries add small pops of color to winter textures like frozen hydrangea blooms and winter-flowering jasmine.
Visiting VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver
Hours
VanDusen is open 7 days a week, except for Christmas Day. Hours vary, depending on the month:
- January and February – 10 am to 3 pm
- March to October – 10 am to 5 pm
- November and December – 10 am to 3 pm
Guided tours
Between April and October, free guided tours are offered daily starting at 2:00 p.m. In the winter, guided tours are only available on Sundays at 2 p.m.
Admission
- October 1 to March 31 – $8.60 CAD
- April 1 to September 30 – $11.90 CAD
Seniors and children pay less.
Eat and drink
The Shaughnessy Restaurant in the garden is lovely for lunch (and dinner). There’s also the Truffles Café if you want a casual afternoon tea or something light to eat.
Getting there
If you don’t have a car, you can take the #17 bus from downtown (about a 40-minute bus ride).
More information
See the garden’s website.
Other Vancouver gardens
If you love gardens, then you’ll also want to visit Queen Elizabeth Park, the UBC Botanical Garden and Stanley Park in Vancouver. (Maybe rent a bicycle to bike around Stanley Park?)
Explore more gorgeous gardens!
Victoria, BC: Don’t miss the best Victoria, BC, gardens! They include the world-famous Butchart Gardens.
Kauai: On Kauai, Hawaii’s garden island, you must visit the beautiful Allerton and McBryde Botanical Gardens.
Our top travel tips and resources
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Car rental: Renting a car is often one of the best ways to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the best rates.
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Photo credits: 3, 5, 6 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11 VanDusen Botanical Garden
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!
Maaike
Friday 19th of June 2015
VanDusen? That sounds like a Dutch name to me? What pretty photos! The photo of the owl is adorable (can I take him home? :)
Janice and George
Saturday 20th of June 2015
Yes, it is a Dutch name. The gardens were named after Whitford Julian VanDusen, a local lumber worker and philanthropist. It was a golf course, until he donated $1 million to help turn it into a garden, which opened in 1975.
Jenn Smith Nelson
Monday 25th of May 2015
Rediscovering your own back yard can be an incredible experience and you both certainly have an exceptional one to explore!
Janice and George
Monday 25th of May 2015
We do! And it's been a great spring in Vancouver :-). Summer will bring its own pleasures too - swimming, picnics, more bike riding. It's a great place to live :-).
Nancie
Sunday 17th of May 2015
It doesn't matter where I travel if there's a garden I'm there. I'm from Halifax and we have the Public Gardens, which are outstanding. I used to walk through them everyday when I worked downtown. It was always a great way to unwind after a busy day.
Muza-chan
Wednesday 6th of May 2015
Beautiful...
Laura
Wednesday 6th of May 2015
So many lovely flowers... and your shots of the birds are wonderful. Thanks. A great read... a great read indeed.
Janice and George
Wednesday 6th of May 2015
Thank you... Except we can't take credit for the bird shots :-). Those are courtesy of VanDusen Botanical Garden.