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Natural Adventures for the Young and Young at Heart

UBC Botanical Garden is Canada's oldest continuously operating university botanical garden. The original mission of the garden was research into the native flora of British Columbia.

UBC Botanical Garden is Canada's oldest continuously operating university botanical garden. The original mission of the garden was research into the native flora of British Columbia. Over the past nine decades, our mission has broadened to include research, conservation, teaching and public display of temperate plants from around the world, particularly Asian, alpine and native plants. We’re also home to the Greenheart Canopy Walkway.Come visit us - we’re located at 6804 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC. You can find more info at botanicalgarden.ubc.ca

It's time to head outside and become one with nature! UBC Botanical Garden offers exciting adventures for the young and those who are young at heart:

  • Young Explorers Summer Camp (ages 7-11)
  • New! - Horticulture Training Program
  • Botanical Highlights of Western Japan Tour with Brent Hine

 

An adventure in nature and biodiversity!

Online registration now open!

This summer, send your child on an adventure exploring nature and biodiversity. Young Explorers Summer Day Camp at UBC Botanical Garden consists of week-long camps for children aged 7-11 with two exciting programs to choose from:

Eco Explorer program investigates the remarkable connections that humans have with the environment. Together, we will learn about wild and cultivated foods, discover how to effectively and safely live with wildlife and explore how different cultures interact with nature. Activities include forest scavenger hunts, photo safaris, cooking, wild plant tasting and off-site excursions to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Nitobe Memorial Garden and the UBC Aquatic Centre!

Garden Explorer program teaches skills and knowledge to become a friendly gardener! Campers will get their hands dirty catching squirmy insects, conjure up (almost) magical potions, and cook up a storm with weird vegetables! Making compost tea, wildlife gardening, water conservation, plant needs and surprising plant allies, including beneficial insects and companion plants, are just of few of the topics in this program. Visits to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, the UBC Farm and the Aquatic Centre are some of the excursions on the menu!

Please visit our website for more information.


Registration is now open for our new provincially-accredited Horticulture Training Program!

Running from September to May, this full­time program is designed to give students the skills and experience necessary for entering the field of horticulture. Completion of 1,100 hours of classroom and practical instruction, together with 150 hours of supervised practical work, will lead to the provincially recognized Horticultural Technician Certificate and Levels I & II Apprenticeship technical training credit.

Students will be introduced to principles and techniques of landscape construction and design, garden ecology, plant biology and plant health, the nature and role of soil in natural and constructed landscapes, aspects of ornamental and food crop management, as well as practical, hands-on landscape and garden management.

To learn more about this exciting new program and to register visit our website.


November 1 - 16, 2012

With Brent Hine

Explore the endlessly fascinating country of islands through its culture, gorgeous scenery and friendly, hospitable people  with Brent Hine, Alpine Garden Curator of UBC Botanical Garden. With an emphasis on plants that richly contribute to Japan’s heritage, Brent will take you on a journey through the old capital city of Kyoto, formal temple and botanical gardens, and dramatic natural areas on three of its main islands.

The crown jewel of the tour is tiny Yakushima island, a former part of the bygone Ryukyu kingdom and considered a “holy grail” for plant enthusiasts. One of Japan’s “three most scenic places,” Miyajima island will also be encountered. No visit to western Japan would be complete without stopping at Hiroshima. The group will also visit Shikoku island, which is rarely visited even by most Japanese. Even more so than Kyushu, it is mostly rural, offering a refreshing counterpoint to frenetic urban life.

Travel will be by escorted coach bus, and during the first week an overnight ferry to Kyushu including first class accommodation will be part of the travel plans. The group escort is fluently bilingual and the land tour will be led by Brent Hine, curator of alpine plants at University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. Brent has extensively traveled throughout Japan. He will provide his unique insight into many little known aspects along the way. To learn more about Brent read his bio here.

For more information on the tour, cost, and registration, visit our website