Vancouver, BC, Part 4: VanDusen Botanical Garden
The VanDusen Botanical Garden is another return visit for us. It is located about a mile west of Queen Elizabeth Park.
Unlike Queen Elizabeth Park, which is a display garden, a botanical garden is a place where plants are collected in categories, studied, and displayed attractively but not intensively. This garden has a more casual feeling to it.
As I look at the map of the garden now, I see that we covered only about a quarter of the total. It is a huge property, full of trails that you could walk for miles, visiting all of the different collections in various seasons.
Our tour will just be a taste of what's here.
Along the most accessible pathways there was a continuous display of sculpture.
What kind of tree is this???
The sign says "Golden Rain Tree", not "chain tree". That's a new one for us. Such interesting pods. Seems more like golden lanterns.
Canada geese, of course!
There were heavy cable bundles and flood lights strung all along the pathways. and then we found this stuff on the dock on the pond. What? Well, turns out they were setting up for a shoot for a TV show, Once Upon a Time. They were filming that night.
This path went through the "Black Garden"
Interesting and colorful rose hips.
We emerged at the formal rose garden.
Black rose hips on an heirloom rose.
Figs were set on the trellis behind the restaurant.
Water plants in pots.
The grass border.
By now were were ready to go find our hotel, check in, and get settled. We would soon have to get some dinner and be ready to walk to the stadium by 6:00.
This garden is wonderful. Can't believe that this is just a small bit of it.
ReplyDeleteJust lovely, like the sculptures mixed in and those water lilies are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWhat a huge wonderful garden!
ReplyDeleteI wish you would visit Japan, and see some of their gardens. Very zen, very Japanese. One of my favorites is the Narita temple garden. Even the little gardens in people's backyards - you enter a shop and if you peak through their back door, you get treated to a miniature garden with bridge, pond, bonsai trees. One of your shots in this post with the papyrus and pond reminded me of them. It made me fall in love with moss, though I have been totally unsuccessful with it in my dinky little garden.
Loved the water features and the sculptures. A great place to get lost in and put this chaotic world at bay for a bit.
ReplyDeleteYour Vancouver posts have made me want to go back there again. What lovely gardens!
ReplyDeleteThose long, red Rose hips look like peppers!
ReplyDeleteThere certainly is a lot to see.
I read continuous "scripture instead of "sculpture" I kept looking for scriptures! That's a huge beautiful garden.
ReplyDeleteA stunning place, Linda. Thank you for your incredible pictures. I especially love the lily pads with the flowers peeking out. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed going there too. It's so much fun to see the beautiful garden from your camera's perspective.
ReplyDelete