Robert WebbDid you know that the UBC Botanical Garden is Canada’s oldest university botanical garden? It was established in 1916! Our guide unveils the secrets of this lush oasis.
From rare blooms to hidden corners, join us on a stroll through the heart of Vancouver’s green paradise. Ready to escape to a world of botanical wonders? Dive into the guide and let the floral adventure begin!
- Time Zone
- Best Time to Go
- Things to Know
- Is UBC Botanical Garden worth it?
- Is UBC Botanical Garden free for students?
- How to Get to the UBC Botanical Garden
- Where to Stay near UBC Botanical Garden
- Where to Eat near UBC Botanical Garden
- What to Do in the UBC Botanical Garden
- Explore the Asian Wild Plants at David C. Lam Asian Garden
- Travel around the World at e.h. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden
- Discover BC’s Plants at BC Rainforest Garden
- Visit the Hardwood Forest at the Carolinian Forest Garden
- Discover Sustainable Planting at Food Garden
- Take a Stroll at the Harold & Frances Holt Physic Garden
- Drop by the Garry Oak Meadow and Woodland Garden
- Walk the Greenheart TreeWalk
- Apps to Download for a Trip to UBC Botanical Garden
Time Zone
Pacific Standard Time (PST) (UTC-8)
Best Time to Go
The best time to go to the UBC Botanical Garden is all-year round. But May is when the garden truly shines, showcasing the rhododendrons in full bloom.
The splendor continues until early November when you can catch the vibrant fall hues in some parts of the garden.
Things to Know
Currency: Canadian Dollar
Language: English
Calling Code: +1
Is UBC Botanical Garden worth it?
The UBC Botanical Garden in Vancouver, established in 1916, features a variety of specialty plantings, including alpine, rainforest and medicinal gardens.
Its importance stems from being an educational hub, fostering research and conservation. For the public, tourists, and locals, it offers a serene escape, promotes environmental awareness, and celebrates plant diversity.
The UBC Botanical Garden is definitely worth a visit for nature enthusiasts and those interested in learning about different plant species.
With over 30,000 different plants from around the world, visitors can explore and appreciate the beauty of various ecosystems in one place.
Additionally, the garden hosts various events and workshops throughout the year, providing opportunities for people to deepen their knowledge and connection with nature.
Is UBC Botanical Garden free for students?
Students of the University of British Columbia enjoy free admission to the UBC Botanical Garden with a valid student card, fostering a connection between academia and nature.
How to Get to the UBC Botanical Garden
By public transit: hop the main UBC bus loop. From there, catch the C20 community shuttle at Bay 15. It rolls every 20-30 minutes most days during its operational hours.
By car: from downtown, head down West 4th, 10th, or 16th Avenue straight to UBC. Now, if you’re jetting in YVR, hit up SW Marine Drive heading northbound – that’ll lead you right to UBC.
Where to Stay near UBC Botanical Garden
Gage Suites at UBC
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Address: 5959 Student Union Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1K2, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-1000
Pricing: $
Right in the heart of UBC, Gage Suites hooks you up with 348 roomy spots, and guess what? Some even come with a chill dining area and kitchen vibes.
Crashing here gives you that student life feel, but with all the fancy hotel perks. It’s smack dab on campus, super safe, and crazy convenient. Oh, and the UBC bus stop? Just a 2-minute stroll away.
Carey Centre on UBC Campus
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Address: 5920 Iona Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1J6, Canada
Phone: +1 604-225-5920
Pricing: $
Set on the UBC Campus, the Carey Centre on UBC Campus has all the basics—TV, kitchen, dining area, living room, and amenities like a game room, TV room, an outdoor patio, and event space.
The place and surroundings are serene and calm, plus there are awesome walking paths to check out the beaches nearby.
HI Vancouver Jericho Beach
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Address: 1515 Discovery St, Vancouver, BC V6R 4K5, Canada
Phone: +1 604-224-3208
Pricing: $
With over miles of sandy beaches as your view, the HI Vancouver is a hostel that’s surrounded by parkland and waterfront views of Jericho Beach. It’s a 9-minute drive away to the UBC Garden.
The hostel’s got a café serving up breakfast, dinner, and drinks, plus they’ve got a guest kitchen, laundry, sports gear and games, and you can even snag a bike for rent or stash yours safely.
Holiday Inn Vancouver-Centre
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Address: 711 W. Broadway, Heather St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3Y2, Canada
Phone: +1 604-879-0511
Pricing: $$
The biggest draw of the Holiday Inn Vancouver-Centre is its amenities—an indoor pool, sun deck, a fitness center and indoor heated pool. The hotel has got modern rooms that may be a bit pricey, but well worth it.
Comfortable beds, and everything else you need for a home away from home. There’s also a big breakfast buffet that you wouldn’t wanna miss.
Granville Island Hotel
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Address: 1253 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9, Canada
Phone: +1 604-683-7373
Pricing: $
Chillin’ by False Creek with a sweet view of Downtown, Granville Island Hotel is a stylish spot just 18 minutes from UBC Garden.
They’ve got sleek rooms inside, and their fancy restaurant serves up classic dishes with panoramic views, plus you can dine dockside in cool cabanas.
Where to Eat near UBC Botanical Garden
Pizza Garden
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Address: 5780 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1K6, Canada
Phone: +1 604-428-5220
Pricing: $$
At Pizza Garden, they whip up artisan pizzas with a Neapolitan flair, baking ’em in a legit stone oven. Our top picks? The Calabria and Primo.
The crust? It’s got that ideal crunch on the outside and a heavenly doughy vibe inside. Oh, and don’t forget the garlic ranch dipping sauce – it’s a game-changer with that crust.
Mercante
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Address: 6488 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-827-2210
Pricing: $
Mercante is all about whipping up pizzas, salads, and pasta made just for you. It’s not the cheapest, but trust us, it’s worth every penny.
We went for the banana chocolate loaf and the Italian sausage pizza – both hits! The loaf tasted super fresh, like it just came out of the oven that day, and the pizza? Freshly made and didn’t keep us waiting too long.
The Corner Kitchen UBC
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Address: 115-5743 Dalhousie Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1W4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-428-5045
Pricing: $$
This Korean spot dishes out all the classics, from tteok bboki and inari to bulgogi, kimbap, and a bunch of rice bowls. This restaurant serves up pretty generous portions, no matter what meal you get.
Our advice? Get the Jjajang Beef Udon. The sauce is a flavor bomb, and the pickled daikon on the side? Delish.
The Point
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Address: 2205 Lower Mall MD Building 6, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-9503
Pricing: $$
For your favorite comfort foods like chicken, burgers, and waffles, The Point is the spot to dine in. The best part of it all is that the food they serve here is not greasy as they’re grilled.
Some of the crowd favorites here include the Wreck Beach Burger, Chicken Katsu, chicken wings, and beer-battered fish and chips. There are also board games offered inside for anyone who wants to play.
Wildlight Kitchen + Bar
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Address: 5380 University Blvd #107, Vancouver, BC V6T 0C9, Canada
Phone: +1 604-915-0722
Pricing: $$
Wildlight Kitchen + Bar brings that classy-casual vibe, and the place is decked out in a way that screams laid-back elegance. And can we talk about how spotless it is? We’re talking dustless, even at the window ledges.
Tried their Steak and frites, Chowder, and flatbread – all we can say is, they nailed it! Everything tasted downright amazing.
What to Do in the UBC Botanical Garden
Explore the Asian Wild Plants at David C. Lam Asian Garden
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Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
The David C. Lam Asian Garden is like a chill coastal forest with Asian plant vibes – you got rhododendrons, acers, magnolias, sorbus, and climbers all hanging out. There are two massive Douglas firs, clocking in at 400, maybe even 500 years.
Now, the other trees in the garden were planted in the last 50 years or just popping up naturally after the campus got a major haircut back in 1916.
Travel around the World at e.h. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
If you’re down for a global plant tour, the E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden is where it’s at. They’ve got separate beds repping Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, South America, and Australia.
You’ll spot some cool stuff like dwarf conifers, North and South American cacti, hebe, alpines, iris, sempervivum, and eucalyptus. It’s basically a plant party from all corners of the globe.
Discover BC’s Plants at BC Rainforest Garden
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
The BC Rainforest Garden is like a hangout spot for all the local BC plants. It has a sweet microclimate thanks to being close to the ocean and getting cozy under the tall conifers. It’s also got this cool cold-air drainage thing going on.
And, you can’t miss the star of the show – this grafted plant, a clone of the famous “Golden Spruce” that used to rock near Port Clements on Haida Gwaii.
Visit the Hardwood Forest at the Carolinian Forest Garden
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
The Carolinian Forest Garden has 12 sections with magnolias, maples, rhododendrons, mountain ash, dogwood, and other cool East Asian-Eastern North American plants.
And here’s the kicker – when fall rolls around, these plants bring the color game to a whole new level. We’re talking about maples, oaks, sumacs, tupelos, sweetgums, and sourwoods – their leaves are like fireworks.
Discover Sustainable Planting at Food Garden
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
Here at the Food Garden, you’ll get to see and learn how plants are cultivated without the use of synthetic pesticides. It’s all about organic planting here through companion planting, mulching and crop rotation.
Edible crops such as tree fruits, berries, perennial vegetables and culinary herbs are sown directly in the garden.
Take a Stroll at the Harold & Frances Holt Physic Garden
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
This formal garden has 12 beds all circled up around a sundial and hugged by a yew hedge. The garden packs a collection of old-school plants straight from the early European pharmacopeia.
Most of these are either dropping leaves or going herbaceous, so the best time to catch them flexing is late spring to early autumn. Oh, and watch your step, ’cause there are some “weeds” and sneaky poisonous plants hanging out too.
Drop by the Garry Oak Meadow and Woodland Garden
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
This fresh spot inside UB Botanical Garden called the Garry Oak Meadow and Woodland Garden brings in a mix of cool herbaceous plants and vibes influenced by the history of the First Nations.
This place is like a safe haven for Garry oaks. These bad boys are only holding on at 5% survival rate in BC, making them one of the rarest habitats in the whole of Canada.
Walk the Greenheart TreeWalk
Media credit: ubcgarden
Address: 6804 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Phone: +1 604-822-4208
The Greenheart TreeWalk features hanging walkways and tree platforms way up in the air, like chilling above the forest floor. It’s a 310-meter-long canopy walkway swinging from massive Douglas firs, cedars, and grand firs
You’re soaring about 20 meters high, getting this sick bird’s eye view of Vancouver’s dope coastal temperate rainforest.
Apps to Download for a Trip to UBC Botanical Garden
Transit: Get live updates on Vancouver buses and trains, including service alerts, bus capacity predictions, and real-time vehicle locations
Street Food Vancouver App: Locate nearby food trucks on a map and check their operating hours.
Paybyphone: app for cashless parking in Vancouver that enables payment and registration.
Vancouver Trees: a mobile app that describes commonly cultivated trees in the Metro Vancouver area.
