A living museum of plants, this spectacular 22-hectare (55-acre) is considered one of North America’s top ten public gardens. Botanical gardens such as VanDusen play an important role in preserving the planet’s bio-diversity by protecting and propagating many rare and endangered species. Vancouver’s location in a temperate rain forest offers a unique mild climate that allows for the cultivation of more than 11,500 accessioned plants representing more than 8,000 taxa (plant families) and 255,000 individual plants from around the world. Our plant collections represent ecosystems that range from tropical South Africa, to the Himalayas, to the South America and the Mediterranean, across Canada’s Boreal forests and Great Plains to plants native to our own Pacific Northwest. The Garden’s design features displays of plants in picturesque landscape settings. Art and science unite in our collections as specific garden areas are planted to illustrate botanical relationships, such as the Rhododendron Walk, or geographical origins, as in the Sino-Himalayan Garden. In summer 2011 the Garden opened its new Visitor Centre. Designed by internationally renowned architects Busby, Perkins + Will, the Visitor Centre was one of the first buildings in Canada to pursue the Living Building Challenge standard, and is Living Building Challenge Petal Certified.
