With its mild, year-round climate, Vancouver, Coast and Mountains is lush with forests, parks and gardens. It’s no secret that the region enjoys its fair share of rain, but summers are warm and sunny, bringing brilliant colour to the luxuriant, year-round foliage.

All manner of plants co-exist: those that are indigenous to the temperate rain forest (the northern counterpart of the tropical forest) like enormous Douglas firs, red cedars, giant thuyas, and western hemlocks, as well as countless European and Asian plants that have been imported over the decades. In downtown Vancouver alone, when spring arrives, the air is scented with Japanese cherry blossoms, vying for attention beside the armies of daffodils, rhododendrons ,tulips and the rose garden in Stanley Park starts to production fragrant smells.

It is, however, the numerous private and public ornamental gardens that really capture Vancouver’s passion for flowers. See some of our gardens here.

The most resplendent of these include the VanDusen Botanical Garden and Queen Elizabeth Garden in Vancouver, and Minter Gardens in Mighty Fraser Country. Each of these spectacular show gardens are home to wonderful collections of trees, shrubs and flowers, some growing largely as nature intended, while others are more cultivated and formal. Don’t miss Minter’s topiary sculptures and the Rhododendron walk at VanDusen.

The Living Forest at the Capilano Suspension Bridge is another trove of discovery with its panels of interactive displays, offbeat facts and naturalist’s notes provide an intimate understanding of the rainforest. The bug boxes of creepy crawlies at work in the soil are especially fun.

Large and lavish aside, it is often the region’s smaller creations that are its greatest treasures. The Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC, an authentic Japanese garden complete with a Stroll Garden, Tea Garden and ceremonial Tea House, reflects an idealized harmony of nature. And the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden, the only one of its kind outside of China, is an unexpected meditative space in the heart of bustling Chinatown.

Further afield towards the mountains and the Sunshine Coast, the landscape is largely untamed! Unexpected bursts of colour are showcased in private gardens with Pender Harbour being recognized this yar by Communities in Bloom for excellence in community gardens. Celebration Gardens in Sechelt is a jewel on the coast, with dahlias splashing the entrance in colour in late summer and over 250 holly trees in November.

In Mighty Fraser Country you’ll find a profusion of dahlias at Fernhill Gardens in Mission - fields of lavender and echinacea at Tuscan Farm Gardens in Langley. Dried Flowers by Judy, in Yarrow, and Greenhill Acres in Chilliwack are equally delightful finds, as is the tiny Japanese Friendship Garden in Hope, an anomaly in the wilderness, yet typical of the wonderful garden surprises that the region offers.

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Stanley Park – 1:49
Journey to the famous Stanley Park with over 1,000 hectares of park it is the 3rd largest city park in North America. With the sea-wall or forest paths there are enough areas of the park to keep you coming back again and again.