The Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

During our stay in Vancouver, DH and I visited the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. These are a completely different style to the more 'showy' Butchart Gardens but nevertheless still well worth a visit. And being free, very good value! Lol

The 55 acres of the gardens are divided into sections such as Mediterranean, Arctic Tundra, Southern Hemisphere, Sino-Himilayan were just some of th examples. Many of the flowering plants had obviously finished blooming but would have looked magnificent a few weeks ago due to the mass plantings. 

The day was hot but the Fern Dell was lovely and cool!

More ferns...there were so many varieties!

This shrub had almost finished flowering...it was a cardoon.

These plants are apparently related to the thistle family.

There were lots of plants that are able to survive with little water...

A number of the large trees had a large green bag at the base which provided water to the tree in an efficient way...

There was still lots of colour in the gardens despite many plants having finished flowering.

I liked the pineapple lily in the top right hand corner of the next collage...

Due to the drought the waterfall feature had been turned off but there were still a number of ponds etc, as well as some fountains. 

There were some art works spread around...

Lovely 'wild' areas...and we saw a squirrel run through here...

Near the entry to the gardens we had seen a warning sign...

But thankfully we didn't see any coyotes! As well as the squirrel though, we were very fortunate to see these two foraging in the undergrowth.

DH's camera was more up to the task than mine to take photos quickly and in the semi shade...

These raccoons were digging in the leaf litter and eating whatever it was they had found. We were absolutely chuffed to see some wildlife up close. 

There was also a veggie patch in the Gardens with some more of those giant tomatoes...

And an old tractor with metal rim wheels...I reckon it would have been a 'bone shaker' in its working life, but it wasn't going anywhere now...DH climbed up for a photo...that veggie patch is behind the tractor.

There was an orchard planted out...

Some fallen apples on the ground...

There were beehives...

And there was an English style maze. When my girls were little, I once got lost in such a maze in Mildura. Eventually DD1 had climbed the fence and hedge to come back and rescue me...so that has become a family legend...' Remember when mum got stuck in the maze' story. DH had heard this story so stayed close by me in this maze the other day...just as well! I kept going down the 'dead ends!'

Eventually we made our way back down to the main building and the exit...lots more formal gardens there...

And here we are, back at the main building and the exit.

We didn't cover the whole 55 acres in our visit but certainly got to see a lot of different plants and saw raccoons up close too! 

(A friend who was in Vancouver last December wrote and told me that these gardens are lit up with myriads of Christmas lights...she said that it all looked magnificent!)