There have been botanical gardens for half a millennium. Find out why they matter to everyone even more today, by attending a talk by Iain Taylor, professor emeritus of the UBC Department of Botany, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2 pm, at Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden, 5941 Mason Road, Sechelt.
Botanical gardens began as collections of herbs for doctors, but today their relevance includes us all. These gardens serve experts and non-experts alike, young children to seniors, with chances to experience and enjoy varied ecosystems, learn about plants in the global picture plus meet them up close, and investigate such vital concepts as how biodiversity and climate change affect us. Join Prof. Taylor to learn more about the surprising roles of today’s botanical gardens with his captivating talk, “Why Botanical Gardens Matter.”
We are fortunate to have our own botanical garden serving the Sunshine Coast, just seven years old. Recently the garden’s board instigated a six-month process of master planning, after a nation-wide request for proposal. This weekend a number of landscape architects and botanical garden experts are converging at the Garden for a design charrette. Together with botanical garden staff and volunteers, they will develop and move the planning forward. Visitors to the Prof. Taylor lecture will also see notes, sketches and some of the ideas that are being discussed.
Lecture tickets are available at the botanical garden, $20 for non-members, $15 for members; phone 604-740-3969 or email [email protected]. For information, visit www.coastbotanicalgarden.org.
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