May in the David C. Lam Asian Garden at UBC

On my frequent visits ‘home’ to Vancouver, I always make a point of visiting the UBC Botanical Garden. I spent time on the campus about a million years ago, but my sensibilities were not garden-related at the time, given I was in my late teens. But 50 years later, it’s become for me a vital part of the leafy paradise that sits at the edge of the Salish Sea, those bay-and-cove inland waters of the Pacific Ocean.

UBC Botanical Garden-map

Though I’ve blogged about their beautiful, May-flowering Garry Oak Meadow before, today I want to explore The David C. Lam Asian Garden, below.

David C. Lam-Asian Garden-Map-UBC Botanical

The garden was named for British Columbia’s 25th Lieutenant-Governor, David C. Lam (1923-2010). A successful real estate developer and philanthropist, Mr. Lam also helped to fund Vancouver’s Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

David C. Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

As you enter in spring, you’ll be tempted by the lovely little gift shop, but leave that until you depart. But do note the educational displays featuring plants from the garden, like redvein enkianthus (Enkianthus campanulatus), below.

Enkianthus campanulatus-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Move into the garden proper, and you’ll soon see a lovely pond surrounded by Persicaria bistorta and various rodgersias.

Pond-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

There are Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsis baileyi), of course…

Meconopsis on path-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…and they love growing near primroses (P. veris).Primula veris & Meconopsis-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

This is gorgeous ‘Hensol Violet’ blue poppy with its purplish cast.

Meconopsis 'Lingholm'-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

I adore being under the towering hemlocks and red cedars. It takes me back to my British Columbia childhood.

Tsuga heterophylla-Hemlock-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

In this forest, native sword ferns are plentiful, and amidst the fallen logs, you can see the small rhododendron specimens newly planted.

Sword ferns & rhododendron-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

If you’re feeling brave, you can pay extra to walk the educational Greenheart Tree Walk, alone or with a guide for the scheduled, daily tours.

Tree-Canopy Walker-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

There’s nothing like being up in the canopy with the birds. I heard a great horned owl when I was there last week.

Tree Canopy Walk-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

The spectacular forest here is second growth, with considerable cutting done in the 1930s. Nevertheless, there are 500-600 year old Douglas firs, like the famous eagle-perching tree, below, with its bald eagle aboard.Eagle-perching tree-Pseudotsuga menziesii-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

May is when the Asian Garden shines, with its vast collection of camellias……

Camellia japonica-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

….and magnolias, including common star magnolia (M. stellata), below, but many rare and endangered species, such as early-blooming and critically-endangered Magnolia zenii, as well.

Magnolia stellata-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

There are myriad rhododendrons, such as R. rigidum arched over the path, below…..

Rhododendron rigidum-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…and the tiny R. senghkuense, lovingly planted in the bark of a fallen red cedar, which approximates its preferred substrate….

Rhododendron senghkuense-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

….and numerous other rhodos, including those in my montage, below.

Rhododendrons-David C. Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

The David C. Lam Asian Garden is renowned internationally for its collection of 130 maples, the second most significant collection in the world.  Among them are the rugged, hardy Manchurian maple, Acer mandschuricum…..

Acer mandshuricum-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

….Acer pauciflorum, below….

Acer pauciflorum-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Acer japonicum ‘O-isami’, below…..

Acer japonicum'O-isami'-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…the lovely fullmoon maple Acer shirasawanum ‘Palmatifolium’, below….

Acer shirasawanum 'Palmatifolium'-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Acer elegantulum, below….

Acer elegantulum-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…and Siebold’s maple, Acer sieboldianum, below, among many, many others.

These drugs are known to increase cheap cialis the amount of blood. buy viagra without The official website of this magical pill provides special discount offers and free gifts. Men viagra pill cost are advised intake of Night Fire capsule along with this medicine, as they readily hamper drug absorption. It must not exceed the right dosage levitra without prescription otherwise patients will suffer from health complications. Acer sieboldianum-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

There are hundreds of other flowering shrubs and trees, like Asian spicebush (Lindera erythrocarpa)….

Lindera erythrocarpa-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…the enchanting Chinese styrax-parasol tree (Melliodendron xylocarpum)…..

Melliodendron xylocarpum-parasol tree flowers-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical Garden

….with its delightful umbella-shaped blooms. It’s one of my favourite small trees.

Melliodendron xylocarpum-parasol tree-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

There are Asian lindens like Tilia intonsa from Taiwan…..

Tilia intonsa-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical Garden

…and rare hornbeams, like the monkey-tail hornbeam Carpinus fangiana, below….

Carpinus fangiana-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…and mountain ashes such as Sorbus meliosmifolia….

Sorbus meliosmifolia-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…the Chinese yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium)….

Xanthoceras sorbifolium-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…. and the wondrous Rehderodendron macrocarpum, now threatened because of logging in southwest China.

Rehderodendron macrocarpum-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical Garden

I love the way this Chinese horse chestnut, Aesculus assamica growing beneath a massive native B.C. hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), symobolizes the successful marriage of the second-growth forest here with the Asian flora within it.

Aesculus assamica-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Though you’re in a mature forest full of towering British Columbia conifers, you’ll also find some Asian species, like the Chinese plum yew, Cephalotaxus sinensis, below.

Cephalotaxus-sinensis-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

There are fairly common viburnums, like Viburnum davidii, V. henryi, and the cinnamon-leaved viburnum, V. cinnamomifolium, below…..

Viburnum cinnamomifolium-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…and rarer ones, like Viburnum chingii.

Viburnum chingii-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical Garden

And this pale-yellow weigela (W. middendorffiana) is a rare beauty from Japan and northern China.

Weigela middendorffiana-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

…and I think this pink deutzia (Deutzia calycosa) that grows at elevation in Sichuan – where it’s called 大萼溲疏 or “da e sou shu” – is delightful.

Deutzia calycosa-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Look at beautiful Ludlow’s peony (Paeonia ludlowii), below.  In Tibet, they call it lumaidao meaning “God’s flower”.

Paeonia ludlowii-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

I spend my time turning labels around so I can record the names to match my photos later….

Stauntonia hexaphylla-label-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

….like this evergreen vine from Japan and Korea, Stauntonia hexaphylla.

Stauntonia hexaphylla-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Here is the pink form of Clematis montana scrambling up an evergreen in the forest.

Clematis montana-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Paths through the garden commemorate the work of many storied plant explorers who collected throughout Asia.

Explorer path signs-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

Here is a collection of some of the historic names – all leading somewhere in the garden and helping to map the species.  The signpost “Straley” honours the late Gerald Straley, who was Curator of Collections at UBC until his untimely death in 1998.

Asia-Explorers-Signposts-David Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

The sign below honours the late David C. Lam garden curator and plant explorer Peter Wharton, who sadly passed away in 2008. These days, when he’s not in the garden, curator Andy Hill can be found on the slopes of Chinese or Vietnamese mountains plant-hunting with the likes of Dan Hinkley of Washington, or with Douglas Justice, Associate Director of Horticulture & Collections at UBC Botanical.

Peter Wharton-path sign-David-Lam Asian Garden-UBC Botanical

If you still have the energy after traversing all the bark mulch paths in the David Lam garden, do take the tunnel under Marine Drive and head over to the sunny side of the street where you’ll find the Garry Oak garden, the alpine garden, and the beautiful British Columbia Native Plant Garden. And if you see my pal, curator Ben Stormes, there – be sure to say hello!

David Lam Asian Garden-Tunnel under Marine Drive-UBC Botanical

8 thoughts on “May in the David C. Lam Asian Garden at UBC

  1. Beautiful images of a fabulous garden: I remember when it was freshly planted in the 1980’s–it looked so raw compared to the UBC Asian Garden that was planted among mature, coastal Doug Firs…but this one has matured so (and I’ve not seen it in a decade or more–you’re inspiring me to get back to Vancouver again). Thank Heavens we have a pool of sanity North of us to escape to!

  2. Thank you, Panayoti. I missed celebrating the centenary of this botanical garden by one year (2016). I’m sure UBC would love to have you speak – and Van Dusen is a treasure (that blog’s coming up). One of these days, I’ll do a little write-up on my friend Brent Hines’s former garden here at UBC, the lovely E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden, and the B.C. Native Plants Garden. So many gardens, so little time…..

    • Thank you, Helen! Maybe now that retirement is coming for ‘someone’, you can manage a trip west some spring! There’s nothing like it. It does my heart good to be near the ocean in flora!

  3. Beautiful ! I just visited this garden about 10 days ago and just one visit is not enough to absorb all of its beauty ! Thank you for your post, it brings back lovely memories !

  4. I want to remember this one! And this place officially added to my bucket list now. Oh—I see you have Van Duane next. Love that garden. What a pleasure to meet you, Janet!

    • Alyse! Yes, you must go to David Lam. It’s exquisite. I will try to do a blog on Van Dusen because it’s my *other* favourite Vancouver garden and I’ve ben there so often in May and early June. So glad to have met you, too. Hope you’ve recovered…. and also that you had a lovely time with your daughter! Here’s to solo travelling.

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