Two weeks ago when I went to the VanDusen Garden Sakura Days Japan Fair I also took a guided tour of the garden. Spring has just sprung and there were many flowers already in bloom in the botanical garden.


Hellebores bloom in December, they are called Lenten Roses. Their "petals" are not actually petals but the sepals of the plant (the usually green thing that protects the petals when the flower is in bud). I think these are growing on me. I'll need to get some for my own garden soon.



On the left is a bald cypress. They grow in swampy areas and the knobby things are called the tree's "knees"!

This was part of a monkey puzzle tree that died and was cut into pieces. The gardener thought it looked so much like a spider he left a piece on the lawn. You really do a double-take when you are further away and first see it!


 These branches feel like deer antlers!


There are a lot of Rhododendrons in the garden. They have so many blossoms that they were the most popular photo op of the visitors that day!




As I was leaving the garden, I noticed a planter of moss and succulents. They had such interesting shapes and colours I could not resist sitting down and taking photos of them up close. Amazing aren't they?



 

I always love going to see what is new blooming at VanDusen Botanical Garden and if you haven't been you should go this weekend! This coming weekend, VanDusen Botanical Garden is having their annual Plant Sale! It lasts from 10:00am - 4:00pm and during that time there will be about 40,000 plants on sale and you can mingle with the gardeners and plant enthusiasts and best of all it's free to enter the gardens! In the previous years I had purchased my Magnolia tree that is doing quite well in my garden. I'll post up some pics later.