ERICA'S NOTEBOOK
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    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
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What's New on Erica's Notebook

May 2025 Additions:
Self-guided Tour: Carolinian Forest


April 2025 Additions:
  • Camellia x williamsii 'Freedom Bell'
​Curator Report on 2025 projects


March 2025 Additions:
  • Picea brachtyla
  • Helleborus foetidus
  • Cephalotaxus fortunei

​Self-Guided Tour, Feb. March 2024: Adopt-A-Tree


February 2025 Additions:
  • Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy
  • Thuja plicata 'Filiformis'
  • Acer stachyophyllum subsp. betulifolium
​

January 2025 Additions:
  • Chelonopsis yagiharana
  • Aralia 'Sun King'
  • ​Kalmia latifolia
  • Eremurus x isabellinus 'Cleopatra'


December 2024 Additions:
  • Acer Palmatum 'Beni-otake'​
  • Acorus gramineus ‘Variegatus’


November 2024 Additions:
  • Dioscorea japonica​​
  • Update to profile Synthyris missurica
  • Pseudolarix amabilis
  • Acer palmatum
  • Acer palmatum 'Twombly's Red Sentinel'
Self-Guided Tour for Winter 2024: A Winter Meander in the Sino Himalayan
Additional Resources for the Nov. 14, 2024 talk on "Coexisting with Wildfire"


October 2024 Additions:
  • Aesculus glabra var. arguta​​
  • Amaranthus cruentus ‘Hot Biscuits’
Gardener Walk with Andrew


September 2024 Additions:
  • Echinacea purpurea 'Fragrant Angel'
  • Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii'
  • Sedum 'Class Act'
  • Perovskia atriplicifolia

Self-Guided Tour for Fall: Edibles in the Garden 
Gardener Walk with Lisa:



August 2024 Additions:
  • Macleaya cordata
  • Revised profile of  Strix varia  (barred owls)
  • Echinacea purpurea ‘Rubinstern’
  • Epipactis helleborine

​Gardener Walk with Shaun

In the News: Wonderful Wollemi Pines 




​July 2024 Additions:
  • Podophyllum pleianthum
  • Rosa 'Gloire de Guilan'
  • ​Rosa 'Emily Carr'
  • Rosa 'Felix Leclerc'
  • ​Salix lanata
  • ​Melianthus major

​Gardener Walk with JP


June 2024 Additions:
  • Magnolia grandiflora 'Victoria'
  • Comptonia peregrina
  • Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri'
  • Meconopsis genus & Meconopsis x sheldonii
  • Meconopsis x sheldonii 'Lingholm'
  • Lilium formosanum var. pricei
  • Cardiocrinum giganteum

Basics of bionomial nomenclature
6/2024 Plant Collection Record on 'Maps and PCR' page
​


May 2024 Additions:
  • Chamaecyparis obtusa​​
Gardener Walk with Erin - May 20, 2024


April 2024 Additions:
  • Picea chihuahuana
  • Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'

2024 Gardeners' Walk Schedule
Self-Guided Tour: Nature and Art
In the News: Magnolias in the Wild

In the News:
  • Forest Bathing Pilot Project in Vancouver Parks


March 2024 Additions:
  • Synthyris missurica
  • Pinus thunbergii​
  • Rhododendron strigillosum

In the news:  World's earliest fossilized forest
​


February 2024 Additions:​
  • Styrax obassia
  • Styrax americanus

Self-Guided Tour for February-March: Plants, Lakes & Bridges
Sam's Continuing Ed Talk on 'Living Fossils

Updated Gardener Staff & Assignments


​January 2024 Additions:
  • Picea rubens​
  • Lindera erythrocarpa
​
Continuing Education 2024

November 2023 Additions:
  • Acer palmatum 'Aka-shime-no-uchi'
  • ​Plectranthus 'Mt. Carbine'
  • Corylopsis glabrescens 'Longwood Chimes'
  • Aesculus x bushii
  • Clethra alnifolia & Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice'​


October 2023 Additions:
  • Echinacea purpurea 'Green Twister'
  • Asclepias speciosa
  • Origanum 'Kent Beauty'
  • Tulbaghia violacea​
  • Aloysia citrodora


September 2023 Additions:
  • Francoa sonchifolia
  • Spigelia marilandica 'Little Redhead'
  • Vitex agnus-castus
  • Diphylleia cymosa
  • Scilla mischtschenkoana 'Tubergeniana'
  • Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra 'Bleeding Hearts'
  • Pinus muricata
  • Alnus hirsuta var. siberica
  • Ugni molinae
  • ​Vaccinium parvifolium

Updated Plant Collection Records
​

Walk in the Garden with David G.
​


August 2023 Additions:
  • Amelanchier ainifolia
  • Rosa CITRUS SPLASH = Jaczorba
  • Hemerocallis 'Strutter's Ball' & 'Purple de Oro'
  • Cercis siliquastrum
  • Lilium 'Tabledance'
  • Heliopsis helianthoides 'Sunstruck'

Gardener's Walk with Brent


July 2023 Additions:
  • Aronia melanocarpa
  • Cortaderia selloana
  • Allium siculum
  • Tithonia rotundifolia
  • Elaeagnus commutata

Notes from Acting Superintendent Garden Walk, June 30


June 2023 Additions:
  • Quercus acuta
  • Saxifraga fortunei
  • ​Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta
  • Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete'
  • Narcissus 'Tete Bouclé' 
  • Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus
  • Camellia japonica ‘Hagoromo’
  • Salix lapponum
  • Tropaeolum polyphyllum
  • Allium 'Mount Everest'
  • Acer palmatum ‘Nuresagi’
  • Sedum spathulifolium​
  • Carpinus japonica
  • ​Prunus mume
  • ​Erythronium 'Kondo'

​Curator Update
​

Conifer Connect 

2023 Vegetable Garden Notes/Signage/Plant Lists
​

April 2023 Additions:
  • Rhododendron pocophorum
  • Rhododendron coeloneuron
  • Narcissus 'Thalia'
  • Narcissis 'Rip van Winkle'

How to Find Plants in the Garden 
(fyi link lives under the drop-down menu 'In the Garden'/Maps and Collection Lists')


Extra Credit - Items in the News about the Plant World (permanent link is under 'Updates')

Internet Links Useful for Guides

Mexican Plants at VanDusen Guide Education Notes


Self-Guided Tour: Livingstone and Heron Lakes



​March 2023 Additions:
  • Taxus baccata 'Repandens'
  • Rhododendron Tessa Group
  • Rhododendron pachysanthum
  •  Pinus mugo var. pumilio 
  • Picea mariana
  • Acer circinatum -  'JFS-Purple'        'Monroe'         'Pacific Fire'
  • Spirea thunbergii
  • Chamaecyparis pisifera
  • Halesia monticola
  • Trochodendron aralioides

March 2023 Guide Education Recording: Japanese Beetles

Updated Plant Collection Record


February 2023 Additions:
  • Fraxinus griffithii
  • Juniperus phoenicia
  • Hamamelis 'Brevipetala'
  • Acer glabrum
  • Cryptomeria japonica 'Spiralis'
  • Tsuga mertensiana

Self-guided Tour: A Tribute to Trees


January 2023 Additions:
  • Physostegia virginiana 'Miss Manners'
  • Cotinus coggygria 'Young Lady'
  • Pinus contorta
  • Juniperus communis 'Hornibrookii'

Self-Guided Tour: Trees of VanDusen

December 2022 Additions:  
  • ​Austrocedrus chilensis
  • Phygelius (Cape Fuschia)
  • Cryptomeria japonica   Arauccarioides Group   'Vilmoriniana'    'Tansu'   'Pygmaea'​   'Sekkan-sugi'

VanDusen 2022 Plant Collections Annual Report  &  Updated Downloadable Garden Map


November 2022 Additions:  
Self-Guided Tour: Savouring the Seasons


New Categories: History of the Garden & Backyard Bird Garden
​

New plant profiles:
  • Tagetes minuta
  • Maackia chinensis
  • Sassafras albidum​
  • Echinacea purpurea 'Green Jewel'
  • Nothofagus dombeyi
  • Cornus kousa var. chinensis
  • Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Pendula'

Nov. 10, 2022:  From Hawaii’s Lyon Arboretum to VanDusen Botanical Garden: Native plants feed native insects. Why it's important and what can we do. Speaker: John Shinnick, Volunteer seed collector and guide
​GMT20221110-180058_Recording_2240x1260.mp4


October 2022 Additions:  
New plant profiles:
  • Lagerstroemia ​
  • Physocarpus capitatas
  • Solanum aviculare
  • Heptacodium miconioides
  • Ptilotus exaltatus 'Joey'
  • Tsuga canadensis ‘Gentsch White’

Curator's Update: Irrigation, Heather Garden, Teaching Garden. Drought, Shedding Leaves

October 13, 2022: - Recording Observations with iNaturalist Canada: 
  • Video: Guide Education Meeting October 2022.mp4


September 2022 Additions:  
September 8, 2022 Education Talk - 
Gillian Drake, Kitchen Botany 
Video link: ​
GMT20220908-170235_Recording_1920x1080.mp4

New plant profiles:
  • Thalictrum ichangense ‘Evening Star’
  • Bupleurum fruticosum
  • ​Taxus cuspidata ‘Aurescens’
  • Shepherdia canadensis


August 2022 Additions:  
New plant profiles:
  • Cotinus coggygria 'Young Lady'
  • Rhododendron 'Cotton Candy'
  • Ilex zhejiangensis
  • Staphylea holocarpa
  • Populus wilsonii
  • Rhododendron (Obtusum Group) 'Kuruma-gaeshi'
  • Asimina triloba (Pawpaw Tree)

Story of Cornus 'Eddies' White Wonder'
Story of Garry Oak planted in 2009 by HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall



July 2022 Additions:  
New plant profiles:
  • Prunus 'Shirotae'
  • Rhododendron 'Lem's Cameo'​
  • Jeffersonia diphylla
  • Amorpha fruticosa
  • Lupinus polyphyllus
  • Broussonetia kazinoki
  • Merwilla plumbea
  • Cornus x rutgersensis [AURORA] = 'Rutban'
  • Holodiscus discolor
  • Allium cristophii
  • Baptisia australis
  • Quercus ilex
  • Allium schubertii
  • Allium moly
  • Oxalis adenophylla
  • Impatiens omeiana
  • Stewartia rostrata
  • Astilbe spp.
  • ​Alcea rosea
  • ​Allium cernuum

June 2022 Virtual Walk with Laura: Behind the Scenes of the Garden

July-August 2022 Self-Guided Tour: A Summer Stroll

List of Bed Numbers with Locations



​June 2022 Additions:  
New plant profiles:
  • Acer velutinum
  • Prunus (Sato-Zakura Group) 'Kanzan'
  • Amsonia tabernaemontana
  • Rhododendron arboreum
  • Rhododendron bureauvii
  • Rhododendron schlippenbachii
  • Rhododendron 'Old Port'
  • ​Primula sieboldii
  • Prunus padus 'Wateri'
  • Sophora microphylla

May 2022 Additions:  
New plant profiles
  • Trillium ovatum
  • Tulipa clusiana
  • Helleborus x hybridus 'Berry Swirl' (Winter Jewel Series)
  • Achlys triphylla
  • Echinacea cultivars
  • Camassia leichtlinii
  • Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin'
  • Dodecatheon hendersonii​

May 2022 Walk with Andrew: North Areas of the Garden
- enhanced version with photos
- printable pdf

May-June 2022 Self-Guided Tour: April Showers Bring Spring Flowers
- enhanced version with photos
- printable pdf


​
April 2022 Additions: 
  • Updated Plant Collection Record
  • Guide Education Videos on Butterflies and Insects 

April 2022 Self-Guided Tour: VanDusen's Giants
- enhanced version with photos
- printable pdf


New plant profiles
  • Thlaspi macrophyllum
  • Acer monspessulanum
  • Eomecon chionantha
  • Fothergilla major
  • Pinus parviflora & P. parviflora f. glauca
  • Hacquetia epipactis
  • Paxistima myrsinites​
  • Primula 'Wanda'
  • Camellia japonica subsp. rusticana​
  • Salix fargesii
  • Salix nakamurana var. yezoalpina
  • Prunus 'Snow Goose'
  • Prunus subhirtella var. pendula 'Snofozam' Snow Fountains
  • Trachystemon orientalis
  • Campanula takesimana
  • Daphne mezereum
  • Dactylorhiza foliosa
  • Abeliophyllum distichum


March 2022 Additions:  
New plant profiles
  • Nothofagus antarctica​
  • Salix boydii
  • +Laburnocytisus 'Adamii'
  • Abies veitchii
  • Veronica 'Great Orme'
  • Rhodendron Walloper Group
  • Erica x darleyensis 'Kramer's Rote'
  • Calluna vulgaris 'Zoe'
  • Choisya x dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’

Stone Garden

Curator Updates
​


February 2022 Additions:​
New Plant Profiles
  • Phellodendron amurense
  • Rosa 'Benjamin Britten'
  • Hydrangea macrophylla 'Merritt's Supreme'
  • Kirengeshoma palmata
  • Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet'
  • Arum italicum
  • Begonia grandis 'Heron's Pirouette'
  • Persicaria virginiana ‘Painter’s Palette'
  • Caleocedrus decurrens
  • Chelone obliqua
  • Chelone lyonii

February-March 2022 Self-Guided Tour: An Historical Walk around the Garden
- enhanced version with photos
- printable pdf



January 2022 Additions:​
New Plant Profiles
  • Tsuga diversifolia
  • Senecio cristobalensis
  • Styrax japonicus​
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  • Home
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    • What's New
    • Garden Stories >
      • Garden Story Index
    • Self-Guided Tours
    • Gardener Walks
    • Curator Updates
    • Guide Training
    • Walks & Talks >
      • Walks and Talks 2025
      • Walks and Talks 2024
      • Walks and Talks 2023
      • Walks and Talks 2022
      • Walks -Talks 2021 & Zoom Tips
    • PDFs of Updates, Tours, & Talks >
      • Self-guided Tours (PDF)
      • Gardener Walks (PDF)
  • Plant IDs
    • ID By Flower Color >
      • Red Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Green Flowers
      • Blue Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • White Flowers
    • ID By Type >
      • Annuals
      • Berries-Fruits-Nuts
      • Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers >
        • Bulbs
        • Corms
        • Rhizomes
        • Tubers
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Medicinal Plants
      • Native Plants
      • Perennials >
        • Peonies
        • Salvias
      • Rhododendrons >
        • Rhodendron Erica Notes
      • Shrubs >
        • Calycanthus
        • Hydrangeas >
          • Hydrangea Background
        • Peonies >
          • Peonies-Overview
        • Rhododendrons
        • Roses >
          • Rose Background
      • Trees >
        • Conifers >
          • Cypress
          • Firs
          • Pines
        • Conifer Connect Exhibit
        • Deciduous Trees >
          • Dogwoods
          • Ginkgos
          • Magnolias
          • Witch Hazels
        • Native Trees
        • Tree of the Month
  • In the Garden
    • Map and Collection Lists >
      • Plant Locator
    • Art in the Garden >
      • Symposium & Exhibitions
    • Building and Grounds >
      • Bridges
      • Formal Rose Garden Hardscape and Art
      • Grotto Area & Black Garden
      • Korean Pavilion
      • Maze
    • Gardener Assignments
    • Collections >
      • Ash Collection
      • Camellia Collection
      • Rhododendron Walk
    • Gardens >
      • Gardens A-D >
        • Alma VanDusen Garden
        • Backyard Bird Garden
        • Bentall Garden
        • Black Garden
        • Canadian Heritage Garden >
          • Bees
          • Canadian Heritage Orchard
        • Cascadia Garden
        • Cherry Grove
        • Chilean Garden
      • Gardens E-H >
        • Eastern North America Garden
        • Fern Dell
        • Formal Rose Garden
        • Fragrance Garden
        • Heather Garden
        • Herb Garden
        • Heritage Rose Garden
      • Gardens I-P >
        • Laburnum Walk
        • Livingstone Lake
        • Meconopsis Dell
        • Meditation Garden
        • Mediterranean Garden
        • Ornamental Grasses
        • Perennial Garden
      • Gardens R-Z >
        • Rhododendron Walk
        • Sino-Himayalan Region
        • South African Garden
        • Southern Hemisphere
        • Stone Garden
        • Vegetable Garden
        • Woodland Garden
    • Garden History >
      • History photos
  • Science
    • Animals & Insects >
      • Birds
      • Butterflies and Moths
      • Insect Friends
      • Small Creatures
    • Buds
    • Colour and Vision
    • Dynamic Symmetry - Fibonacci Spirals
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Germination
    • Habitats and Environments
    • Hormones
    • Leaves
    • Life on Earth
    • Light, Energy, and Rainbows
    • Plant Calendars
    • Pollination
    • Pollen
    • Roots
    • Scents
    • Seeds
    • Soil
    • Stems
    • Vascular Plants
    • Web of Interdependence
    • Weeds
  • Bloedel
  • Search
    • Internet links
  • About
    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
  • Contact