UBC Botanical Garden Forums A help forum for gardening, botany and plants. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:28:22 +0000 Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:28:22 +0000 UBC Botanical Garden Forums https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/ Williston Lake's moving island. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 23:31:46 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/williston-lakes-moving-island.105616/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/williston-lakes-moving-island.105616/ invalid@example.com (togata57) togata57 On Monday, the island made its second appearance – nearly 20 miles from its location earlier in August – in stunning aquatic displacement that has left residents wondering how an entire island can seem to simply vanish.

The mystery has unfolded in the middle of Williston Lake, a long and narrow reservoir created after the W.A.C Bennett dam flooded the region in the early 1970s. At nearly 1,700 sq km (650 sqmiles) it is the largest body of freshwater in the westernmost province....

Williston Lake's moving island.]]> 1 September in the Garden 2026 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 05:27:00 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/september-in-the-garden-2026.105617/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/september-in-the-garden-2026.105617/ invalid@example.com (vitog) vitog
I was wondering if any Oregon Ash trees have been planted in the UBC Garden.]]> 3 2026 virtual garden tour... Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:32:10 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/2026-virtual-garden-tour.105418/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/2026-virtual-garden-tour.105418/ invalid@example.com (Pieter) Pieter
There's not much to find in terms of colour in the yard this time of year but I did find some...

View attachment 261042 Like this Anenome coronaria, which I've seen unfolding very slowly over the past couple of weeks. There's a white one budding up not far away...
View attachment 261043 Here I thought I found a primula without slug damage but upon closer inspection of the picture I do see some, minor though it is..
View attachment 261044 ...

2026 virtual garden tour...]]> 49 Italian scientists bet on octopus to fight crab invasion Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:58:26 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/italian-scientists-bet-on-octopus-to-fight-crab-invasion.105613/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/italian-scientists-bet-on-octopus-to-fight-crab-invasion.105613/ invalid@example.com (Junglekeeper) Junglekeeper Italian scientists bet on octopus to fight crab invasion
]]> 6 Kalamansi Flowering Again Mon, 31 Aug 2026 20:48:44 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/kalamansi-flowering-again.105615/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/kalamansi-flowering-again.105615/ invalid@example.com (DavidB52) DavidB52
The Bumblebees are loving it.

Hopefully, we get many fruit too. It's about that time of year when I start bringing it back indoors at night, and then indoors full-time as temperatures drop. It could actually use full-time sunshine, and the energy it gives, to ensure all these little fruits develop nicely. Time will tell.

For now, it seems like a happy little tree.]]> Mid-August 2026 favourites Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:59:24 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/mid-august-2026-favourites.105614/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/mid-august-2026-favourites.105614/ invalid@example.com (wcutler) wcutler
In the food garden:
View attachment 265280

Very impressive kale, Brassica oleracea Acephala Group 'Scarlet'
View attachment 265272

Swiss chard, Beta vulgaris
View attachment 265271

Holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum
View attachment 265273 View attachment 265274

On the entrance plaza, Lagerstroemia subcostata var. fauriei was looking excellent.
View attachment 265276 View attachment 265275 ...

Mid-August 2026 favourites]]> August 2026 in the garden - Magnolia fruits Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:58:48 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/august-2026-in-the-garden-magnolia-fruits.105612/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/august-2026-in-the-garden-magnolia-fruits.105612/ invalid@example.com (wcutler) wcutler August in the Garden 2026 | UBC Botanical Garden, with examples for three follicetum (aggregate fruit) types. Someone must have alerted the squirrels, because we didn't find any fruits on the michelia group tree we looked at.

There were lots of small...

August 2026 in the garden - Magnolia fruits]]> UBC launches world’s first mushroom-powered waterless toilet Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:01:59 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/ubc-launches-world%E2%80%99s-first-mushroom-powered-waterless-toilet.105331/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/ubc-launches-world%E2%80%99s-first-mushroom-powered-waterless-toilet.105331/ invalid@example.com (Junglekeeper) Junglekeeper UBC launches world’s first mushroom-powered waterless toilet​
]]> 8 Invasive plants still available for sale Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:25:23 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/invasive-plants-still-available-for-sale.105611/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/invasive-plants-still-available-for-sale.105611/ invalid@example.com (Garry Oak) Garry Oak Invasive plants are available across Canada. Is federal regulation possible? | CBC News

In my opinion, the damage has already been done. I have not seen invasive plants for sale in years but there are still plenty growing in people's gardens.]]> Asteraceae sp. to I.D. please Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:30:34 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/asteraceae-sp-to-i-d-please.105610/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/asteraceae-sp-to-i-d-please.105610/ invalid@example.com (Trevor Blogg) Trevor Blogg Sorry for no involucre detail - pressed for time by fellow hikers.]]> 20261023 - Richmond - Mycology course - Oct 23-Nov 7 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:25:25 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261023-richmond-mycology-course-oct-23-nov-7.105609/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261023-richmond-mycology-course-oct-23-nov-7.105609/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog Kwantlen University
Richmond, B.C.
October 3 - November 7, 2026
Fridays 6-9pm & Sat Nov 7 11-2 ( three x 3-hour classes & one 3-hour field trip)
www.kpu.ca]]> 20260925 - Richmond - Mycology course - Sep 25-Oct 9 2026 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:23:18 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260925-richmond-mycology-course-sep-25-oct-9-2026.105608/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260925-richmond-mycology-course-sep-25-oct-9-2026.105608/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog Kwantlen University
Richmond, B.C.
September 25-October 9, 2026
Fridays 6-9pm ( three x 3-hour classes)
www.kpu.ca]]> 20260906 - Victoria - Fungi Art workshop - Sep 6 2026 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:14:39 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260906-victoria-fungi-art-workshop-sep-6-2026.105607/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260906-victoria-fungi-art-workshop-sep-6-2026.105607/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog Fun Guys Fungi Art Workshop
Victoria BC
Registration: https://makespace.gymmasteronline.com/portal/account/book/class/636160

View attachment 265248]]> Tiny, beautiful species are going missing from restored forests and wetlands Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:39:02 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/tiny-beautiful-species-are-going-missing-from-restored-forests-and-wetlands.105605/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/tiny-beautiful-species-are-going-missing-from-restored-forests-and-wetlands.105605/ invalid@example.com (Junglekeeper) Junglekeeper Tiny, beautiful species are going missing from restored forests and wetlands
]]> 1 How Much Rain to Water a Garden? Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:26:15 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/how-much-rain-to-water-a-garden.105606/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/how-much-rain-to-water-a-garden.105606/ invalid@example.com (DavidB52) DavidB52
I often listen to the weather report on the radio when I am driving to/from work and the report might say we received 20 mm of rain. Or the forecast calls for 15 mm of rain.

However, those numbers are meaningless to me. What would help me judge these numbers is knowing if the plants in the back get enough rain so that I don't have to water.

It's nice to hear the weather report and think to myself, "Phew! I...

How Much Rain to Water a Garden?]]> 1 Swamp milkweed sharing the news with monarch butterflies Sun, 16 Aug 2026 05:06:49 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/swamp-milkweed-sharing-the-news-with-monarch-butterflies.105604/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/swamp-milkweed-sharing-the-news-with-monarch-butterflies.105604/ invalid@example.com (Garry Oak) Garry Oak Endangered monarch butterflies boom amid wet hot Canadian summer on the Prairies | CBC News
[​IMG]
A monarch caterpillar chows down on swamp milkweed leaves at the museum Wednesday.]]> 20260919 - Strathcona - Mycology Workshop - Sep 19-20 2026 Sat, 15 Aug 2026 21:39:16 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260919-strathcona-mycology-workshop-sep-19-20-2026.105528/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260919-strathcona-mycology-workshop-sep-19-20-2026.105528/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog September 19-20, 2026
Strathcona Park
Courtenay, B.C.
Walk, talks, identification
https://strathconapark.org/swi-events/]]> 1 20261009 - Packwood - Mushroom Festival - Oct 9-11 2026 Sat, 15 Aug 2026 21:35:26 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261009-packwood-mushroom-festival-oct-9-11-2026.105603/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261009-packwood-mushroom-festival-oct-9-11-2026.105603/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog October 9-11, 2026
Packwood, WA, USA
https://www.pinchotpartners.org/fungi-festival

"Mark your calendars! October 9, 10 & 11, 2026 in Packwood, Washington! Three days celebrating all things fungi, tucked right at the edge of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest- U.S. Forest Service.
What's in store:
[​IMG]Mushroom talks & foraging tours...

20261009 - Packwood - Mushroom Festival - Oct 9-11 2026]]> Container Grown Trees - Bonsai Effect or Not Fri, 14 Aug 2026 07:10:50 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/container-grown-trees-bonsai-effect-or-not.105593/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/container-grown-trees-bonsai-effect-or-not.105593/ invalid@example.com (mobiledynamics) mobiledynamics
For those growing Bonsai or the effects on containers on trees, what dictates (limits) their growth vs in ground. Is it the width of the rootball -pot (aka, the invisible drip line).

If one root prunes the roots ....wheter it be every 2 years or the like so that the roots are not touching the sidewalls of the pots, does it (Un Bonsai effect ) the growth of the trees.

While I have noticed growth in said trees in year 1 and 2,.....it...

Container Grown Trees - Bonsai Effect or Not]]> 3 Best pendulous form Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:09:01 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/best-pendulous-form.105592/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/best-pendulous-form.105592/ invalid@example.com (kgeezy20) kgeezy20 8 Split Weeping willow and septic Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:05:56 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/split-weeping-willow-and-septic.105602/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/split-weeping-willow-and-septic.105602/ invalid@example.com (Shuswap Kathy) Shuswap Kathy View attachment 265245]]> 1 20261108 - Richmond - Mushroom Show - Nov 8 2026 Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:41:47 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261108-richmond-mushroom-show-nov-8-2026.105601/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261108-richmond-mushroom-show-nov-8-2026.105601/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog Richmond Nature Park Mushroom Show
Sunday Nov 8, 2026 11 am - 4 pm
Richmond Nature Park
vanmyco.org]]> 20261025 - Vancouver - Mushroom Show - Oct 25 2026 Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:40:46 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261025-vancouver-mushroom-show-oct-25-2026.105600/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20261025-vancouver-mushroom-show-oct-25-2026.105600/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog Vancouver Mycological Society Fall Mushroom Show
Sunday Oct 25 2026
10 am - 5 pm
Floral Hall, VanDusen Botanical Gardens, Vancouver, B.C.
vanmyco.org]]> Ancient 'Robin Hood' tree is dead, experts say Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:14:08 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/ancient-robin-hood-tree-is-dead-experts-say.105599/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/ancient-robin-hood-tree-is-dead-experts-say.105599/ invalid@example.com (Junglekeeper) Junglekeeper Ancient 'Robin Hood' tree is dead, experts say
]]> 20260829 - Marysville - Forest event - Aug 29 2026 Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:56:30 +0000 https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260829-marysville-forest-event-aug-29-2026.105598/ https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/20260829-marysville-forest-event-aug-29-2026.105598/ invalid@example.com (Frog) Frog August 29 2026
Marysville (Kimberley) B.C.

"- An Immersive day in nature - Come with an open mind, leave with a newly acquired skill!
Camp Stone - Follow the signs at the St Mary's Lake Turnoff just past Marysville)
Gates will be open to the Public at 9 30am for folks who wish to participate in the Morning Flow Yoga. This allows space and time to park your vehicle, and time for you to drop in and be ready for the 10am class
10am - Pop up Artisan Village opens...

20260829 - Marysville - Forest event - Aug 29 2026]]>