Media Release | Jun. 22, 1999
Hot B.C. gardening takes centre stage at global conference
More than 750 garden experts from around the world have registered
for a busy and prestigious conference being co-hosted by the University
of British Columbia's Botanical Garden and VanDusen Botanical Garden.
In the spotlight is the area's rapidly growing international reputation
for sophisticated and diverse gardening in its famed natural setting.
"Our visitors are going to be truly amazed at what we are growing
here," says Bruce Macdonald, director of the UBC Botanical Garden
and conference co-chair. He notes that gardening has grown into
the top outdoor leisure activity in the Lower Mainland and nursery
trades in B.C. now generate $750 million in business annually.
It is the first time the annual conference of the American Association
of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA) has been staged in Vancouver.
Called "A Century of Plants," the conference takes place June 30
to July 3. It is packed with workshops and sessions with global
gardening authorities and includes tours of natural and designed
landscapes from Burns Bog to Butchart Gardens.
"There is tremendous interest in the horticultural richness of
B.C. which is why people are attending from Australia, New Zealand,
the United Kingdom and across the United States and Canada," says
Nancy Morin, executive director of AABGA, the Pennsylvania-based
professional association for public gardens in North America, which
has 475 institutional members.
She says there is a growing awareness that B.C. is a pace-setter
in the gardening world. UBC Botanical Garden's plant introduction
program has achieved international success with popular cultivars
including Lonicera "Mandarin," Clematis "Blue Ravine"
and Viburnum "Summer Snowflake."
"The conference will showcase the fact that many of our private
and professional gardeners are striving to be the very best in everything
from daylilies to exotic trees, " says Margaret Johnston, director
of VanDusen Botanical Garden and conference co-chair. "A unique
West Coast gardening style and industry has developed and there
is growing interest in B.C.'s native plants."
For more information, call Susan Worth, conference co-ordinator,
at 604.822.4779. During the conference, call the Hotel Vancouver
at (604) 684-3131 and ask for extension 6365.
Journalists may want to focus on aspects of local gardening
which are of global interest. An exhibit hall will be set up in
the Hotel Vancouver where most sessions are being held. A complete
program is available, and every effort will be made to accommodate
media who want to attend a conference session.
Contact
Bruce Mason
UBC Public Affairs
Tel: 604.822.2048 |
