Hello Fellow Garden Lovers!We're back! This year's East Vancouver Garden Tour will be on Father's Day, Sunday, June 18th. It's our one fundraiser for Britannia Neighbours, and all the proceeds go to maintaining the Napier Square Greenway (at Napier and Commercial). We use the money we raise to buy plants and supplies and to pay people to water and pick up litter in the Greenway. We're lucky that we had a bit of cash in the bank as a cushion when Covid struck, so we managed to survive.
Like other years, this year's tour will be walkable (but won't be walking distance from Figaro's). It will be on the western edge of East Vancouver near Main Street and, once you get to the general area, it should be comfortably walkable for most people.
This year’s tour features 13 wonderfully diverse home gardens, both well established and newer ones, all hidden gems in the Main Street area, plus two unique public spaces. The tour area is generally between King Edward and 37th Avenue, extending from Main to St. George, west of Fraser.
The gardens are a mix of flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees — a 30-year-old garden with rare plants and topiary, a secluded Japanese garden with a large pond, a property with a heritage outbuilding and a working riverbed, Tupper Secondary School’s extensive “rain garden,” an environment restoration and student education project, and more!
There will be home gardeners or Master Gardeners at each site to chat and answer questions.
There will be two places this year where you can check in with us and pick up your map (showing where all the gardens are, and including brief descriptions of each of them). One is our usual home base at Figaro’s Garden (https://www.figarosgarden.ca) at 1896 Victoria Drive, and the other is at Prince Edward Park, Prince Edward Street at 22nd, which is right within the tour area.
Ticket are available now and until June 17th.
There are THREE ways to get tickets — online through Eventbrite, at Britannia Community Centre, or at Figaro's Garden:
(We recommend that you sign up for the tour ahead of time to avoid disappointment. It has been really popular in past years, and, although we will have some cash-only tickets available on the day of the tour, tickets are limited and we have been known to sell out.)
On the day of the tour, go to one of our two bases and pick up your tour map before you head off to the gardens.
The tour is self-guided and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but this is not necessarily an event you need to come to right on time. We often get a big rush of eager beavers right at 10:00, but there's no need to hurry. You can come and go as you please. You'll see exactly the same gardens if you get started at 11:00 or noon or 1:00 or even as late as 2:00! (Do, however, make sure you leave yourself enough time to see all the gardens! We don't recommend starting the tour after 2:00.)
You could, for example, pick up your tour map at 11:00, go visit a few gardens, have a leisurely lunch somewhere nearby, and then return to see the rest of the gardens on the tour. Do, however, plan on being done by 4:00 when the gardens officially close!
If you attend the tour you will get a one-time 15% discount at Figaro's that you can use any time between the day of the tour and July 1st (Canada Day).
If you would like to get on the Figaro's e-mail list to be alerted to special seasonal discounts and sales for their regular customers, email info@figarosgarden.ca and let them know.
There are THREE ways to get tickets — online through Eventbrite, at Britannia Community Centre, or at Figaro's Garden:
- Click on the "buy tickets" link to get your tickets online. (Note that there's a small Eventbrite service charge on top of the $20 for each ticket).
- Order your tickets for the tour at Britannia Centre's Info Centre, 1661 Napier, $20 either in person or by phone at 604-718-5800.
- Drop in to Figaro's Garden to buy tickets starting May 3rd ($20 — in person and cash only).
(We recommend that you sign up for the tour ahead of time to avoid disappointment. It has been really popular in past years, and, although we will have some cash-only tickets available on the day of the tour, tickets are limited and we have been known to sell out.)
On the day of the tour, go to one of our two bases and pick up your tour map before you head off to the gardens.
The tour is self-guided and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but this is not necessarily an event you need to come to right on time. We often get a big rush of eager beavers right at 10:00, but there's no need to hurry. You can come and go as you please. You'll see exactly the same gardens if you get started at 11:00 or noon or 1:00 or even as late as 2:00! (Do, however, make sure you leave yourself enough time to see all the gardens! We don't recommend starting the tour after 2:00.)
You could, for example, pick up your tour map at 11:00, go visit a few gardens, have a leisurely lunch somewhere nearby, and then return to see the rest of the gardens on the tour. Do, however, plan on being done by 4:00 when the gardens officially close!
Important: The gardens cannot accommodate wheelchairs or strollers. Children must be 9 years or older or babies in arms. Pets are not allowed. Please don't take photos unless you have the gardeners' permission.
If you would like to get on the Figaro's e-mail list to be alerted to special seasonal discounts and sales for their regular customers, email info@figarosgarden.ca and let them know.
If you have questions about the tour, email us at britneighbours@gmail.com.
Cheers,
The East Van Garden Tour team
