To create and maintain a Pacific Northwest botanical garden that inspires and engages the community in plant appreciation and acts as a catalyst for learning and research about horticulture, conservation, and land stewardship.

By 2025 the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden (the Garden) will be a place for visitors to appreciate plants and raise awareness of the value of a botanical garden as a place to reflect and connect with nature. 

The Garden will protect and preserve vulnerable plants and ecosystems and work to mitigate the impact of climate change on plants and their habitats.

• We will conduct ourselves with honesty, respect, accountability, integrity and be true to our mission.

• We will develop the garden with respect for the history of this land.

• We foster a relationship between the land, people and nature.
• We value accessibility so we will ensure our garden is a safe, welcoming and informative place for learning about ecology and habitat.
• We value education and use best practices in operations through interpretation, programming and demonstrations.
• We will be responsible to science and the need for climate adaptation.
• We have pride in our story and aim for excellence in acting on our vision.
• We will be true to the regional nature of the garden with native plants and selection of those that grow well here.
• We respect the contributions of our community and will be responsible to their trust.

2002 – 2013

• The Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society was formed in 2002, quickly receiving legal status as a registered charity and non-profit society. We searched for land from Egmont to Port Mellon, and in 2008, first viewed what became our permanent home. In the interim, we signed up 750 members, held numerous educational events, plant sales, and garden tours.
• In 2003, we created the Native Plant Demonstration Garden in Sechelt, and in 2005, contributed plants and volunteer labour to establish the gardens at the Seaside Centre.
• In January 2008, we first viewed the 40-acre farm on Mason Road in Sechelt that would become the Garden.
• July 1,2009, the purchase was completed  using privately donated money, and a mortgage.
• Basic infrastructure was built in 2009 – 2010, assisted by Federal, Provincial, Municipal and Regional  government grants, many private donations from our members and others, as well as in-kind donations from many local businesses. Volunteers created and tended the Veggie Patch, the Pavilion gardens, removed invasive plants, and began creating a network of paths. We also opened a family Picnic ‘n’ Play area, and an events lawn.

2013/14

• June 2013, we officially opened the Rainforest Grove, the first of four phases of the Native Plant Garden. The Bruce & Lis Welch & Family Rainforest Platform at the edge of Censi Creek was completed and offering striking views of the ravine and a spot to take in the many appealing greens of the mossy, ferny Rainforest.
• Work began in July 2013 on the next two phases of the Rain Shadow and Pond/Wetland areas. Rain Shadow refers to the drier coastal regions, such as Garry Oak meadows, and rocky outcroppings along the Sunshine Coast. To simulate this microclimate, two large berms were created to give the oaks and arbutus trees better drainage. Many spring wildflowers and plants thrive in rock crevices of the berms. The Pond and Wetland attracted birds, amphibians and insects almost immediately after installation.
• In 2014, many plants native to our region were planted on land, in shallow water, and especially along the wet margins. This has become a hub of biodiversity. Visitors can observe the diverse aquatic life from the bridge over the pond, thanks to funding from the Sunshine Coast Community Forest.
• Thanks to a significant donation of mature plants from their North Vancouver garden, we created the Alleyne and Barbara Cook Rhododendron Walk, a collection that offers year-round beauty, thanks to the many shrubs and understory plantings.

2015-2016

• Work began on a Master Plan for the Garden with the assistance of Lees + Associates Landscape Architects from Vancouver.  This multi-year plan lays out a roadmap for Garden development for the next several years.  Redesign of the entrance was determined to be the optimal first phase to tackle, and fundraising for this project began.

2019-2020

• The Garden entrance was greatly enhanced with the redevelopment of the parking lot, improved signage, and a better parking layout offering a pleasant transition from Mason Road to the pedestrian plaza and gate.
• Work began on the Cascadia Garden, an area that features trees, shrubs, and perennials usually found on the western side of the Cascade Range, from Northern California through to Washington State.  As the climate warms, these species are expected to migrate north.

2022-2023

• The walking route from the Garden entrance, with a loop through the Native Plant Gardens, was chosen to be the first phase of our accessible path project. Completed in the spring of 2023, the improved route offers a firmer and wider walking area to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers and to be universally accessible to all visitors.
• An existing hoop house was relocated to the Farmhouse Meadow and will become a key part of our expanding propagation program.  Planning has begun for establishing an arboretum in the Garden. This will be a long-term project as significant ground preparation must be done before any trees are planted.  We are hoping to propagate many of the trees needed, and the Propagation House will become the hub for this work. 
• Improved, permanent interpretive signs will be installed throughout the Garden in late spring 2023.

After living in various rural and urban communities in BC, Jean Bennett moved to the Sunshine Coast in 1996. Jean has worked with a wide variety of community-based non-profits both on the Sunshine Coast and in the Lower Mainland.

She is deeply concerned about biodiversity loss and the impact of climate changes on our local ecosystems and is interested in the role the Botanical Garden can play in mitigating the effects of both.

Paddy is a founding member of the Garden, past-president, Board member for several previous terms, and a tireless supporter of the Garden. She has helped to create many of the Garden’s functions, including the first Salal (2003), Gardeneers (the first children’s program), and the development of the actual Botanical Garden.

A former elementary school teacher, long-time garden photographer and writer, she brings broad perspectives. Her vision never wavers for realizing the potential of the Garden and she is an inspiration to us all.

Douglas had his initial exposure to horticulture in his parents’ garden in Vancouver and at the family farm in Duncan. His passion for plants eventually led him into nursery work, then to degrees in horticulture and botany, which spurred him to pursue a career in teaching and public garden management.

Douglas is Associate Director, Horticulture & Collections at UBC Botanical Garden. He teaches in UBC’s Landscape Architecture program and in the Garden’s Horticulture Training Program, and is currently working on a manual of Vancouver’s cultivated woody plants.

Bio to come!