Volunteering at VanDusen

Guides

Explore VanDusen Garden.

VanDusen Guides - our Garden ambassadors - invite visitors to explore and learn more about the Garden and the amazing world of plants.

By offering dynamic guided tours and acting as information resources, Guides help visitors connect with VanDusen's beautiful 55-acre garden. Guided walking and cart tours are offered daily from April to October.

The eight week Guide Basic Training course starts in April. Covering practical interpretation skills, basic botany, and an overview of Guiding, the course prepares new Guides for apprenticeship and further learning.

Master Gardeners

Share your gardening passion.

The Master Gardener Program welcomes enthusiastic gardeners with a willingness to share their interest and experience with the public. A comprehensive training course is offered on 12 consecutive Tuesdays, starting in January. Learn about botany, horticulture, soils, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, beneficial insects and pests through lectures from experts in the field, readings and hands-on group projects.

Before being accepted in the program applicants must attend an eligibility session and answer a questionnaire on general gardening. After completion of the course, a minimum of 35 volunteer hours is required the first two years and 20 hours each subsequent year.

School Program Leaders

Make nature come alive for kids!

School Program Leaders engage visiting students in discussions and activities which incorporate nature themes and the unique features of the Garden. School Programs run weekly during the school year.

Leaders combine their background working with children, a desire to share their interest in nature and their newly developed skills and knowledge gained through the training course. The three-day course is offered in January and September and provides an introduction to the field of environmental education and basic interpretation skills.

Summer Nature Program Leader

Volunteers lead our summer environmental programs for children ages 6 to 12. Training is offered in June and programs run in July and August. Ideal for students.

Teaching Assistants

Assist instructors with garden courses (set up, registration, handouts, clean up).

Dried Flower Arrangers

Prepare and tend cutting garden. Pick and dry flowers and make arrangements to sell at the Garden. Meet Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Garden Guerillas

Assist with maintenance in the Garden. Activities include monitoring condition of benches and cleaning interpretation panels and sculptures. Some muscle work may be required.

Garden Shop

Help customers in the VanDusen Garden Shop and assist staff with creation of displays and placement of merchandise.

Labellers

Make display labels and place in Garden beds to assist visitors with identification of plants.

Library

Volunteers staff the library on weekends and evenings.

Seed Collectors

Seed collectors collect, catalogue and preserve many varieties of seeds produced in the Garden that are sold in the Gift Shop and on the Main Deck. Volunteers can choose to attend Tuesdays or Sundays from 9:30am to 11:30am.

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