Saturday February 23 — 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, February 23 — 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Sunday, February 24 — 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Sunday, February 24 — 7:00 to 9:00 pm
The following Vancouver Island experts will be giving workshops, demos, and presentations on everything food, farm & west coast:
– Dirk Becker of Transfarmation
– Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds
– Chad Jeremy Young, WestCoast Beekeeper
– Louise Rodgers of Tofino Urban Farm Co.
– Guy Langlois of Shelter Farm
– Arzeena Hamir of Amara Farm
– Heather Shobe, Aberni Clayoquot Regional Districts Agricultural Support Worker
– Food preservation with locally certified PreserveSafe trainers
This is a family friendly event – childminding will be provided by Tofino Nature Kids during the daytime program for parents attending workshops and presentations.
More details to come on our evening programming which will include a Farm-to-table Fundraiser Dinner featuring local chefs and island grown food.
Stay tuned for the garden show full program schedule and in the meantime … Save the date!
Its signature event, Grazing in the Gardens, continues to grow in popularity. Picture a showcase of local culinary talent and British Columbia wines, craft ciders and beers, in the beautiful Tofino Botanical Gardens – it’s a setting like no other.
JUNE 2, 2018 | GRAZING IN THE GARDENS SIGNATURE EVENT | 1PM-4PM
The 16th Annual Grazing in the Gardens event welcomes a community of food and drink. The afternoon includes canapes by local chefs and island purveyors, paired with BC wines and island microbrews, carefully tucked away throughout 12 acres of the rainforest, in the Tofino Botanical Gardens.
Live music with long time friends of the festival, Dinah D’s Contraband Swingclub, DJ Mr McCue and return guest bluegrass duo, One Bright Morning. Discover the local food scene on the west coast, and support the local and like-minded community of foodies.
Featuring more than 75 BC wineries, craft cideries and micro breweries, paired with gourmet canapes provided by local chefs and Vancouver Island purveyors.
This event is an annual fundraiser for the Tofino Botanical Gardens Foundation, with a Silent Auction benefitting the Wickaninnish Elementary School Garden Project.
To find out more about things to do in Tofino, B.C. see Tourism Tofino.
The Tofino Botanical Gardens were selected as one of the best gardens in the world by Jane Perrone, the gardening editor for the UK’s Guardian newspaper for their whimsical and inspiring nature. These 12 acres of gardens, forest, and shoreline explore the relationship between culture and nature.
Tofino Botanical Gardens Foundation, a non-profit registered Canadian charity operates educational programs and provides information about temperate rainforest conservation. A network of paths and boardwalks will take you from Darwin’s Café and Visitor Centre around the flower, herb and kitchen gardens, the duck pond, and Children’s Garden into the forest, where clearings have been transformed into a series of pocket gardens, art installations and garden buildings. Some of the pocket gardens display plants that once thrived in other coastal temperate rainforests around the world.
Garden buildings include the “historic” Bernardo O’Higgins homestead, the storytelling hut made by acclaimed local artist, Jan Janzen and two bird blinds overlooking the Tofino Mudflats Wildlife Management Area. Featuring the work of internationally renowned sculptor Michael Dennis, art installations are all made to survive or weather in the rain, and provide a cultural counterpoint to the surrounding natural beauty.
Canada’s westernmost public garden is friendly, whimsical and a great place for children. Our excellent sculpture collection is displayed in a rainforest setting. Intimate paths and boardwalks lead visitors down to Tofino Inlet where the natural beauty of Vancouver Island’s wild west coast reigns supreme.
Tofino Botanical Gardens have been created by founder, George Patterson, as a place to explore culture and nature. Kitchen gardens, compost bins, water conservation systems, chickens and goats speak to food security, sustainable agriculture, and the ancient satisfaction of tilling the earth. A deeper understanding of the local ecology of temperate coastal rainforests is encouraged throughout the gardens and exhibits. TBG is located within Tla O Quiaht Traditional Territory and this reality is celebrated with a new exhibit on the renaissance of canoe carving by artist Joe Martin.Performing arts are also an important part of TBG’s activities. We have hosted aerial dance performances in our old growth trees, spoken word and theatre in our visitors’ centre, live music on the lawn. Darwin’s Cafe is a place where interesting people come to discuss dangerous ideas.
Tofino Botanical Gardens are twelve acres of gardens, forest, and shoreline that explore the relationship between culture and nature.
Photo and Video Gallery
- Swipe left/right to see more
Garden Amenities
ECOLODGE
DARWINS CAFé
Tofino Botanical Gardens developed the Ecolodge in order to offer visitors to Tofino the kind of accommodation they would expect in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.We strive to improve our performance each year in four major areas: energy efficiency, protecting the natural environment, conservation of natural resources, and support of our local community. All of this, of course is in the context of providing our guests with a very comfortable and convivial experience.Learn more about the Ecolodge on our website.
We are open seasonally, offering espresso drinks, a wonderful array of homebaked cakes, cookies and muffins. We believe that we are what we eat, so we take pride in using greens and vegetables from our own organic garden, eggs from our humanely-raised chickens, and organic ingredients as much as possible. We are also proud to serve many healthy vegan or vegetarian meals with gluten-free options. A visitor once told us that Darwin’s Cafe is a cross between a library, his living room, and a cafe! We hope you will drop by – garden entry is not required to enjoy the cafe. Darwin’s Cafe is available year-round for meetings, musical evenings, staff parties, wedding receptions, and more. Hours: May – end of September 9am – 5pmFree WiFi, free chicken watching learn more about Darwins Café on our website.
Plan your trip – Explore British Columbia’s Gardens
Let us help you plan your perfect British Columbia visit—we’ll show you the most beautiful Gardens to visit and other points of interest along the way.
