Burnaby's Century Gardens

Rhododendrons & so much more

Pink rhodos add a splash of colour as the garden greens up in May.

Flowering rhododendrons line the way.

A remarkable rhododendron is not to be missed.

While attending Burnaby in Blooms festival at the Shadbolt Centre of the Arts, I took the time to roam around the adjoining Century Gardens at Deer Lake Park. Located at the feet of the regal Tudor style historic Mathers House, the beautiful gardens boast gorgeous rhododendrons, Burnaby’s official flower.

Pompom-like rhododendron flower clusters.

Beautiful rhododendrons grace the grounds.

Bees love the flared blossoms of the rhododendrons.

Huge flower clusters are crammed with individual blossoms.

A massive rhododendron flower.

Paths intersect and weave their way throughout the greenery.

A strategically placed bench overlooks the pond.

Climbing hydrangeas cover the arbours.

I’ve visited the gardens numerous times, but May is my favourite month as it is peak rhodo flowering season. Most of them are so old, they have grown into attractive multi-stemmed trees exposing their reddish smooth bark. They take flowering very seriously with every stem boasting huge clusters of their simple but exquisite funnel shaped flowers. To add to the plethora of blossoms, the new foliage of the many Japanese spirea scattered throughout the gardens provide splashes of orange, red and yellow.

Camperdown elm in May is putting on its foliage.

The Camperdown elm sits at the edge of the pond.

Camperdown Elm-Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'

A Camperdown elm steals the show.

The twisted branches of the elm.

The many intersecting paths are easy to navigate and wrap around the many garden beds and the well-appointed pond. At the pond’s edge is a tortured and twisted Camperdown elm, Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'. Its unusual branches and magnificent shape is an attention getter especially in the winter when its limbs are foliage free.

Many of the older rhododendrons were pruned into small trees revealing their nice bark and profile.

Pink rhodos surround a tree.

The large dove tree flowers resemble handkerchiefs. Click on the pick for more info.

Davidia involucrata-trees that flower in May

A giant dove tree and a purple weeping birch stand side by side.

There were many trees worthy of note. They had been there for years. There were a number of majestic dove trees, Davidia involucrata, that were in full flower when I visited the garden in May. Their dropped flowers resemble handkerchiefs, hence their other common name. Another impressive tree was a gigantic weeping purple beech that juxtaposed the rounded green canopy of the neighbouring dove tree.

The historic Mathers House overlooks the pond.

A flowering crab apple.

A perfect Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii.

The colourful spring foliage of a Japanese barberry.

The beautifully floriferous Century Gardens is free to the public. For more information click on https://www.burnaby.ca/explore-outdoors/gardens-and-flower-displays.