Organic Gardening News

VanDusen Gardens, the green centrepiece of Vancouver for 50 years, has become so much more than a world-class botanical garden. Recently, I had the pleasure of being there on a beautiful evening in early August, and the gardens were alive with visitors. Folks from all cultures and demographics were enjoying the beauty, the calm and the peacefulness of this great garden.

VanDusen is brilliant for its botanical collection of plants from around the world and for its overall design. Its many unique features and creative use of water really connects with people. In today’s very stressful world, it’s something that folks need in their lives.

The story of VanDusen is truly about people, starting with 89 people who, in 1966, had a vision to form the Vancouver Botanical Garden Association, which grew to a membership of 8,000 by 1984. Through the generosity of so many other folks, particularly W.J. VanDusen, who alone funded one-third of the cost, it became possible to purchase the property. These folks believed that a green space would be an important contribution to the City of Vancouver.

Many park board superintendents, beginning with S. Lefenux, established their legacy here. The overall creation and far-sighted designs — the contours, the lakes, the stonework and the essence of the land — were the concepts of deputy superintendent Bill Livingston and those who worked with him. These were the folks who envisioned the magic that we appreciate today.

The many original plantings and themes selected to enhance this beautiful landscape were assembled by Roy Forester, the first curator. He was awarded the Order of Canada for his excellent work. We must also thank the team supporting him who put the brilliant plant combinations together.

My long relationship with VanDusen, in so many different respects, has always been a positive and uplifting experience. The many folks who make the gardens function each day always seem to be the right folks for the right time. They share a sense of collaboration that is so often missing today.

I had the privilege of speaking with Andrew Fleming, the superintendent of both VanDusen and the Bloedel Conservatory. One of my first questions was what he liked most about VanDusen. He emphatically responded that the crews, who do all the planting, maintenance and garden care, top his list. He praised their skills and dedication for keeping the gardens at their prime. Seven full-time, professional gardeners and three equipment operators maintain the 55 acres. At a recent lecture series at VanDusen, I heard comments that the gardens have never looked as good as they do now — a tribute to these talented folks.

Fleming has been at VanDusen for six years, starting during the pandemic. He said it was one of the first public places to reopen, and there was an immediate rush to reconnect with nature. He mentioned that they shifted their plantings to use more colour, a decision that today’s younger visitors seem to appreciate. Overall, he said that their guests are a little less botanically inclined, being more interested in colour, vegetable displays and nature. He has also noticed that they are quite interested in their own food gardens in limited spaces. Herb and fragrance gardens are very popular with younger people.

The Festival of Lights, a truly spectacular display, has become the most popular event at VanDusen. Started in 1983, it has become a tremendous Christmas draw. From setup through to takedown, it requires about one-quarter of the year for the crew to stage this show. Fleming said they are trying to become more botanically orientated as the light show moves forward.

Fleming said he felt that attendance is growing. Last May was the busiest on record. Some of the more popular areas for today’s guests are the vegetable gardens, the maze, the waterfall in the Sino Himalayan area, the formal rose garden, the herb and fragrance garden, the backyard bird area and the floating bridge.

Education is a huge part of VanDusen’s community series. Fleming mentioned that their educational focus is mainly on schoolchildren, but the Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre is focused on invaluable horticultural information. Volunteers also play an important role in many aspects, particularly in conducting guided tours. In 2002, there were 1,800 active volunteers. They are well trained to handle both individual visitors and tour groups. Fleming is often asked to guide special groups, and he said that doing so gets him excited about the gardens all over again.

Many horticultural societies hold their meetings in the floral hall at VanDusen. The Vancouver Rose Society, the Orchid Society, the Alpine Club, the Sogetsu School of Ikebana and many other related clubs meet and host guest speakers year-round. Many hospitals and police groups have special award ceremonies at VanDusen.

It has also become a destination for weddings, often with five to nine booked on summer weekends, and after 38 years, VanDusen still hosts their annual car show. Another beautiful event they currently host features the stunning vignettes of Fleurs de Villes and their amazing floral mannequins.

Film companies like to make use of VanDusen’s gorgeous grounds for many different shots. The spectacular visitor’s centre opened in October 2011, providing more space for presentation venues, a gift shop and the Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre.

As I said, VanDusen has become so much more than a botanical garden. It offers a stunning space in which to learn and be inspired. I love Fleming’s comment about VanDusen being a place to discover nature and perhaps yourself. Thank you to all the brilliant folks who work and volunteer and to those of the past who have created something so very special.

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Think paint, think innovation. For homeowners looking to transform a space, colour typically dominates the decorating conversation, but paint companies’ research and development is focused on more than the range of hues, and technology is constantly improving safety, coverage and durability.

Over the past century, paint has evolved from decorative to dynamic, says Ashley Saltern, product director, PPC Architectural Coatings (Dulux and Sico Canada), adding the future of paint is being shaped by three key forces: performance, sustainability and user empowerment.

“Once limited in colour, durability and safety, today’s coatings are formulated for high performance and easy application,” she says, adding that the introduction of synthetic pigments and binders expanded colour range and stability, while the development of water-based and zero-volatile organic compounds (VOC) formulations greatly improved indoor air quality and environmental safety.

Kristen Gear, lead colour specialist for Home Hardware’s BeautiTone Paint and Home Products division, agrees that the industry-wide move away from VOCs is one of the most impactful changes in the paint industry in the past decade.

“While colour chips and finishes still grab the spotlight in-store, the real breakthroughs are happening inside the can,” she says. “Despite being more environmentally friendly, today’s low-VOC paints don’t sacrifice performance. In fact, they’re outperforming many of their solvent-based predecessors — thanks in part to the next-generation resins and pigments they contain.

“We really get behind the move to VOC-free paint because we want to reduce our footprint as much as possible,” says Gear, adding initiatives to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — ‘forever chemicals’ — are another big focus.

Reflecting on the impact of innovation in the industry Thelma Longakit, Cloverdale Paints laboratory manager, notes the many advances since the company’s start in 1933 as a small operation serving local farmers near Cloverdale.

“Back in the ’30s, a customer might walk out with a gallon of solvent-based enamel, hand-mixed, leaded, no MSDS (material safety data sheet), no VOC talk. Today, they’re choosing between eco-certified lines, zero-VOC options or CO₂-derived resins — formulated in our lab, tinted by computer and built to meet tough environmental standards,” says Longakit.

PPC’s Saltern draws attention to another area impacted by technology: durability. “Where high-gloss finishes were once required for washability, today’s super-premium paints can deliver exceptional stain resistance, scrubbability and hide in flat or low-sheen finishes — freeing homeowners to choose finishes based on design, not just durability,” she says.

Of course, technology has also had a major impact on colour. The colour spectrum available to homeowners today is the direct result of pigment and tinting innovation, says Saltern.

“Our zero-VOC, high-strength colourants used across the Dulux and Sico product lines enable a broader, more vivid palette, from deep blues and bold neutrals to historically hard-to-achieve reds and yellows. These colourants provide better hiding power, improved colour stability and support consistent performance across sheens,” she adds.

Gear agrees and recalls when she started working in the industry 23 years ago, “yellow was a horrible exterior colour.”

“It would fade fast. Same with purples. But now, with high-strength colourants, those colours stay richer for longer, even in direct sunlight.”

Cloverdale’s Longakit also recalls colour challenges in her early years in the industry.

“When I started in the paint industry nearly four decades ago, colour choice was limited — maybe a few dozen standard options, mixed from basic pigments. Today, we offer thousands of precise, reproducible colours, and it’s all thanks to advancements in pigment chemistry, dispersion technology and tinting systems,” she says.

Longakit notes that while modern high-performance organic and inorganic pigments have expanded the range of hues, brightness and durability, better grinding and dispersion methods result in clean, stable colours with less pigment.

The result? “Customers get near-unlimited colour choice — whether they’re matching a designer swatch, a historic tone or a corporate brand colour — and we can deliver it quickly, consistently and in low-VOC or specialty formulations,” she says.

But Steve Waterman, Behr Paint Company’s SVP, head of research and development, believes the biggest change in the paint aisle was a new way of thinking.

“For years, shoppers could only choose from a handful of pre-tinted colours such as Swiss Coffee or Navajo White, since stocking hundreds of shades just wasn’t practical. Behr flipped that model on its head (in 1986). Instead of premade colours, Behr introduced un-tinted bases and paired them with in-store tinting and computerized colour matching,” he says adding that overnight, shoppers had access to a full colour centre and thousands of ‘exotic’ hues on demand.

“The colours always existed. The innovation was putting the power to create them into the hands of the shoppers and The Home Depot retail associates; no warehouse required,” he says, noting that innovation didn’t just expand the palette, it reshaped how consumers think about customization in paint and set a new standard.

While colour — through initiatives such as the annual Colour of the Year campaigns promoted by most major paint companies — may grab the headlines, there are many behind-the-scenes innovations that homeowners might take for granted.

BeautiTone’s Gear says one of these is the emergence of multi-functional paints — like paint-and-primer-in-one formulas.

“They reflect real advances in how resins and pigments work together to provide stronger adhesion and hiding, even over bare drywall or previously painted surfaces,” she says.

Likewise, kitchen and bath paints are formulated to resist mildew and tackle challenges like surfactant leaching — the streaky marks that can appear in humid environments without proper ventilation, she says.

Waterman notes that for water and dirt repellency, Behr designs the dry paint film to have low surface energy, so liquids and grime don’t stick. “This is a result of specialized ingredients and tightly cross-linked polymer networks, so water beads up and stains wipe off instead of soaking in,” he says, adding outdoors, coatings are formulated to be water-repellent yet breathable, so walls can shed rain but still release trapped moisture underneath.

Getting smarter

PPC’s Saltern notes “smart” paint is a growing category of coatings designed to do more than add colour.

Waterman points out the push to lower levels of VOC and technology from every ingredient area is enabling smart paint innovation. “A smart paint is a coating that delivers value beyond colour and basic protection, healthier indoor air, longer surface life, easier cleaning and more. A smart choice is also a sustainable one,” he says.

“In the residential space, we’re already seeing smart paint in action through products engineered to solve real-life challenges,” says Saltern.

Examples include Dulux’s Clean Surface Technology (available in Dulux Diamond Distinction and SICO Clean Surface available at RONA and independent dealers).

“This innovation delivers outstanding resistance to both water and oil-based stains, excellent washability, and a long-lasting freshly painted look,” says Saltern noting that even stubborn stains like mustard, lipstick or greasy fingerprints can be wiped away without damage to sheen or colour.

Dulux Anti-Scuff — designed for high-traffic spaces — is another smart solution, set to launch this October in Dulux Paint stores across Canada.

“In the future, we anticipate coatings continuing to push beyond esthetics and protection to provide valuable added functions,” says Waterman. “A big area of focus currently is radiative cooling technology, where lighter shades in combination with the reflection of solar radiation can keep a surface cooler than an equivalent colour and, in some cases, even below the ambient temperature.”

Looking ahead, Cloverdale’s Longakit adds the next generation of smart paints includes technologies such as self-cleaning surfaces using hydrophobic or photocatalytic additives and antimicrobial finishes for health care and high-traffic areas, and thermochromic or self-healing systems, still largely in development.

“These technologies show real promise — but from a formulation and production standpoint, they still face challenges in cost, durability and scalability,” adds Longakit.

“Paint may seem simple, but behind every can is a science-backed formula built to do more — resist scuffs, fight dirt, manage moisture, stay clean longer and even help control heat. That’s how technology is quietly changing what homeowners can expect from paint,” says Waterman.

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