Immerse yourself in nature.
If you're interested in landscaping, gardening, or spending more time outdoors, Victoria and Vancouver Island is rich with outdoor activities and learning opportunities. Develop a deeper appreciation for nature as you explore your surroundings with landscape design, a gardening course, or a nature tour.
Horticulture courses
Whether you already have a green thumb or are looking to develop one, you’ll find inspiration in our horticulture and landscape courses. These practical courses are designed to help you learn about horticultural science and how it's related to many horticultural practices in the garden, nursery or greenhouse.
Amateur Landscape and Garden Design program
This micro-credential program will help you master landscape and garden design skills in just 16 weeks. You’ll gain the hands-on knowledge and practice you need to create the yard and garden of your dreams.
View program details.
Nature tours on Vancouver Island
Immerse yourself in nature and enjoy a memorable learning experience as you explore Vancouver Island. Each year, we offer exploration tours to exciting destinations such as Yellow Point Lodge, Middle Beach Lodge, and Wickaninnish Inn. You’ll enjoy the pleasures of nature alongside a team of naturalists, biologists, artists and historians. Check out the nature explorations.
- 4 Seasons X 10 Plants = One Amazing Landscape!
- Borders that Break the Rules
- Drought Tolerant Gardening
- Ecological Gardening
- Garden Border Design
- Gardening for Climate Change
- Gardening for Wildlife
- Gardening with Native Plants
- Gardens in History: Victorian and Edwardian Gardens
- Gardens in History: Japanese Gardens
- Growing Food Indoors Under Lights
- Harvesting Mason Bees: Hands on Workshop
- Introduction to Backyard Beekeeping
- Introduction to Biology and Natural History
- Introduction to Fruit Tree Pruning
- Introduction to Mycology
- Introduction to Permaculture
- Introduction to Winter Pruning of Fruit Trees
- Landscape Design for the Pacific Northwest
- Mason Bees: An Incredible Pollinator to Host in your Garden
- More Bulbs for Your Buck
- Mushrooms of Greater Victoria
- Nature Explorations at Yellow Point Lodge
- Permaculture for Ornamental Gardeners
- Plants in the Landscape
- Plants that Earn Their Keep
- Sea of Watercolours
- Small Wonders
- Success with Honey Bees: Backyard Beekeeping
- Sustainable Ornamental Gardening
- The Earth Laughs in Flowers
- The Six Senses
- Wildfire Resilient Gardening
Nature Explorations
Nature Explorations are a great chance to connect with nature, recharge your batteries and explore the beauty of Vancouver Island.
View series
Amateur Landscape and Garden Design
This micro-credential program will help you master landscape and garden design skills in just 16 weeks. You’ll gain the hands-on knowledge and practice you need to create the yard and garden of your dreams.
View program
Explore how to create a sustainable, chemical-free garden that works in harmony with nature. This course will guide you through practical techniques like companion planting, composting and fostering biodiversity to build a thriving, resilient garden.
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Creating wildfire-resilient gardens is essential in mitigating the risks posed by increasingly prevalent wildfires due to climate change. By incorporating fire-resistant plants, strategic landscaping and sustainable practices, these gardens not only protect homes and communities but also contribute to environmental conservation and long-term safety.
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Juliana McCaig, an avid appreciator of fungi, shares her thoughts and experiences after completing the Introduction to Mycology course with Continuing Studies at UVic. This popular, self-paced community course is open to learners who want to dive deeper into the world of fungi. Here’s what Juliana had to say about her experience:
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Permaculture offers a mindset shift that encourages us to view our relationship with the environment as a partnership rather than a dominance. By aligning our daily practices with the wisdom of nature, we can create sustainable, regenerative systems that provide for our needs while respecting the intricate balance of the natural world. Embracing permaculture means taking a step toward a brighter and more sustainable future.
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"Gardening is verk!" At least that is what horticulturalist and Continuing Studies instructor Jeff DeJong grew up hearing from his Dutch immigrant parents.
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with instructor James Clowater By Therese Eley, Marketing Services We all grew up with nature shows showing animals from Africa and other countries, but so little do people realise what’s right here," says James C
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Inspired by her work with the RNS program, Tamara Batory has initiated a pollinator garden project for her neighborhood block in the Oaklands community of Victoria, BC.
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More than half of the earth’s grasslands are degraded from nearly a century of intensive agriculture, resource extraction, and urbanization.
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Our relationship with nature is complex. We usually think in terms of taking from nature. It provides us with our needs and wants. But to be a part of nature we also need to give back. There needs to be reciprocity.
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Julian enrolled in the RNS program in 2002 thinking he’d learn better ways to pull broom, but instead he learned much about planning, and especially the importance of community involvement in ecological restoration. Whenever the courses allowed, he would do his studies and reports about Cuthbert Holmes Park.
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Bringing together ecological restoration and permaculture while also incorporating traditional ecological knowledge held by the Penelakut Tribe is the goal of Adam Huggins’ final project for his RNS Diploma.
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"If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered species: the child in nature." -Richard Louv, 2005
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