Victoria, British Columbia, known by locals as the “City of Gardens” also holds the esteemed position as Canada’s warmest city. Its climate, a pleasant mixture of plentiful rain and long stretches of sunshine, makes Victoria an ideal place for an incredible array of diverse tree species, both native and introduced, to grow and flourish. In fact, the vast, lush, green tree canopy acts as the city’s lungs, absorbing carbon dioxide from the surrounding atmosphere and releasing oxygen, helping to mitigate climate change.

This compact, user-friendly guidebook introduces more than 200 species, cultivars, and varieties of Victoria’s incredibly diverse tree inventory—from Garry oak to Douglas fir, giant redwood to Japanese maple. Accessible for locals and visitors alike, Trees of Victoria: A Wanderer’s Guide covers Victoria proper, as well as Oak Bay, Uplands, South Saanich, James Bay, and Esquimalt, highlighting all the main visitor attractions along way. This attractive, full-colour resource is a must-have, whether you are in town for a short jaunt around the historic city centre or you wish to identify the trees in your own neighbourhood or along your regular walking or hiking route.

Collin Varner is a horticulturalist/arboriculturalist. Over his forty-year career, he worked at the University of British Columbia’s Botanical Garden, assumed responsibility for conserving 25,000 trees across campus, and taught courses in native plant studies. Now retired, Varner is an avid photographer, world traveller, and bestselling author of a series of nature guidebooks, including The Flora and Fauna of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, Edible and Medicinal Flora of the West Coast, Invasive Flora of the West Coast, and the award-winning The Flora and Fauna of Stanley Park.

Collin Varner's profile page

“Trees tell the story of a city, and Collin Varner’s vibrant guide brings Victoria alive.”
—David Tracey, bestselling author of Vancouver Tree Book and founding executive director of Tree City

“Collin Varner’s Trees of Victoria is a wonderful introduction to the Garden City’s rich arboreal heritage. Subtitled 'A Wanderer’s Guide,' this book includes a section on self-guided walking tours, tree rambles for Victoria visitors and residents alike. Trees of Victoria is a useful reference that ought to be on the bookshelf of all Victoria tree-lovers.”
—Andy MacKinnon, co-author of Mushrooms of BC and six western North American plant guides

“Curious walkers, dendrophiles, and anyone who enjoys learning a bit more about their surroundings will appreciate this guide, which provides interesting etymology and traditional uses as well as identification tips.”
—Ailene Kane Ettinger, ecologist and conservation biologist

""An enchanting guide to Victoria’s urban forest, this book is both a celebration of the city’s botanical treasures and an indispensable resource for tree enthusiasts. With its captivating details and thoughtful insights, it invites readers to see Victoria as the living, breathing arboretum it truly is.""
—Lorien Nesbitt, assistant professor and internationally recognized scholar of urban forestry and environmental justice at the University of British Columbia