Visit DH Garden Centre in Kitsilano, Vancouver
DH Garden Centre is a small, family run garden centre at 3742 West 10th Avenue in Kitsilano, Vancouver. We sell handmade ceramic pots, houseplants, outdoor plants for the season, soil, seeds and fall bulbs, and we help you put them together so the plant you carry home suits the spot you have for it.
Most people who walk in come from the West Side: Kitsilano, Point Grey, Dunbar, UBC. A lot of them bring something with them. A plant that has outgrown its pot. A photo of a corner of the living room that feels empty. A question about a shrub that did not come back this spring. That is the kind of visit the shop is built for.
Who this garden centre is for
If you want a plant that fits your home and a pot that fits the plant, and you would rather ask someone than guess, this is your place. You do not need to know the name of anything. Bring the plant, or a photo of the room, and we work it out together at the counter.
If you are after a big box store with pallets of the same plant stacked to the ceiling, we are not that. The shop is small, and everything in it was chosen by hand.
What you will find inside
- Handmade ceramic pots. Glazed and unglazed, hand picked in Vietnam and shipped to Vancouver by sea. Each shipment is different, so what is on the shelf this month may be gone by the next one. There is a whole page on our handmade ceramic plant pots.
- Houseplants. Everyday plants that cope with a dark, wet Vancouver winter indoors, plus a few less common ones when we can get them.
- Seasonal outdoor plants. Perennials, shrubs and small trees that suit West Coast gardens, brought in for the season we are in.
- Soil and worm castings. Potting soil, compost, pumice and perlite, worm castings, and Gaia Green organic fertilizer.
- West Coast Seeds. Seed packets from the BC company, for vegetables, herbs and flowers that do well here.
- Fall bulbs. Spring flowering bulbs and seed garlic in autumn, for planting before the ground gets cold. You can also pre-order fall bulbs and pick them up in store.
Who is behind the counter
Darrell Smith co-founded the shop and has spent over twenty five years working in gardens and landscapes across Vancouver. He is the one to ask about drainage, light, and why a plant is doing what it is doing. Hien Tran, his co-founder, came from Vietnam and looks after the shop day to day. She is also the reason the pots come from where they do.
Neither of us is going to steer you toward the biggest pot on the shelf. The aim is that the plant you leave with is still doing well a year from now, because that is what brings people back.
How a visit usually goes
Bring the plant. We tip it out and look at the roots, because the roots decide how much bigger the next pot should be. Then you pick a pot from the shelf. If you buy the pot here, we repot the plant at the counter and the soil is on us, up to 5 litres. You walk out with the plant already in its new home and a few notes on how to water it.
No plant with you? A photo on your phone of the spot you want to fill works nearly as well. Tell us which way the window faces and we can narrow things down fast. If you are wondering whether now is even the right time, read when to repot houseplants in Vancouver first.
Outdoor questions are welcome too. Darrell also runs DH Landscape Solution, so if the question is really about the whole garden rather than one plant, he can point you the right way.
Hours, address and phone
Open every day, 11:00 am to 6:30 pm.
DH Garden Centre
3742 West 10th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6R 2G4
Phone: 604-929-7335
Open DH Garden Centre in Google Maps
Questions we get before you come in
Is there a garden centre near me on the West Side of Vancouver?
Yes. DH Garden Centre is on West 10th Avenue in Kitsilano, a short trip from Point Grey, Dunbar, Kerrisdale and UBC. We are open seven days a week, so you do not have to plan around a weekday.
Where can I buy plants in Vancouver and get real help choosing?
Here, at the counter. Tell us about the light in the room, or show us a photo, and we suggest plants that will cope with it. If you already have a plant that is struggling, bring it in and we look at it with you.
Is DH Garden Centre a plant nursery?
We are a garden centre rather than a growing nursery. Our plants come from growers in the Lower Mainland and are chosen by hand, and what you see on the tables changes with the season. If you are hunting for one specific plant, call first and we will tell you honestly whether we have it.
Can I buy perennials in Vancouver at DH Garden Centre?
Yes, in season. Spring and early fall are when the outdoor tables are fullest. If a perennial did not survive last winter, bring a photo of where it was planted and we can usually tell you why. Our guide to preparing hydrangeas for winter answers the most common version of that question.
Do you sell plants online?
Pots and plants are in store only, because both need to be seen and handled before they go home with you. Fall bulbs and garlic can be reserved online for pickup, and Gaia Green fertilizer ships across Canada.