The Native Plant Gardens in Victoria British Columbia Canada contain a large collection of living examples of plants that grow in the local area. Most of the plants are collected from the wild.Some are from nurseries. The gardeners look after the plants and the beds very carefully. They cultivate the soil,and water the plants regularly. They also check for diseases or pests once a week. The name of each plant,the place it came from,its location in the gardens and its reference number are all recorded on cards and in computer files. Records of the yearly growth cycles of many plants are also available. The Native Plant Gardens offer an ideal setting for school programmes in plant identification,plant use and ecology. Students often come here for outdoor studies and hands on gardening and research.