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Explore the Core
UC Hill sits at the heart of Western’s campus, serving as a central hub for movement, gathering, and campus life. Guided by the Open Space Strategy, recent renovations across UC Hill, Kent Walk, and Kent Walk North have reimagined these spaces to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, with improved pathways, expanded green areas, and inviting places to connect with the outdoors. Construction on UC Hill and its surrounding areas was carried out in phases between 2019 and 2023, reflecting a coordinated effort to create a more connected, accessible, and vibrant campus core.
With many beautiful natural features across campus, visitors are encouraged to explore spaces such as the rain gardens, Pollinator Garden, Western Community Garden, Sherwood Fox Arboretum, and Beryl Ivey Garden.
Rain Gardens
Western’s first naturalized rain garden is located in front of the Physics & Astronomy Building, with a second situated beside the Music Building. These gardens feature low‑maintenance, native, drought‑resistant and salt‑tolerant plants that help absorb rainwater directly into the ground, reducing stormwater runoff from rainfall and snowmelt into campus sewers.
Landscape Services supports ecologically beneficial plantings across campus through thoughtful design practices. Native species are prioritized wherever possible, with plants carefully selected to suit each location. Non‑native species are thoughtfully incorporated where conditions are less suitable for native plants, complementing biodiversity while contributing to Western’s role as an Arboretum.
The Sherwood Fox Arboretum
The Sherwood Fox Arboretum is a living collection of trees and shrubs located throughout Western University’s campus. Situated within Canada’s biodiverse Carolinian Zone, the arboretum showcases a wide variety of woody plant species that thrive in temperate climates, supporting education, research, conservation, and community engagement.
Established in 1981, the arboretum is named in honour of Dr. W. Sherwood Fox, a former Western president and passionate botanist. Its collection highlights the diversity of trees and shrubs that can be grown in Southwestern Ontario, with many specimens labeled to encourage exploration and learning.
Visitors can discover and learn more about the campus tree collection through the Western University Tree Dashboard, an interactive resource that helps identify native, commemorative, and donated trees across campus.
The Beryl Ivey Garden
