Presentation:  Gardening at The Butchart Gardens Butchart Gardens – Behind the Scenes: presented by Carlos Moniz, Horticultural Manager. Managing plantings in a garden with the scope and size of Butchart Gardens is no small undertaking, 300,000 plants are used each summer, and beds are replanted 2 to 3 times per season taking three weeks to… Read more »

Presentation:   British Columbia’s Spider Diversity Claudia Copley, Royal B.C. Museum Entomology Collections Manager and Researcher. Fact or Fiction? Are spiders insects? No. Insects have six legs and three main body parts (head, thorax, abdomen).       Spiders are arachnids which have 8 legs and two body parts. Spiders do not have wings or antennae… Read more »

Presentation:   Dominion Brook Park Workshop:   Chrysanthemums Sheila Mitchell of the Victoria Chrysanthemum Society presents her video A Year in the Chrysanthemum Garden, covering the annual growing cycle this classic perennial. Dominion Brook Park Joan Gibbs from Friends of Dominion Brook Park Society presented pictures and information of Dominion Brook Park, an 11 acre heritage park… Read more »

Presentation:   Vertical Garden Design Manon Temblay presented – Living Walls/Vertical Gardens       MANONTREMB@GMAIL.COM Manon is a graduate of the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific and has a garden maintenance business. She has taken design courses from the University of Guelph and has researched and designed living walls and vertical gardens over the past 5 years. Patrick… Read more »

Presentation:   Plant Pairings Barrie Agar, Head Gardener at Hatley Park National Historic Site, explores effective botanical combinations.  Barrie is an entertaining speaker who will consider both intentional and accidental plant pairings, and give suggestions for developing creative frenzy your garden. The majestic castle at Hatley Park is a former Dunsmuir residence, now Royal Roads University. … Read more »

Presentation:   Heathers On May 5, 2015, Elaine Scott spoke on behalf of the Vancouver Island Heather Society.  She suggested ways to use heathers in your garden and discuss different genus and species that grow well in this area, and how to mix and match them to good effect.  Elaine provided tips on planting and maintaining… Read more »

Presentation:   An Artist’s Eye in the Garden Allan Mandell presents his approach to composing images, the result of over 20 years’ experience as a professional photographer. Garden photographs from North America and Japan will illustrate Allan’s unique way of seeing. The photographer has worked on assignment and as a freelancer for major garden publications. Allan’s… Read more »

Val Schaefer, of UVic’s School of Environmental Studies, takes us on a tour of Victoria’s urban forest. The city’s remnant ecosystems are a mix of native Douglas fir (PSEUDOTSUGA menziesii ) and Garry oak (QUERCUS garryana). Indigenous genera are joined by species from around the globe planted as street trees, and a food forest cultivated… Read more »

Richard Fraser, proprietor of Fraser’s Thimble Farms, presents the remarkable virtues and amazing varieties of the genus HELLEBORUS. Hellebores are versatile and long-blooming members of RANUNCULACEAE (the buttercup family). The undemanding perennials are deer-resistant treasures.

Duane Ensing of Landscape Solutions.  Duane’s philosophy:  The design process is highly  personal, but there are critical factors to consider in the creative process guiding the development of individual plans.  What are key needs and desires? Here are steps guiding your look into your own landscape with an eye to designing/redesigning  enjoyable spaces. Take inventory… Read more »