VHS and its sub-groups, the Hardy Plant Group and The Fruit & Vegetable group, are constantly working to develop the most topical educational sessions for our monthly meetings.
Check this page for updates throughout our busy year.
VHS members have exclusive access to Speaker Notes and Workshop follow-up information.
Tuesday April 1, 2025
Speaker: Carlos Moniz: Butchart Gardens
Topic: A behind the scenes look at creating The Butchart Gardens amazing container displays. It is early April and hopefully you are witnessing the emergence of this year’s spring flowers. It is such an exciting time in the garden. For us outside at The Butchart Gardens, we are assessing our spring displays and starting the process of preparing for next year’s show. Inside, our greenhouse operations have been working diligently since January to get containers and baskets ready for our numerous displays. There are many challenges in designing and coordinating these intricate display features. Today we’ll step behind the scenes and take a look at how this process happens from initial design to creating the finished products. We’ll also take a bit of tour through The Buchart Gardens including some of Carlos’ top plant and bulb picks for this coming year.
Bio: Director of Horticulture – The Butchart Gardens Ltd.
Carlos has been employed at the Butchart Gardens for 50+ years and currently holds the
position as the Director of Horticultural. As part of a family tradition Carlos follows in
the footsteps of his father who was the Head Gardener during the 1980’s. Carlos plays an
integral role in the designing and coordinating the installation of the spectacular floral
displays which involves the annual summer and spring plantings. He is also quite
involved in the design of the many landscape changes created throughout the gardens.
Tuesday May 6, 2025
Speaker: Pam Erikson: Erikson’s Daylily Gardens and Perennials
Workshop: Bethany Couture
Worm Workshop Description: Discover how easy it is to start composting with worms! Learn how this simple and efficient method can help you reduce food waste while creating nutrient-rich compost to enhance your garden’s soil.
Speaker Bio:
Bethany is a sustainable horticulturist, permaculture practitioner, and educator from Victoria, BC. Her desire to find more sustainable ways to work with the land led her down the path of permaculture where she now holds a Permaculture Design Certificate and a Permaculture Teacher Certificate. She is the permaculture instructor at the Pacific Horticulture College and the lead steward of the public permaculture garden at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific.
Through her business, Garden Alchemist, Bethany designs ecologically functional and beautiful landscapes rich in edible and native plants. She also offers consulting services to empower individuals and communities to integrate more sustainable gardening practices.
Tuesday June 3, 2025
Speaker: Jo Wyld
Tuesday October 7, 2025
Speaker: Anne Nightingale
Topic: Supporting Birds in our Gardens:
The emergence of avian flu is making this both a more pressing and a more puzzling matter for us. Many are finding that they are no longer sure of how to support birds across the different seasons and in ways that are safe for birds and gardeners both. Climate change and extreme weather events, of course, complicate things further.