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.
Meeting Location: Our meetings take place at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre located at 3277 Douglas St. (meeting hall entrance is on Roderick St.).
Check this page for updates throughout our busy year.
VHS members have exclusive access to Speaker Notes and Workshop follow-up information.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Tasha Medve
Topic: Planning a Veggie Garden and Growing Vertically
Note: Tasha will have her book, The Purposeful Gardener, for sale at the meeting. She will accept CASH OR E-Transfer. $40 with tax.
Transform your backyard into a beautiful and productive food oasis! In this inspiring 45-minute presentation, gardener and author Tasha Medve will share practical strategies for growing more food in less space using raised beds, vertical growing, and companion planting. Discover how flowers and herbs can attract pollinators, improve plant health, and create a thriving, purposeful garden that is as beautiful as it is abundant. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to maximize your harvest, you’ll leave with simple, actionable ideas you can put into practice this season.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Paul Spriggs
Topic: GREAT SCOT!… Some cool stuff about Plant Explorer David Douglas’ travels in the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a hotspot for plant diversity, and the early plant explorers knew it. The stories of David Douglas’ travels meld adventure with botany, and are a great way to learn how our Western North American plants are appreciated in gardens all over the world. Join speaker, author, and gardener Paul Spriggs as he travels from present-day Prince George to Monterey, California, in search of the plant wonders sought by old world gardeners.
Bio: Paul Spriggs has been rock gardening for roughly 30 years and building crevice gardens for about 20 years. He is an avid plant explorer, photographer, mountaineer, owner of Spriggs Gardens Landscaping company, and past President of the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. He has a passion for all wild plants especially those of dwarf stature and collects and cultivates them at various gardens in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada. Paul has learned the craft of crevice garden building directly from one of it’s innovators, Zdenek Zvolanek, of the Czech republic, and in the past decade and a half, has built many gardens in public parks and private homes that range in size from small feature troughs, to large installations involving many tonnes of stone. Paul is passionate about spreading the word of this style, through speaking to garden clubs all over the world, and by giving workshops for those keen on learning the finer points of this developing art form. He is co-Author (with Kenton Seth of Colorado), of the first North American book on Crevice gardening, entitled The Crevice Garden. How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places, released Summer 2022.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm.
VHS Annual Holiday party!
Tuesday, February 2, 2027
Meeting via Zoom:
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Tuesday, March 2, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Mary Keleva
Topic: The Language of Flowers – A Revival!
In The Language of Flowers – A Revival! I share the fascinating subject of communicating through flowers. I begin with the origins of floriography (its more formal name) exploring how it has been woven through cultures and generations. I then cover why it fell out of favour and why relatively little is known about it today. The history lays the foundation so attention can then turn to contemporary times.
Focus now shifts to how and why the language of flowers can be used in a relevant way today. I’ll share why flowers evoke such strong emotional responses, an updated version of a floriography dictionary, examples of the symbolism of specific blooms, and practical and inspiring ways to incorporate this meaningful form of self-expression into home gardens and gift-giving.
Tuesday, April 6, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Jo-Ann Matiachuk
Topic: Microvariety
Tuesday, May 4, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Irises
Topic: Richard Hebda
Tuesday, June 1, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
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Tuesday, July 7, 2027
Summer event.
Tuesday, September 7, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Bethany Couture: Garden Alchemist
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Tuesday, October 5, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
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Tuesday, November 2, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
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Tuesday, December 7, 2027
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm.
VHS Annual Holiday party!