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, May 5, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:15pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
6:30pm Workshop: Eileen Bancroft
Topics: How to Divide Dahlias
Speaker: Barrie Agar
Topic: Japanese Gardens
This pictorial essay will be an overview of some of the defining features of Japanese Gardens in a from a trip to Kyoto in 2008. A Japanese Garden is instantly recognisable, but what makes a Japanese Garden? I will cover some basic principles, plants and pruning that form the combination of this endlessly fascinating garden culture.
Bio:
Horticultural Career Prequel
My first horticultural forays were at the age of three with my great-grandmother. We would set off , salt cellars in hand to seek out and destroy the slugs threatening her beloved roses. Although with the gruesomeness ever present in toddlers and small children I enjoyed the melting, dissolving end of the slimy invaders, I now know it is much kinder to drown them in beer. Of the roses I remember very little.
Barrie started her horticultural career in earnest in Ireland, working on a large estate. Returning to Canada she was employed in various specialty nurseries, ending up as the Head Gardener at Hatley Park, which contains an early Japanese Garden. This started an interest in the design and culture around these beautiful gardens. She attended a Seminar in Japan on the history of Japanese Gardens and visited several gardens in the Kyoto area. She is also on the board of the North American Japanese Garden Association, and involved with Cowichan Rhododendron Society and the BC Fruit testers.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:15pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Shona Lawson
Potting Possibilities: Creative Container Gardening for Every Space
Sow Sisters https://sow-sisters.com/
Do you want to create beautiful container gardens? I will show you how to use your creativity and gardening experience to create a unique container garden.
Want to create beautiful container gardens? Discover how to combine creativity and practical know-how to design something uniquely your own. I will show you how to combine colour, and texture to create attractive containers upcycling techniques to create attractive containers for any outdoor space—whether it’s a condo balcony or a larger garden. We will also explore how to blend edible planting, native species, and sustainable practices to create thriving, personalised container gardens. I will be demonstrating how to create a fun upcycled succulent container garden.
July 2026
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:15pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Katherine Olmstead
Topic: Vegetative/Sustainability Focused Presentation
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:15pm with our speaker on at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Tasha Medve
Topic: Planning a Veggie Garden and Growing Vertically
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:15pm 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
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:15pm.
VHS Annual Christmas party!