JANUARY 24, 2018
MosaiCanada – As part of the celebration of Canada’s 150th Anniversary, a horticultural festival celebrating the art of mosaic culture called MosaïCanada 150 – Gatineau 2018 was held in that city. The sculptures represented all regions of Canada and the horticultural friendship that unites Canada with the cities of Shanghai and Beijing, China. It was attended by more than one million visitors between July and October 2017. Michael and Ann Fox visited this festival and Michael will present, in video and still images, what most of you probably were not able to attend. Michael will also talk about the origins and story

FEBRUARY 28, 2018
A VICTORIA WINTER GARDEN -Carol is a well known Victoria gardener who, for years was head of the volunteer gardeners at Government House & intimately knowledgeable about Finnerty Gardens at UVic. Her own garden has an emphasis on winter flowering plants. She’ll speak about how important it is to plan our gardens for winter interest. In her show and tell, we can expect to see some of her superb hellebores plus snowdrops, flowering shrubs and more.
Carol Dancer bio –
Carol Dancer has gardened across Canada from Newfoundland to the West Coast. Besides working in the UBC Botanical Garden, she also worked at Government House Gardens, here in Victoria. Carol spent 6 years as Head Gardener, and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for her contributions there. Her home garden has been featured on The Conservatory of Music tour. It is of special interest for her attention to rhododendrons, small trees, and shrubs

MARCH 28, 2018
 LESSONS FROM CRETE –  Paul Spriggs visited Crete on a self-guided Botanical tour. His talk will focus on lessons a Victoria gardener can learn from visiting this special place.  Mediterranean gardens have distinct similarities to our West Coast Climate.
Paul Spriggs bio
Paul Spriggs has a passion for exploring and photographing mountains and their flora. He has been the owner of Spriggs Gardens Landscaping Company in Victoria for 30 years. He is a rock garden builder with a specialty in the crevice style. Paul is a long-time member of VIRAGS (Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society).

APRIL 25, 2018
IRRIGATION & YOUR GARDEN – Irrigation is about getting water when and where you need it. Bruce Carter of Wes-Tech Irrigation Systems will provide tips and techniques for keeping watering systems working effectively and efficiently The presentation will include some practice with tools and equipment to help people better understand how all the parts fit together.
www.irrigation.ca
Bruce Carter bio
Bruce Carter is a Certified Irrigation Technician and the owner of WES-TECH Irrigation. He is the Lead Trainer at WES-TECH and delivers 4-6 Irrigation related seminars a month. Prior to owning WES-TECH was the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and spent 15 years as a Naval Officer.

MAY 23, 2018
PRUNING SHRUBS– Diane Pierce, expert gardener, designer and writer discusses & displays how to rejuvenate your garden’s shrubs. Bring sample branches if you’ve got specific questions.
DIANE PIERCE PRUNING GUIDE
http://hcp.ca/plant-identi/
Diane Pierce bio
After achieving her B.Sc. in Agriculture from UBC, Diane moved on to Fruit and Vegetable researcher with Agriculture Canada. She’s also worked as a City of Victoria Parks Department gardener, landscape design and garden consultant. Diane is past Board Member of the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific and the Victoria Horticultural Society, garden writer, Community Education instructor at HCP in Plant Identification and Culture and gardening skills.

JUNE 27, 2018
KEEPING HANGING BASKETS BEAUTIFUL– Our flower baskets and planters are bursting with bloom – but how do we keep them looking fabulous through fall? Mark Dickerson demonstrates & teaches us the tips & techniques used by professional growers.
Mark C Dickerson bio
After 14 years in the horticultural industry with professional growers & garden centres, Mark now run’s his own business: Victoria’s Garden Coach. Mark keeps baskets year-round on his home porch.

JULY – no meeting in July

AUGUST 22, 2018
EDIBLE GARDEN DESIGN – Using the principles of forest gardening, transform your yard into an edible ecosystem, bursting with superfoods & providing a year-round harvest. Maximize nutrition, minimize maintenance, and create an edible landscape at your own home. No matter what your challenges, there is a delicious, environmentally-friendly solution around the corner.
https://www.ediblelandscapesdesign.com/
Joshua Wagler bio
Joshua is passionate about bringing the wisdom of nature into human developments. He graduated with an Urban Studies degree from the University of Calgary and began seeking practical solutions to the challenges facing cities. This led him to permaculture design, food forestry, and urban placemaking. In 2013 he co-founded Edible Landscapes Design.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018
COLWOOD GardenWorks – Dress warmly for a special 6 pm start at Colwood GardenWorks. Lynda Dowling of Off The Farm Landscaping inspires our fall gardening pursuits.
http://www.happyvalleylavender.com/
Lynda Dowling bio
Lynda and Micheal Dowling started Happy Valley Herb Farm in 1983. Lynda also operates Off The Farm Landscaping, offering total landscaping & garden care, from patios, to rooftop, to seaside, to forest & downtown too.

OCTOBER 24, 2018
DEVELOPING AN ARTIST EYE WHEN TAKING YOUR GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHS – – Award-winning photographer Cim MacDonald talks us through the process of photographing our gardens. Showing samples from her book ‘Gardens of Chemainus’.
www.cimmacdonald.ca
Cim MacDonald bio – – Author, Photographer, Painter, Teacher – Cim MacDonald is the Curator of the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society. She is also a signature member of the Professional Photographers of Canada, the Northwest Watercolor Society.
MacDonald’s photographic honours include a silver medal for Best in Nature in 2001 and a gold medal in 2010 for the Best in Theme category from CAPA. In 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014 she was awarded trophies from the PPOC. In 2009 she won “Best in Show” for a photograph titled ‘Clematis’ at the Sooke Fine Art show. In 2011 her photograph, ‘Reluctant Bride’ won “Best in Show” for works on paper at the Sidney Fine Art Show.
Her artwork hangs in collections worldwide, including those of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 and Iona Campagnolo, the former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia

NOVEMBER 28, 2018
The annual Awards Celebration & Christmas Party, silent auction & pot-luck dinner. (It does not include a speaker presentation nor a mini show.)

DECEMBER – no meeting in December.

updated Oct.14, 2018