Speakers 2014

JANUARY 23, 2014
HEALTHY BY NATURE – Dr. Trevor Hancock will speak about ‘Healthy By Nature’, a concept linking personal health with time spent in our gardens and the environment.
250-472-5374
Trevor Hancock’s Healthy By Nature powerpoint
Trevor Hancock bio
Dr. Hancock is a public health physician & health promotion consultant. Currently, a professor & senior scholar at the new School of Public Health and Social Policy at the UVic, his main areas of interest are cities and communities, & environmental health…
Healthy by Nature, Trevor Hancock speaker notes (powerpoint presentation)

FEBRUARY 27, 2014
TOURING CHINA’S GARDENS – On a recent tour of China, club members Carole Carver and Alex Blackwood visited a number of beautiful, ancient gardens and learned that the Chinese still employ their gardening expertise in modern landscaping. Carole will share some of the photos that they took.
Carole Carver bio
Carole Carver is an active member of our garden club both in companionship, volunteerism, & competition.

MARCH 27, 2014
SUB-ALPINE FLOWERS OF VANCOUVER ISLAND – Amateur naturalist & avid gardener Agnes Lynn presents a slide show that will inspire you to hike into the mountains this spring
Agnes Lynn bio
Agnes Lynn is an amateur naturalist who enjoys all aspects of natural history. Birds and Botany are her main interests. She leads Botany trips for the Victoria Natural History Society and enjoys the Birding outings as well. She has a garden with mostly exotic trees & shrubs and enjoys integrating native plants into her garden. She also has a myriad of treasures in pots filling her back yard. She is retired from the University of Victoria where she spent 33 years working in software development.

APRIL 24, 2014
DEVINE DAHLIAS – With their countless shapes & colors as well as a long blooming season, it’s no wonder Connie Thompson, has expanded her interest in dahlias into her life’s passion.
https://www.facebook.com/Connies.Dahlias :
Connie Thompson bio
Connie Thompson has studied dahlias for more than 25 years. In summer her garden bursts with 500 dahlias that she cuts for the farmers market & weddings. In fall all the plants are dug, washed, split and labelled for sales or re-use in her garden.
Connie’s Dahlia info sheet

MAY 22, 2014
HEATHERS FOR COLOR ALL YEAR- They’re deer resistant, long blooming & have great foliage color year-round. Heather aficionado Bryan Taylor gives us even more reasons why heathers are the rage in Greater Victoria
Bryan Taylor bio
Bryan Taylor is a computer guru, an avid photographer & gardener. He trained as a research scientist and has worked in industry and government in Canada and Europe. Bryan and his wife Jean refurbished and tended the heather gardens at the HCP for 10 years. They now volunteer at Government House in Victoria where Bryan is in charge of the plant nursery.
heathers for colour year-round, speaker notes

JUNE 26, 2014
SAVING SEEDS – Mary Alice Johnson of Full Circle Seeds explains the processes of harvesting & saving seeds from our own gardens.
http://www.fullcircleseeds.com/
Mary Alice Johnson bio
As one of the pioneers of the Moss Street Market, Mary Alice Johnson created ALM Organic Farm (back in the 80’s), and as well as Full Circle Seeds (in more recent years). She lives a hands-on lifestyle and is a dynamic teacher.

Full Circle Seeds bibliography & bibliography 2
Brassica group
Cucurbit group

JULY – no meeting in July

AUGUST 28 2014
DEER RESISTANT PLANTS – A special 6pm start at the Colwood GardenWorks as their staff host a Show & Tell on which plants have the best chance against our local deer population

SEPTEMBER 25, 2014
COLOR THROUGH THE FALL & WINTER – A stunning collection of photos of plants that shine in the offseason
Carmen Varcoe bio:
She is a retired school teacher & retired from part-time plant ID instructor at the HCP. Chair of the Advisory Board for Finnerty Gardens University of Victoria. One of the original founders of the Victoria Hardy Plant Group and long-time supporter of many plant clubs both locally and abroad. Have gardened on 1 3/4 acre for 30+ yrs in Saanich. A self-admitted total plant geek.
FALL & WINTER PLANT LIST

OCTOBER 22, 2014
THE CREAM OF CORNISH GARDENS – The title says it all. Come and explore the great gardens of Cornwall, England (with Paul Alison, a real Cornishman) visiting the magical gardens of Tresco, Eden Project, Heligan, and Glendurgen.
Paul Allison bio
Paul is originally from Cornwall, England and has been involved in the horticulture industry for 40 years. After graduating from Cannington College in England, he designed and constructed a large private garden and estate in Wiltshire. When completed, he went to work at Oxford University Botanical Gardens. In the early 1980’s he immigrated to Canada, where he started to pioneer the study of the relationship between people and plants, and to help improve people’s lives one garden at a time. Paul¹s personal approach to the profession is to have the hands of a gardener, the mind of a scientist and the vision of an artist, all firmly rooted in the heart of a naturalist. He enjoys teaching and sharing his passion for horticulture and has lectured extensively in North America, Asia, and Europe.