July Meeting, Tuesday July 9th, 7:00 at Britannia 55+

 Greetings, gardeners!

Our July GGC meeting is Tuesday, July
9th at 7:00 p.m. in the 55+ room at Britannia Centre (1600 block of Napier Street on the Brit campus).

(We have actually managed to secure that room for 7:00 on the second Tuesday of each month for the remainder of the year. We won’t have a meeting in August, but you’re probably safe putting all the rest of those dates in your calendar/diary. )

The program for tomorrow’s meeting will be a review of all the gardens on last month's East Van Garden Tour. If you weren't able to take the tour, this is an opportunity to see what you missed. If you braved the rain and enjoyed the gardens, you'll be able to relive the experience while staying dry!

We are hoping that at least some of the gardeners whose gardens were featured on the tour will be there to answer any questions you might not have had a chance to ask at the time.

• Non-members are welcome to drop in for $4. Invite your friends!
• Please bring your own tea cup and, if you like, something that is looking lovely in your garden this month.
• There will be door prizes!

See you at Britannia on Tuesday, July 9th!

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This is also the last meeting that Christine will chair. We are still looking for someone to take over this role in September. (There is no August meeting.) It's not a difficult job and if you are willing to take it on for the next 12 months, Christine would be happy to talk to you. Alternatively, if you'd like to nominate someone else, please contact them to get their agreement, and refer them to Christine. Christine's email is christineallen88@gmail.com.

Havi Parker-Sutton is going to take over my job, doing the communications for the club! Thank you, Havi. It’s a fun job but I’ve been doing it for ten years and it’s time for me to bow out.

Cheers,

Penny

June meeting: Tuesday, June 11th, 7:00, at Britannia's 55+ room

 Our June GGC meeting is Tuesday, June 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the 55+ room at Britannia Centre. (To get there from the Drive, go west through the Napier Square Greenway at Napier St., cross the lane, and the 55+ room is on your left across from the Britannia Info Centre.)

We have actually managed to secure that room for 7:00 on the second Tuesday of each month for the remainder of the year. Whew. We won’t have a meeting in August, but you’re probably safe putting all the rest of the dates in your calendar/diary. 

Our speaker this month is Tiia Haapalainen, and her topic will be "Wild Abundance: Getting to Know Our Native Bees”. 

The conservation of honey bees receives widespread attention in the media but now attention is turning to native bees and the unique issues that they face. This presentation is tailored for those interested in learning more about native bee diversity in British Columbia. Discussion of distinguishing characteristics, anatomy, life cycles, habitat, and floral preferences will give you the knowledge base for incorporating gardening practices that support native bees and their needs.

Here’s Tiia's bio:

Tiia Haapalainen began her career in biology working in the Elle lab at Simon Fraser University where she spent three years studying pollination ecology. Since 2015, she has been curating the natural history teaching collection and providing technical support in the teaching laboratories in the Department of Biological Sciences at SFU. Tiia also served as the assistant curator for the Spencer Entomological Collection at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at the University of British Columbia from 2019 to 2021. She has won multiple awards for her contributions to teaching and outreach at SFU. Tiia cares deeply about teaching others about insects and the importance of their conservation. 

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• Non-members are welcome to drop in for $4. Invite your friends!
• Please bring your own tea cup and, if you like, something that is looking lovely in your garden this month.
• There will be door prizes!

See you at Britannia on Tuesday, June 11th!

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Also, FYI, the East Van Garden Tour, June 16th, is SOLD OUT. Note that we will not be selling tickets on the day of the tour! 

Visit the EVGT website for more info. 

http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com 

Cheers,

Penny

May 14th is our next meeting

 Hi. 

Our May GGC meeting is Tuesday, May 14th at 7:00 p.m. in the community room at Templeton Park Pool, 700 Templeton Drive.

Our speaker is Dianne Gaines. She’ll be telling us “What’s New in Summer Flowering Bulbs and Perennials?"

Here’s Dianne's bio:

My first recollection of gardening is at the age of 4, by my mother’s side helping to plant pea seeds in the spring and later to pick the yummy pea pods. At a young age I learned the importance of gardening and began to understand that being a gardener is more than a hobby it is a way of life.  My family encouraged my thirst for gardening by building me my first greenhouse when I was still in early grade school.  

In the mid-1980s my mother and I joined the Langley Garden Club. It was great to find a place where people could share their love and passion for gardening.  When it came time for university my passion for plants pushed me into a major in microbiology with a minor in botany. 

Then, when it was time to join the working world, it was my greatest luck to be able to join the team at Van Noort Bulb Company.  Now it has been over 26 years at Van Noort Bulb and I have worked all the way up from pasting boxes to Marketing and Packaging Manager.  I am truly blessed to be able to work in an environment where my gardening passion is encouraged and allowed to grow.

Van Noort Bulb Company is a wholesale supplier of spring flowering bulbs, summer flowering bulbs, perennials, small fruit trees, and roses to garden centres, growers, and landscapers across Canada. Van Noort Bulb Company is Canadian owned and operated by the fourth generation of Van Noorts.  This year we are celebrating 95 years of  “Growing Success”.  We have a warehouse in St. Catharines Ontario, farms in Noordwykerhout, Holland, and in Abbotsford, with the head office in Langley, B.C.  The “Florissa” logo on our retail packaging has become well known and trusted for high quality and product integrity in garden centres across Canada.

Web sites: 

Vannoortbulb.com

Florissa.com

Dianne will bring some packaged bulbs and plants to sell at wholesale prices. Please bring cash or cheques just in case you wish to purchase anything from her.

See you on Tuesday night!

• Non-members are welcome to drop in for $4.
• Please bring your own tea cup and, if you like, something that is looking lovely in your garden this month.
• Door prizes!

Cheers,

Penny

grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com

Next Meeting Tuesday May 14th

There will be more info, but our next meeting will be 7:00, May 14th (second Tuesday of the month), in the community room at Templeton Pool.

Also, the GGC plant sale is Sunday May 5th on Rose St. 10-2.

GGC's new meeting day, new venue! Next meeting, March 12th!

We're changing both our meeting day and our venue and we just want to make sure you save the date. March 12th.

 Our new meeting place is the community room at Templeton Pool. It’s a nice big room and perfect for us. It was available on Tuesdays. Now we’ll be meeting on the second TUESDAY of each month (except for April, which is Templeton's pool-maintenance closure). We’re not sure where we’ll meet for April — it might be an outing or it might be Zoom —  but we’ll let you know.

 So our first meeting at Templeton will be on Tuesday, March 12th.

 Topic: Lawn Alternatives: Enhancing the Ecological Value of Your Garden by Replacing Your Lawn with Low Groundcovers

 Speaker: Jane Sherrott.

 Jane is a hobby gardener who lives on the North Shore. She has been a knowledgeable and valued member of the Vancouver Master Gardeners Association since 1998. Like many of us, she is trying to learn more about developing ecologically-vibrant habitat in her garden and her presentation will share how she has seen life return to the previously grassed areas at her home and cabin on the Sunshine Coast after she replaced the lawns with easy-care, low plants  that require minimal care or watering once established.  

 Manicured grass lawns attract chemicals, mowers and blowers. Jane will discuss planting tough, easy-care groundcovers that support butterflies, bees and birds across all four seasons while also serving as a usable lawn.

Any questions? Send an email to grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com

 

Our Grandview Garden Club Holiday Potluck Dinner — December 14th!

For our GGC December meeting this year, we will be hosting a Holiday Potluck Dinner, 6-8, Thursday, December 14th. It will be held in the Grandview Room at Trout Lake Community Centre (3360 Victoria Drive). 

Please bring:

• Food to share — appetizer, main, salad, dessert — whatever you like, with serving utensils. We will have access to limited kitchen facilities, but it would probably be best if you could figure out a dish that doesn’t require an oven or too much fuss.
• Your own plate, silverware, and a glass or cup.
• Whatever you would like to drink. (Note: No open alcohol is allowed at Trout.)
• Your partner, if you like…

No need to RSVP! We just hope to see you there!

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Note: We will not be having a January GGC meeting this year. Our February meeting will be on Zoom (details to follow closer to the date). We will finally meet again in person for our March meeting; the date and venue will be announced as soon as we figure it all out. 

Any questions? Send an email to grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com. 

Season’s Greetings, everyone! See you at our festive Potluck!

Penny Street

 

Grandview Garden Club Xmas Party Potluck

 A GGC Christmas Party

Instead of a regular meeting in December, we are going to have a potluck Christmas party. 

Time: 6 - 8 pm  

Date: December 14th (our usual second Thursday evening) 

Place: Grandview Room, Trout Lake Community Centre, 3360 Victoria Drive

More information will be coming soon. We hope to see you there. 

We also thought you'd like to know about the Handmade Sale taking place tomorrow, Saturday November 25, in the basement of Grandview Church at First Ave and Salsbury. 

One of our Garden Club members, Shawn Preuss, will be there selling her beautiful woodwork, including bowls made from fallen trees in our neighbourhood.