Next GGC meeting, April 14th, Thursday

SPEAKER FOR OUR APRIL MEETING: CHRISTINE ALLEN "Growing a City"   Vancouver gardens have come a long way in 100 years. Christine will take you from early struggles to beautify a slash-and-burn landscape, through the era of neat lawns dotted with a shrub or two, to the diverse gardens of today's Vancouver – as innovative, idiosyncratic, and inspired as their owners.  Besides being our Grandview Garden Club leader, Christine Allen is a Vancouver writer and gardener. In 1993 she gave up her career as a college instructor to move with her husband to a 9-acre farm in south Langley. During the following 14 years they raised sheep and chickens, and Christine developed a garden of old-fashioned roses, vines, and perennials. By 2006, when they sold the farm, Christine's rose collection had grown to 175 different antique varieties. In 2010, after three years in Australia, the couple returned to Vancouver where Christine is now developing a new garden on their small city lot in Grandview. Christine is a Life Member of the Master Gardeners' Association of B.C. She was president of The Vancouver Rose Society in 1996–1998 and of South Surrey Garden Club in 2005–2006. Until she left for Australia, she was a member of the Great Plant Picks Program, run by the Elisabeth C. Miller Garden in Seattle. Christine has taught in the VanDusen Education program, and spoken to many garden clubs in B.C. and Washington. She wrote regularly for GardenWise magazine until its demise in 2013 and for other gardening publications in both Canada and the U.S. She is the author of several books including Roses for the Pacific Northwest and Gardens of Vancouver. Her most recent book is A Year at Killara Farm, a memoir of her experiences on the Langley farm. We meet in the Learning Resources Centre (under the Britannia Library), at 7:00, on the second Thursday of the month. SEEDS & SEEDLING SWAP! Susan Lockhart, one of our members, had a brilliant idea: that we who are starting seeds, and who have too many seedlings of one kind or another (how many zucchini plants do you really need?), should bring their extras to our April meeting to share or trade with other folks in the community. You could also bring any extra seeds you have that you won't be needing yourself. Please put them in envelopes or packets and label them.

Three Other Very Important Things! RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2016! If you haven't done so yet, now's the time to renew your membership! Bring your $20 and renew! If you don't renew, but want to come to a meeting, you'll need to pay a $4 drop in. If you come to more than five meetings over the year, the $20 membership is well worth the cost! Don't forget, with a membership, you get discounts at GardenWorks, Figaro's, and Magnet Hardware (for garden-related purchases). Plus you help us to stay solvent and to pay honoraria to our guest speakers.   CITY OF VANCOUVER RAIN BARREL SALE!  http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/rain-barrel-sale.aspx BEAUTIFUL IN APRIL? Bring a sample of something from your garden that looks just fabulous on the day of the meeting.