Grandview Garden Club meeting, October 13th, 7:30 in the 55+ Seniors Centre at Britannia

GGC will be meeting face-to-face on Thursday, October 13th. There will be no Zoom this month! 

• This month's meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. 
• Also, because Britannia Elementary is using our regular old meeting room, the LRC, as a classroom this year, we have a new Britannia meeting space, the 55+ Seniors Centre. It’s a lovely space and we’re assured we can use it from now on, but we can’t occupy the room until 7:30.

Our speaker this month is Alex Downie, and his presentation will focus on tree selection for urban gardens and fundamentals of tree care.  Trees suitable for smaller gardens will be highlighted, along with those likely to succeed in our warming climate. 

Alex began his horticultural career at the UBC Botanical Garden where he gained his Trades Gardener qualification. He then worked at VanDusen Botanical Garden, mentored by founding curator Roy Forster. In 1993 Alex went on to supervise Bloedel Conservatory and Queen Elizabeth Park for about twenty years. His responsibilities grew when in 2012 he became Supervisor of General Parks for the City of Vancouver. Alex capped off the last seven years of his 37 year career as Manager of Specialty Parks and Urban Forestry for the Vancouver Park Board.   

Alex co-wrote the book "The Woodland Garden" published in 2004. He is a Certified Arborist, holds a National Diploma in Horticulture, and earned a degree in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University in 2005.  Alex co-founded the Vancouver Palm and Exotic Plant Society and is a lifetime member of the International Dendrological Society.

After retiring this spring Alex now spends his time travelling with his wife, working in his garden, and enjoying his classic car hobby.

We will start at 7:30 and end by 9:00.

Please be sure to wear a mask for everyone’s comfort.

We will have tea and goodies and a few door prizes. One of our door prizes this month is a beautiful fall arrangement that will thrive well into the winter. It was put together for us at Southlands nursery. Another prize is the Thomas Hobbs book Shocking Beauty, a real classic.

Try to remember to bring your own teacup. 

As well, bring along your gardening friends who aren’t quite ready to join the club but want to come to the occasional meeting. Now that we’re back to meeting in person, we are happy to be reinstating our $4 drop-ins.

Please bring a sample of something beautiful or interesting from your garden on the day of the meeting.

Bring and wear a mask.

Bring a tea cup.

Bring a friend. 

Bring a sample.

See you there!

Questions? Send us an e-mail at grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com.

Grandview Garden Club meeting, September 8th

Grandview Garden Club is meeting face-to-face on Thursday, September 8th. No Zoom this month! But please be sure to wear a mask. Drop-ins for non-members, $4.

Our speaker is Lori Weidenhammer ("Madame Beespeaker") who will give a presentation on Growing Herbs for Humans and Bees. She will focus on plants that are medicinal and appetizing for humans and our favourite pollinators. Many edible and medicinal plants are a boon for humans and bees. Find out how you can create an “herbaliscious” garden that fills your pantry while feeding pollinators. Lori will focus on some edible annuals that are easy to grow and some perennial “keystone” herbs which are an essential part of the infrastructure of a healthy pollinator garden.

Lori Weidenhammer is a Vancouver performance-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. She is originally from a tiny hamlet called Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan. It was in this place, bordered by wheat fields and wild prairie, that she first became enchanted with bees.

For the past several years she has been appearing as the persona Madame Beespeaker, practising the tradition of “telling the bees”. As a food security volunteer and activist Lori works with students of all ages on eating locally and gardening for pollinators. On occasion, she likes to dress up in silly costumes and talk to bees.

 

Lori's web site is Victory Gardens for Bees. Follow Lori on Instagram @beespeaker.

This is going to be an in-person meeting and Lori will bring copies of her book, Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees, published by Douglas and MacIntyre. The list price is $26.95. Please bring cash or a cheque if you think you might like a copy.

You're sure to enjoy this meeting. We will meet in the "LRC" — the Learning Resources Centre, which is downstairs from the Britannia VPL library branch. As you're walking west toward the library, veer left on the walkway, walk alongside the library, and you'll come to a ramp entry to the LRC on your right. We start at 7:00 and end before 9:00.

Please be sure to wear a mask for everyone’s comfort.

We will have tea and goodies and a few door prizes. Try to remember to bring your own teacup. 

As well, bring along your gardening friends who aren’t quite ready to join the club but want to come to the occasional meeting. Now that we’re back to meeting in person, we are happy to be reinstating our $4 drop-ins.

Questions? Send us an e-mail at grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com.

What’s beautiful or interesting in your garden this month? Please bring a sample of something from your garden.

So... Bring a mask, a cup, a friend, a cutting or plant from your garden. See you there!

Grandview Garden Club — Back to face-to-face meetings!

 We will be meeting masked-face-to-masked-face this month, June 9, 2022! No Zoom!

Our speaker is Ben Stormes, and he has agreed to present in person. His topic is Designing Resilient Gardens. 

Here’s his description: 

Heat domes, atmospheric rivers, and deep freezes have all come our way over the past year, testing us as gardeners and our gardens themselves. To help overcome these challenges, and the unknown extremes yet to come, designing your garden for resilience can help ensure success. This presentation will span theoretical concepts through to hands-in-the-dirt solutions, bringing together aspects of garden design, landscape ecology, and urban biodiversity to help support resilience in you, and in your gardens.

Ben is the Curator & Horticulturist for the North American Gardens at UBC Botanical Garden. He holds a master degree in public garden leadership from Cornell University, a Bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from The University of Guelph, and a diploma in ornamental horticulture from The Niagara Parks School of Horticulture. Ben has worked with a number of botanical gardens in Canada, as well as municipal arboriculture projects, public outreach and education programming, and private sector horticulture. A keen gardener from a young age, Ben always has some dirt under his nails, no matter how hard he scrubs.

You're sure to enjoy this meeting. We will meet in the "LRC" — the Learning Resources Centre, which is downstairs from the Britannia VPL library branch. As you're walking west toward the library, veer left on the walkway, walk alongside the library, and you'll come to a ramp entry to the LRC on your right. We start at 7:00 and end before 9:00.

Please wear a mask for everyone’s comfort.

We will have tea and goodies and a few door prizes. Try to remember to bring your own teacup. See you there.

As well, if you aren’t quite ready to join the club but want to come to the occasional meeting, now that we’re back to meeting in person, we are reinstating our $4 drop-ins.

Questions? Send us an e-mail at grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com.

What’s beautiful or interesting in your garden this month? Please bring a sample of something from your garden.

Also, a general announcement: The annual neighbourhood-wide Grandview Garage Sale is back this year, June 18, 10-2!