No Meetings - July and August

 Enjoy your summer gardens!  We'll see you in September!

Last Chance to get your ticket for the East Vancouver Garden Tour - Sunday June 21st

 Hello, Fellow Garden Lovers!

This year's East Vancouver Garden Tour is on Father's Day, Sunday, June 21st. It's our one fundraiser for Britannia Neighbours, and the proceeds go to maintaining the Napier Square Greenway (at Napier and Commercial).

We use the money we raise to buy plants and supplies, and to pay someone to water the Greenway in the warmer/dryer months.

This year’s tour will feature about ten wonderfully diverse home gardens, both well established and newer ones.

The gardens are a mix of ornamentals, flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. Each garden will either have the home gardener or a Master Gardener on site to chat and answer questions.

To start the tour, you check in with us and pick up your map (indicating where all the gardens are and including brief descriptions of each of them) at our usual home base at Figaro’s Garden (https://www.figarosgarden.ca) at 1896 Victoria Drive.

This year's tour will be in an area to the east and south of Figaro's and, once you get to a good starting spot (the epicentre is at about 5th and Nanaimo ), it should be comfortably walkable for most people.

How to get your tickets!

Note: As of June 2nd at 2:00 p.m., all the online tickets are sold out and there are just six still available at Figaro's!

Reminder: June 9 Meeting - Christine Allen - The Chosen Few

 Christine's Bio: 

From 1993 until 2006, Christine and her husband, Michael Kluckner, lived in Langley on a 9-acre farm, where she developed a collection of over 150 antique roses surrounded by many other plants. Since moving back to Vancouver, Christine has been creating a new garden on a 33 ft lot in the Grandview neighbourhood. This talk looks at the choices she made for a much smaller space, and her ongoing quest for a garden with year-round interest. 

We will also have Tool Sharpening! Remember to bring your tools! 

Drop your tools off 15 minutes before the meeting starts.  The van will be parked down in the parking lot at Britannia.

 BeSharp Sharpening – "Twice As Sharp For Twice As Long!"

Garden Tools

Pruners i.e. Felco $12

Bypass lopper $15

Anvil lopper $20

Garden Shears $24

Shovel $10

Axe $15

 Kitchen Knives, various prices from $12-25

 Scissors , Various prices from $15-40

 

Make sure to label your tools with asking tape.✂

Plant Sale - May 23

 

June 9 Meeting - The Chosen Few with Christine Allen

Christine Allen will be speaking - Topic: the Chosen Few

 Christine's Bio: 

From 1993 until 2006, Christine and her husband, Michael Kluckner, lived in Langley on a 9-acre farm, where she developed a collection of over 150 antique roses surrounded by many other plants. Since moving back to Vancouver, Christine has been creating a new garden on a 33 ft lot in the Grandview neighbourhood. This talk looks at the choices she made for a much smaller space, and her ongoing quest for a garden with year-round interest. 

For June Meeting:

We will also have Tool Sharpening!

The Besharpening Guy is coming on June 9 from 6:30 until 9:00.  Please drop your tools off before the meeting and pick them up afterwards and be sure to put names on your tools with a bit of masking tape.

May 12 - Talk on Vancouver's Ecological Meadows by Jack Tupper

 Hi Gardeners

Join us in May for a Talk on Vancouver's Ecological Meadows by Jack Tupper.  His day job is with the park board and he is doing research on the meadows.

 

Bio to follow: 

Jack Tupper is a landscape architect and photographer currently working for the Vancouver Parks Board on its ecological meadows.

Vancouver Parks Board’s Ecological Meadows

For the past 10 years Jack has been studying Vancouver’s meadows and over the last 5 years the Parks Board has implemented 42 hectares of ecological meadows across the city.  The data that have received shows a very positive response in terms of diversity of insects, fungi and microbial life.
Jack is now conducting further research into how far these ecological principles can be taken to improve Vancouver’s parks.  What would our parks look like if we maintained them from an ecological perspective?

Grandview Garden Club - April 14 - Q&A Session with Our Resident Master Gardeners

 Join us in April for a Question and Answer Session with Our Resident Master Gardeners

 

We are very fortunate to have five master gardeners among our members: Christine Allen, Sandra Anthony, Janet Harper, Valerie Gray and Betsy Jones.  Between them, they have a wealth of gardening experience.  Their areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following: roses, climbing plants, propagation for root and stem cuttings, shrubs and perennials for different seasons and garden areas, espaliered apples and apple tree pests, checking the texture of your garden soil, and food gardening.

 

The master gardening program demands a time commitment and a lot of work.  If any of you are interested in joining this esteemed group and doing the master garden program, feel free to ask a question about that.

For April Meeting:

• 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! (And by the way, you’re always welcome to bring/donate garden-related things  — plants, tools — to be awarded as door prizes.)

Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the Month - 

In May, we will have Jack Tupper from the Vancouver Park Board to talk about the 42 hectares of ecological meadows which exist in Vancouver.

June we will have Tool Sharpening and speaker still to be announced

Feel free to forward this message to any of your gardening friends who might want to join.

See you at Britannia on Tuesday, April 14! 

March Grandview Garden Club - Topic Rose Care

 Join us at the Britannia Community Centre in the 55+ Room at 7:00pm  on Tuesday, March 10

        Topic: Rose Care 🌹

   Speaker: Jason and his partner, Lisa, own Fraser Valley Rose Farm on Nicomen Island.

They mainly sell roses and companion plants for the local market but they offer a mail-order selection of smaller roses and perennials which can be ordered through their online store, Rose Farm Canada. 

 Fraser Valley Rose Farm – Beautiful Gardens Made Easy

Jason and Lisa propagate their roses on their own roots from their collection of mother stock.  They also bring in a small percentage of stock from other suppliers.

    During the growing season, their farm is open to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays

For March Meeting:

• 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! (And by the way, you’re always welcome to bring/donate garden-related things  — plants, tools — to be awarded as door prizes.)

Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the Month - 

In April, we will have our 5 members who are master gardeners here to answer your gardening questions.

In May, we will have Jack Tupper from the Vancouver Park Board to talk about the 42 hectares of ecological meadows which exist in Vancouver.

Grandview Garden Club March and April Teasers

 March Garden Club

Jason Croutch from Fraser Valley Rose Farm will be talking about roses.  

April  Garden Club

Our Five Club Master Gardeners answering members’ questions. 

Vancouver Master Gardeners Spring Seminar 2026 - Cultivate Joy

 Vancouver Master Gardeners Spring Seminar 2026 – Cultivate Joy

Small things count, join us at Spring Seminar 2026 to hear how small things add up to create beauty and cultivate joy in your garden. You will be Inspired!

Gardening as a Practice of Belonging – David Tracey

Restoring and Sustaining Soil Health – Jo Tobias

Foodscaping: How to Grow More Food in Less Space – Erin Berkyto

Cracks & Crevices: The Art of Rock and Crevice Gardening – Paul Spriggs

PlantWise - Supporting Responsible Gardening - Megan Blackmore

Plus Gardening Vendors, Sea Soil Sale & Door Prizes!

Saturday March 28^th, 2026, 9am to 3:30pm, Michael J Fox Theatre, Burnaby

Early Bird Tickets: $55 until Feb. 14^th. Regular Tickets: $65 from Feb. 15^th: Register & Info

Cannot Attend - purchase the Recordings Only: $40 & get 1 month of viewing: Register & Info

No January Meeting and February Meeting- Zoom

 Our February Meeting will be on zoom.

Tuesday, February 10 at 7:00 pm

Topic: Photo and Review of the 2025 Garden Tour

Tuesday December 9th Meeting- Holiday Potluck!

Remember to come and celebrate on Tuesday, December 9th meeting with a Potluck Dinner at the Brittania Community Centre 55+ Room at 7:00 p.m.  🎄

Please bring something to share with the group.  Any potluck food will be welcome. 

Please bring your own cutlery, plate, cup and drink.  

Feel free to forward this message to any of your gardening friends who might want to join.  

Remember dues for 2026 are due:)

See you on the 2nd Tuesday in December! 

Cheers,☃🎄🎅🤶

November Garden Club - Tues November 11- Angela Hoy - Home Composting

Join us at the Britannia Community Centre in the 55+ Room at 7:00pm  on Tuesday, November 11th.

Angela Hoy’s presentation will go over the basic requirements for home composting , describe the different types and ways of composting, including best practices.  There will be a light-hearted quiz at the end to reinforce these.

 

Topic: Worm  Composting 

Speaker: Angela Hoy

Bio: Angela took the Master Composter course in England at Garden Organic, after which she volunteered at many public events talking about composting.

 

She moved to Vancouver in August 2017 and quickly found Riley Park Community Garden where she has been a leading volunteer ever since, and was instrumental in the installation of the composting area there, regularly giving advice sessions to new volunteers and many groups around the lower mainland.

 

Angela also took the Master Gardener course in 2020 and was a basic training mentor for the next two years.  In 2023 she took the Master Recycler course offered by SPEC and has completed her qualifying hours. 

 

When not gardening, Angela enjoys a challenging game of Scrabble, reading crime novels and cooking.

For November Meeting:

• We are seeking 2 volunteers to provide goodies per meeting.  If you would like to volunteer the meeting, please reach out to me 
• 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! (And by the way, you’re always welcome to bring/donate garden-related things  — plants, books, tools — to be awarded as door prizes.)

Hardy Plant Fall Study - Oct 25

Hardy Plant's upcoming Fall Hardy Plant's upcoming Fall Study Day. Use the QR code to register  https://www.vancouverhardyplant.org/fall-study-day-saturday-october-25th-2025

Date correction to October 14 Meeting- Topic: Worm Composting

Join us at the Britannia Community Centre in the 55+ Room at 7:00pm on October 14

Topic: Worm  Composting 

Speaker: Jenny Arntzen 

Bio: Jenny Arntzen is a novice gardener, having started her first garden at the age of 8, in 1964, in Lynn Valley. She has always had a great passion for digging up the beds, never really understood planting seeds, and still learning how to build watering routines. However, after planting over a million trees between 1975 and 1988, she is pretty good at transplanting. Two years ago she was introduced to vermaculture, the practice of worm composting. The worm castings provide rich soil amendments to support plant growth. After purchasing a handful of worms and cocoons in the spring of 2022, her worm farm now is 12 large bins producing continuous harvests of worm castings for building soil health.

Jenny writes about her gardening experiences on her blog:

https://jennyshadegarden.blogspot.com/

      

Special Afternoon Lecture- Troy Scott Smith

Vancouver Hardy Plant Group Presents:

Troy Scott Smith -Head Gardener 

Sissinghurst- A Garden, in a Ruin, in a Farm

Wednesday September 17

1:30-3:00 HR MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St., Vancouver 

Tickets $25

Information: vancouverhardyplant.org

Garden Club - Tuesday, Sept 9 - Topic: - Pot Culture: The Why and How of Growing Plants in Pots

 Hello Gardeners 

Hope you have enjoyed your gardens and the sunny weather!  

Join us at the Britannia Community Centre in the 55+ Room at 7:00pm 

Topic: Pot Culture: The Why and How of growing Plants in Pots.

Speaker: Dana Cromie - a Lifelong Artist and Gardener

Bio: Dana is a lifelong artist and gardener living in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Dana studied Visual Art at Capilano College, Institute Allende de San Miguel, and Vancouver School of Art. He then worked in clothing manufacturing as a production manager and as a planner.

The son of a green thumb and ardent volunteer, Dana has a renowned garden full of unusual plants. Dana has a deep engagement with the local garden community, and his garden has been toured multiple times by the Alpine Garden Club of BC, the Vancouver Rhododendron Society and the Vancouver Hardy Plant Group.

Dana wrote and photographed ‘In My Garden’ for Vancouver Lifestyle Magazine from 1999-2001 and has contributed to the Annual of the Rhododendron Species Foundation and the Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Club of BC.

After retiring, he became a Friend of the UBC Botanical Garden where he was head of the FOGs’ guides and coordinator of their various propagation units. Dana coordinated the acquisition and catalog descriptions of the plants for the UBCBG Collectors’ Plant Auctions from 2004 - 2011.  Dana is and has been chair of the UBCBG Treasured Bulb Sale since 2015. 

He has studied botanical illustration at UBC Botanical Garden with Alison Watt, at Emily Carr University with Elizabeth Mancini, and privately with Mary Comber Miles. 

From 2012-2014, Dana was Artist in Residence at UBC Botanical Garden.

Dana is currently co-Chair of the Vancouver Hardy Plant Group, and Co-Chaired their recent Hardy Plant Study Weekend, which is a conference which rotates between Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and Portland.

Dana is a regular judge at the Vancouver Island Rock and Garden Society spring show.

      For September Meeting:

• We are seeking 2 volunteers to provide goodies per meeting.  If you would like to volunteer for the October meeting, please reach out to me or Moira
• 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! (And by the way, you’re always welcome to bring/donate garden-related things  — plants, books, tools — to be awarded as door prizes.)
  
  
  See you at Britannia on Tuesday, September 9th! 

Also note - Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the Month - Oct 7, Nov 11, Dec 9 - December Meeting will be a Holiday Potluck. 

No Garden Club Meeting July and August

 Reminder no meeting until September 

Enjoy your Summer! ☀

June Meeting - June 10 - Introduction to Soil Science and Its Application in Garden Settings

Join us at the Britannia  Community Centre in the 55+ Room at 7:00pm 

Topic: Introduction to soil science and its application in garden settings. 

Bio: Morgan is a backyard gardener and soil scientist with a background in agricultural research. She completed her Masters at UBC in which she looked at the effects of biochar (a soil amendment) on nutrient dynamics in a coarse textured agricultural soil. She enjoys sharing practical applications of the fundamentals of soil science, believing that this foundational knowledge can be used as a tool to deepen the relationship with the environment and how we garden.

  

      For June Meeting:

• 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! (And by the way, you’re always welcome to bring/donate garden-related things  — plants, books, tools — to be awarded as door prizes.)
  
  
  See you at Britannia on Tuesday, June 10! 

Also note - No meeting in July and August!

Remember that the Garden Tour is June 15!

East Van Garden Tour! Sunday, June 15

This year's East Vancouver Garden Tour is on Father's Day, Sunday, June 15th. It's our one fundraiser for Britannia Neighbours, and the proceeds go to maintaining the Napier Square Greenway (at Napier and Commercial). 

We use the money we raise to buy plants and supplies, and to pay someone to water the Greenway in the warmer/dryer months.

This year’s tour will feature about ten wonderfully diverse home gardens, both well established and newer ones.

The gardens are a mix of ornamentals, flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. There will either be home gardeners or Master Gardeners at each garden to chat and answer questions.

To start the tour, you check in with us and pick up your map (indicating where all the gardens are and including brief descriptions of each of them) at our usual home base at Figaro’s Garden (https://www.figarosgarden.ca) at 1896 Victoria Drive. 

The tour will be in an area close to Figaro's, so you will likely be able to walk to a starting spot ... and the tour itself should be comfortably walkable for most people.

Once again this year we need to limit the number of tickets we sell so the gardeners whose gardens we visit are not overwhelmed. 

And we won't have tickets available on the day of the tour. You'll need to get your tickets for the tour ahead of time. 

There are two ways to get tickets this year — online through Simpli Events or in person (cash only) at Figaro's Garden:

• Click on photo above to get your tickets online. (There's a small Simpli Events service charge on top of the $20 for each ticket.)
• Drop in to Figaro's Garden to buy tickets (exactly $20 — in person and cash only) while they last!! (You might want to call first to be sure they have tickets -- 604-253-1696.)

Tickets will be available until Saturday, June 14th or until we sell out (whichever happens first). Avoid disappointment and get your tickets early!