Our speaker for our June meeting is Derry Walsh, who will speak to us on “Fruit Trees and Mason Bees.” Derry holds a B.Sc in Botany and Zoology from UBC and a Diploma in Adult Education, and is a Life Member of the Master Gardeners’ Association of BC.
She took the MG program in 1984 when it was being run by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. When VanDusen Botanical Garden took over the program in 1985, she became the program coordinator and ran it for the first five years (1986–1990).
In 1990, with her husband, Bill Chase, who was retiring from the UBC Dept of Medicine, she bought a farm in Aldergrove, five acres of pasture with a creek running through it. They planted 3/4 acre in fruit trees, mostly apple trees, and filled the rest of the land with llamas.
During the next twenty-four years, Derry learned a lot about fruit trees, met many fantastic people, and propagated some very old apple trees, including stock from Cougar Annie's garden north of Tofino, Derby Reach near Langley, and Glen Eagles Golf Course in West Van. She also brought back into circulation some apple varieties that were grown successfully by the pioneers in south coastal B.C. prior to 1950.
Derry is a riveting speaker, legendary for her vast knowledge of many aspects of gardening, particularly fruit trees suitable for growing in our climate. If you have ever considered growing your own fruit, you won’t want to miss her presentation. Bring your questions on this subject, or on beneficial insects, especially mason bees as pollinators, or on any related subject.
See you there!
