Upcoming events...

Our next meeting will be Thursday, November 8th, and our speaker is Patrick Moore whose topic will be "Lakewood Garden Tips".

Patrick's street garden, at the corner of Lakewood and Turner, was a feature of this year's East Van Garden Tour, and he will talk to us about the successes and challenges of creating this productive and ever-changing garden in a very public space.

In the meantime, you may want to follow Patrick's blog about his garden.

Our October Meeting, Oct 11th!

This month's speaker is Bob Tuckey, and his topic is "Growing Native Plants in Your Garden."  Most people don't realize the variety of native plants they can grow in their own gardens. Native plants provide interest, food, and shelter for birds and small mammals; they are also generally easy to care for, once they are established. Bob will be highlighting a selection of native trees, shrubs, and perennials that do well and will add interest to your West Coast garden.

In 2003, after years of being passionate about plants, Bob opened The Natural Gardener garden store on West 10th, specializing in native, rare, and unusual plants. He ran the store until 2015, when he closed it. Since then, he has been an Assistant Manager at Hunter's Garden Centre on West Broadway. Over the years, Bob has been featured on TV, in the newspaper, and in several gardening magazines.

You're sure to enjoy this meeting. As usual, we will meet in the "LRC" — the Learning Resources Centre, which is under the Britannia VPL library. As you're walking west toward the library, veer left, 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.

Bring your gardening questions and concerns ... and your ideas for topics or speakers for upcoming meetings.

We always have tea and goodies and a few door prizes. See you there!

Our September Meeting ... Thursday, September 13th, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

Hello!

For our first meeting of the new school year, two of our club members, Cliff Bell and Paul Kjekstad, are presenting. Their talk is entitled “Around the World with Cliff and Paul: Gardens, Flowers and Art.” Their talk will chronicle  some of their travels, and it will highlight the intersection of flowers, gardens, different cultures, and art, always finding the unexpected. A fascinating element to both of them, is the back story or history to what they are viewing. Lucky for Paul, Cliff is an excellent photographer and there are some unforgettable photos of flowers and nature. Hopefully it will inspire you to travel some more, both near and far.

You're sure to enjoy this meeting. As usual, we will meet in the "LRC" — the Learning Resources Centre, which is under the Britannia VPL library. As you're walking west toward the library, veer left, 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.

Bring your gardening questions and concerns ... and your ideas for topics or speakers for upcoming meetings.

We always have tea and goodies and a few door prizes. See you there!

Our July Meeting ... Thursday, July 12th, 7:00 p.m.

Hello! We don't have a formal speaker for this month's meeting. What we'll be doing is looking at photos a few people took of the gardens on the East Van Garden Tour and talking about the tour. You'll love this, whether you went on the tour or not.  If you did go on the tour this year, now's your chance to talk about what you saw... And see any gardens you might have missed. Also a few of the people whose gardens were on the tour will be there, so you can ask them questions or chat with them.  If you happened to miss the tour, you'll be able to see some of the best features of the gardens. Either way, you're sure to enjoy this meeting. Everyone's welcome to contribute to the conversation. As usual, we will meet in the "LRC" — the Britannia Learning Resources Centre, which is under the VPL library. As you're walking west toward the library, veer left, 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. Bring your gardening questions and concerns ... and your ideas for topics or speakers for upcoming meetings. We always have tea and goodies and a few door prizes. See you there! Note: We won't be having a meeting in August.

Japanese Beetle Threat in Vancouver

Following the discovery of Japanese beetles in the False Creek area, the Canadian Food inspection Agency has issued the following information and advice:

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-pests-invasive-species/insects/japanese-beetle/jb-vancouver/eng/1525800137593/1525800137983

Although Grandview is just outside the affected area, it is important for us to be aware of the danger of this pest to our plants and the measures being taken to control its spread.

Posted by Christine Allen

Ikebana Spring Show

Jane Hood, a longtime Grandview neighbour, asked me to post this notice for her Ikebana group's show. Admission by donation. Workshops!

Ikebana Spring Show!

Alpine Garden Club Show and Sale

Several people have asked to be reminded of this opportunity to obtain some unusual plants.

The sale is this Saturday, April 7, 12 - 4 pm. Cash or cheques only.

More details here: http://www.agc-bc.ca/shows-sales

Posted by Christine Allen