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Horticulture Centre of the Pacific - July 2024 eNews
It's almost time for Arts & Music in theGardens!
We are thrilled to present Arts & Music in the Gardens for another year at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, now a single day event overflowing with community, connection, and family-friendly fun. Get ready to experience The Gardens in full summer mode with smiles, sunshine, and - of course - plants galore. There are so many wonderful local vendors and artists joining us - come see for yourself!
We can't wait to see you there, Saturday August 10th, 9AM to 4PM at 505 Quayle Road.
Over 16, Admission: $12.00 (All proceeds support the Gardens!)
I hope everyone and their gardens fared well during the hot weather last week.
After the cool, windy Spring, this warm weather was the push that the heat loving plants needed! When we get a few days of hot weather, you really notice which plants are more tolerant to heat and drought.
We planted a small ornamental grass garden at our front entrance garden this Spring. Ornamental grasses have become popular again. There are more varieties available in the trade and they grow well in containers, mass plantings in larger landscapes and home landscapes. They are deer resistant, drought tolerant once established and provide year round interest.
We offer a Community Ed course here at the HCP on using ornamental grasses in your garden. Mike Rogers is the instructor and was instrumental in the planning and planting of our new ornamental grass garden. Mike's class is on October 20.
As you pass all the new buildings going up around town, you have probably noticed the landscaping that the developers are putting in and one thing that might strike you is the extensive use of ornamental grasses in many plantings. There’s a good reason for this. Ornamental grasses are ideal for drought tolerant, deer resistant, low maintenance gardens here on Vancouver Island. What you might also notice is the repetitive, almost monotonous use of a few species in these plantings.
As part of its mission of “connecting people with plants”, HCP has taken on the challenge of rectifying this by highlighting the dozens of wonderful ornamental grasses that not just survive but flourish under these challenging conditions in our region. Along the south side of the main parking lot adjacent to the handicap parking we have installed a new ornamental grass demonstration garden. Check it out the next time you visit.
While still a “work in progress”, already the new plantings are beginning to show their mettle and will only get better with time and the planned addition of companion plants that will thrive under similar conditions.
Much of the hard work of creating the garden was done by the full-time PHC students as part of their “Practical Skills” experience.
Thank You!
Thank you so much for your generous support!
As a charity, the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific depends on the support and generosity of others to help us make a difference. The maintenance of our gardens is funded through our memberships as well as donations, sponsorships, grants and income from our gardens through admissions, plant sales, events and weddings. Even though much of the creation and maintenance of the gardens is carried out by teams of hardworking and cherished volunteers, there is still a large financial commitment when caring for nine acres of curated gardens and the Conservation Park.
Your donations provide essential support.
And thank you so much for your continued support -- we couldn't do it without you!
We are very grateful for the large team of volunteers who come together throughout the year to support HCP. The many contributions made by almost 300 volunteers has contributed to a vibrant space where all can enjoy the beauty of the Gardens at HCP and the Conservation Park and Trails.
Current openings include volunteering for the Arts and Music Festival on Saturday, August 10, 2024, the Library, the Bonsai Garden and Conservation Team.
For more information about volunteering or to add your name to the HCP Arts and Music Festival volunteer list, please contact Kim, Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@hcp.ca
What a wonderful time of the year. For the last few weeks nature has been bursting out all over the Gardens and now colour is everywhere. Splashes of one colour contrast with swathes of another colour, you turn your head for a moment and new combinations of both shade and texture catch your eye.
At certain seasons the range of flowers is limited and one can focus on very particular areas of the Gardens. But now in mid-July everywhere is illuminated by a vivid spectrum. Foliage on the trees is fully flushed out and it creates a gorgeous green backdrop for the gardens themselves.
In the Lily Garden the range of lilies is spectacular; I would like to be able to name all the varieties for you but the clumps are so huge and impenetrable that I can't even find the plant labels if they are there. But the yellows and oranges, pinks and reds are superb.
Lower down in the Herb Garden and Bridal Beds whites and yellows are predominant, tall spires of Verbascums, both the yellow V. chaixii and the white V. chaixii album, yellow Elecampane (Inula helenium) with its huge leaves shading the ground around it and white Galega officinalis (or Goat's rue) which I have always loved for its energy and effusiveness but which I now discover is on various invasives lists.
The Gathering Place is encircled by beautiful borders, on the south side filled with marvellous masses of white Gaura (Lindheimer's Beeblossom) and on the north side the plantings of yellow roses and purple Salvias are a wholly new scheme and very striking.
The Hardy Borders are as impressive as ever, the large clump of Lobelia tupa just now coming into flower. There are also deep purple delphiniums, tall lilac flowered Salvia forskaohlei and low-growing Santolina chamaecyparissus with flowers like yellow buttons.
The Drought Tolerant Garden offers some wonderful Yuccas in full flower and the Cut Flower Garden features red Beebalm (Monarda didyma), orange marigolds (Calendula officinalis) and white chrysanthemums.
We are so blessed at this time of the year, not just with the beauty of everything around us but also for all our volunteers who maintain the life and health of all these plants we enjoy. A huge thank you to everyone for their contribution.
Hours: Everyday 9am-4pm
July has been an incredibly warm month for us at the PHC with high temperatures. Students have also been on a long awaited 2 week summer break, enjoying their well deserved downtime while our Level 1 students are eager to join our Level 2, Apprentice Landscape Horticulturist Apprenticeship Training Program starting next month. There are only 2 spots available if anyone is still interested in joining our program.
We have hired a new part time Admissions Assistant to assist with questions and inquiries. Please welcome Sarah Evans to our team. She will be in touch regarding your questions and will be assisting with all your admissions needs.
Please note that we are very busy in Admissions and all of our classes are filling up quickly. Please reach out directly to admissions@hcp.ca to express interest and we will be sure to help you through the process.
Program Dates: October 28 to December 6, 2024 Program Details: Monday to Friday from 9 am – 4 pm Delivery: Full-Time and Blended (a combination of in-person and online classes). Weeks 1 - 4 will be online and the final 2 weeks (weeks 5 and 6) will be in-person at Pacific Horticulture College. Open for Applications: April 2, 2024 Application Deadline: September 30, 2024
Community Education | Adult Programs | 2-hour Workshop
Introduction to Summer Fruit Tree Pruning with Gordon Mackay
Learn how, and why, to prune fruit trees in summer. Gordon Mackay will help you gain the confidence and knowledge to tackle your own fruit trees at home.
Community Education | Adult Programs | 3-hour Workshop
Permaculture for Ornamental Gardeners with Bethany Couture
Bethany will show you how you can create a beautiful, harmonious, low-maintenance ornamental garden and contribute to a more eco-friendly and sustainable future.
STUDENTS JOBS & VOLUNTEER opportunities. Looking for experience working with children during our JMG Garden Camps this school year? Become a Junior Camp Leader for Pro D Day Camps and Spring Break. Contact youthprograms@hcp.ca for details.
SUMMER WORKSHOPS- Tea Time, Fairy Gardens, Creating with Natural Plant Dyes
GROUP BOOKINGS - are available for all workshops and programs? Contact us at youthprograms@hcp.ca
Tea brewing is a very ancient tradition and kids have been enjoying this with us in many of our camps and workshops over the years. We have recently been introducing tea to our tea themed fairy garden birthday parties too! We will begin with a garden wander to discover some of the plants and their special parts that can be used for brewing. Together we will learn to harvest and prepare these collections to brew some basic herbal blends for a tea tasting experience.
It’s summertime and even the fairies need a place to relax on hot days. Looking to our many demonstration gardens for inspiration, we will create a wee oasis for magic in our gardens. These miniature gardens are perfect for creative play on hot days and also provide a sweet addition to existing fairy gardens or another themed garden.
The history of natural dyes can be traced back to the earliest civilizations, where plants, insects, and even minerals were used to create a variety of colours. In this session we will explore some plants that contribute their pigments for dyeing, in our Herb Garden as well as natural spaces at HCP. With some guided foraging, we will collect plant materials and create some paper and fabric items to take away.
The outdoors offer safe and seasonal opportunities for your preschooler to explore through play, games, songs and activities! These outdoor sessions include time in our HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food throughout the year, as well as numerous pathways and native plant forest areas to explore. Our small group sizes and experienced nature educators help to create a nurturing and engaging environment for young children to learn, play and grow! We welcome parent participation. This is a great opportunity to introduce your child to an outdoor learning experience!
Do you know a child or youth who loves the outdoors and thrives in the garden? Our HCP Kids Garden provides many opportunities for land-based engagement activities, including seed starting and propagation, planting, garden maintenance, pollinator habitats, and so much more. Each weekly class will have us in this amazing teaching garden where we grow our own food crops. Hope you can join us with your pre-k learner or drop-off (or join) your school age child. There are lots of takeaways.
Date: Saturday’s September 14 - October 19, 2024 (6 weeks)
Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am (pre-school); 9:30 am - 11:30 am (school age)
Age: 3+ suggested age (under 3 are free)
Fee:
Pre-school: $120/child or $105/child with a Family Membership ($20 or $17.50 per week)
School age: $135/child or $120/child with a Family Membership ($22.50 or $20 per week)
These non-instructional day camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Our Birthday Package includes time in the gardens and time to host your guests! We offer a 2 hour unique birthday experience for children in the gardens. Our parties are based on fun and engaging nature themes, including Terrarium Gardens, Mythical Creatures, Fairy Gardens, Enchanted Forests, Herbal Creations, among others. See our complete list of workshops HERE. Explore the gardens, create an amazing take away craft, then host your guests for refreshments. We host outdoors (rain or shine, year round) and offer an indoor option and covered areas to temper the seasonal weather.
Do you know a youth who enjoys crafting and flowers? This new program offers weekly opportunities to explore plants and flowers in their garden settings, then provides an introduction to ways of using them. Together, along with visiting facilitators, we will learn to identify plants and many useful and creative ways to use them for design and art. This 6-week series will include drying of flowers, flower pressing, bouquet making, seasonal displays, weaving and wreath making.
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