Giftshop Merchandise Sale
by Lisa Ballinger

by Roger Charles, Executive Director

Save the date March 21st  for the inaugural 

First Nations Education Conference,

hosted by HCP in the Couvelier Pavilion.

For more info please contact Roger Charles 

director@hcp.ca or call 250-479-6162

by: Linda Petite, Head Gardener

For me,seed catalogues arriving in the mail are a sure sign of spring!  They are fun to browse through and very informative.

Last year I purchased SOW EASY seeds by Livingston Seed Company.

They are pelletized seeds that makes small seeds like lettuce and carrots easier to handle.  Pellets are made of diatomaceous earth, the fossilized remains of diatoms and an organic insecticide.  A natural food coloring maybe used, but is not harmful to the seed or the soil.

This seed is also "primed."  Priming means to begin the germination process.  The seed is pre-germinated, then coated in a layer of diatomaceous earth which stops the germination process until the seed is planted.  Primed seed germinates faster , but has a 1 year shelf life.

What is your favorite seed catalogue?

Some of mine include

• inspect stored bulbs of dahlias and begonias for rot 
• remove foliage from hellebores to improve the appearance of the plant, making it easier to see the flowers and prevent disease 
• check containers under eaves for watering; they dry out faster with cold winds
• dormant spray can be sprayed on fruit trees, roses and lilacs to control overwintering insects and disease (no wind, dry weather and temperatures above freezing) 

• late January, sow seeds indoors of begonia, salvia, snapdragon, dianthus, lobelia and pelargonium

• place your seed orders early