Garden Hours Until February 1, 2015:
10:00am -3:00pm Monday-Friday 9:00am - 4:00pm Sat & Sunday

Wanted

5.5 inch jumbo plastic square pots. Please look around your yard and in your shed and bring me your unwanted pots. We need them for potting on our perennials and shrubs. NO other size needed.....
 Thank You!
Linda Petite, Head Gardener


Dreams and needs

We are dreaming of a nice big glass greenhouse



We need gravel for the paths
January E-news                                                
Horticulture Centre Of The Pacific                                                                                                                  January 15, 2015
Chair's Message

As I write this message, we are just a few days away from reopening the gardens after a month of winter closure. While the gardens may have been pretty quiet, the offices have often been a hive of activity this past month. Staff and volunteers have been budgeting, planning, cleaning and doing maintenance. 

FROM THE ARCHIVES

One Man's Vision - 30 years on

In HCP's May 1984 newsletter, Hal Herbert, then past president of the HCP, explained the difference between a "demonstration" garden and an "ornamental or display" garden



Doris Page

While looking through an old copy of The Island Grower (Dec.1992/Jan.1993 edition), we chanced on an article by Doris Page. Since the garden named for her is about to come into full glory very soon, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves of Doris' great knowledge and love of plants. Here's an excerpt from the article she wrote about her own garden.


January to-Do List
By Linda Petite, Head Gardener

         
          Welcome to 2015!
  • read your garden journal from last year. What should you change?
  • keep harvesting kale and leeks from your garden. Plan and order seeds early. Try something NEW!
  • continue to provide seed, suet and water for the birds. Start onions, leeks, pansy and geraniums indoors in late January. Grow sprouts and microgreens indoors all winter.

January Plant of the Month
By Linda Petite, Head Gardener

Lonicera standishii (Winter Honeysuckle)

  • Semi-evergreen woody shrub
  • 2m.htx2m.spr.
  • fragrant,tubular creamy white flowers in winter,followed by red >berries
  • attractive peeling bark
  • attracts bees and birds
  • full-part sun
  • low maintenance
Takata Garden

The Takata Japanese Garden, now 20 years old, has been the recipient of many generous donations of funds and plants over the years, thanks to a large degree to the initiative of Bob Clark. The donations have kept the garden autonomous from the start. At 83, Bob is gradually handing over the care of the garden to Patti Kaqawa, though he intends to continue to do a bit of shaping and pruning - "puttering" is what he calls it. Planner/builder William Andringa, and Bob will probably never run out of ideas for making the garden more appealing. They suggest we all should watch for the next project! Some plants of note in the garden: Two 100-year-old Acers, one 300-year-old Mountain Pine, three large Black bamboos, and Two Gingko bilobas.


WHATZIT??

If you think you can tell us the name of this beautiful purple flower, please send your information to the [email protected]. We will publish your answer in the next issue of eNews.


Also, if anyone has a picture of any mysterious, unusual or just plain weird plant or fungus that you think other HCP members might find interesting, send it along to the library. It may qualify for a prominent position in a future eNews!


Community Education Courses

To register for the following Community Education Programs, please e-mail us at [email protected]
Our Community Education program will be offering some great courses this winter. . . check them out!


Silk Merino Cobweb Felted Scarf
Saturday, January 17th 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor, Jenny Hildebrand For more details, please check http://hcp.ca/events/silk-merino-cobweb-felted-scarf/

Year Round Harvest
January 18 1:15pm - 5:15pm

Instructor, Linda Gilkeson For more information, please check http://hcp.ca/events-functions/year-round-harvest/ 

Plant Identification and Culture

Throughout the year, one Saturday each month, Diane Pierce introduces students to 25 new plants -- their Latin and common names, plant descriptions, cultural requirements, general maintenance and landscape uses. This course is perfect for new, experienced, or new-to-Victoria gardeners. It is an on-going course and can be joined at any time.

January 24, 2015, is the next session (then Feb. 21, Mar. 21, and April 18) - 1:00pm - 4:00 pm

HCP Members - $410 for 12 sessions ($35/session when you sign up for the year)
Non-Members - $540 for 12 sessions ($45/session when you sign up for the year) 

The Fruitful Garden
Instructors, Susan Wright and Darryl Clark

Unsure how to prune your fruit trees? Want to grow your own berries but not sure if they will thrive in your garden? Our interactive class and hands-on exercises will give you the tools to evaluate your yard, choose appropriate fruiting shrubs, vines and trees, and be able to prune them to meet your growing objectives.

Saturday, February 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb 28 9:00am - 12:00 noon

HCP members - $120 for 4 sessions
Non-Members - $145 for 4 sessions 

Open Weave Garlic Basket
Instructor, Joan Carrigan

Open weave techniques offer a freeform sculptural approach to shaping and creating baskets. Participants will have the opportunity to complete 2 baskets. Joan will start you off with a wall hanging basket, traditionally designed for storing garlic. Then she will show you how to play with shape and pattern design in a larger free-standing basket.

Saturday, February 28 9:30am - 4:30 am

HCP Members - $120 (Price includes cost of materials)
Non-Members - $145

Pruning Techniques
Instructor, Patty Brown

An understanding of how and why plants respond to pruning will help you get the results you want with any plant in your garden. Pruning is used to control size, increase blooms, increase fruit production, and to correct damage from pests, disease and weather. Patty brown will teach this 3-session course on theory and techniques (Two in-class sessions will cover the theory; there will be one practicum in the HCP Gardens).

Mon. & Tues., March 2 & 3 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm, and Sat., March 7 - 9:00am - 12:00 noon

HCP Members - $100
Non-Members - $125
Report from the Conservation Park at HCP
by Dave De Shane, curator


In mid January of 2014 a new volunteer group was started in the Conservation Park. The three who began the year have grown since January to six burly men on the move! They have contributed around 524 hours of volunteer work during the year. The first major activity was mostly the removal of Broom, but also invasive Blackberry and English Hawthorn on the south side of the lake. This work continued until the end of July when the ground became too dry to dig out plants.

Truffling at HCP
by Shannon Berch

On December 31, a small group of truffle aficionados searched some of the gardens and forests at HCP for their elusive but seductive prey - truffles. Not the overly sweet and chocolatey kind, but the pungently aromatic and fungal kind. Thanks to the efforts of trained truffle dogs and their trainers, native truffles, such as the white and black truffles that have gained such popularity in Oregon, are now being found in British Columbia.


THE BOOK END


This is the time of year when we start looking through seed catalogues and get hooked by attractive pictures of plants. Usually, the descriptions are quite accurate. . . to a point. But it certainly helps if we have some idea of their relatives and therefore know a little better what to expect of these newcomers before we get involved!

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Horticulture Centre of the Pacific | (250) 479-6162 | [email protected] | http://www.hcp.ca
505 Quayle Rd
Victoria BC, V9E 2J7