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11/16/2012 - 02:19 in Vancouver | Read more
We Share Garden Photos
Visitors to Greater Vancouver are always delighted (and often astonished) by the magnificent gardens. The temperate climate encourages Vancouver Chapter Master Gardeners to create unique gardens that contain an exceptionally wide range of plants. Here are twenty of those gardens...11/16/2012 - 02:19 in Vancouver | Read more
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09/24/2012 - 09:50 in Vancouver | Read more
ST. JAMES COTTAGE HOSPICE
The Cottage is a ten-bed hospice, operated by the St. James Social Service Society, which provides palliative care for terminally ill adults. The hospice opened in 1999 and is located in East Vancouver’s Burrardview Park that has fabulous views of Burrard Inlet and the North...09/24/2012 - 09:50 in Vancouver | Read more
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05/22/2012 - 07:57 | Read more
FABULOUS FLORIADE - World Horticulture Expo 2012
There is a flower show even more spectacular than the Keukenhof. Floriade is really an amazing undertaking for such a small country as Holland. It is the World Horticulture Expo that happens once every 10 years in a Dutch city, from April 5 to October 7, 2012 it is situated...05/22/2012 - 07:57 | Read more
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05/03/2012 - 14:12 in Vancouver | Read more
STELLA ~ The Arisaema
I would like to introduce you to Stella, my Arisaema sikokianum. I named her Stella because she is such a stellar specimen in the Araceae family. I get a huge amount of joy from her. Actually she is bisexual at this point in her life and for the past few years she has...05/03/2012 - 14:12 in Vancouver | Read more
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05/03/2012 - 12:51 in Vancouver | Read more
THE WOODLAND SKIPPER
Photo and research courtesy of Ingrid Gowans, Vancouver MG, currently attending MG Advanced Training It was a beautiful sunny day, (August 21st, 2011) ; I was taking pictures in my garden when this little creature landed right in front of me and posed for the camera. At first I...05/03/2012 - 12:51 in Vancouver | Read more
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05/03/2012 - 12:27 in Vancouver | Read more
HOLLAND - Springtime Splendor
Vancouver MG Betsy Jones was fortunate enough to spend some time in Holland this spring: Spring is the right time to be in Holland especially in Lisse, where the famed bulb fields are located. This is near Amsterdam and just north of Leiden, site of the historical Hortus...05/03/2012 - 12:27 in Vancouver | Read more
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03/31/2012 - 15:56 in Okanagan | Read more
A GIFT OF GARDENING
I was looking through our dining room sideboard a few weeks ago in an attempt to locate the watermelon placemats for the dining room table. Maybe it's the time of year, time for clearing out clutter, putting away the old (or out of season) and bringing forth the new, and by...03/31/2012 - 15:56 in Okanagan | Read more
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03/03/2012 - 13:49 in Okanagan | Read more
TOMATO GROWING TIPS FOR NEW GARDENERS
Tomato Growing Tips for New Gardeners by Barbara Bowmar Okanagan Master Gardeners Association Red, luscious, sweet, tomatoes grow extremely well in our sunny and warm climate. Tomatoes can be grown in the ground, in containers and, yes, in hanging baskets. “Tumbler” tomatoes...03/03/2012 - 13:49 in Okanagan | Read more
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02/11/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
BROADLEAF EVERGREENS IN THE WINTER GARDEN
Late winter has to be one of the best times of the year to cast a critical eye over the bare bones of any garden. It’s a welcome opportunity to review the structure and balance of our landscape - or maybe the lack of it - and to consider what adjustments or amendments we might...02/11/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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02/10/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
BUG MYSTERY SOLVED: Rhododendron leafhopper
Recently we were contacted through our website by a member of the public to identify a mysterious bug: "There's a bug that lives on the top leaves of my rhododendron in the summer here in White Rock.It is about 1/2" long , 1/8" thick, green colour with red stripes front to back...02/10/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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02/10/2012 - 16:00 in Victoria | Read more
FINDING COLOUR ON A GRAY WINTER'S DAY
When gray days seem endless, and your energy flags, put on your boots and take a stroll through the garden. On the Pacific coast, our gardens don't really go to sleep...there's always something coming up or glowing with a spot of colour - even if the sun isn't part of the...02/10/2012 - 16:00 in Victoria | Read more
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02/09/2012 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
PUTTING FACES TO YOUR 2012 PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
We're showing our friendly faces, so you know who the members of MGABC's Provincial Council are this year. Every Chapter is represented, so do pass on your issues, suggestions and support to your Chapter Rep. We are working for you! As you move your cursor over each photo,...02/09/2012 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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02/09/2012 - 04:29 in MGABC | Read more
ARE YOU PRACTICING S.M.A.R.T. GARDENING?
Many of us retreat to the garden during the growing season, finding in its toil a pleasure that connects us to the earth. Tending the rich soil, planting seeds, and placing new plants into our garden spaces can have stunning and rewarding results; however, some attractive plant...02/09/2012 - 04:29 in MGABC | Read more
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02/08/2012 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
GREETINGS FROM THE DISABLED GARDEN
Three and a half years ago, I was in a near fatal car accident. I am a C-3 tetraplegic, unable to use my arms or legs, as a result of the crash. I spent one month in Vancouver General Hospital and two months in a hospital in my home state of California. After begging,...02/08/2012 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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02/08/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
FROSTED TREASURES IN MY GARDEN
A January stroll in the garden finds frosted beauty in the garden.02/08/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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02/08/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
ALL ABOUT SPROUTS - it's N.E.A.T!
Why Sprouts? Because, sprouting is N.E.A.T.! As the garden sleeps under the glistening frost, eating fresh living food from our gardens becomes a reminiscent dream. Well, my friends, this year you will be able to enjoy a greater diversity of freshly grown food within the...02/08/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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02/08/2012 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE AT VANDUSEN LIBRARY
The following is a list of new books available at the Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre located in the new VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre. How to grow winter vegetables SB321.D69 2011 Dowding, Charles. Totnes, Devon: Green Books, 2011. 1 copy ref. Chicken...02/08/2012 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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02/08/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
WINTER MUSINGS
The English poet A. E. Housman gives me an unexpected take on the death that comes with winter and the promise it holds of spring. “The night is freezing fast,” he writes, “Tomorrow comes December;/And winterfalls of old/Are with me from the past;/And chiefly I remember/How...02/08/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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01/29/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
SEED STARTING: PEAT & PLASTIC-FREE
Peat extraction is highly damaging to ecosystems as peat grows slowly enough, 1 mm. per year according to Royal Horticultural Society, to be considered a non-renewable resource. While many gardeners have traditionally started and grown-on seeds indoors in peat pots and in peat-...01/29/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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01/28/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU GROW: Daphne laureola
WARNING! Laurel-leaved daphne/spurge laurel (Daphne laureola) introduced from Eurasia, is listed by the Invasive Plant Council of BC as "a Noxious weed that poses human health and ecological risks", while Work Safe BC factsheets note this plant "causes severe skin irritation...01/28/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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01/25/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
HARDY CYCLAMEN - Snow won't stop these beauties!
Winter got you down? Consider beating the blues by planting some superb Cyclamen. Snow is optional! For more detailed information on Cyclamen see 'HARDY CYCLAMEN - Bill Bischoff shares his passion', under Articles on www.mgabc.org Cyclamen coum bloom mid January to late March...01/25/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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01/24/2012 - 16:00 | Read more
WINTER TREASURES
Two VIMGA members remind us of just how early in the new year we can expect the delights of our winter gardens. January 15, Qualicum Beach: The delicate blooms of Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold's Promise’ have arrived in my garden – right on cue – in the middle of another bleak...01/24/2012 - 16:00 | Read more
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01/23/2012 - 09:46 in MGABC | Read more
BULBS AND BOTANISTS
Visitors to VanDusen Botanical Garden and the public gardens of the West Coast may think of the glorious month of April as tulip season. For the professional gardener, though, there is another tulip season — the fall season of hard labour and planting that must precede spring. “...01/23/2012 - 09:46 in MGABC | Read more
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01/22/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
SEMPERVIVUMS - Well Travelled
I love sempervivums - even though they look fragile, they are remarkably tough. It was -36 C when we moved back to BC from Saskatchewan 20 years ago, so I went outside with a pickax and chipped some sempervivums out of the frozen ground. They didn't just survive, they...01/22/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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01/21/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
GALIANO GARDENING
I live on Galiano in the southern Gulf Islands. My garden is very different from city gardens. I am B.C. born and raised, having lived most of my life on the North Shore in Vancouver. The Galiano climate is so different. It is as close to mediterranean as you can get in...01/21/2012 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more