What a super day for learning -- over 360 MGs and Friends packed the Theatre-- even the weather cooperated.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this such a super day , to all the volunteers at Registration, set-up, & Plant Sale, to the vendors:
Big Bear Tools Kelpman
Garden Therapy - home decor
Wild Westcoast Rainforest - jams/sauces
Metal Mermaid - art for the garden
Invasive Species Council - display only
Christine Allen - "A Year at Killara Farm"
Sharon Hanna - " The Book of Kale"
And Sea Soil who donated 6 pallets of SeaSoil to our Compost Sale
The Speakers were diverse and entertaining , each bringing a: "Wow, I didn't know that! " element to their presentation.
Paul Buikema shared his common sense pruning tips: Bypass Pruners are the best for smaller branches-- disinfect between different plants. Prune Maples as they go dormant in the fall- Verticilium wilt is in the ground, never put your pruners on the ground and then make a cut into a maple ( Acer ) as you could infect the tree Always try to create the smallest wound possible Pruning Paint is not necessary with two exceptions : Elm or Oak Rounded hedges shed snow better than squared off hedges Find out where plants come from and prune for that situation
Marian Brodhagen gave a facinating account of the Chemical Laguage of Plants which is learned by coevolution. She left the audience with enough info to really pique our curiosity and explore this world further.
Sarah Bergman of Pollinator Pathway in Seattle , an artist by training , now garden plot organizer extraordinaire, along a 1 mile corridor of neighborhood between two green spaces , Capitol Hill and Madrona, quipped honestly that if she had known as much as she does now about gardening before she started, she may never have embarked on this project. She is still our hero for all her amazing efforts!
http://www.pollinatorpathway.com/
Sharon Hanna, author of the Best Selling Book of Kale, witty and well spoken, had a lot to say about this wonderful, easy to grow vegetable. Many of the participants wanted to hear more.
Helen Dillon had us laughing along with her about various gardening mishaps and wrong plants in the right place. Her extensive knowledge of plants was evident as the names rolled off her tongue.
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INTRODUCING OUR FABULOUS LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS:
Marion Brodhagen – The (Chemical) Language of Plants
Plants cannot talk, but they communicate effectively with organisms all around them: other plants, insects, fungi, bacteria, and even mammals. What are they saying? How are they saying it? Learn about chemical communication in the silent world of plants.
Paul Buikema – The Art of Pruning
Let’s spend some time on the basics of pruning and adding some advanced theory to help us all become better pruners.
Sharon Hanna – Celebrating Kale
What's so special about kale? Sharon Hanna has something to say about this easy-to-grow veggie, considered to be a "superfood".
Sarah Bergmann – The Polinator Pathway
The Pollinator Pathway project is a mile-long, 12 foot wide corridor of pollinator-friendly gardens being constructed along one street in Seattle, Washington. Begun in 2008 by artist and designer Sarah Bergmann as a response to pollinator decline, the aim of the project is to draw a line of gardens between two public green spaces, connecting them ecologically.
FEATURED SPEAKER:
Helen Dillon – Dig it Up and Let it Go
DIG IT UP AND LET IT GO is the story of a Dublin City garden 41 years in the making, with an owner who would rather be creator than curator. The talk tries to inspire people to ruthlessly edit the garden. How to move on with ideas and have the courage to take out plants or features which don’t work, how to plan for colour and excitement and something new in flower for every week in summer.
REGISTER online with Karelo by clicking HERE
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Speaker’s Bio’s for Master Gardener’s Spring Seminar 2013 ‘Forever Green’
Marion Brodhagen is a former farm girl who has never lost her interest in agriculture. She teaches at Western Washington University in microbiology, molecular biology, and cellular biology. Trained as a molecular plant pathologist, she is better at killing plants than growing them! She does research in the chemical communication that occurs between plants and microbes (both good ones and bad ones). She is learning to tango, writes poetry, and kayaks whenever she has the chance.
Paul Buikema is an ISA Certified Arborist (PN-5482A), W.C.B. Certified Tree Risk Assessor (#0093), BC Arborist Technician Supervision & Sign Off Authority (00008-TAQ-11) , Certified Horticulture Technician (#453 Retail), Allan Block Certified Wall Installer (Level 1) and a Waterscene Designs trained pond installer with over 20 years experience in the nursery and landscape industry in BC. In 2003 Paul won the BCLNA award for Young Member of the Year and in 2010 the Member of the Year award for his volunteer efforts and contribution to the industry. Paul is active on a number of volunteer groups in the industry including the BC Arborist Apprentice program and BCLNA. Paul also leads tree tours at the Riverview Hospital grounds a number of times per year and speaks to various garden clubs and other groups including groups at the UBC Botanical Garden.
Sharon Hanna is a Garden writer & presenter. She received the Mayor's Prize for Environmental Excellence in 2005 for the Queen Alexandra School garden program. Her first book, The Book of Kale (Harbour Publishers) is a BC bestseller and includes 80+ recipes plus tips for growing, nutrition, history, and kale for kids. We are proud to have Sharon as one of our very own members.
Sarah Bergmann is an artist and designer. Her current work is the Pollinator Pathway, a large-scale research-and-response project based in Seattle, Washington. Bergmann is the 2012 recipient of the Betty Bowen Award and the 2012 Stranger Genius Award, and her work has been covered by NPR, KEXP, Grist, The Seattle Times, and GOOD Magazine. She has been the recipient of grants from The Awesome Foundation, The Northwest Horticulture Society Grant, The City of Seattle, and Artist Trust. To learn more about Bergmann’s work go to: http://www.pollinatorpathway.com
Helen Dillon is an author, broadcaster, newspaper columnist and garden consultant. She has lectured many times in USA, New Zealand, Germany, France, Australia and the UK and has travelled extensively in order to study plants in Nepal, China, South America, South Africa and New Zealand. In 1999 she was awarded the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society in England and in 2003 the George Robert White Medal of Honour from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
In autumn 2004 she was made a distinguished counsellor to the Board of the New York Botanical Garden. The garden at 45 Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland has been open to the public for the last 30 years. Helen Dillon's Garden Book - was published November 2007 by Frances Lincoln and was Robin Lane Fox (of The Financial Times) book of the year. This is also published in the US by Timber Press as 'Down to Earth with Helen Dillon'. It was top of the list of bestsellers of Timber Press for 4 months. Other books include On Gardening, Garden Artistry, The Flower Garden (for the Royal Horticultural Society) also Helen was editor of In an Irish Garden.
