VANCOUVER MGs Harvest Festival Sat. September 28th ~ Archived

Another great day of learning !

Everyone had a great time at this event in the Floral Hall at VanDusen Botanical Gardens viewing Displays, talking with Vendors, getting sustainable gardening advice and attending great lectures!

This event was also the same day as the VBG Bulb Sale and the SOIL Sale in the parking lot

Lectures in Cedar Room

10:30am – Right Bulb, Right Place

- Jo Ann Canning, MG

11:45am – Invasive Plants in the Home Garden

- Tasha Murray, ISCMV

1:00pm – Pruning your Fruit Trees 

- Richard Hallman, P.Ag., Arborist, MG

2:15pm – Collecting & Saving Vegetable Seeds

- Bardia Khaledi, VBG Seed Collectors

SPEAKER BIOS:

“Right Bulb, Right Place”

Jo-Ann Canning, MG

This is the time of the year when we all think about bulbs so start your day here to get ideas for your spring bulb display and then head out to the VanDusen bulb sale.  This year Jo-Ann will ‘paint with a broader brush’ and talk about the many types and seasons of bulbs, right-bulb -right-place, naturalizing, fertilizer and will answer your many questions.

Jo-Ann Canning was raised on Vancouver's West Side, and for 40 years has lived and gardened in climates diverse as  the Sunshine Coast, Northern Vancouver Island, Nova Scotia, the UK, the Rocky Mountains, and the American Southwest.  In the 1970s, inspired by the fledgling Rodale's Press's new magazine Organic Gardening Jo-Ann planted her first organic garden, and became involved in the sustainable horticulture movement. A few years later she became a writer and researcher in the herbal medicine

and health food industry.  In 1996 she received her certification with the Master Gardeners Association of BC. Since then she has been volunteering, writing, and giving seminars on organic and sustainable gardening. Her articles and photographs are often published on the Association's website, and she hopes to have her book, "Kitchen Gardening for the Urban Gourmet" in publication sometime next year.

 

“Invasive Plants in the HomeGarden”

Tasha Murray, ISCMv

“Help Stop the Spread: It all starts in your garden” – Invasive plants are out-competing native plants, disrupting wildlife habitat and impacting our home gardens and parks.  Learn why invasive species are so harmful, how to recognize our worst local invaders and how you can be part of the solution.

Tasha Murray has been involved in environmental education and stewardship in the Pacific Northwest for over twelve years and has worked extensively to manage invasive plants.  She holds a B.Sc. from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and an M.S.T. from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. 

Tasha is the Education & Administration Manager for the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver, a non-profit organization that works with individuals, organizations and government to better manage invasive species throughout the region.

 

“Pruning your Fruit Trees” 

Richard Hallman, P.Ag., Arborist, MG

Fruit trees are one of the most prominent and valued perennial food plants in West Coast Gardens. Pruning and training these trees for optimum abundance can be a challenge.  In this lecture you will learn how fruit trees grow, how to identify fruit buds and how to read how your trees are doing through their growth and fruit production. You will also learn how fruit trees react to pruning and training and many techniques and tricks you can use to improve the amount and quality of the fruit they produce in years to come. 

Richard Hallman is a passionate horticulturist who has been teaching and advising gardeners and farmers across British Columbia for more than 35 years. He grew up on an orchard in the Okanagan Valley where he started pruning and grafting as a teenager. Two years ago he started a new business to train and coach gardeners and farmers in the art and science of directing the growth of plants for fun, beauty and food production. He is a Registered Professional Horticulturist, a Certified Arborist and a Master Gardener.

 

“Collecting & Saving Vegetable Seeds”

        Bardia Khaledi, VBG Seed Collectors

The workshop will explore the fascinating and varied task of saving vegetables seeds. The participants will learn about common mistakes that may occur during seed saving, informed by specific vegetable families, groupings as well as their genetic makeup.  Proper seed storage will also be discussed.

Bardia Khaledi is passionate about creating gardens that sustain both human and non-human counterparts. He is an Assistant Garden Designer at Gardens by Nature where he uses naturescape principles to construct gardens that reinclude native BC plants into the landscape and create habitats for pollinators/insects, native birds and mammals. He is the owner of Plant Profusion and teaches hands-on gardening and nature-based workshops. He is the Co-president of the VanDusen Seed Collectors at VanDusen Botanical Garden where he promotes the importance of saving seeds. He is affiliated with the Master Gardeners of BC and the Native Plant Society of BC