HCP Annual General Meeting 2024
2024-05-30 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Vancouver) | Horticulture Centre Of The Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd., Victoria, BC, V9E 2J7, Canada
AGM Documents can be found here.

Finger Painting without the Paint Workshop
2024-06-01 09:00 - 13:00
with Wendy Picken
Have FUN in the Gardens with Artist and Author Wendy Picken. Explore the mixed medium techniques she has developed over the past 30 years. Learn how to create beautiful flowerscapes while exploring the Gardens on paper. This class is suitable for beginners and is a great refresher for those who have taken the class before. All supplies are included.
Fees: HCP Members $75/Non-Members $85
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
This class is also available for private groups. More details HERE.
Instructor Bio: Wendy Picken
Wendy Picken is well known for her whimsical, bold and colorful floral work. She has been an artist on the Saanich Peninsula for the past 35 years. She has illustrated and self published 2 books for children, her latest release is titled ‘Rainbees & Honeybows'.

HCP Kids Garden Club - Spring 2024
2024-06-01 09:30 - 11:30
Do you know a child or youth who loves the outdoors and thrives in the garden? Our HCP Kids Garden provides many opportunities for land-based engagement activities, including seed starting and propagation, planting, garden maintenance, pollinator habitats, and so much more. Each weekly class will have us in this amazing teaching garden where we grow our own food crops. Hope you can join us with your pre-k learner or drop-off (or join) your school age child. There are lots of takeaways, including seeds, transplants and more! Please pack your child's own garden gloves if you have some and bring along a water bottle (and snack if needed:) Age: 3 - 14 years
Please note there are two fees: Preschool and School Age; the School age program is 30 minutes longer

Date: Saturdays - April 6 - June 1, 2024 (no class April 27)
Times:

Preschool: 9:30 am - 11:00 am
School Age: 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Fees:

Preschool: $160/ 8 weeks or $140.00 with a Family Membership
School Age (5 - 14): $180.00 or $160.00 with a Family Membership

Register: ONLINE or Call 250-479-6162

Willow Chair Workshop with Andrew Kent
2024-06-08 09:00 - 17:00
Join artisan Andrew Kent from The Willow Way for this full day workshop. In one day, with Andrew Kent's expert instruction, you can make and take home your own Bent Willow Rustic Chair. This is a great introduction to rustic building techniques. Learn how to make a square frame from pieces of alder & work with different sizes of willow to create your chair.
While these chairs can be made alone, if you would like to bring a helper, the registration fee is for up to 2 participants making one chair together.
Please note that you will need to bring your own lunch and snacks to this full day workshop.
HCP Members $285 / Non-Members $305
Register ONLINE or by calling 250 479 6162
Cancellations:
Note that this class requires a minimum of 2 registrants in order to run. If the minimum is not met, the class will be canceled or postponed. Please contact communityed@hcp.ca if you would like to cancel your registration. Note that registrations less than one week prior to the class date may not be eligible for a refund if registration minimums are not met.

Instructor Bio: Andrew Kent
The Willow Way's roots go back all the way to 1993 when I made my first willow chair in a workshop with Kate Lawes. Over the next five years, Kate and I opened and ran a store in downtown Nanaimo, attended many large and small shows, and hosted numerous willow furniture workshops. Many of the designs I use are traditional, coming from Kentucky by way of Pemberton, BC. Some are then updated with design ideas suggested by the materials themselves.
I grew up on a rural island and have always felt at home in the woods. A keen mountain biker, I am passionate about the outdoors and Vancouver Island. Many of my days are spent hunting for materials, foraging local species of willow and alder, and finding the best shoots and whips for each piece, which directs the creative construction.
From forest to finished product, the entire willow furniture process is an adventure and ever-evolving, which to me is the real beauty of this work. Most of the materials are natural and not milled, which means not one project is the same and it's always a new experience.
I think people respond to my work because it is more than just your average rustic furniture – it is handmade with materials that are otherwise not utilized. My passion for nature and for the creative process comes through in each piece.
Andrew Kent

Random Bird's Nest Baskets Workshop
2024-06-09 09:30 - 16:00
Random weave is one of Joan's favourite styles of baskets to weave. The structure is beautiful, reminding one of bird's nests. It is strong, durable and lends itself to sculptural forms on both small and large scale. We will discuss and cover several ways of approaching this technique. The material we will be using is round reed in a selection of colours. We will take a tour of the garden to discuss other potential plants suitable for this style of basket which may result in other materials we can incorporate into our baskets.
Tool list: Sharp sturdy scissors, sharp secateurs, an old towel, flat piece of cardboard no smaller then 15" square (basically the side of a large box will do fine)
HCP Members $120 / Non Members $140
Registration is Full. SOLD OUT Sign up for the the Basketry Enthusiast List to hear about new workshops as they arise.
Instructor Bio: Joan Carrigan
Joan Carrigan is a full time basketmaker and basketry teacher living on Salt Spring Island, BC. Over the past 25 years, her passion for baskets has led her to study, travel and explore many different techniques and materials within the medium. Joan studied Fine Art and Art History at the University of Guelph and her love of history has fueled her research in traditional techniques. Her background in fine art has fueled her enthusiasm for the sculptural and creative potentials that the medium offers. Her inspiration comes from the plant materials she respectfully harvests from nature. Joan's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Joan teaches extensively both close to home and in Europe and finds this to be a very rewarding aspect of her career.

HCP Kids - BBQ Herb Planter for Dad
2024-06-15 10:00 - 11:30
Does Dad Love to Barbeque? Herbs can really enhance this meal experience to add flavour and interest too! Join us for a garden journey to explore garden herbs to grow for culinary uses and create a make and take planter to gift Dad for Father’s Day! Each planter includes a pot, 3 herbs and plant markers for gifting beautifully. Age: 4+years (6 and under with an adult)

Date: Saturday June 15, 2024
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 am
Fee: $40/planter
Registration: Online or call 250-479-6162

Introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture
2024-06-16 09:00 - 12:00
Curious about the therapeutic applications for horticulture? The use of plants and outdoor environments to heal people's illnesses, and achieve their health goals dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
In this introductory workshop led by Cliff Thorbes, a Registered Horticulturist Therapist with the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association, discover and experience some of the therapeutic outcomes for yourself.
This workshop includes:
1) A discussion about the usage, and practice of horticulture for achieving therapeutic benefits as applied in Horticultural Therapy, and Therapeutic Horticulture
2) A guided walk through the Gardens at HCP
3) A Therapeutic Horticulture activity – create your own Nature Bowl
HCP Members $55/Non-Members $65
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
Instructor Bio: Cliff Thorbes
Cliff Thorbes is a Registered Horticulturist Therapist with the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association. He is passionate about promoting well-being in others through helping them expeience the therapeutic benefits gained from participating in plant and nature-themed activities. He is currently employed as the Horticultural Therapist at Homewood Ravensview, a mental health, addiction, and trauma recovery facility in North Saanich, BC. In addition to horticultural therapy, Cliff is also an expressive artist, and brings that into his work whenever he can.
website: cliffthorbes.com

HCP Kids - Stories in the Garden - Pollinators
2024-06-21 09:30 - 10:30
It's all about our special friends, POLLINATORS this week as we celebrate these amazing creatures with curious observations and chats. Imagine an exploringing nature walk with your child to inspire you both! This rain or shine outdoor program on our endless pathways provides us with many social and nature connections. This is followed by a storytime that encourages the development of listening skills and small group interactions and lots of fun facts about local pollinators! Plan to bring along your favourite story blanket and snack to enjoy during the story with your child and invite a friend. Minimum registration is required. Please share word of this engaging program with your friends and make it a play date!

Date: Friday June 21
Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Fee: $10.00 per Family
Register: Online or Call 250-479-6162

Home Herbalist Series - Summer Workshop
2024-06-22 13:00 - 16:00
Join Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Herbalist Racheal Schnarr for the summer installment of the "Home Herbalist" series. We will review medicinal herbs that can be used and harvested during the summer, their typical applications and how to make them. For the practical portion of this class, we will enjoy a short plant walk in the HCP medicinal herb garden, then head back to the classroom to make custom herbal salves.
Celebrate the arrival of summer with an afternoon connecting with medicinal plants! Leave with the knowledge of how to practice herbalism in your own home, as well as your own custom herbal salve to lather on or add to your herbal first aid kit. This class is suitable to take on its own or as part of the series.
*Please note that our salves are not vegan and will be made with beeswax. *
HCP Members $55/Non-Members $65
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
Instructor Bio: Racheal Schnarr
Racheal Schnarr is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (R.H.N.) and Herbalist who studied at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and Pacific Rim College.
In addition to working as an R.H.N., Racheal operates a small botanical dispensary using herbs grown exclusively in her garden. She lives her passion of “connecting people with plants” both in her private business as well at Pacific Horticulture College as the College Administrator.
Through years of practicing clinical nutrition at multidisciplinary clinics as well as in her own private practice, she tapped into her passion for sharing the power of holistic nutrition and herbal medicine with her clients. Racheal's practice and classes are fun, hands-on, empowering, education based and are led in a supportive and open environment. Developing a deep relationship with plants, growing herbal medicine, ethical harvesting, food growing, food justice and living in reciprocity with the land on which we grow, forage, and learn are pillars in Racheal's practice and everyday life. She enjoys getting fresh air and her hands dirty when in her home garden, foraging the wild with her dog Josie, and occasionally working for her sister, a Landscape Horticulturist.

Creating a Forest Habitat at Home (Miyawaki Method)
2024-06-23 10:00 - 12:00
We are creating a pocket forest at HCP this spring as a project with help from a generous grant from Pollinator Partnership. The space adjoins our Meadow Makers Project Garden that was installed in 2023 and will offer more pollinator rich native plantings for habitat and foraging. This method of afforestation was developed by the Japanese botanist and plant ecology expert Professor Akira Miyawaki, and draws inspiration from nature's ecosystems to create 100% organic, dense and diverse pioneer forests in as little as 20-30 years. Please join our project lead Paula McCormick on a journey of positive change with this onsite presentation.

Dates: Sunday June 23 2024
Time: 10:00 am - noon
Fees: $35/individual or $45/Family
Register: Online or call 250-479-6162

Songbird Miniatures - Watercolour on Japanese Art Paper with Richard Wong
2024-06-28 13:00 - 16:00
This is Richard Wong's last workshop before the summer break.
Spend a lovely afternoon creating several miniatures suitable for personalized greeting cards, or work on one larger painting. Your choice. Richard will guide you. His classes are suitable for all levels. Beginners are especially encouraged. (Songbird Motif clockwise: Bluebird, Dark-eyed Junco, European Robin, Sparrow)
Paintings: one 8x10" piece, or several 3.5x5" pieces.
Tuition:
$80.00 (art supplies not included, students will bring their own, see list below for what is required)
$90.00 (art supplies included)
Art Supplies Required If You Are Bringing Your Own
- masa paper (several 8x10" pieces). Option: regular 140lb watercolour paper
- winsor newton watercolours: bring all your colours
- paint brushes (medium and small), pencil, eraser, paper towels, containers for rinse water & Holbein watercolour spray bottle (available at Opus Art Supplies on Herald)
Registration: REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
Sign up HERE to receive updates on Richard's classes
Richard Wong, Artist Statement & Biography
“How I Became A Wildlife Artist”

This great adventure of mine started fairly innocently.
I spent a glorious 25 years with the provincial government of British Columbia working in finance and policy (Ministry of Environment). During that time, I came to appreciate our wildlife and natural environment, all so delicately balanced! Then it came time to retire. So I did.
My life as a wildlife artist started soon thereafter. With time on my hands, and a Christmas gift of art supplies (from my wonderful spouse), I enrolled in art classes (2010). First it was traditional watercolor classes. Then it was Chinese brush lessons. I soon discovered Japanese art paper, and my career (second) as a professional wildlife artist began. Learning to paint, especially watercolor, allows me to capture the very essence of wildlife and nature like no other medium. Much of our wildlife is affected to the point where we are losing them rapidly. So I do what I can to spread this message of awareness: to paint and capture our wildlife in beautiful, vibrant watercolors; to teach others how to do this; and along the way, to engage and connect people and communities through my love of art. This love has taken me to Australia and the United States, where I've taught, presented and shown my work (Watercolor on Japanese Art Paper). I now paint (professionally), teach and sell from my lovely home base in Victoria, BC, Canada.
Wishing everyone a very lovely journey as we embark on yet another wildlife/art adventure full of wonder, excitement and discovery!
Sincerely,
Richard Wong
Professional Wildlife Artist
Watercolor on Japanese Art Paper

Plant Identification & Culture Workshop
2024-06-29 13:00 - 16:00
with Jane Tice
This is a monthly class in which participants will be introduced to 20 new plants in each session.
If you are a new gardener, new to Victoria or just want to brush up on your plant knowledge, this is a great place to get started. This is a monthly class where participants will be introduced to 20 new plants which fit with our local climate. Plants are selected for our local growing conditions and the value they bring to the garden. Part of the class will be in the classroom and part will be out in the gardens to view the plants for that month. Dress for the weather and bring something to take notes.
Please register ahead of time especially for field trip classes

One Saturday per month, 1pm – 4pm.
HCP Members $40.00 per session
Non-Members $50.00 per session

Cancellations:
Note that this class required a minimum of 6 registrants in order to run. If the minimum is not met, the class will be canceled or postponed.
Please contact communityed@hcp.ca if you would like to cancel your registration. Note that registrations less than one week prior to the class date may not be eligible for a refund if registration minimums are not met.
2024 Dates:
To register, call 250 479 6162 or click on a date below.
One Saturday per month – 1pm – 4pm.
August 31
September 28
October 26
November 23
December 14

YP Summer Camps 2024 - July 2 to 5
2024-07-02 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-03 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-04 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-05 09:00 - 16:00
During these camps, we will busy ourselves with seasonal gardening activities in our very own HCP Kids Garden! There will also be an exploration of the many natural systems that keep our gardens growing, garden arts and crafts, and more.
Fees: $180 or $160 with a Family Membership
Registration will open April 3 for those with a Family Membership, April 4 for General Public

Willow Bark Wall Pouch
2024-07-06 09:30 - 16:00
with Joan Carrigan
Willow bark is a lovely material for basket weaving and this project is a perfect way to show it off. We will be weaving this variation of a point pouch designed to hang on the wall to hold utensils or a flower arrangement. Along with the plaited designs using willow bark we will also use locally foraged materials for twining patterns. Discussion and demonstrations will cover how to harvest and prepare these locally foraged materials.
Tool list: sharp scissors, 12" ruler, soft measuring tape, spray bottle, an old towel.
Fees: HCP Members $120/Non-Members $140
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
Instructor Bio: Joan Carrigan
Joan Carrigan is a full time basketmaker and basketry teacher living on Salt Spring Island, BC. Over the past 25 years, her passion for baskets has led her to study, travel and explore many different techniques and materials within the medium. Joan studied Fine Art and Art History at the University of Guelph and her love of history has fueled her research in traditional techniques. Her background in fine art has fueled her enthusiasm for the sculptural and creative potentials that the medium offers. Her inspiration comes from the plant materials she respectfully harvests from nature. Joan's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Joan teaches extensively both close to home and in Europe and finds this to be a very rewarding aspect of her career.

YP Summer Camps 2024 - July 8 to 12
2024-07-08 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-09 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-10 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-11 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-12 09:00 - 16:00
During these camps, we will busy ourselves with seasonal gardening activities in our very own HCP Kids Garden! There will also be an exploration of the many natural systems that keep our gardens growing, garden arts and crafts, and more.
Fees: $225 or $200 with a Family Membership
Registration will open April 3 for those with a Family Membership, April 4 for General Public

HCP Kids - Herbal Creations July 2024
2024-07-11 13:30 - 15:30
Herbs are a versatile plant choice for their culinary uses, beauty, aromatherapy and so much more! Let’s explore a variety of plants that we call herbs and recognize them for some of their uses. This session will cover some plant identification and time to harvest and make herb based personal products in this extended class time frame. Ages 6 and up

Date: Thursday July 11 2024
Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Fee: $35/child and $30/family membership
Register: Online or Call 250-479-6162

YP Summer Camps 2024 - July 15 to 19
2024-07-15 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-16 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-17 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-18 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-19 09:00 - 16:00
During these camps, we will be busy with seasonal gardening activities in our very own HCP Kids Garden! There will also be an exploration of the many natural systems that keep our gardens growing, garden arts and crafts, and more.
Fees: $225 or $200 with a Family Membership
Registration will open April 3 for those with a Family Membership, April 4 for General Public

HCP Kids - Tea Time July 2024
2024-07-18 13:30 - 15:30
Tea brewing is an art form that goes back to ancient times. Did you know that many of the herbs growing in our gardens are easy to use for brewing. Children love to explore and learn about these interesting plants that provide our brews with flavours and scents. Together we will explore the herb and flower gardens to create a better understanding of these plants and their uses. Then we will create our own blends to take home and sample, discussing drying and storing techniques while we taste our teas. This makes a great “friends meet up” for your child for an afternoon of creativity, gathering and fun! Ages 6 and up

Date: Thursday July 18 2024
Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Fee: $35/child and $30/family membership
Registration: Online or call 250-479-6162

YP Half Day Garden Arts Camps 2024 - July 22 to 26
2024-07-22 09:00 - 12:00
The program runs 9 to noon daily. Our time is spent gathering and using natural materials to create garden art as well as a variety of other mediums for 4 or 5 days in July and August.
Limited to 16 participants. For children between 5 and 12 years (School age)
Fees: $125 or $100 with a Family Membership
Registration will open April 3 for those with a Family Membership, April 4 for GeneralPublic
