Horticulture Centre of the Pacific

HCP Kids Garden Club - Fall 2023
2023-09-23 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Vancouver) | Horticulture Centre Of The Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd., Victoria, BC, V9E 2J7, Canada
HCP Kids Garden Club
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:)

Date: Saturday's, September 16, 23, (not Sep 30) October 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2023
Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Age: 3 - 14 years
Fee: $80/ 6 weeks
Register

Fall Plant Sale - Open to Everyone
2023-09-23 09:00 - 16:00
September 22 - HCP (members and volunteers only)
September 23- open to all
Save the dates! Friday, September 22 for HCP Members and volunteers only. The sale will be open to the public on Saturday, September 23. The sale will be 9:00am – 4:00pm daily.

Fall is the perfect time for planting, the soil is still warm and the fall rains are on the way!
All plants are reduced by 25% and the ever popular bargain bin will have plants at a 50% discount(what I refer to as ‘pot bound specials', plants that just need to get out of the pot to thrive) Victoria Master Gardeners, HCP staff, volunteers and PHC students are on site as well to answer your gardening questions and help you choose the right plant for your garden.

VIEW PLANT AVAILABILITY LIST

Fall Plant Sale - Extended to October 9
2023-09-22 09:00 - 2023-10-09 16:00
PLANT SALE EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 9th
Save the dates! Friday, September 22 for HCP Members and volunteers only. The sale will be open to the public on Saturday, September 23. The sale will be 9:00am – 4:00pm daily.

Fall is the perfect time for planting, the soil is still warm and the fall rains are on the way!
All plants are reduced by 25% and the ever popular bargain bin will have plants at a 50% discount(what I refer to as ‘pot bound specials', plants that just need to get out of the pot to thrive) Victoria Master Gardeners, HCP staff, volunteers and PHC students are on site as well to answer your gardening questions and help you choose the right plant for your garden.

Herbal Creations
2023-09-16 13:30 - 15:00
Herbal Creations
Many of us grow herbs in our gardens, but what can you do with them? In this fun and hands-on class, children will learn about some of the plants we know as herbs including; some of their uses, how to harvest them. We will practice methods of drying and creating teas, self care items and gifts that are easy and natural. Participants will make items to take home and share with their family and friends.

Date: September 16, 2023
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Age: 4+ years (6 and under must be accompanied by an adult)
Fee: $30/participant, $25/accompanying adult or second child
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

HCP Kids Garden Club - Fall 2023
2023-09-16 09:30 - 11:00
HCP Kids Garden Club
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:)

Date: Saturday's, September 16, 23 (no Club on Sept 30) October 7, 14, 21, 28, 2023
Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Age: 3 - 14 years
Fee: $80/ 6 weeks
Register

Sunflowers - Watercolour on Japanese Art Paper
2023-08-17 12:30 - 16:00
Indulge in some summer fun at the Gardens. "Sunflowers" bring happiness and are always enjoyable to sketch and paint. Follow Richard Wong's gentle guidance to help you experience the joy of creating your own sunflower painting. Choose to work from cut Sunflowers grown at HCP with Richard's guidance, and/or from Richard's class image. All levels are welcome.
Supplies (if students are bringing their own):
- masa paper (8x10" piece). Option: regular 140lb watercolour paper
- winsor newton watercolours: neutral tint, indian yellow, prussian blue, quinacridone gold
- paint brushes, pencil, eraser, paper towels
Class Fee: $80 not including supplies/$90 includes all supplies
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
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

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Full Day - Aug 14 to 18
2023-08-14 09:00 - 2023-08-18 16:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

Aug 14 to 18; Full Day
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fee: $185.00
Register online or call 250-479-6162

Please enter adult name on first page of the registration form, child info will be added on second page

Herbal Creations
2023-08-10 13:30 - 15:30
Herbal Creations
Many of us grow herbs in our gardens, but what can you do with them? In this fun and hands-on class, children will learn about some of the plants we know as herbs including; some of their uses, how to harvest them. We will practice methods of drying and creating teas, self care items and gifts that are easy and natural. Participants will make items to take home and share with their family and friends.

Date: Thursday August 10, 2023
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Age: 4+ years (6 and under must be accompanied by an adult)
Fee: $30/participant, $25/accompanying adult or second child
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

Fairy Gardens - It's TeaCup Time
2023-08-09 13:30 - 15:00
Join us for some fun and creative time as we enter the world of fairy garden making! Your child will be introduced to garden design as we visit various gardens looking for inspiration, collecting items in nature to create furnishings with. and followed by a hands-on lesson to make their own garden to take home. These miniature gardens offer hours of play potential for children of all ages. Plant care, planting techniques, and furnishing making will all be featured in this hands on make and take program. Consider signing up with your child and making one of your own! Age: 4+ years (6 and under must be accompanied by an adult)
Theme: TeaCup Time!

Date: Wednesday August 9, 2023
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Fee: $30/participant, $25/accompanying adult or second child
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Half Day - Aug 8 to 11
2023-08-08 09:00 - 2023-08-11 12:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

Aug 8 to 11; Half Day
Time: 9:00 am to Noon
Fee: $ 80.00
Register online or call 250-479-6162

Please enter adult name on first page of the registration form, child info will be added on second page

Stories in the Garden - August 2023
2023-08-02 10:30 - 11:30
Imagine a gentle nature walk with your child to calm and inspire you both, followed by a story. Plan to bring along your favourite story blanket and snack. Age: 3 + years recommended (all welcome:)

Dates: August 2, 9 & 16
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Fees: $37.50 or $30.00 with Family membership
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Full Day - Aug 1 to 4
2023-08-01 09:00 - 2023-08-04 16:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

Aug 1 to 4; Full Day
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fee: $150.00
Register online or call 250-479-6162

Please enter adult name on first page of registration form, child info will be added on second page

Edible & Medicinal Herbs for the Home Herbalist - Summer Workshop
2023-07-29 09:00 - 12:00
Join Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Herbalist Racheal Schnarr for the summer installment of "Edible and Medicinal Herbs for the Home Herbalist". In this hands-on class we will sip on refreshing iced herbal tea while we discuss some of the best herbs for iced teas and herbal salves. Next, we will dive right into creating our own herbal salves and iced tea blends! You will leave this session with your own salve to lather on for the rest of summer and beyond or add to your herbal first aid kit, as well as a herbal iced tea blend.
*Please note that our salves are not vegan and will be made with beeswax.
HCP Members $45/Non-Members $55
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.

Flower Pressing
2023-07-26 13:30 - 15:00
Flower Pressing Workshop
Remember pressing flowers as a child? This memory is one that is enjoyed by many and easy to do. Together, we will gather flowers and leaves from the garden for pressing in our own little presses to take home. Then we will make some pressed flower crafts to learn how to preserve these little treasures for years to come! Enjoy some creative time with a child in your life and sign up for two! All materials are provided.

Date: Wednesday July 26
Time: 1:30-3:00pm
Age: 6+ years
Fee: $30/child
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

Eco Printing Workshop with Lorelei Textile Design
2023-07-25 16:00 - 19:30, 2023-06-27 16:00 - 19:30
with Carly Stefanowich
Join Carly of Lorelei Textile Design as she leads you through a beginner-friendly eco printing workshop! In this workshop we will cover:

What is eco-printing?
Fibres suitable for eco printing and how to identify them
How to prepare your fibres for receiving and retaining colour
Common and beloved plants used in the process
Ethical wild harvesting practices
Dye garden essentials
Guidance through techniques and applications used to achieve eco prints on fabric
A show and tell of past work to give inspiration and spark curious questions
An instructional booklet full of resources and information for further exploration at home

All of this while engaging in an afternoon of plant-infused play with a lovely community of inquisitive minds! Attendees will be provided with a handmade and upcycled bandana and a set of 2 vintage hankies to explore different techniques and applications of eco-printing. All flowers and foliage are also provided. You will leave this workshop with the foundational skills to continue exploring this fascinating practice at home, your very own eco printed bandana and hanky set, and an instructional booklet full of resources for further research and experimentation. Vegan/gf snacks and iced herbal tea will be available as complimentary refreshments throughout the day.
No previous experience necessary. All materials provided.
HCP Members $65/Non-Members $75
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

Instructor Bio: Carly Stefanowich
Carly of Lorelei Textile Design breathes new life into old threads. Using second hand fibres and low water natural dye techniques she creates wearable, one of a kind works of art to adorn your body and your home. Always with sustainability in mind, she makes use of homegrown botanicals and local foliage to imprint time and place into cloth, informed by the ever changing seasons. She has been working with natural dyes for over 10 years, with a focus on eco printing for the past 4 years. In her engaging workshops, she shares with you her trove of natural dye wisdom to demystify and make accessible the art of imprinting botanical colour on cloth. Carly seeks to empower people to revive their wardrobes through repurposing and repair, making new what was once old or forgotten.

Tea Time
2023-07-25 13:30 - 15:30
Tea Time Workshop
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, colours 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 discuss 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!

Date: Tuesday July 25, 2023
Time: 1:30-3:00pm
Age: 6+ years
Fee: $30/child
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Half Day - July 24 to 28
2023-07-24 09:00 - 2023-07-28 12:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

July 24 to 28; Half Day
Time: 9:00 am to Noon
Fee: $95.00
Register online or call 250-479-6162

Camp is booked; if you would like to be added to the wait list please use the registration link above.

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Full Day - July 17 to 21
2023-07-17 09:00 - 2023-07-21 16:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

July 17 to 21; Full Day
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fee: $185.00
Register online or call 250-479-6162

Camp is booked; if you would like to be added to the wait list please use the registration link above.

Hypertufa 101 Workshop
2023-07-15 09:00 - 12:00
with Shana Brown
Two Part Class: Saturday, July 15 - 9am - 12pm & Sunday, July 16 - 1pm - 4pm
Join local artist and Organic Master Gardener, Shana Brown for an intensive, two part, hands-on workshop where you will learn how to mix, mold, finish and cure a beautiful, one of a kind hypertufa planter for your home or garden.
Prized for its lightweight, porous qualities, durability and rustic look, hypertufa is an ideal medium to create unique planters and garden ornaments. Made from easily sourced, domestic materials; when properly cured and reinforced these charming
creations can withstand harsh winters and last for years and years.
Participants will be provided with all necessary materials and equipment, including a personal safety kit to keep for future exploration in hypertufa creation. Please come dressed in closed toe shoes, full length (top & bottom) “work” clothes and be prepared to have some fun getting dirty! Consider a cool, dark spot in your home where your hypertufa creation can be stored and tended for the duration of a, post class, two week curing process.
HCP Members $140/Non-Members $160
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

Instructor Bio: Shana Brown
Shana Brown is a master gardener, landscape designer, visual artist and therapeutic art practitioner who has called Vancouver Island, Canada home for the past 20 years. She draws solace and inspiration from the rural beauty of the Saanich Peninsula where her family resides. With a background of studies in traditional studio arts and organic land management, Shana's artistic practice and professional pursuits lie where art, gardening and wellbeing converge. She believes that connection with the people in our community and the environment that supports us all can be a healing key to happiness in life and hope for the future.

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Full Day - July 10 -14
2023-07-10 09:00 - 2023-07-14 16:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

July 10 to 14; Full Day
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00pm
Fee: $185.00
REGISTER online or call 250-479-6162

Stories in the Garden - July 2023
2023-07-04 11:00 - 12:00
Imagine a gentle nature walk with your child to calm and inspire you both, followed by a story. Plan to bring along your favourite story blanket and snack. Age: 3 + years recommended (all welcome:)

Dates: July 4, 11 & 18
Time: 11:00 am to noon
Fees: $37.50 or $30.00 with Family membership
Register: ON-LINE or call 250-479-6162

JMG Summer Camps 2023 Full Day - July 3 to 7
2023-07-03 09:00 - 2023-07-07 16:00
Junior Master Gardener Summer Camp
These camps feature an outdoor program that includes time in our very own HCP Kids Teaching Garden where we grow food, learn to support natural systems and enjoy the many wilderness areas surrounding us!
Limited to 16 children ages 5 to 12 years

July 3 to 7; Full Day
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fee: $185.00
Register online or call 250-479-6162

Canada Day - Admission by Donation
2023-07-01 09:00 - 16:00
The Gardens are open regular hours - 9am to 4pm for Canada Day. Admission will be by donation.

Papermaking with Wild, Invasive and Garden Plants
2023-06-28 10:00 - 15:00
with Frances Hunter
Participants will learn about local examples of plants suitable for preparation by hand beating, or by using a kitchen blender. Following this they will hand-beat pre-cooked invasive Daphne/Spurge laurel (Daphne laureola)* fibers to a fine pulp. There will also be smaller quantities of prepared pulp from common wild and cultivated plants for experimentation. Each participant will have their own station with supplied equipment to make Western style paper. Papers will be dried and pressed in the days following the workshop and be ready for pickup up at HCP.
Papermaking is a wet process. If you have one, bring a waterproof apron, and wear shoes that can get wet.
This workshop is at a beginner level. There will be a handout with a list of resources.
HCP Members $45/Non-Members $55
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
*Note that Daphne is a toxic plant whose bark, sap and berries can cause skin irritation. For this class berried plants are not used. The bark is removed and the inner plant stems are boiled to remove any sap. Participants will be using the already processed substance during the class. Participants should participate at their own risk.

Pollinator Day in the Gardens
2023-06-24 09:00 - 15:00

Appreciating our Garden Pollinators
2023-06-24 09:00 - 12:00
with Emony Nicholls
During this workshop discover what all the buzz is about our pollinators - learn about native pollinators, their importance to ecosystems and our food supply, and the issues they are facing. Find out how these bees and butterflies and birds like to live and what they like to eat with practical information on creating a garden in the southern Vancouver Island region that will be a pollinator paradise. And if the flowers are blooming, we will learn how to identify some of the common pollinators in your garden and take a stroll to see who's buzzing around.
Participant Fee - $10 which goes towards the maintenance of our mason bee nesting boxes.
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
Instructor Bio: Emony Nicholls
Emony has worked as a biologist, an environmental consultant, entrepreneur and civil servant for the last 25 years. For seven of those years, she owned and operated a native plant nursery in Ontario designing and providing plants for ecological restoration projects. Her graduate research was on the relationship between pollinators and plants and how it drives their evolutions. As part of this work, she did taxonomic identification of the native pollinators and fell in love with their diversity, abilities and individual beauty. She is now on a mission to educate others about them in the hopes that they will fall in love - and support them too! She recently left the provincial government as a biologist and now lives on Salt Spring Island doing more native bee education and starting her own business again bringing her love of native plants and native pollinators together!

HCP Annual General Meeting
2023-06-22 17:30 - 19:00
Click to download AGM Documents:

2023 AGM Agenda
2023 AGM Advance Voting Ballot

Rustic Building - Small Table Workshop with Andrew Kent
2023-06-10 09:00 - 15:00
If you have attended a Willow Chair Workshop with Andrew Kent and are keen to try another project, this is the workshop for you. Anyone interested in exploring rustic building while making something functional and useful would enjoy this opportunity. In one day, participants build one Cedar top tripod table and one small or medium sized Slate top table with rustic builder Andrew Kent. All tools and materials provided.
HCP Members $200 / Non-Members $230
Register ONLINE or by calling 250 479 6162
Cancellations:
Note that this class required a minimum of 3 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

Pocket Flower Press Workshop
2023-06-05 10:00 - 12:00
Come and capture the fleeting days of spring in this two hour workshop with horticulture therapist, Sheila Weitman. Participants will each make a pocket press, then explore a section of the HCP gardens to find just the right leaves and flowers for pressing.
Please bring a pair of scissors.
HCP Members $45/Non-Members $50
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162
Instructor Bio: Sheila Weitman
Sheila has over 3 decades of experience working in the horticulture trade. She completed the Horticulture Technician Certificate from Camosun College in 1991 and from that time has designed, installed
and maintained gardens throughout southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, in private and public settings. Sheila completed Ecological Landscape Design from Gaia College in 2008 which provided a solid foundation for creating ecologically focused landscapes and gardens. Since receiving a certificate in Horticulture Therapy in 2017 Sheila has provided Horticulture Therapy (HT) and Therapeutic Horticulture(TH) to individuals and groups in Long Term Care and Mental Health and Addictions programs. She is a member of the Canadian Horticulture Therapy Association(CHTA) and a volunteer with Feeding Ourselves and Others at Serenity Farm. www.feedingourselvesandothers.com
In 2022, Sheila became a Morning Altars Practitioner after completing Day Schildkret's certificate program which celebrates the melding of nature, art and ritual. https://www.morningaltars.com Through nature based creating Sheila
