HCP Kids - Garden Nature Academy Jan 2025
2025-02-06 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-02-13 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-02-20 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-02-27 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-06 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-03-13 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Vancouver) | Horticulture Centre Of The Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd., Victoria, BC, V9E 2J7, Canada
The Garden Nature Academy is a half day program that runs on Thursday's. The outdoors offers safe and seasonal opportunities for your preschooler to explore through play, games, songs, and activities! Ages 3 to 6

Dates: 23 Jan to 13 March 2025
Times: 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Fees: $300.00 per child or $240.00 with a Family Membership
Register: Online or call 250-479-6162

HCP Kids - Pro-D Day Camps 2025
2025-02-14 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-11 09:00 - 16:00
These non-instructional day 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!

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fee: $45
Dates 2025:

Friday - May 16

Register by Clicking on the Date or call 250-479-6162
Camp is fully booked: registration for waitlist only

Understanding Plant Nomenclature with Jane Tice
2025-02-15 13:00 - 16:00
ADULT COMMUNITY EDUCATION | WORKSHOP | 3 HOURS
“So, are Latin plant names dry, absurdly polysyllabic nonsense
spouted by bumptious, long winded overachievers?
They are only if you do not know what they mean.”
--Barbara Damrosch, Gardener’s Latin
This class with Jane Tice will help you understand what plant names mean, and why we use Latin to name plants in the first place. Once the mystery is removed you will see it makes perfect sense, and you too will be in the know. Understanding the nomenclature is the first step in plant identification, and it will be easier - and more enjoyable - than you think.
Date & Location
Saturday, February 15, 2025 - 1:00-4:00 pm
The Classroom at the Gardens at HCP, 505 Quale Road, Saanich
Fees & Registration
$40.00 HCP Members
$50.00 Non-Members Interested in Membership?

REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

Watercolour Painting with Richard Wong: Bushtits
2025-02-20 13:00 - 16:00
Adult Community Education | 3-hour Workshop
Winter brings in these little birds to our backyard gardens. They tend to travel in little flocks but don't stay in one spot too long.
Come join us in a class with Richard to learn how to depict Bushtits in watercolour. Richard will also be talking about his "Best Practices" to improve a painting, and how you can apply them as you create "Bushtits".
Richard's classes are fun and relaxing, and suitable for all levels. Beginners are encouraged!
Read more about bushtits here.

In-Person and Live Online Delivery available
In addition to the in-person classroom experience with Richard, we can accommodate up to 6 students online via zoom.
Online students must provide their own supplies (see supply list below).
Please note that the classes are shown in Pacific Time.
Fees & Registration
In person OR online: $80.00 (art supplies not included, see list below)
In person only: $90.00 (art supplies included)
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

If You Are Bringing Your Own Art Supplies:
- 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)

Sign up to the Community Education e-news for information on Richard's upcoming 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 with Jane Tice
2025-02-22 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-03-29 13:00 - 16:00
Adult Community Education | 3-hour class
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.
You registration includes all-day admission to the Gardens at HCP (9:00 am-3:30 last admission)
Please register ahead - minimum enrollment is required.

Last Saturday of each month – 1-4pm.
HCP Members $40.00 per session
Non-Members $50.00 per session

Location
Meet in The Classroom, located in the parking lot to the left of the cafe - 505 Quayle Rd, Saanich.
Please dress for the weather as part of the class takes place outdoors in the Gardens at HCP.
2025 Drop-in Session Dates
Click a date below to register online, or call 250-479-6162.
September 27, 2025, 1-4 pm
October 25, 2025, 1-4 pm
November 29, 2025, 1-4 pm
December 13, 2025, 1-4 pm
Cancellations:
This class requires 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. Registrations less than one week prior to the class date are not eligible for a refund.

Sustainable Ornamental Gardening
2025-03-08 09:00 - 12:00
adult community education | Horticulture | 3-hour workshop
with Bethany Couture
Learn how permaculture can specifically be applied to ornamental gardens and how it will help you become a more eco-friendly gardener. You'll learn how to create lower maintenance, lower input and extra beautiful outdoor spaces through a variety of innovative techniques, valuable tips, and expert advice shared by horticulturist and permaculturist Bethany Couture.
Whether you're a novice or an experienced gardener, this class will inspire you to look at your garden more holistically and will help you cultivate a more harmonious relationship between you, your garden and the environment. Don't miss this unique opportunity to enhance your gardening skills and contribute to a greener future. This class includes a guided walk through the beautiful gardens at the Horticulture Center of the Pacific to see some of these practices in action.
Bethany's Blog: A Gardener's Guide to Embracing Permaculture
Bethany's Video Introduction
Date & Location
Saturday March 8, 2025 - 9:00 am - Noon
The CLASSROOM at the Gardens at HCP, 505 Quayle Road
Fees & Registration
$55 HCP Members
$60 Non-Members
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

Instructor Bio
Bethany Couture
Bethany Couture is a holistic horticulturalist from Victoria BC. Through her studies, she realized there must be more sustainable ways to cultivate sustenance from the land, which led her down the path of permaculture and wove together her passions for horticulture, herbalism, mycology, self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability. She is the lead steward of the permaculture garden at the Horticulture Center of the Pacific and is the permaculture instructor at the Pacific Horticulture College. She also runs her own horticulture business, Garden Alchemist, which designs landscapes abundant with edible, medicinal, and native plants.

HCP Kids - Garden Club Spring 2025
2025-03-08 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-04-05 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-04-12 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:) Ages 3 to 14 (Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult)

Dates: Saturday's, March 8 - June 7, 2024 (10 Weeks - no classes March 15, 22 or 29, or April 26)
Times:

Preschool (3 to 5): 9:30 am - 11:00 am
School Age (6 to 14): 9:30 am - 11:00 am

Fees :

Preschool (3 - 5): $160.00 or $140.00 with a Family Membership
School Age (6 - 14): $180.00 or $160.00 with a Family Membership

Register: Online or call 250-479-6162

HCP Kids - Seed Starting
2025-03-08 13:30 - 15:00
Seeds are an easy, inexpensive and fun way to grow plants for food and flower production. This hands-on workshop provides a step-by-step approach to sowing into trays. These seed starting basics are skills that create confidence to grow healthy plants that can be used in containers or garden beds. Each child will plant up a tray to take home to grow their own flowers and edible plants.

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
Time: 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Fees: $35 or 30 with a Family Membership
Register: Online or Call 250-479-6162

Introduction to Gardening with Ornamental Grasses
2025-03-16 12:30 - 15:30
with Mike Rogers
The workshop will consist of both a classroom session and an outdoor demonstration of planting, care and maintenance in the garden. Each will be approximately 90 mins in duration.
During the classroom session, participants will be introduced to the joys of gardening with ornamental grasses. Some basic botany, the most popular grass varieties for our area, growth habits and planting considerations will be covered. At all times the emphasis will be on the practical aspects of growing beautiful plants whether in mass plantings or stand-alone feature specimens in a garden or container.
The outdoor demonstration will include planting a new grass in the garden and the annual activity of spring clean-up in anticipation of another year of evolving beauty. The workshop will conclude with a short tour of the garden to highlight some of the grasses talked about in the classroom session.
$45 HCP Members /$55 Non-Members
Register Online or call 250 479 6162

Instructor Bio
Mike Rogers – “The Grass Man”
As a keen gardener, when Mike arrived in Victoria from Calgary a few years back, he felt like a kid in a candy shop and enjoys trying to grow anything that will thrive in our balmy Westcoast climate. When he moved into his current house on Craigflower Road in 2018, he quickly discovered that, located as he was between the golf course and the Esquimalt Gorge Park, the unfenced front garden was a deer “super-highway”. Consequently he began to look out for truly deer resistant plants to populate his garden. One group of plants that fit the bill was ornamental grasses and so has evolved a love affair with these wonderful plants.
Mike's adventures with ornamental grasses evolved into a series of articles in the Victoria Horticultural Society magazine Gardenry and that led to a number of speaking engagements – one of which gave rise to the moniker “The Grass Man” which he rather enjoys! Research for these articles and talks has resulted in the discovery of an ever expanding plethora of wonderful grasses and so the adventures continue.

HCP Kids - Spring Break Camps
2025-03-17 09:00 - 2025-03-21 16:00, 2025-03-24 09:00 - 2025-03-28 16:00
Join us for an outdoor garden experience where we will busy ourselves with seasonal gardening activities in our very own Junior Master Gardener plot! There will also be exploration of the many natural systems that keep our gardens growing, garden arts and crafts and more! Limited to 16 participants. For children between the ages of 5 and 12 years (School age)

Dates:

March 17 to 21
March 24 to 28

Times: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fees: $225 per child or $200 per child with a Family Membership
Register online by clicking on the date or calling 250-479-6162

Watercolour Painting with Richard Wong: Spring Blossoms
2025-03-20 13:00 - 16:00
Adult Community Education | 3-hour Workshop
The Victoria flower count is an annual event that is a good sign that spring is not far away. And most of the city's fruit trees are in various stages of bloom, which is the topic of this class.
Please join us to learn how to create "Spring Blossoms". Richard Wong will show you how to create the blossoms using a few different techniques, one of which will include the use of a toothbrush.
Richard's classes are fun and relaxing, and suitable for all levels. Beginners are encouraged

In-Person and Live Online Delivery available

In addition to the in-person classroom experience with Richard, we can accommodate up to 6 students online via zoom.
Online students must provide their own supplies (see supply list below).
Please note that the classes are shown in Pacific Time.
Fees & Registration
In person OR online: $80.00 (art supplies not included, see list below)
In person only: $90.00 (art supplies included)
REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

If You Are Bringing Your Own Art Supplies:
- 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)

Sign up to the Community Education e-news for information on Richard's upcoming 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

Wildfire Resilient Gardening
2025-03-22 09:00 - 12:00
ADULT COMMUNITY EDUCATION | WORKSHOP | 3 HOURS

Instructors Bethany Couture & Jennie Sparkes lead this informative workshop that will show you how to build wildfire-resilience into your gardens and landscapes. You’ll learn how to better steward your land, choose fire resilient plants, and design gardens that not only look beautiful, but increase the protection of your home from wildfire loss.

Date & Location
Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 9:00 am -12:00 pm
The Classroom at the Gardens at HCP, 505 Quale Road, Saanich
Fees & Registration
$40.00 HCP Members
$50.00 Non-Members Interested in Membership?

REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

Home Learners - Garden Creatures
2025-04-02 09:45 - 11:15, 2025-04-09 09:45 - 11:15
Worms, snails, birds and beetles! Join us in the garden to discover all the amazing creatures that call this place home. Together, we will learn about who they are, what they need to survive and how we can help their habitat thrive. For K - Gr 2

Date: April 2, 9 & 16, 2025
Time: 9:45 am - 11:15 am
Fee: $90 or $75 with Family membership
Register: Online or call 250-479-6162

HCP Kids - Garden Nature Academy Spring 2025
2025-04-03 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-04-10 09:30 - 12:00
The Garden Nature Academy is a half day program on Thursday's. The outdoors offers safe and seasonal opportunities for your preschooler to explore
through play, games, songs, and activities! These outdoor sessions will include time in our vegetable garden, as well as numerous pathways, and native plant forest areas to
explore. The small group sizes and our experienced nature educators help to create a nurturing and engaging environment for young children to learn, play and grow. Ages 3 to 6 years

Dates: Thursdays Apr 3 to Jun 19
Time: 9:30 am to 12:00
Fees: $300 or $240 with a Family Membership
Register: Online or Call 250-479-6162

Designing Gardens for Pollinators with Emony Nicholls
2025-04-05 09:00 - 11:00
ADULT COMMUNITY EDUCATION | WORKSHOP | 2 HOURS
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 Victoria 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 is buzzing around.
Your registration includes all-day admission to the Gardens at HCP (9:00-3:30 last entry)
Date & Location
Saturday April 5, 2025 - 9:00 am - 11:00 pm
The Classroom at the Gardens at HCP, 505 Quale Road, Saanich
Fees & Registration
$35.00 HCP Members
$40.00 Non-Members Interested in Membership?

REGISTER ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

Instructor Bio: Emony Nicholls
Emony has worked as an environmental consultant, entrepreneur and biologist for over 25 years.
For seven of those years, she owned and operated a native plant nursery in Ontario growing plants for, designing, and installing ecological restoration projects in the most easterly tallgrass prairie in North America.
Her graduate research was on the connection between pollinators and plants and how that relationship drives the evolution of plants. As part of her work, she did taxonomic identification of native pollinators during graduate school and fell in love with them for their diversity and individual beauty.
Emony is on a mission to empower homeowners on how to support pollinators by providing habitats in our own back yards. In 2020 she left work with the provincial government as a biologist and now lives and works on Salt Spring Island.

HCP Kids - Fairy Doors Apr 2025
2025-04-05 13:30 - 15:00
How many times have you found a special door leading into a magical tree or nature space? Curious how to make one of your own? Let’s explore the use of pre-made doors and collect and use natural materials to create a one-of-a-kind entry for magical creatures in our gardens. These little doors are suited to outdoor uses and make perfect gifts for giving. Join a child in your life for this hands-on crafting experience together. Everyone will have a chance to make 2 miniature doors. Age: 6+ years

Date: 5 April 2025
Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Fee: $40/child and $35/family membership
Registration: Online or call 250-479-6162

Finger Painting without the Paint
2025-04-12 10:00 - 14:00
Adult Community Education | Arts | 4-hour workshop (break included)
Swing into Spring with artist, author, and inspiring instructor 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, for those with no art experience, artists interested in new techniques and those who have taken the class in the past and wish to refresh and explore in a fun, supportive environment.
All supplies and materials are included. Class size limited.
Registration includes all day admission to the Gardens at HCP.
Date & Location
Saturday Apr. 12, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (break included, bring a lunch)
The CLASSROOM at the Gardens at HCP, 505 Quayle Road
Registration & Fees
HCP Members $85.00
Non-Members $95.00 Interested in Membership?
Register ONLINE or call 250 479 6162

HCP Kids - Fairy Gardens Apr 2025
2025-04-12 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. This workshop will include an indoor garden version suited to keeping in a child’s room. Plant care, planting techniques, and furnishing making will all be featured. 6+ years

Date: 12 Apr 2025
Time: 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Fee: $35/child and $30/family membership
Registration: Online or call 250-479-6162
