Our Monthly Meetings are held on the last Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre 5604 Trail Avenue in Sechelt.
(Note: We do not meet in the months of June, July, August or December.)
Remember to bring your own mug and Club name tag. Visitors always are welcome! ($10 drop in fee).
Rate our speakers … Please
2025 Monthly Meeting Dates
January 27, 2025
Our guest speaker in January will be Barrie Agar – The Gardens of Japan, design principles and their origins.
Barrie Agar is a horticultural expert who has studied and spoken about Japanese gardens in North America. She was the Head Gardener at Hatley Park in Victoria, British Columbia, where she restored and adapted the Japanese garden. Barrie Agar has over thirty-five years of experience in the horticultural world. She trained on old estates in Ireland.
February 24, 2025
Peter Toews “Becoming a Master Gardener …The Program and My Own Experience”.
In 2004 Peter became a master gardener. His earliest attempts at gardening were laughable. He put a couple dozen Marigolds in two long planters and when the rain stopped falling and the foliage dried up and attracted spider webbing, Peter discovered that he was supposed to water them. Upon entering the M.G. course, you must first complete a basic entry exam which he passed. The instructions were every Tuesday, all day long, for two months. Before too long, he was walking through the streets of Vancouver looking at gardens and seeing things he had never seen before and trying to name all the plants he saw, sometimes in Latin or identifying diseases or insect damage or environmental deficiencies. The basic M.G. Motto is ,’Right plant, right place’. When the course was finished, they gave us an intensive open book exam which Peter passed. He was a Master Gardener. He had come a long way but what is a master gardener? The title seems over the top. Peter used to say a master gardener is someone who knows where to find the answer but in his slowly acquired wisdom, he is now saying that a master gardener understands the question ,,, sometimes. It is more of the old adage of the more you know, the more you realize there is to know.
If you wish a copy of the WSU Master Gardener Training Manual please " data-type="link" data-id="growsgc@gmail.com">contact us.
March 31, 2025
As the FireSmart Coordinator for the Sunshine Coast Regional District, David McIlwraith is deeply committed to building resilient communities and safeguarding our natural environment. With a passion for wildfire prevention and mitigation, David works diligently to implement effective strategies and engage with stakeholders to ensure our region is prepared for the ever-present threat of wildfires.
He collaborates with local government agencies, fire departments, and community organizations, and leads the development and implementation of comprehensive FireSmart programs tailored to our unique region.
David’s focus extends beyond raising awareness about wildfire risks; he and his team actively empower residents and businesses to take proactive measures in protecting their properties. By conducting thorough assessments, delivering educational workshops, and facilitating community-wide initiatives, they strive to foster a culture of preparedness and resilience.
Every year in BC, people and properties are threatened by wildfires, many of these fires occur in areas where homes, cabins and subdivisions are built into the forest landscape, individual property owners can and should help reduce the risk of wildfire affecting their properties.
The SCRD FireSmart team is dedicated to reducing wildfire risk to properties and homes through public education. The goal of FireSmart is to empower homeowners to increase their resilience to wildfire on their properties and in their communities.
The SCRD receives a funding grant from the Union of BC Municipalities’ Community Resiliency Fund to support a region-wide wildfire threat mitigation and education campaign. The grant is spent on local projects through the promotion of FireSmart principles, which include conducting FREE hazard assessments of homes and properties, offering advice on ways to reduce fire risks, and considering FireSmart standards when developing properties to reduce the risk of fire.
April 28, 2025
Allison Forbes Spirithouse Gardens ‘Myths in Planting Forb’
There are gardening practices steeped in tradition that aren’t backed by science or have been disproven with new research. Allison Forbes, who is both a researcher and experienced gardener will explain the science behind some of these myths in simple terms and why they shouldn’t be followed. As well, she will outline best practices on issues involving compost, drainage, moisture management and using fertilizer. You are guaranteed to learn something from this presentation.
Allison is the operator of a micro-nursery in Roberts Creek specializing in unusual plants. It’s called Spirithouse Gardens. Her website is https://spirithousegardens.com/ There are several articles on the website which pertain to her discussion on April 28th. She can also be reached on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spirithousegardens/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SpirithouseGardens.2/
May 25, 2025
Jason Croutch Fraser Valley Rose Farm ‘Rose Varieties and Cultivation’
We’re Jason and Lisa, and about fifteen years ago, we took a leap of faith and bought a small acreage on Nicomen Island. Money was tight, the girls were young, the learning curve was steep, and the property needed a lot of work. In those early years, it was hard to see what Fraser Valley Rose Farm might become, but the vision was already taking shape. To keep things going, we held onto our day jobs, but from the moment we sold our first plants from a folding table at the farmers market, we knew we weren’t part of the “9 to 5” world anymore. It took me nearly a decade to finally hand in my resignation, and now, I couldn’t be more excited to share our little farm with you.
I will be addressing the SGC with our story and speaking on our varieties, pruning and how to keep your roses healthy and properly fertilized.
2024 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2023 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2022 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2021 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2020 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2019 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2018 Monthly Meeting Speakers List
2017 Monthly Meeting Speakers List