One of my favourite things to do is get on a bus loaded with 50-plus avid gardeners and take the trip to the North West Flower and Garden Show in Seattle.
This coming February will be the 11th time I have hosted this trip and I look forward to it as much as ever.
It really is a must for anyone with an interest in gardening to take this trip to attend the third largest garden show in North America, held for the past 26 consecutive years.
Join me along with Ken Salvail and Sunwest Tours for the premier garden show tour of the winter.
Over the many years the show has had a different theme each time; this next one will be “Romance Blossoms.”
Our bus leaves Kelowna first thing in the morning on Feb. 11 and returns four days later after two wonderful days at the show.
I’m calling it the “Love Bus” this year because the trip home will be on Valentine’s Day.
An added bonus is a stop at Minter Country Gardens in Chilliwack where Brian Minter will address the group with his usual entertaining gardening advice and lunch will be served in his restaurant (all included in the tour price).
Call Sunwest Tours 778-478-3896 for more info or to book your tickets.
The bus is always full so don’t delay and take advantage of early booking discounts.
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I encourage you to take advantage of the green bin yard waste pick-up program, so convenient for gardeners who don’t have the ability to compost.
The last pick-up is not too far off, at the end of October, so don’t delay your fall cleanup duties too long.
The following materials can be put in the bin—grass clippings, weeds, leaves, plant trimmings, prunings and branches up to two inches in diameter and no longer than one metre (three feet) in length, pine needles and cones, pumpkins and fruit droppings.
No plastic, dirt, sod, rocks, animal droppings, paper, construction waste, flower pots or landscape fabric can be put in the bin.
The idea is of course to produce a clean composted material with our garden waste program so it can be re-used by gardeners throughout the Okanagan.
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To help prevent over-wintering diseases such as peach leaf curl, black spot, mildew and coryneum blight, it is a good idea to apply copper spray at this time of year.
This is a safe material still available at your local garden supply centre and will save a lot of grief in the spring.
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On a final note, I would like to personally thank Harold Baumbrough, for his wonderful presentation, titled “Regrowth after the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire of 2003,” at the Kelowna Garden October meeting held this past Wednesday evening.
It is amazing to see the wonderful way nature rebuilds after such a devastating fire.
This was a 10-year labour of love for Harold, a former school biology teacher, as it took perseverance and due diligence to record the regrowth on a sizeable piece of forest.
The Garden Club attendees were all appreciative of his talk.
