New year begins for Sooke Garden Club
The Sooke Garden Club begins the New Year by welcoming back heather expert Bryan Taylor, who is sure to captivate everyone with a stunning audio-visual presentation geared to history lovers, gardeners, and Irish romantics.
Bryan’s adventure in Western Ireland was undertaken primarily in search of particular heathers, especially Daboecia cantabrica.
The story traces religious and business activities since the year 1200 that may have provided a migration route for Daboecia to reach Ireland. On this particular journey, he found the plant growing in the wild in great profusion but within a relatively limited range. However, an exciting bonus was finding a heather native only to Western Ireland.
The presentation will include photographs depicting historical material and heathers along with images of present day Irish communities and the incredibly varied and stunning landscape of the Emerald Isle. It will also cover the special attributes of Daboecias that make them an ideal small shrub for Vancouver Island gardens.
January marks the start of the Garden Club’s membership year. By joining now, you maximize the benefits of membership: enjoyable and educational presentations by experts at monthly meetings from September through May; summer social events at members’ homes; six judged parlour shows for exhibiting ornamentals and edibles; monthly plant sales; access to the club’s specialized library; and opportunities to meet others with similar interests, ask plant- and garden-related questions, and exchange gardening/horticultural knowledge.
January also marks the traditional start of the gardening cycle – if only in one’s head. Gardeners are currently pouring over seed catalogues, designing flower and vegetable beds, sharpening tools, contemplating supplies, and generally getting itchy to start those first seedlings. Gardening can be creative, therapeutic, rewarding, inspiring, exhausting, frustrating, and, yes, addictive. The Sooke Garden Club offers the perfect venue for sharing all of these experiences.
Please join us on Wednesday, January 26, 7:30 p.m., in the Sooke Legion Hall.
Membership is $15 for the entire year and can be purchased at the door. For more information,emailto: sookegardenclub@yahoo.ca or phone 250-642-0058.
Submitted by Loretta Fritz
