The next general meeting is Tuesday Apr 25, 2023 at the Mill Bay Community League Hall located at the Kerry Park Rec Centre (1001 Shawnigan Mill Bay Road).
Doors open at 6:30 pm
Meeting starts at 7:00 pm
April Brag Table Theme: Finally Spring
April Speaker: Expert Panel
The speaker portion of the April meeting will be an 'Expert Panel'. The panel will take questions from members about gardens and gardening and do their best to provide helpful answers. The panel members are Elaine Scott, Barb Kohlman, Fran Benton, Carrie Nelson and Dustin Carlson. These five members bring a collective wealth of knowledge and experience in a wide range of garden topics. Members please bring questions about your most pressing garden issues to the meeting on the 25th. If people prefer to send in questions ahead of time, send them and the question will get to the panel.
The 2023 Mill Bay Plantaholics Annual Plant Sale will again be online. Our customer base has become so large that it is just not practical to have an on-site sale any longer.
The plant and wooden garden novelties lists will be sent out to customers at 9am on April 15, 2023. Although there will be well over 1200 plants for purchase, one needs to be on the alert on that day to put in an order as things move very quickly. If you are already a customer you will receive the lists. Some funds are saved for the purchase of potting soil and seeds for the following year but all other proceeds are donated to the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society in Duncan to assist with the operation of Somenos House or to help fund other related programs.
April 21, 2023 from 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
April 22 , 2023 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
This organization has an annual sale which is always really great. The times for this year's sale will be April 21, 1pm-8pm and April 22 9am-3pm. It will be held at the Lambrick Park Church, 1780 Feltam Road, Victoria. It is a sale that one should not miss as it always has unusual plants and very knowledgable
members are present to advise you on your purchases. The event will include a judged show, club plant sale and vendors sale and a silent auction. Check their web site at www.virags.com for more information.
Remember that the proceeds from this plant sale help to maintain the gardens at Cairnsmore Place and Hospice House in Duncan. Save the Date! Plant sale on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The Volunteer Gardeners for Cairnsmore Place and Hospice House in Duncan will be returning to an in-person annual sale this year!
We will have a large variety of plants for sale, Master Gardeners on site to answer any questions, and tours of the gardens for anyone who is interested. The annual plant sale is our major fundraiser and helps us buy plants, soil, compost, fertilizer, gardening tools, and irrigation equipment to maintain the gardens at Cairnsmore Place and Cowichan Hospice House. More information on the sale will be available in the spring. Thanks for your continued support!
Saturday May 13. 10am - noon. Hundreds of rhododendrons grown by our society and companion plants. A list will be provided at a later date. Please contact us at the email below for more details.
The Cowichan Valley Garden Club’s Spring Flower Show and Afternoon Tea is Back
This very popular annual community event is back at St. Peter’s Church Hall, 5800 Church Road in Duncan, after a 3 year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions. From 1:00 to 4:00 on Saturday May 27, a beautiful display of floral designs, Spring flowers and plant cuts, and potted plants will be on display.
Visitors will be able to view hundreds of exhibits showcasing the bountiful Spring plants and flowers of the Cowichan Valley and the talents of the Valley’s floral designers; enjoy a delicious afternoon tea; and watch demonstrations of floral design throughout the afternoon.
Admission to the event is $5.00, free to youth 16 years and under, and includes entry to a Door Prize Draw. The afternoon tea is $5.00.
This is a Judged Show, open to all. There is no entry fee. $200 in prize money will be awarded to entries in various Classes of the Show. Gardeners and floral designers throughout the Valley and beyond are encouraged to enter the competition. Members of the Vancouver Island Horticultural Judging Group judge the entries. The Show Schedule, available at www.cowichanvalleygardenclub.com provides all of the information needed to prepare and enter exhibits.
The Valley Garden Club’s first Spring Flower Show, co-hosted with IODE, was held in 1955. A Spring Show was held by the Club most years until 1961. Then, after a 15 year hiatus, it was reinstituted in 1977, with an added Plant Sale. In 2015, because the combined event had become so popular, large and crowded, it was decided to hold two separate events. In 2023, the Plant Sale will be held on April 29 and the Flower Show and Tea on May 27. More than 50 Club members volunteer to stage each of these events.
For further information about the event, contact:
Marlene Karmann, Publicity Coordinator Tel. 403-651-5191, Email marlene@helmsman.ca
Diane McAmmond, Show Convener Tel. 250-746-8577, Email diane@skirrow.org
June 3, 2023 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
This show has it all ‐ great food, beautiful flowers, plants to purchase, garden vendors, and a huge silent auction. Proceeds from the show go to support local charities in the Cowichan Valley.
More information is available here.
Come join our Garden Tour Committee for fun and good times! Greeters, auction item coordinator, media relations, sponsorship, parking attendants, directional sign posters, poster distributors, Garden Tea coordinator, bakers and much more are all warmly welcomed. The CFLA provides free and affordable mental health services to Cowichan Valley residents and the Garden Tour is a major fundraiser. Come join the team and help your family, friends and neighbours get the services they need. Not to mention one heckuva wrap-up party.
Mill Bay Garden Club
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