In our (mostly) benign climate, April is the “green light” month, when everything except the most heat-needy flowers and vegetables can be safely planted outdoors. For popular heat lovers such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, cucumbers, marigolds and zinnias, watch for overnight temperatures no longer dipping below 10 C to transplant.
Year of the garden. Following two years of restricted activities and of isolation, a few trends have emerged. One is that people are consciously spending more time socializing and pursuing other activities outdoors, for safety as well as for general mental and physical health. Another is the desire to create and enjoy an environment filled with bright, spirit-lifting colour.
In line with these trends is the Canadian Garden Council proclaiming 2022 as the Year of the Garden — a time to celebrate gardens, share what we know, and help to nurture interest and pride in gardening.
For national pride as well as uplifting cheer, we are encouraged to plant red flowers. There are red blooms to be found in many favourite annual flowers, including poppies, petunias, snapdragon, zinnia, salvia, dahlias, roses, and zonal geraniums.
Avid gardeners need no extra urging to spend plenty of time outdoors, or to create a colourful, nurturing environment around them. And one would be hard pressed to find experienced home gardeners unwilling to share their knowledge.
Next week. I’ll be taking a “spring break” from writing next week’s columns. The events below cover the period of my absence. I wish you all a Happy Easter and joyful planting.
GARDEN EVENTS
Peninsula meeting. The Peninsula Garden Club will be meeting in person on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Speaker for the evening will be Dannie Carsen, a Brentwood Bay gardener who will talk about soil fertility and structure, using covered raised beds, selecting reliable seeds, fine-tuning successive plantings, and minimizing your gardening efforts. Drop-in guests are welcome for a $5 admission fee. The evening will include a parlour show, raffle, refreshments and access to the expertise of Master Gardeners. Covid protocols will be in place.
Qualicum meeting. The Qualicum Beach Garden Club will meet on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the QB Civic Centre, 747 Jones St. in Qualicum. Doors open at 7. Connie Kurramoto, horticulturist and educator, will speak about gardening with the birds and the bees for natural pest control and enhanced pollination. Drop-in guest fee $3. Covid protocols in place.
Plant sale. The Cairnsmore Volunteer Gardeners, a group that cares for the gardens around Cairnsmore Place care home and Cowichan Hospice House, is back with its popular annual plant sale, with online orders taken from Saturday, April 16, and pickup of plants on Saturday, April 30, at Cairnsmore Place, 250 Cairnsmore St. in Duncan. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions on plant pickup day, and garden tours will also be available. A list of available plants will be sent out to all who are on the mailing list by mid-April. Orders will be accepted on a specific date that will be included in the emailed list, on a first come, first serve basis. There is a huge selection of plants this year. To be placed on the mailing list, send your request to plantsale2022@gmail.com.
Hardy plants. The Victoria Horticultural Society’s Hardy Plant Group is holding a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, April 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Eric Fleischer will share his experience with direct-sowing a plant community of mostly drought tolerant Mediterranean species that endure a stressful environment. A Zoom link will be mailed closer to the date. All are welcome. Non-members can access the presentation for a $5 drop-in fee. Send a request to thehardys@vichortsociety.org. Details at vichortsociety.org/hardy-plant-group.
HCP plant sale. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is pleased to be back with an in-person Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Come early for the best selection from among the many unique plants propagated from the HCP gardens. Master Gardeners will be on site to answer questions. Closer to the sale, there will be a list of available plants at hcp.ca. Proceeds from the sale support the development of the centre’s non-profit teaching gardens.
