Apples, Pears, Plums – and much more

Bob Duncan and a lemon tree.

What a gift it is to be part of a local garden club; all the tips, trials, errors, and knowledge from the members and guest speakers are so gratifying. This month, the Sooke Garden Club was to host Bob Duncan from Fruit Trees and More. Bob and his wife Verna own and operate the nursery, which you can find in North Saanich, near Sidney. With over 46 years of growing fruit trees on Vancouver Island, Bob specializes in temperate, warm temperate, citrus, Mediterranean and hardy subtropical fruit trees. Here’s a sample of the different type of trees they grow: apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries, quince, medlar, kiwis, pineapple guavas, figs, pomegranates, loquats persimmons, olives jujube, avocado, pawpaw, and white sapote.

The orchard, on the nursery at Fruit Trees and More, is used as a teaching site to demonstrate various training systems and cultural techniques. As a trained botanist and entomologist, Bob worked for the Canadian Forestry Service for over 35 years.

With restrictions in place, the garden club is not able to host their regular summer events, so enjoy your outdoors space whether it’s growing vegetables, fruit, flowers, anything that makes your heart sing.