Envisioning the Garden of Your Dreams
As we embark on this new decade, January presents an opportunity, to many gardeners, for a fresh start with big or small projects in the garden. Or guest speaker, Paula McCormick, will present us with ideas on planning early for a new garden or modifying an old one. Paula will also guide us through some steps to help with design, or altering our gardens with techniques that will keep us on track.
Paula’s background is extensive; her work and volunteering has been focused on community, youth and gardens. In 2005, she completed the Master Gardener program at The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific; she is an active member of Victoria Master Gardener Association and delivers the “Growing in our Community” school garden program. Paula is also part of the SunRiver Community Garden as garden mentor and coordinator for the Grow a Row program for the Sooke Region Food CHI for the past seven years.
Gardener Paula McCormick delivers pointers for eyeing our 2020 Gardens for efficiency, beauty and pleasure.
McCormick will speak on creating the garden of our dreams, adding plants for size, seasonal interest, low maintenance, food production, water requirements, soil building, top dressing and the issues of our times, such as how climate change and aging effect how we garden.
I am looking forward to Paula’s talk, as this will be my first time gardening on the West Coast; I am excited, and a little bit overwhelmed, on what to grow. There are so many different plants that I have admired from afar so, in anticipation of spring, I started gathering ideas from gardening magazines and Pinterest photos, looking at my neighbours’ yards, and visiting garden centres.
Over the years, each time we moved, the yard and garden have played a big part on whether or not to buy a house. With the vision of “the garden of my dreams”, there were times when I was lucky to start with a blank slate: a patch of grass ready to be dug up and turned into perennial and vegetable beds, or planting shrubs and trees for interesting background. The possibilities were endless; although, often it came down to how much work I was willing to put in, and what plants were available in the area.
Some of us keep notes, journals, photos, and sketches of our gardens, which help piece together what it means to have our dream garden. Others prefer moving plants, discarding or obliterating species that just don’t appeal anymore.
Please join us on January 22, 7 p.m., at the St. Rose of Lima Church on Townsend Road. Annual membership is $15; new members are welcome. For the new year, why don’t you add “join the Sooke Garden Club” to your adventures and find out how much fun it is to be part of gardening/horticulture-related events. Visit our website at sookegardenclub.ca or email us at sookegc@gmail.com