2020 Winter Salal

Volume 18, Issue 4 • Winter 2020 President’s Message 2 Garden Goings On 3 • Keeping Garden Records 4 • GIS: Mapping the Garden 4 • Upcoming Events 5 • Holiday Campaign 5 • Treasurer’s Report 5 • Self-Guided Walk 6 • Veggie Garden News 7 • The Buzz About Bees 7-8 • All About White 8 Newsletter of the Sunshine Coast Botan cal Garden Society • Forest Soils 9 The Garden in Pictures 10-11 w READ w GROW w BE INSPIRED w GET INVOLVED w Support Our Advertisers 12 Photo by Mary Blockberger The Garden is an engaging haven for nature lovers. It will remain open through the winter months, Friday through Monday, 11 am to 4 pm. Gardening in a Pandemic Thank goodness for Gardens! How lucky we are to by an array of birds scrabbling on the ground, in shrubs and have safe, beautiful places to be outdoors, especially this trees, the geese honking high overhead. The wood pigeons fall and winter. Because we Sunshine Coasters live in small were hilarious as they stripped the Pacific dogwood of its seeds, communities, we have easier access to outdoor walks, with swinging like acrobats on tiny branchlets. And those noisy better spacing. More visitors than ever have enjoyed the Douglas squirrels were my garden’s clowns. Botanical Garden this year, both old friends and new ones, too. We may approach winter with apprehension for the dark Staying home more and having more time to garden and cold, perhaps more so during this pandemic than in has made me far more conscious of the weather, the light, other years. According to author Sue Stuart-Smith in her the seasonal changes, and every tiny or grand thing that is well-received book, The Well-Gardened Mind, there have been happening outside – even when I am indoors. On a rainy fall many studies of the positive effects of working or walking in a or winter day, there is always a reason to pop outside to catch garden. Just being in a garden has significant mental, physical a brief dry period, enjoy the changing light, or photograph a and biochemical health benefits for people of every age and life surprising scene or detail. situation, even supporting our immune systems. The gratitude A garden is made to be experienced. It gives us reasons to I feel for gardens adds such joy to my life. revisit often, noticing both splendour and delightful detail, I hope you plan be outdoors daily whatever the weather. from a mature beech tree in full golden array, to ripening purple Visit the Botanical Garden often – it remains a safe, well- beauty berries, to a hidden nest made visible as leaves drop. spaced place to stroll. Fall and winter gardening has a lot to do with clearing away – Paddy Wales, the remains of summer, and it can be hard work. I am joined Garden Development Chair 1 president’s message salal You can’t see them yet, but come spring EDITORIAL TEAM: Heather Till (editor), 2021, the Garden will be one huge display Mary Blockberger, Kathleen Hudson, of hundreds of daffodils – a gift from Rosemary Bates Terry, Paddy Wales members, all planted by volunteers. Words are inadequate to thank the CoNTRIBuTors: many people who come out to help our Julie Astalnok, Susan Box, Norma Brow, Garden grow. Our volunteers contribute Sally Burke, Sandra Cunningham, selflessly and ask for nothing in return. Is Catherine Edwards, Harry Hill, the immense pleasure of seeing the fruits Pat Kolterman, Bill Lasuta, Harry Meier, of their labour enough thanks? I hope June Meyer, Sheila Watkins so, because we can’t even give a hug of gratitude these days. Each person, every Please direct all correspondence by email to: minute given, is important and treasured [email protected] by all who love and care for the Garden. or by mail to: Some of our volunteers are involved Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society with the following: P.O. Box 1518, Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0 Plant Sale Group: Responsible for potting and labelling donated plants for our Advertising rates: $25 per issue, or $85 for four issues. plant sales. Tax is not included or added. To advertise in Salal, Vegetable Garden: Planting and maintained this wonderful place. please contact Kathleen Hudson: [email protected] maintaining the beds and harvesting and The focus last year was on improving Salal is the official publication of the Sunshine transportation of produce to the Food Bank. the front entrance including the driveways, Coast Botanical Garden Society, a registered Clean Team: Weekly and as needed to parking lot and plaza. We built the Emily clean the Pavilion. Lasuta Learning Centre. Also, the interior charity. Salal is published four times per year. Temperature Recording: Reading and and exterior of the Pavilion were repainted. All issues are available for viewing at: recording the high and low temps for the This coming year we have a few projects to www.coastbotanicalgarden.org preceding week from several thermometers improve and enhance garden information Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden is located at: placed throughout the Garden. for our visitors. A sophisticated mapping 5941 Mason Road, Sechelt • 604.740.3969 Salal Newsletter: Creating and editing program is underway to create a visitors’ the publication with the assistance of many map. And I particularly welcome the contributors. installation of the many, useful plant labels. board of directors Plant Labellers: The Master Gardeners If you want to participate in ongoing President: Sandra Cunningham keep the plant records accurate and ensure developments, please consider sponsoring the right label goes with each kind of plant. a bench, a tree or a brick, or becoming a Vice-President: Paddy Wales Native Plant Volunteers: Helping with monthly donor. Details are available at Treasurer: Julie Astalnok weeding and planting, this year in the coastbotanicalgarden.org/support-us/ Directors-at-Large: Jean Bennett, Mountainside Habitat mostly. The Annual General Meeting was Other Activities: Garden Party held on October 26, with masks in place. Rosemary Bates Terry, Heather Till Committee, the Events Committee, and the The 2020-21 Board of Directors includes: School program volunteers; membership Sandra Cunningham, (President), Paddy thank you! database; managing the email platform and Wales (Vice-President), Julie Astalnok website. (Treasurer), and Directors Rosemary Bates Thanks go out to: Our staff has to be the most dedicated Terry, Jean Bennett and Heather Till. Julie • Top Quality Top Soil for donating soil for our on the Coast. Even on the most inclement Astalnok’s financial report in this issue veggie garden and potting team of days, you will find Susan Box, Harry shares the good news that the Garden is Hill and Bob Boyce in the garden tending doing well financially. • Swanson’s Ready Mix for donating sand to help the grounds and plants with great care. Though we have had to cancel fill in some rough areas Garden Manager Mary Blockberger keeps reservations for special events, the Garden • Greg and Sue Fauquier for giving us 1200 everything under control. She has led our is still a wonderful place for casual visits. daffodils and delivering all our spring bulbs Covid protocols with great care, so you Regardless of the weather, these socially can visit the Garden without worry. Our isolating times demand a peaceful, • Kathy Leishman and Angelina Seah for helping hard-working staff and volunteers are vital rejuvenating place with space to frolic us plan more of the new Entrance gardens and indispensable. I am also grateful for with family and friends. The Garden offers • Silver Fern Landscaping for offering us branches professional insights and progressive efforts room to exercise or amble, well-maintained with figs for our Sprigs Sale of my fellow board members. paths, inspiring views, and inspiration We are all a TEAM: staff, board, for aspiring gardeners. I can’t wait for volunteers, donors and supporters. When the first snowfall to turn it into a winter Winter Hours at the Garden we reflect on the changes this land has wonderland. See you here soon – safely open Friday - Monday, 11 am - 4 pm undergone over the last decade, it is the distanced, of course. combined efforts of our team and the Sandra Cunningham, President Closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday community at large that have created and Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden The Pavilion is currently not available for rental. 2 garden goings on What a wonderful fall it has been at the Garden, very beautiful, very busy. With so many deciduous trees here, the colours blazed near the entrance and along many paths, changing from week to week. Covid-19 has brought us challenges and gifts. All but the tiniest rentals of the Pavilion had to be postponed or cancelled. The Garden itself has remained open, and our numbers of visitors kept climbing as weather permitted, well into November. A Tai Chi class came faithfully, plus weekly walkers and many young families. Every sunny day meant picnickers. There have been many first-time visitors, all pleased to know this place; most will return, many became members. In October we hosted a tour for the Sechelt Garden Club in small, masked groups. A class of Kindergartners There is always something to discover at the Garden, at any time of year. Photo by Mary Blockberger and Grade Ones from West Sechelt Elementary visited each week, walking trees change and collecting leaves, tuning were reluctantly cancelled. This had an along Mason Road in a charming line, their eyes and ears to nature. Thank you impact on our educational mission, and all holding onto a rope to keep them to teachers Patty Dressler and Michelle on our income. safe from traffic. They have made the Smart for bringing them.

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