February 10th: Love is in the Air – Sue Chow
Pollen and Spores – Everything you have always wanted to know, and more! Through stunning photos and real-life examples, we’ll explore the tiny but mighty world of pollen and spores—how they look, how they work, and how scientists collect and study them. Discover how these microscopic clues help us unlock ancient environments, solve mysteries in archaeology and forensics, and even help keep honey pure and people healthy!
March 10th: Growing & Propagating Dahlias – Kim McGee
Kim will be teaching us all about how to grow, propagate and properly store dahlias. Kim has been an avid gardener most of her life, and quickly became addicted to dahlias after growing her fi
rst one in 2018! Since then, Kim has propagated thousands of dahlias and has dedicated most of her urban backyard to growing them.
April 14th: Exploring Canada’s Wild: Adam Shoalts at Lakefield Baptist Church
Professional explorer and #1 national bestselling author Adam Shoalts will join us to discuss some of his many expeditions across Canada’s wilderness, including his 4,000 km solo journey across Canada’s Arctic, and his 3,400 km journey by canoe from Lake Erie to the Arctic. Adam will discuss some of the wild mushrooms and plants he eats on his journeys, among other topics. Tickets are $15.
May 12th: Shaping Nature’s Art: The Power and Precision of Tree & Shrub Pruning – Matthew Schmidt
Matthew will highlight both timing of, and proper pruning methods. Matthew is the owner of Apical Tree; a Tree, Lawn, and Gardening business. Matthew considers himself to be a lifelong student and loves to learn new things and pass on what he has learned to others.
June 9th: Gardening for Climate Change – James Byrne
As many gardeners and backyard wildlife enthusiasts across the country have noticed, climate change is already having a significant impact on our backyard habitats. James will discuss the effect of climate change on our gardens —from watering restrictions and damaging storms, to the expansion of unruly weeds and garden pests. Drawing on regenerative agricultural practices, he’ll provide recommendations for climate-proofing our home gardens.
August 11th: Walkabout – To be confirmed
September 8th: Rock gardens, Alpines and Crevice Gardens – Garry Edwards
Do you have a sunny front yard location needing some plant variety, a driveway edge with good drainage, or a slope where grass struggles to grow? Would you like a raised bed built specifically for alpine plants? A professional nurseryman, grower, horticulturist and plantsman, Garry will talk about plant selection, growing conditions and a few popular and easy to grow choices of alpine plants for these areas.
October 13th: Food preservation: grow, harvest, preserve and eat – Katrina Osch-Saxon
Katrina provides an overview of home food preservation, emphasizing its benefits such as cost savings, improved nutrition, reduced waste, food security, and a stronger connection to the land. Various preservation techniques are described, including refrigeration, freezing, dehydration, canning (water bath, pressure, and steam), fermentation, and freeze drying, along with the tools and ingredients required for each method.
November 10th: Winter Sowing – Silvia Strobl
Winter sowing is a specific method of successfully germinating seeds of both native and non-native plants that produces lots of strong hardy plants for just the cost of a bag of soil! This presentation will inspire you: And show you how to produce flowering plants within 7 months for some native species; hardened-off cold vegetable seedlings ready to plant in the garden; and both annuals and perennials.