April 2021 - Bowen Island Garden Club
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April 2021
The Mission of the Bowen Island Garden Club is to promote the love of gardening,
encourage sound horticultural practices through education, & enhance civic beautification.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Spring is here and the days are definitely longer.
We have had some sunshine and there’s
something new in the garden every day.
This year my “pink-ish” forsythia bloomed with
great extravagance. It has been in its place in the
garden for at least two decades and this was the
first time it really blossomed forth. Interestingly
it is all over and now the yellow forsythias are
displaying brilliantly in the neighbourhoods.
It also seems to have been a splendid year for
early hellebores adding glory and colour to our
gardens. One thing I have noted about my We have dates and plans for Pop-Up plant sales
hellebores is that they generously seed at the Legion, May 15th and May 29th. Prepare by
themselves but the seedlings take several (6+) potting up contributions from your garden that
years to mature and bear flowers. In noting this can be included. Each plant should be duly
I see why they are sometimes kind of expensive labelled. Make label sticks from cut up yogurt
in the nurseries. I admit that my harvesting of containers, popsicle sticks, tongue depressors
seedlings does not come with additional and a marker pen. There is still some soil at 1050
additives beyond composted soil. Harding Road if you need it for potting. Look for
more information about the sales in Cuttings.
And to great delight we’re seeing mounds of
colourful heather in gardens about the Island. Remember…..There are no gardening mistakes,
only experiments. – Janet Kilburn Phillips
At its recent Board meeting we accepted that at
the present time with the BC public health Lynn McArthur
guidelines, open gardens are not feasible.
Interim President
However, there is a possibility that we can devise
some Zoom opportunities, so stay tuned!
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BIGC pilots a new series: “HOME GROWN” David and Aubin purchased their lot on Cates Hill
Greenhouse Gardening on Bowen in 1994 and began to develop their garden and
home at that time. In 2013 they added “The
ZOOM - Monday April 19th @ 7:00 pm
Orangerie” in the sunniest part of the property
because .... as David says “it would be nice to
Have you ever thought about having your own grow oranges.
greenhouse to extend your
gardening season, start your
own seeds in spring, or perhaps
even grow tropical plants? Doug
Elliott, our Garden Club Member
has pulled together a group of 5
Bowen Gardeners and their
Greenhouses. We will explore
several greenhouse designs and
their uses.
Garden Club members Cathy
Buchanan, Marcel Bally, Rafal
and Diana Izdebski, David and
Aubin van Berckel and Doug
Elliott showcase their
greenhouses, talk about design,
how they use them and why they
were built the way they are.
Marcel enjoys his greenhouse
grown hot hot peppers and the Doug Elliott in his Bowen greenhouse
coveted Beefsteak tomatoes without the deer
eating them. After each video segment there will be a brief Q
& A period where you can ask the owners
Rafal and Diana live in Tunstall Bay and built their questions and get ideas. All of this from the
own greenhouse out of repurposed windows. comfort of your own home via the magic of
They use aquaponic gardening for food and ZOOM!
overwinter tropical plants.
Open to members of the Bowen Island Garden
Doug’s greenhouse is in the shadow of Apodaca Club.
Ridge on Cates Hill. He starts spring seedlings
and over-winters tender plants. The greenhouse Join Zoom Meeting:
is an expansion of an existing garden shed. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84878395508?pwd
=R1I3aWE1cWRwWXpFa2Z3ZFZUQ3JQQT09
Cathy Buchanan has a Master organic and Meeting ID: 848 7839 5508
permaculture certificate. She enjoys trying new Passcode: 800589
approaches to food production. Her first
greenhouse was made from wood and plastic. See you on Zoom Monday April 19th 7:00 pm
Now she has 2 greenhouses, one polycarbonate
on Bowen and the second greenhouse, of glass,
situated in North Saanich, Vancouver Island.
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THIS TIME IN HISTORY
In April, 2004 inspired by dauntless member
Sheila Webster, BIGC hatched a plan to plant
daffodil bulbs in public locations to beautify
Bowen Island. Since then, cheery yellow spring
blooms have been popping up across the
island on roadsides and hillsides, at ferry
staging areas and in barrels at post boxes. It is
many years since the first daffodil barrels were
deployed across the island and many have
collapsed or succumbed to neglect. But some
survive after all these years. This one, at
Bowen Bay and now festooned by vacationing
pink flamingos continues to delight
Bowen Bay Daffodil Barrel
neighbours stopping to pick up their mail.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS A gentle reminder to renew
your membership for 2021 if
Holly Cleator
you haven’t already done so.
Membership dues are $20.
Garden Club membership
Renewals can be paid by
has blossomed in 2021
cheque or e-transfer. For details please visit
with many of our
(www.bowenislandgardenclub.ca).
members renewing and a surprising number of
people joining for the first time or returning after The garden club welcomes
an absence of a year or two. In fact, almost one- the following new members:
third of our current memberships are new. And Marion Bantjes, Steph
we’re delighted. Boggan, Hailey anTd Patrick
Bradley, James Buskard,
Fun fact: Whitesails Drive has 19 Joyce Dutchak, Judi and
garden club members (11 Michael Eden, Dee Elliott, Lis Hazlewood, Vickie
memberships) which is the most of Jensen, Terri John, Will Kells, Marty Levenson,
any neighbourhood on Bowen. Jeannie Magis, Jacquie Mani, Guy McVey,
Nance and Nick Moseley, Brook Neys, Jay
Powell, Harmonie Roesch-West, Cheryl and
BIGC membership has its privileges. A number of
Glen Shkuran, Mike and Angel Spendlove, Claire
garden nurseries in metro Vancouver – some of
Weeks, Peter Wing, Judy Illes, Steve Rosell,
which are listed on the back of your membership
Chris Staples, and Mike van der Loos.
card – offer discounts (typically 10%) to our
members. Please ask if a business offers a Stay in touch with Bowen Island Garden Club
discount before your purchases are rung up. activities through our website:
http://www.bowenislandgardenclub.ca/home
If you have any questions or want more and Bowen Island Garden Club on Facebook
information about membership or anything
regarding the garden club, please drop us an
email at bowenislandgardenclub@gmail.com.
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Cuttings - April 2021 continued
POP UP PLANT SALES
MAJOR FUND RAISER for 2021.
All proceeds go to Bowen Island Garden Club.
HOORAY! Spring is here and the daffodils are
dazzling in their yellow beauty. It’s time once
again - for the fabulous POP-UP PLANT SALES.
Start your seedlings, divide overgrown plants
and share any surpluses you may have. Specialty
plants are always welcome. Your donations will
find a happy home in someone’s garden.
DATES: Sat. May 15th & Sat. May 29th
TIME: The SALE – 10:00AM – 12:00PM
Set-up – 9:00AM
The LOCATION, will again, be at the LEGION, in
the front parking lot. Because of social distancing
there will be a maximum of EIGHT SPACES with
ONE MAIN SELLER per space. Each space may
have plants from other sellers as long as the If you would like to have one of the 8 available
main seller has room to include them. Please see spaces let us know which of the two dates you
below. would prefer. Please register before May 1 or
May 8th , at the latest.
TO KEEP EVERYTHING AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE: Email Karen at: karenlp@shaw.ca.
• Each main seller will be responsible to Please let Karen
come early to set-up the plants. They know what types
will also manage the table (space) of plants
during the sale. (generally) you
• Bring your own table, a card table or would like to
something similar will probably do. provide. We will
The plants can also be put on the try to have a good
ground or on a tarp. variety of plants
• Mark each plant with the price you for both sale days.
would like it to be sold for. Masking Also, let Karen
tape or green painters tape works know if you have
well. Payments for the plants will be a small amount of
held at a separate table. Any unsold plants and would
plants will be the responsibility of the like them to be
main sellers to take home after the included with one
sale. of the main
• The sale will go ahead rain or shine. If sellers.
it does rain, large stand-up sun
umbrellas and canopies would be helpful. NOTE: The usual Covid protocols will be
observed: Masks, social distancing, etc.
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GROWING TOMATOES & SQUASH need to be above 10 degrees to do this. But we
Jackie Bradley were not in the double digits at this point. I fully
expected them to suffer. They didn’t seem to,
With beautiful weather arriving this week, you
but they didn’t grow either. Meanwhile their
can really get into planting seeds and seedlings
buddies were divided between my house and my
into your garden. Peas, leeks, onions, radishes,
unheated greenhouse. It soon became apparent
broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and cabbage can all
that the ones in the house were not doing as well
handle the cold nights. Now is the time to start
as the ones in the greenhouse, so I moved them
seeds indoors for some of my favourite veggies,
all out to the greenhouse. They continued to
namely tomatoes, cukes, and squashes.
grow slowly. A few weeks later the temperature
truly revived and they all got
Tomatoes are the
transplanted.
first to sprout in
about a week. They
The most amazing difference
are not easy to grow
was in the squash. The two
on a window sill
plants that had gone in the
unless you are
garden early immediately took
constantly turning
off and grew very quickly. The
them. They begin
newly transplanted squash took
following the light
at least two weeks before they
right away and
started growing again. The ones
easily become leggy.
that I planted mid-May
Even under a light I
produced fruit at least two
find I have to turn
weeks earlier than the ones that
them or they head
I had planted later. This is a big
off in one direction
deal in our climate, where we
and eventually fall
need a long warm fall for
over. Nevertheless,
harvesting squash. One note, I grow my squash
they are relatively easy to grow. When you
on my hugel. This may have something to do
transplant them to a bigger pot, plant them
with the success of early planting as the soil
deeper in the soil even covering up the lower
would likely have been warmer. If anyone tries
leaves to help them develop a strong root
this same experiment, I would love to hear how
system. Soon I begin to anticipate the taste of
it went.
juicy garden tomatoes.
The tomatoes that were planted earlier also
I have read that you should plant your tomato
started to grow sooner than the ones planted
and squash seedlings when the weather has truly
later, but the others soon caught up. Only the
warmed up, which proves a little difficult in our
tomato that I had planted in the greenhouse
climate. It can turn beautiful in mid-April and
produced fruit earlier. Tomatoes seem to thrive
then suddenly get really quite cold again. Last
here in an unheated greenhouse.
year was an example of that. I had all my tomato
and squash seedlings looking beautiful, with at
I live on Adams Rd. about 500 feet above sea
least five true leaves and ready for transplanting
level. If you live closer to sea level, you will be
by mid-May. Suddenly it got cold, wet and dark
able to do everything sooner than I can, as your
for far too long. So I decided to do a little
nights will be warmer sooner. I often find that
experiment. I chose two tomatoes and two
my garden is two weeks behind a garden that is
squash to plant outside and see what happened.
at a much lower elevation.
The books said your nighttime temperatures
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Cuttings - April 2021 continued
senior would pay for a service is $15 per
hour. Most seniors will get service free (or
almost free) of charge because the scale is based
on the senior’s income. The funds received by
Better AT Home Volunteers needed for light
the program get channeled back into the
yard work. program and help pay for a cleaning contractor,
The NEW Better AT Home Program on Bowen is also for seniors in need.
looking for volunteers to help island seniors with This entire service is provided by volunteers and
their light yard work, light house maintenance is contingent upon their availability. Volunteers
and for driving to medical appointments. Kim assist clients with basic yard work and gardening.
Sinclair is the program coordinator and she has Tasks may include:
sent a request to the Garden Club to enquire if
our members can help out. • Mowing
• Non-powered lawn edging
• Planting flowers, weeding, and removal
of invasive species
• Watering plants
• Raking leaves
• Pruning hedges
• Bagging of disposable / recyclable yard
waste
Light yard work does not include lifting items
heavier than 25 pounds or climbing a ladder,
any task that would require a professional
tradesperson or any task that a volunteer
deems as unsafe. During this COVID-19
period, volunteers will provide all their own
equipment, tools, and supplies. Maximum
appointment length is 2 hours.
A vintage Star Magnolia adorning an old Bowen Cabin
If you can spare some time to help please
Volunteers can offer their time in any of the
register for the program. Once registered you
above services but Kim’s specific request to us is
will receive a phone call from Kim to let you
for help with garden and yard work. Many of our
know what is needed, where and when. There is
seniors have gardens that have not been tended
no specific number of hours required per week
for some time, especially since COVID-19 hit us.
from the volunteer. The program is designed to
The program is run by the North Shore fit around the volunteer’s schedule. A volunteer
Community Resources and overseen by the will always have the opportunity to turn down an
United Way. assignment if it doesn’t work for them at that
particular time.
A very small fee is charged to the senior for the
gardening or yard services and is paid directly to If you would like to help please contact Kim
the program. The fees for the service are based Sinclair at kim.sinclair@nscr.ca or 236 998 9704.
on a sliding payment scale. The very most any
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