Say welcome to autumn with the Focus on Trees weekend at Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You’ll enjoy the sheer variety of trees on site – and with the dry summer, some may show their fall colour early. Bring a picnic for your family to enjoy in the Picnic and Play area, visit the Veggie Patch (pumpkins!), check out dozens of new pathways, or try to catch a glimpse of Timber, the resident beaver.
Saturday at 1 p.m. (by donation), master gardener Sheila Watkins offers a demonstration, How to Plant a Tree So It Thrives. October is a great month for tree planting on the Coast, so roots can establish and grow strong during the wet months before facing any freezing weather or drought. This talk will give you the skills to plant for success.
Sunday at 1 p.m. (also by donation), enjoy a guided Tree Walk with Harry Hill, the Garden’s native plant coordinator. Learn to recognize many of the Coast’s native trees and shrubs, and since every tree has a story to tell, you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation of the trees that grow on the Sunshine Coast. Bring your camera or notebook if you like, but simply looking and listening, smelling and touching will help you distinguish these trees.
On both days, small trees and shrubs and select spring bulbs will be available for purchase at great prices, in front of the Pavilion, while they last.
Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden is at 5941 Mason Road, West Sechelt. Winter hours are Friday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission is by donation. Members enjoy unlimited visits plus many extra discounts and opportunities. See www.coastbotanicalgarden.org.
– Submitted by Paddy Wales
