Trees are vital to us, as an attractive element in our communities and gardens, as a source of wood for many uses, as providers of fruit and nuts and, above all, as the lungs of the earth, cleansing the air we breathe.
The Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society (SCBGS) presents its fourth annual Trees are Terrific festival this weekend at the Gibsons Legion, with an added fall colour tour Sunday, Oct. 19, at Willow Farm Nursery and at the new Botanical Garden site in Sechelt.
On Saturday, enjoy featured speaker Cass Turnbull, a Seattle horticulturist famous for her good-humoured approach to sensible pruning. She founded the non-profit group Plant Amnesty whose aim is teach people how to prune and choose trees that won't overwhelm the spaces they are planted in. Cass is author of Guide to Pruning - What, When, Where & How to Prune for a More Beautiful Garden. Doors open at 1:30 at the Legion with the lecture at 2 p.m. There will also be a small plant sale, a woodworking show (from local craftsmen of the Sunshine Coast Woodworkers Guild and the internationally acclaimed Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking), student art show and display of cool autumn plants. Admission is $12 for botanical members or $15 for non-members. Membership is available at the door.
On Sunday, the Fall Colour Tour is by donation to SCBGS at the new garden site is at 5941 Mason Rd., and nearby Willow Farm Nursery is at 6739 Norwest Bay Rd. The deciduous trees at both locations promise spectacular colour, so bring your camera or sketchpad. Tours will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. rain or shine.
Tickets for the Saturday session are available at Casey's Country Garden, Willow Farm Nursery, Visitor Information Centre (Seaside Centre), Deluxe Landscape Supply, B&K Garden & Landscape Supply, Quality Farm & Garden, Halfmoon Bay Nursery, Gibsons Florist, Sunshine Coast Nursery and at the door. For more information, visit www.coastbotanicalgarden.org.
