Meetings in 2019 will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Masonic Hall in Mill Bay unless otherwise stated:  February/March/April/May/June/September/October/November/

December.   Dates may be changed dependent on speaker availability.

Our various activities include visiting members and public gardens

For more details:      Contact: Earl Jenstad, VIHS president

Events in 2019:

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Annual Heather Sale -    Saturday,  March 30th  

Plans are afoot, lots of heathers (2,000), and kits to get you started.  A  variety in each kit planned by our heather enthusiasts just for you. 

 starts at 10 a.m. to noon or sold out

Download the list noted above.

Tips on pruning and planting

To be held at the Cobble Hill Farmers Inst./ Stu Armour Bldg on Fischer Rd.

Bonus this year:  Heathers not in bloom in March  - we will have photos of the heathers as they appear in bloom with description to help you make your decision. 

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019.        Field trip to Comox

Members will car pool and plan to arrive in Comox between 11:30 and noon. The trip will include two activities.

Anderton Nursery Ltd. 2012 Anderton Road. Owners Ellen Presley and Karl Opelka. Members will picnic in the Zen garden in the back of the nursery. They will enjoy their bag lunches while holding a short general meeting. A tour of the nursery will follow with the opportunity to buy.

Valley Succulents Specialty Nursery. 2210 Anderton Road. Owner Jamie Lauinger will provide a presentation on succulents and unusual varieties for sale in the nursery. This will be followed by the opportunity to browse and buy.

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019.

Members will meet at noon at Elaine Scott’s home for a short meeting over bag lunches then a field trip at 1:30 to 

 A stunning garden in Cobble Hill owned by an extremely knowledgeable gardener. Members will see a wide variety of unusual plants and have the opportunity to discuss these plants with the owner.

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Wednesday, June 12, 2019 Field Trip.

Horticulture Centre of the Pacific. Members will meet at the Centre at noon to enjoy a picnic lunch together followed by a short monthly meeting. This will then be followed by a tour of the heather gardens conducted by David Wilson. David is an extensive propagator of heathers and extremely knowledgeable about the different varieties available, their care and specific features.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Field Trip. Eurosa Farms. 1304 Greig Ave. Brentwood Bay. Members will meet at noon at a site to be determined for a picnic lunch and short general meeting. This will then be followed by a tour of Eurosa farms. Through the over thirty years of dedication and rose growing expertise of their greenhouse operation, Eurosa Farms mission is to produce high quality flowers for the local market. The facility builds on the three generations family tradition that began in the Netherlands. Their product line includes other cut flowers.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Public Presentation. Diane Pierce. “Twenty of the Best Perennials, Shrubs and Small Trees that would be Good Accompaniments to Heathers”.

Masconic Hall. Mill Bay. 2:00-4:00. The speaker is a well-known Victoria Horticulturist. Rather than a digital presentation, the speaker will show large samples of the plants she will be talking about. Samples will be on hand to pass around. A handout on the plants will be available electronically prior to the presentation.

Wednesday November 13, 2019.

Annual General Meeting. Masonic Hall. Mill Bay. Members will meet at noon to enjoy their bag lunches followed by the AGM.

Dec 11 - Christmas luncheon

Past activities - 2018:  

Sept 12 -

Masonic Hall, Mill Bay - bag lunch.  The meeting was followed by  Guest speaker  Dr. Shannon Birch -  Topic: Mycorrhiza.  An great speaker and members were amazed at what lives in the soil beneath their feet

June 13 - 2 p.m.  2592 Mill Bay Rd.

Field trip to the Bouchard & Kennedy garden Mill Bay - lovely day with a lovely tour.  This garden is new to the owners and they have been trucking.  Great results thus far with more to come so they say.  Wonderful hosts with afternoon treats.

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April 11 -  A field trip to the Murray's garden in Cobble Hill.  Beautiful garden and a lovely tour followed by coffee/tea and sweets provided by the Murrays.  A great thank you to them.

April 28 - 

Cowichan Valley Garden Fair in North Cowichan at the exhibition grounds on Mays Rd.  The Heather Society had an information booth.  Many garden societies there with displays and plant sales

May 9  - 

A field trip to Brian and Jennifer Rogers garden,  Gonzales.  Picnic lunches and meeting followed by a guided tour of the garden which is lovely- the house was the carriage house of a larger estate. Jennifer is an avid collector of unusual plants. Those attending (a few must have got lost) were impressed with her collection of pots all of which seemed to have a story attached to them although too early to see the summer display for which the pots are largely used. A greenhouse was stuffed with plants ready to find their summer home amoung the perennials and shrubs and patio. Pictures can be found in the photo section.

March 24 - our annual Heather Sale - a great day - Thanks to our customers and our volunteer members for making this the success it was.  Sold out!

Feb 7  Masonic Hall, Mill Bay - bag lunch. Guest speaker  Gordon McKay - Alba Plants. Topic: Cassiopes, Phyllodoces and other Alpine Plants - a wonderful variety of slides with ltalk.  Most informative.