Spring 2025 Newsletter
 
As we prepare this newsletter, the snow is all but gone, leading to itchy fingers that can't wait to get planting! While the soil is still too hard and cold to work, we can dream of our gardens and start the clean-up.This is certainly the case for the Ornamental Gardens as well, and we're all looking forward to another beautiful year.
 
Thoughts from the Chair
 
When we welcome in the new year it seems like March is far away and suddenly here we are!  The snow (not that we had a lot) has melted, the gardeners have returned, volunteers have been recruited and our new season has begun.  We welcome back gardeners Trina Taylor and Rebecca Blackhall Peters and look forward to working with them this season.  We have access to the Production Greenhouse from March through mid-May and soon there will be seedlings and cutting growing for our spring sale and the garden beds. Meanwhile, thanks to Dave Weir, we over-wintered several varieties of plants and trays of cuttings in the House veranda.
 
We upgraded all the signage in the Xeriscape garden and I invite you to  walk the area and enjoy the information offered there. We also refreshed our map and donation bins with new signage. Soon our highway sign will be updated and hopefully it will be brighter and more noticeable.
 
This spring, you will find many new bulbs flowering throughout the Gardens. It is wonderful to welcome back all the volunteer teams and begin to watch all the beds come alive after their winter’s rest. I hope many of you will visit the Gardens this year and enjoy the changing colours over the weeks and months. You will find our events planner in this newsletter and on our website; mark your calendar for those which you will want to attend, whether it is one of our workshops, our plant sales, or our Art and Music summer events. There is always something to enjoy.
 
This spring, the Grounds Committee will replant the Gingko bed (south of the House) and then begin the renovation of the “Natives and Friends” bed in the Xeriscape area. And, collaborating with the SuRDC,  we will begin to renew many of our pathways in the Gardens.  We anticipate that this will be a three-year project and we will hopefully begin with the path along the Welcome border. We will still be challenged with hand-weeding many of the other pathways throughout the gardens--a task that is not particularly rewarding but very necessary. We are thankful for SuRDC’s assistance.
 
Thanks to all of you who so faithfully support the Friends of the Gardens both financially and with your many hours of working in the Gardens, which allow us to offer a place of tranquil beauty for our locals and visitors to enjoy.
 
-- Bonnie Fulton
Irrigation Update

This past fall, the Research Centre began the process of upgrading the irrigation system, a two-year project. They are currently replacing main lines, including those into the Ornamental Gardens. Much of the Gardens area will benefit from this upgrade, and from the getgo, SuRDC has included our gardener and irrigation volunteers in the discussions; we are grateful for that.  Thanks to the mild weather, the company hired has made good progress over the winter, coming into the Gardens from the north. Most of the work will stop in April and resume in October, when they will replace lines to the south. When you are visiting the Gardens, please drive slowly and keep an eye out for workers and machinery.

Mark Your Calendars!

 
Here are the events you can look forward to at the Gardens in 2025.
 
March 22 – FireSmart Your Property, 10am
Ryga Arts & Cultural Centre
 
April12 – Vermiculture Workshop,10am
Ryga Arts & Cultural Centre
 
April 26 – Butterflies of the Okanagan Workshop, 10am
Ryga Arts & Cultural Centre
 
May 3 / 4 – Spring Plant Sale, 8am-4pm
Summerland Ornamental Gardens
 
May 10 – Do-It-Yourself Micro-Irrigation Workshop, 10am
Summerland Ornamental Gardens
 
May 16 – Meadowlark Festival Garden Tour, 1pm
Summerland Ornamental Gardens
 
May 24 – Dwarf Iris Workshop, 10am
Summerland Ornamental Gardens
 
June 14 – Beneficial Bugs in the Garden Workshop, 10am
Ryga Arts & Cultural Centre
 
June 18 – Annual General Meeting
Summerland Ornamental Gardens
 
For more information on these events, visit our website. Further details will be available as we get closer to the dates. 
 
A Successful Volunteer Recruitment Event
 

Sunshine, smiles and lots of enthusiasm greeted attendees of the March 1st volunteer information session and recruitment. FOG Board directors, team leaders and experienced volunteers  were present to welcome and interact with newcomers. Many were new to gardening, some new to the Okanagan, and yet others to Canada.

The response was very encouraging and we look forward to building not only our garden bed teams but also our communications, tech, and event planning teams. The central location ot the Ryga Centre in Summerland and boosting our social media presence has certainly contributed to this year's response.

Thank you to all who participated and here's to the 2025 season!
 
Snowdrop Mania
Did you know that there are some gardeners who collect rare types of snowdrop? And have even paid thousands of dollars for a single bulb? Learn more about this simple yet beautiful flower that is often the first to bloom in the winter garden.
 
Scott Austin is a FOG board member. He was nursery manager for a local garden centre for 35 years before his retirement. In that time he produced over 1000 columns for local newspapers on various gardening topics. This article previously ran in the Penticton Herald.
Read the Article
 
Thank you for your continued support.
Donate Today
PO Box 1363, 4200 Hwy 97 South
Summerland BC. V0H 1Z0
friends.summerlandgardens@gmail.com