Category: Article
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TSMG BASIC TRAINING
NEXT TSMG BASIC TRAINING: JANUARY to MARCH TBA MASTER GARDENERS deal with all aspects of gardening including basic plant physiology, soilimprovement, pest management, and information on local growing environments. We aim to provide the mostcurrent scientific information on local pests and diseases, and the use of environmentally-friendly solutionsto plant problems. MASTER GARDENERS ARE VOLUNTEERS who participate in…
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History of the Master Gardener Program
The Master Gardener Program originated in Washington State in the early 1970s in response to a growing public demand for accurate, science-based gardening information. At the time, Washington State University (WSU) Extension agents were focused primarily on crop production. However, rapid urban growth and an increasing interest in home gardening revealed the need for a…
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Getting Down to Earth
Growing plants organically is one of the basics of being a Master Gardener. I became part of the Master Gardeners Association of British Columbia (MGABC.org) in 2021 through training with the Vancouver Master Gardener (VMG) program; Covid-19 dictated it be online. A list of sprays that are approved for VMGs to use when plant pests get out…
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Gardening with Wool Pellets – A Shear Delight!
An article by Mary Trainer, MGiT with OMG I’d never heard about wool pellets for gardening until a brief news item about them in the Globe and Mail last spring caught my eye. I quickly got over feeling ‘sheepish’ about my ignorance. Wool pellets in the garden It turns out that gardeners have good reason…
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A Quick Solution to a Weedy Problem
An article by Mary Trainer, MGiT with OMG Getting rid of weeds that grow up through landscaping cloth, among rock gardens or in gravel areas at curbsides can be challenging. In my yard – and many others in the Okanagan, cheat grass (downy brome) and quackgrass (Elymus repens) are the main culprits. What to do?…
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How We Must Drop One Paradigm to Accept the Next, According to Zoë Schlanger
“Can plants really communicate?” It was April 6 and I, Nina Shoroplova, was leading a tree walk. The person asking me was one of the participants. He looked closely at me, a Vancouver Master Gardener, as I answered. “Of course,” I said, suggesting he might enjoy reading UBC forestry professor Suzanne Simard’s book, Finding the…
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Gardening with Native Plants to Promote Native Pollinators
An Interview with Josh Thompson of Plan Bee Native Plants Jen: I am here at Plan Bee Native Plants Nursery in Langley with owner Josh Thompson. Josh, can you tell me what inspired you to start a native plant nursery? Josh: What really started me off was a few years ago, I started learning about…
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Kelowna Seedy Sunday 2024
The Kelowna Seedy Sunday 2024, hosted by the Okanagan Master Gardeners (OMG), was another incredible gathering of gardening enthusiasts. Held on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Parkinson Recreation Centre (1800 Parkinson Way, Kelowna), the event built on its reputation as a must-attend occasion for gardeners in the region. Highlights of the Event Attendees enjoyed…
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Local Gardening Information
Master Gardener Clinic Reference Materials Updated November 2025 These articles were originally written to provide our members with a quick brush-up on topics we are often asked about during our clinics, but then we thought: why not make them public? They are good gardening resources for everyone. They are listed two ways: alphabetically, and then…
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Thyme companion herbs
What should I plant with my thyme in a container? All varieties of thyme are suitable to plant in containers except those that are mat-forming which are used for groundcovers, often sold in garden centres as ‘creeping’ thyme. Thyme is a Mediterranean member of the mint family with various scented leaves and masses of little…