Category: Article
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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…
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Camellia in a pot
My Camellia is being eaten by deer. Can I put it into a pot container? The plant is still small/medium size. Camellias grow very well in our West Coast climate and do well in pots with some extra care and attention. When replanting your Camellia there are a few important things to consider: Planting –…
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So Much for Mulch
By now, if you have saved any leaves that fell from your trees last fall, they will be mulch around your precious perennials or your tree trunks or your hard-hit-by-this-winter’s-freezing-spells evergreen shrubs, shrubs that may have given up the ghost. Luckily for me, the leaves I saved from last fall are not mulch, but instead…
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Did You Know
Feaure Box collections and miscellaneous information on things related to gardening: FireSmart Invasive Species Articles Testing the Viability of Seeds Deer Resistant Plants Return to the Victoria Home Page
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Testing Seed Viability
Checking The Viability of Seeds Quick, but not very accurate, test Drop the seeds in a bowl of water. After 15 minutes, the viable seeds will usually sink and the nonviable will float, and you can skim off the ones you want to throw away. If you aren’t planting right away make sure to properly…