There are many resources available to help get you started in planting your native garden.
Upcoming Native Plant Sales
You can get some good deals and species not commonly available at retail outlets.
• Swan Lake Christmas Hill April 21 & 22 10am – 3pm
(250) 479-0211, http://swanlake.bc.ca/plantsale.htm
• Milner Woodland Gardens April 21 & 22 10am – 4pm and September 29th & 30th (250) 752-6153
(also plant sales from their gift shop all year)
www.mala.ca/MilnerGardens/
• Morrell Nature Sanctuary, Nanaimo May 5, 8:30am – 12:30pm, (250) 753-5811, http://morrell.bc.ca
• Paine Horticultural Center Nanaimo, open every weekend May to Aug 9am – 5pm for plant sales. Benefitting various local organizations. www.mala.ca/horticulture/grpaine.htm
Books
The only native plant gardening book that organizes plant by
their plant associations is:
• Native Plants in the Coastal Garden by Pettinger & Costanzo.
Whitecap Books From a usefulness perspective, this approach
stands out from the rest. Local bookstores will order it if
they don’t carry it.
• Plants of Coastal BC Pojar & McKinnon Lone Pine Press This wonderful field guide not only helps you to identify species but also tells you preferred habitats.
• Naturescape Kits for Georgia Basin $21 order from
1-800-387-9853, www.hctf.ca/nature.htm
Specialty Nurseries
• Streamside, Courtenay (250) 338-7509, www.streamsidenativeplants.com
• NALT Nanaimo (250) 714-1990 www.nalt.bc.ca
• Fraser’s Thimble Farm, Saltspring (250) 537-5788
www.thimblefarms.com
• Cannor Nursery, Parksville (250) 248-0093, www.cannor.com
two Victoria locations (250) 658-5415 & (250) 595 9111 ext. 271
Websites
• Western Washington University Native Plant Propagation
http://gardening.wsu.edu/text/nwnative.htm
• Awesome database for almost any plant: growing conditions,
size, propagation etc www.ibiblio.org/pfaf
• UBC BotanicalGarden discussion forums
www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums
Clubs
Native Plant Society, Victoria, www.npsbc.org
If you want to organize regional meetings up island, they
would be happy. They also host a listserve you can subscribe to.
Programs/Workshops:
• Malaspina Horticulture (250) 754-8756, www.mala.ca/horticulture
• Island Discovery & Training Nanaimo (250) 753-5246
www.naturepark.com/nativepl.htm
• Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Center http://swanlake.bc.ca (250) 479-0211
Donna Hill is a freelance writer and naturalist who offers native plant workshops and is a Naturescape BC facilitator. www.naturepark.com