15th Annual Celebration of Island Gardening Spring Festival

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Friday, March 12th, 2010
Friday 1pm to 7:30 pm Saturday 9:30am to 5pm Sunday 9:30am to 4:30pm

CVIBGS' annual Spring Festival is the longest continuously running garden show on Vancouver Island and grows in popularity annually. Success is due to the variety of the event's commercial booths and non profit group exhibits.

As a sample of what to expect, shoppers can check out the first of the season garden items from Cannor Nursery, Handiwork, Dig This, or Turley's Florists & Potting Shed, etc, or stop at the Harbour City Chiropractic Inc booth for a free consultation, or pick up a tasty treat from Golden Maples Farm or 24 Carrot Catering. Need help with landscaping? Ken MacKay Son Concrete Forming Ltd, and Keltie Chamberlain Landscape Design and Consulting will be on the scene. Stop at the Gardening on the Go booth for information on yard maintenance or go to a pruning demonstration by trained arborist Scott Wiskerke. If you are a bird watcher, you will want to drop in at the Backyard & Wildbird Nature Store. Milner Garden's Shoots with Roots program offers fun for the kids with free activities. Details of the program and all exhibitors and sponsors appear on our website.

A keynote speaker program is the other fundamental behind this event's broad appeal and sets it apart. The 2010 show's theme is on urban agriculture - growing food at home - Des Kennedy, Steve Whysall, Connie Kuramoto, Patrick White, Bill Saunderson plus many more are included in the admission. Make & Take workshops - Hanging Baskets, Succulent containers and Hypertufa planters - are available to the public (prior registration by email or phone (250-758-2724- material charges apply). Master Gardeners are on hand to answer horticulture questions.

This show has something for everyone, from the most ardent horticulturist or landscaper to hobbyists, new homeowners, environmentalists and educators plus an outstanding children's program. The friendly community based venue includes free musical interludes by harpist, Katherine Backlund, Marjorie Cullerne and Starlight Reverie, Anatole's acoustic Jazz Quartet.

Net proceeds from the show, which is organized entirely by volunteers, are donated by the CVIBGS towards the development of a mid-island botanical garden. Under a partnership agreement with Vancouver Island University, the CVIBGS provides financial support towards new demonstration gardens, designed and constructed by the University's Horticultural Technician program, at the G.R Paine Horticultural Centre and open to the public. Watch for the Festival's detailed pullout program of events on our website, or in the March 6 Nanaimo Bulletin or the March 12 Free Daily.

If you wish to register in a Make and Take workshop - Hanging Baskets, Succulent Containers, Hypertufa planters - please email or phone 250-758-2724 to register. Cost: $30 for materials.