As we age, we often see decreasing physical ability (e.g., lifting and balancing) which can reduce and restrict our ability to carry out certain gardening activities. An older gardener might ask, “When did the decline begin?” A younger gardener might ask, “Is the decline inevitable?” And, as our winter slumber ends, most gardeners should be asking, “How can I physically prepare for all the tasks of the gardening season?” Dave will answer these questions while discussing prevention and risk reduction strategies, so we can live well, garden better, and garden longer, by preventing the preventable and risk managing the rest.

Richmond Hill Garden and Horticultural Society member David McCulloch is a certified personal trainer and an avid gardener. Following 34 years as a meteorologist, he became a personal trainer in 2013 to help others reach their health and fitness goals and to compliment his skills as a karate instructor. He quickly focused on working with the 50+ demographic and began specializing in working with populations such as those with low back pain, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Dave and his wife, Heather Auld, also a meteorologist, focus their gardening efforts on adding native species and implementing weather and climate smart gardening practices. Their garden is considered a popular, "must visit" stop on local Garden Tours.

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Tonight's guest speaker is a resident of Richmond Hill and will be participating in-person. 

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society volunteers will be on hand at the Central Branch of the Richmond Hill Public Library between 11 am and 12:30 pm for the "Sprouting into Spring" portion of today's agenda to:

• Give away free packets of seeds, including for veggies and pollinator-friendly flowers
• Answer general gardening questions
• Promote membership in our society

Please stop by to say, "Hello," to our friendly volunteers.

For more information about this event and the Richmond Hill Public Library, click here.

Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society volunteers will be on hand at the Richmond Green Sports Complex from 10 am to 3 pm to:

• Answer general gardening questions
• Provide information about upcoming Plant and Compost Sales
• Promote membership in our society

Please stop by to say, "Hello," to our friendly volunteers.

Plantsman, nursery owner, and author Gary Lewis travels the world in search of beauty and inspiration in gardens and nature both on personal trips and while leading garden and botanical tours. In this talk you’ll travel across Canada, the US, and Mexico and then to Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia discovering many unforgettable features of some of the world’s most beautiful gardens and wild landscapes. This talk will be packed with design ideas for hardscape and softscape, cool plants, dynamic plant combinations, garden art, and more. Whether you’re a home gardener or a landscape professional, this talk will inspire you with new ideas to take your space(s) to the next level – all while taking a whirlwind trip around the world!

Gary Lewis has had a lifelong passion for plants. While completing a Masters of Science degree in Botany, Gary became the owner of Phoenix Perennials on his 28th birthday. Since then, he has greatly expanded the business into a dynamic, award-winning, destination nursery for Western Canada. In 2013 Phoenix Perennials launched Canadian mail order to bring their unique plant selection to a broader audience and now ships more than 2,500 plants a year to avid gardeners from coast to coast to coast. Commendations include earning the title, “Communicator of the Year” in 2013 by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association.
Gary is a regular speaker at garden clubs and has appeared many times on radio and television. In addition to writing articles for gardening magazines such as Fine Gardening, he authored the award winning, “The Complete Book of Ground Covers,” published in 2022.  

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The guest speaker for our sixteenth annual Barker Lecture is planning to attend the meeting via Zoom. A live video broadcast of his remote participation will be projected onto a large screen in the auditorium.

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Pollinators face threats from climate change, habitat loss, misuse of pesticides, and also invasive species that impact their ability to thrive and survive. This presentation will highlight ways gardeners can help through actions such as selecting pollinator friendly plants and providing habitat essential to pollinator survival.

Master Gardener and Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society Director Sally Hossain has been gardening for more than 40 years, and her education includes a BSc in Biology and additional horticultural studies at the University of Guelph. Sally has prepared and presented compelling educational materials on topics such as pollinators, native plants and vegetable gardening for organizations including the University of Guelph, the City of Richmond Hill, libraries, our local hospital staff, and horticultural societies. She is a dynamic individual with years of experience leading teams to define our horticultural society’s Speaker Program, Greenhouse production, Plant Sales, and Hill House Hospice Garden Maintenance.

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Tonight's guest speaker is a resident of Richmond Hill and will be participating in-person.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Peonies are beloved for their gorgeous blooms and captivating fragrance. They are adaptable, easy to grow plants that fit into any garden style. Tonight’s speaker will reveal the different types of peonies that can be grown in our gardens, and highlight variances in flower forms and colours. She will also share how we can achieve 6 weeks of peony blooms in our gardens, and tips for dealing with the few pests and diseases that can plague peonies.

Ingrid Janssen is a horticulturist, speaker, blogger and master gardener. She has been gardening for most of her life and is a passionate, some would say, “Crazy” gardener. Ingrid is an inspirational speaker who has appeared on TV and has spoken at Canada Blooms several times. She has both ornamental and food production gardens on her country property and has been a dedicated native plant enthusiast for more than 30 years. Ingrid earned a Horticulturist Diploma from the University of Guelph and is an active member of several horticultural and plant societies, as well as the Durham Master Gardeners.



Tonight's guest speaker is planning to participate in-person.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Tonight's speaker will share practical tips and tricks to help keep our gardens looking their best all season long. We will explore how to handle common challenges like pests and disease, how to properly prune flowers and vegetables, how to choose the right fertilizer, and even how to manually pollinate our plants when the bees need a little backup.  

Debbie Coleman is a Master Gardener and Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society Director who believes that the more time we spend up close with our plants the more likely we are to notice problems before they get out of hand.



Tonight's guest speaker is a resident of Richmond Hill and will be participating in-person.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Master Gardener Maureen Hulbert invites us to celebrate our Canadian uniqueness this evening. Together, we will tour Canada, from coast to coast to coast, and celebrate our gardening diversity. Along the way, we will learn about unusual plants native to our many varied growing regions.

A Toronto Master Gardener since 2008, Maureen enjoys speaking to community groups to share her love of the always-fascinating world of plants. As proprietor of Down to Earth Gardens & Design in Toronto for twelve years, she installed unique plant-focused designs for clients. Her own garden on Taylor Creek ravine in East Toronto helped foster interests in trees and pruning, plant identification and native plants. Speaking of which, she currently enjoys teaching plant identification as a component of George Brown College’s Garden Design Program.



Tonight's guest speaker is planning to participate in-person.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Tonight, gardening guru Sean James will address the many misconceptions about what gardeners should do and not do in the Fall, covering the latest learnings about biodiversity and general horticulture. As well, he will share labour-saving winter-prep techniques.

Master Gardener Sean James, owner of Sean James Consulting & Design (www.seanjames-consulting.ca) is a graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture with more than forty years of experience in the horticultural industry, including as an author and teacher. Named by Landscape Ontario in 2020 and 2021 as “Garden Communicator of the Year,” Sean’s passion for eco-friendly gardening techniques is evident in his landscape designs as well as in speaking engagements and projects such as Landscape Ontario’s Grow-Me-Instead and Tree Planting guides, and his chairing of the Environmental Stewardship Committee.



Tonight's guest speaker is planning to participate in-person.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre

Master Gardener Joyce Hostyn asks, “Why put up a fence when you can create multi-season beauty and provide wildlife habitat by designing a hedgerow?” She will then share examples of how hedges can be leveraged to create garden rooms, provide privacy and screening, grow edible fruits, nuts and berries while also offering shelter to birds and other wildlife.

Joyce Hostyn is co-founder of Little Forests Kingston (www.littleforests.org), a member of the 1000 Islands Master Gardeners, a permaculture designer, and an Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University’s Master of Earth and Energy Resources Leadership program. She dreams of living in a city alive with the sounds of birds singing, bees buzzing, leaves whispering and children laughing. She believes each of us is a node in a mycelial network of transformation, re-wilding one garden, one neighborhood, one little forest at a time. She tells people that any day she gets her hands dirty, either in the land or in the kitchen, is a magical day.



Tonight's guest speaker is planning to attend the meeting via Zoom. A live video broadcast of her remote participation will be projected onto a large screen in the auditorium.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• To help us reduce waste and save money, please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• Click here for more information about our General Meetings, including directions to the McConaghy Centre