Nanaimo's Horticulture Society celebrates its 80th anniversary

Kitty Chadwick (pictured) said she discovered the horticultural society through one of its workshops and saw joining as a way to turn her longtime hobby into something she can do with the community. (Luis Zablah / CHLY 101.7FM)

Hold on to your garden shears! The Nanaimo Horticulture society celebrated its 80th anniversary at Maffeo Sutton Park last weekend, inviting gardeners and green thumbs of all stripes to participate and have fun.

The event took place Sunday August 23rd and featured worm compost demonstrations, plant propagation workshops, plant and seed vendors, and more, with master gardeners on site to answer questions.

Connie Kuramoto, president of Nanaimo’s Horticulture Society spoke about connecting with the public.

“We really like to share our knowledge, and our excitement about growing gardens and our excitement about growing plants. And so, this is a great excuse and a great opportunity to do so, to you know show people what we're doing, see if they're interested.”

Alongside workshops and vendors, the anniversary featured a showing of fruits, vegetables and flowers grown by members in a parlour show.

Kuramoto spoke about some of the workshops on offer.

“I'm doing a propagation workshop, and so what people will be doing is they're welcome to actually participate, and so they will actually go home with a plant that they have propagated,” said Kuramoto. “We've got a worm bin demonstration where we talk about the benefits of worm composting because you can worm compost even if you're just in an apartment.”

Kuramoto explained that worm composting is not just for larger gardens, but can be used for many smaller applications from soil for houseplants, to balcony flowers, making the practice accessible for anybody without a backyard. Worm composting is also known as vermi-composting, and castings from the worms are an excellent source of nutrient rich organic fertilizer.

The society also partners with Growing Opportunities Farm Community Co-operative, an organization Kuramoto said provides opportunities for children, seniors and people with different abilities to participate in farming.

The horticultural society has deep roots in Nanaimo with a long history of supporting horticultural education at Vancouver Island University through scholarships over the years.

The society currently has 80 members. Membership had climbed to 200 in prior years, but Kuramoto says the COVID-19 pandemic saw a decline in membership for the group.

Some members have been part of the society for over 50 years, and the addition of younger new members has led to the revival of many old traditions such as parlour shows, open garden tours, and field trips.

Connie Kuramoto (pictured), president of Nanaimo’s Horticulture Society. (Luis Zablah / CHLY 101.7FM)

Kuramoto said the society welcomes new members with open arms.

“Sometimes it seems like ‘Oh horticultural society is kind of intimidating,’ like it's some kind of formal thing. But we're just a bunch of gardeners who you know love to share our experiences with other gardeners. So we welcome you know new people, and anyone can show up for a meeting. We accept guests at all of our meetings by donation.”

Kuramoto added the society has changed over the eight decades it's been active, depending on the interests and energy of its membership and community.

“The common denominator is that they love to share their knowledge. They just love sharing what they've learned through experience or through schooling. They just love to share it, and that's what's kept them going.”

Vice President Kitty Chadwick is relatively new to the society, only joining its board this year. She explained her connection to gardening is multi-generational.

“I've always been a gardener. I kind of describe myself as a granny-trained gardener because my grandmothers taught me how to garden, and that I've always been interested.”

Chadwick said she discovered the horticultural society through one of its workshops and saw joining as a way to turn her longtime hobby into something she can do with the community.

She commented on the community’s participation at Sunday’s event.

“Today has been amazing. It's just really fun. Like we have one of the members' granddaughters is here, and she just entered something into the parlour show that she's growing, and it's really just a fun way to. What are you growing in your yard and sharing and talking about gardening.”

Professionals offered advice at a gardening masters clinic during Sunday’s event. Mike O’Neil, president of the Vancouver Island Master Gardener Association shared some of what was covered.

“Practical advice on vegetable gardening, flower gardening, soil conditions, pests, diseases, anything like that, and we have plenty of resources here to be able to look things up that we might not know offhand,” said O’Neil. “We have had a lot of questions at our clinic today. We're holding a clinic, a five-hour clinic here today, and offering free advice. So it's been pretty productive for us.”

With the society celebrating its 80th birthday, Kuramoto wants to see it continue to get people in Nanaimo interested in connecting with the environment through gardening.

“I hope that the Nanaimo Horticultural Society continues to light that spark under people that is that spark of excitement about our relationship with the natural world, with the soil, and with the plants, and with the environment.”

Further information on the society and its future is available on their official website.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

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