‘Food for the soul:’ Nanaimo Horticultural Society celebrates 80 years

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Awards are handed out at the end of the year for all kinds of flower and plant displays from their members. (Image Credit: Nanaimo Horticultural Society on Facebook.)

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'Food for the soul:' Nanaimo Horticultural Society celebrates 80 years

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Along with master gardeners on site to answer your gardening inquiries, Sunday’s event will feature a demonstration on worm composting and plant propagation, plants and seeds for sale, and even someone to sharpen your garden tools.

Cupcakes and tea will be available by donation, going towards local non-profit Growing Opportunities Farm Community Co-operative, which will also be on site.

The group meets on the third Saturday of every month, and has been getting together since 1946, shortly after the end of the Second World War.

Kuramoto said their regular meetings are very social events open to anyone who wants to join, with special groups available for kids and seniors.

“We have cake and cookies, and tea and coffee at every meeting, and we’re a wealth of knowledge. There are members that have been there for decades, and so there’s always someone to ask questions to if you’re interested in gardening. People open their gardens, and members are invited to tour different members’ gardens at different times of the year, so that they see what other people are doing, get ideas.”

Regular speakers at the society’s meetings teach members everything they need to know about growing plants on the mid-Island. (Image Credit: The Nanaimo Horticultural Society on Facebook)

For the small price of a yearly membership fee, you’ll hear from a variety of gardening expert speakers at their meetings, as well as competitions, with trophies handed out at the end of the year, said Kuramoto.

While they have plenty of “wisdom and experience”, they’re hoping to recruit some younger members as more people turn to growing their own food in light of tougher economic times.

“We’ve got a lot of wisdom and experience there, but we’d really like to get some young people that want to learn how to grow things. In today’s world, growing your own vegetables is a big bonus for your grocery bill, and so we’d like to help people do that, and also flowers are food for the soul. ”

More information on the Nanaimo Horticulture Society can be found here on their website or on Facebook.

The Horticulture Society wasn’t the only group celebrating 80 years of existence this weekend, as the Nanaimo Lions Club marked their occasion on Saturday, Aug. 22, also at Maffeo Sutton Park.

(Image Credit: Submitted/Nanaimo Horicultural Society)

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