MAY 21, 2026

Derek Churchill spoke on a topic that is part of every gardener’s life: pruning.  His fun and highly informative presentation covered the fundamentals of pruning, including why we prune, pruning budgets (how much one can safely prune), correct and incorrect pruning cuts, tool choices, timing considerations, and understanding plant growth response. He also discussed common pruning mistakes accompanied by some real examples in photos and wrapped up with a case study of a front lawn plum tree, showing pruning progress over time and the ultimate fate of the tree.

In more detail:

WTF = Why Trees Fail

Pruning is an art that requires time and experience to learn well, and even seasoned pruners can make mistakes.  When considering how to prune, sometimes the best strategy is not to.  A great pruning job thieves more with less.  The amateur approach is impulse drive, relies on aesthetic guessing, involves geometric forcing, tackles only low-hanging fruit, utilizes poor or inappropriate techniques and is often overdone.  A good quality pruning saw (Derek endorses the Japanese brand Silky) is a better choice than loppers for thicker branches, which leave an uneven cut that is harder for the tree/shrub to heal.

The pruning process is measured and intentional.  Decide what to prune and why and determine your pruning budget in advance: every cut is a wound that stresses the plant.  Constantly stepping back to evaluate reduces the likelihood of overpruning.  The reasons for pruning are important, and sometimes it comes down to a plant simply being in the wrong place; a common example is a shrub or tree planted somewhere that is too small for its mature size.  Overpruning often results in water sprouts, possibly many of them - a poor aesthetic.  Not all species tolerate pruning: while laurel hedges can withstand heavy pruning, magnolias cannot and Japanese maples should not.  The rule of thirds is an average with appropriate pruning budgets on both sides of this.

Timing is a key consideration for pruning: when does pruning cause the least amount of stress to a plant?  One must consider spring growth, budding, flowering, fruiting, dormancy and temperature.  Trees should be pruned when they can best compartmentalize, and early blooming plants are pruned early summer, whereas late bloomers are pruned in late winter.  Pests are also a factor to consider, as they can more easily invade plants with open wounds during their active breeding and feeding cycles.

Common pruning mistakes include assuming the canopy size and dripline must equal the rootball, always pruning crossing branches, severe pruning that destroys a plant's form, spiral pruning (popular in the 90's for Douglas firs) which weakens wind resistance and has resulted in frequent failures/toppling events, imposing topiary to subscribe to the "plants shouldn't touch" fad, improper branch cut technique instead of the 3-part cut, and failure to consider the impact of our more frequent drought seasons, which stress trees and use up their stored carbohydrates.

A bit about Derek’s background:

• Over 20 years of experience in landscape horticulture
• Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist
• Former ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification
• More than five years teaching landscape horticulture apprenticeship programs (Burnaby Community & Continuing Education and UBC Botanical Garden)
• Has spoken at the BC Home and Garden Show, Vancouver Master Gardener Association, UBC Botanical Garden - Horticulture Training Program and Douglas College Urban Forestry Event

APRIL 16, 2026  

LoriAnn Bird (Synder) presented on rediscovering our cultural, native, edible and medicinal plants. Her engaging talk emphasized learning the importance of a bio-diverse landscape and all the gifts that bloom from being in the right relationship with our living earth.

LoriAnn is an Indigenous Métis herbalist and educator with a deep knowledge of wild, medicinal and edible plants that grow in everyday spaces.  Through LoriAnn’s eyes, our immediate surroundings take on a new life and offer a wealth of untapped nutritional and ecological resources.

LoriAnn’s vision is to continually co-create insightful dialogues, to remediate and reconcile with our Indigenous plants as we reintroduce them into our urban landscapes.  By sharing and growing these practices, communities can access our true local foods and medicines, which support collective resilience and deep ecological healing for all species.

As a refugee of the Red River Métis Nation, born and raised on the Coast Salish lands, LoriAnn is deeply grateful to live, play and create primarily on the unceded and traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

MORRIS, JACKIE (MARCH 19, 2026)  

LVGC member Jackie Morris was our March speaker, and presented "Seeding for Success".

Jackie has been a member of the LVGC for some 20 years, and has been growing veggies and assorted other plants from seed for 50 years, minus the 6 when she was getting more degrees at UBC and living in apartments. She is has also been a Master Gardener for 21 years.

Jackie's talk covered many aspects of starting plants from seeds, including:

Why should you grow plants from seed?  > You can pick exactly what you want, it costs way less than the grocer, hardware store or garden centres that sell seedlings, the produce quality is superior, watching germination is a unique thrill, and extras can be donated to the plant sale!

Seeds are covered by a coat which is intact when they are dormant.  To initiate the germination process, some seeds are fine with just soil, moisture and light, but others may need priming in the form of soaking, clipping or scarification.

Environmental considerations for germination include planting depth, heat (a heating pad is nice!), cold/freeze stratification especially for seeds of native plants in colder climates, light and dark requirements, air pockets in the soil (which means it shouldn't be waterlogged) and of course clean pots.  Some seeds are "improved" with an artificial coating that helps with handling and placement, or have a film coating dyed with fungicides and insecticides.

Equipment and supplies that are necessary or helpful include a seeder with adjustable size holes, a watering can with a light spray, a heat may and thermometer, a cover or mini greenhouse if you don't have a large, south facing window, ditto for LED/growing lights if you don't get sufficient sunlight, shake'n'feed fertilizer and seeding soil or Promix with bark chunks removed.  Seed packet information is very useful, so take the time to read it.

Seed planting is best when done mindfully - some seeds can be broadcast, but often a single seed, appropriately spaced, will yield better results with less waste so you are't thinning out a mass of seedlings.  And labelling as soon as you plant the seeds, because they all look (almost) the same when they first poke through the soil.  Transplanting seedlings to bigger pots happens when the first true leaves unfurl, without pulling on the stems.  Hardening off the seedling prepares them for temperature changes and wind: they can be put into a cold frame, a small green house or put outside on a mild day and brought inside overnight.

Planting out traditionally happens around the Victoria Day weekend, or when the night air temperature is at least 10C.  Young plants are a feast for deer, squirrels and slugs, so pre-empting these attacks means that your plate will be full at harvest and not their bellies.  Follow the seed packet directions for spacing and make sure vegetables are planted where they can get at least 6 hours of continuous daily sun.  Consider providing supports for climbing plants and those with heavy fruit,  Watering should be deep and consistent, and fertilizer can be sprinkled biweeklydurring the growing season.

Jackie also talked about common problems with growing seeds, such as handling by the stem, health issues such as damping off and powdery mildew, plants getting leggy and spindly from inadequate light, and of course hungry insect and animal predators.  She then showed a variety of beautiful pictures featuring popular seed-started plants such as tomatoes, carrots, onions and sweet peas.  She also demonstrated the correct way to transplant a seedling to a bigger pot with a minimum of mess.

Her presentation was enjoyed by all and everyone left with either a refresher of best practices or a lot of new knowledge on how to get their favourite seeds going.

SHERROTT, JANE (FEBRUARY 19, 2026)

SMITH, LAURIE (JANUARY 15, 2026)

To kick off the New Year, member Laurie Smith, also our website manager, gave a talk on indoor plants at the first monthly meeting.  Laurie’s presentation covered the following:

• Less going on outdoors, our attention turns to indoor plants
• Indoor plants can be permanent or seasonal (eg. tender perennials in containers brought inside)
• As with the garden, “right plant, right place” is crucial
• Most indoor plants are not native to our area – succulents and tropicals
• Keeping plants of differing needs healthy and happy: light, potting mix, container types, watering and humidity, temperature
• Overview of potential indoor plant problems: environmental issues, wrong care, pests
• Why plants are so beneficial to have in the home, and anywhere else indoors

Laurie is former a Torontonian and has been in BC for over 15 years now.  She joined the Lynn Valley Garden Club this past fall.  High rise living has given her the opportunity to enjoy a patio container garden and an indoor jungle, and most of her plants are rescues from friends moving.

Laurie is a graduate of Gaia College’s (https://www.gaiacollege.ca/) organic land care diploma program, is on the current faculty and committee, and teaches native plant ecology and business skills for horticultural entrepreneurs.