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Gardening: Taking a break from the winter

Looking for a break from winter and dream of summer without leaving Central Alberta? Then join the Red Deer and District Garden Club in listening to Jane Reksten present on March 27 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Margaret Parsons Theatre at Red Deer College.
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Looking for a break from winter and dream of summer without leaving Central Alberta? Then join the Red Deer and District Garden Club in listening to Jane Reksten present on March 27 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Margaret Parsons Theatre at Red Deer College.

Jane is the Manager of the Olds College Botanical Gardens and the college greenhouses. One often sees her overseeing the Friday lunch time sales.

Jane, a graduate of Olds College, has worked for many years in the horticultural industry. She began her career at the City of Calgary’s Zoo starting as the School Naturalization Project Leader then moving on the coordinating the Botanical Education. By the time she left the Zoo for the position with Olds College she was the Manager of Continuing Education. Her time in Calgary brought her into contact with many different branches of Horticulture.

The topic being discussed on March 27th is: “Gardening; An ongoing Affair”. Jane will discuss the fact that gardens are not static but evolving works of art. They are influenced by the stage of life the gardener is at as well as trends in gardening and how they affect public and personal gardens. Jane plans to touch on various trends and discuss how they can fit into the home garden. The main focus will on garden design and maintenance.

We are all familiar with the current garden trends of: pollinator gardens, biodiversity, sustainability but what about the new trend, resilient gardening?

Do bring notebooks ad questions. Jane will end with a question and answer period.

Tickets are $20 through Kerry Wood Nature Centre, The Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery, Garden Club Members or at the door.

The Red Deer and District Garden Club brings in a speaker and opens it up to the public once a year as a club fundraiser. Come out for an informative, entertaining evening.

Saturday February the 29th is a busy one at Parkland Nurseries and Garden Centre. At 10 a.m. they start with “Little Kids Painting Pots” Children 4 and over will be given 3 terracotta pots to paint. What is a decorated pot without a plant? The next Saturday the children will be back to plant. They can choose what to plant from a variety of plant material. These children are the gardeners of the future.

In the afternoon join Chef François to learn about plant based eating.

More information on both these activities are available at Parkland Nurseries.

A little further afield, the Alberta Orchid Society is hosting a show and sale March 27 to 29 at 101 Riel Drive in St Albert.

This is the 43 show and sale that has been put on by the Alberta Orchid Society and it sounds like it will be phenomenal. They plan to have 15,000 square feet dedicated to the show and sale of Orchids. The displays will see the best of the best.

At least fifteen different venters Canadian and international will be on hand which translates into many unique plants and materials as well as a wealth of information to be learned. It is a must for those that are interested in Orchids..

The cost for attending the show is $10 cash. For those looking for more information go to www.orchidsalberta.com

Linda Tomlinson is a local horticulturalist that can be reached at your_garden@hotmail.com.