You Should Know
Please email info@cowichanvalleygardenclub.com if you would like to submit any information, articles or events. We appreciate any submission of interest to our members.
Click here for the CVRD website’s guidelines for disposing of invasive plants.
The Canada-wide FireSmart program can help residents focus on the most effective actions to reduce wildfire hazards. Click here to visit FireSmart’s website to find out about resources that are available.
Interest in alternatives to Roundup has grown quickly since concerns emerged over the herbicide’s safety. The United Nations International Agency for Research on Cancer has branded it as a probably cause of cancer but regulators in the United States have said it does not pose a risk to people’s health or the environment. Click here for more information from ConsumerNotice.org including alternatives for Roundup as of July 2021.
DrugWatch is an organization dedicated to keeping families safe and sharing important health information. They are highlighting concerns about Paraquat (also known as Gramoxone), a toxic herbicide commonly used by commercial farmers. Click here for their guide to Paraquat as of May 2023.
Garden for Wildlife – Episode 7 (2020): Nature’s Best Hope with Dr. Doug Tallamy Dr. Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. If you’re concerned about doing good for nature, join Dr. Tallamy to learn more about his second book, Nature’s Best Hope, and how you can turn your green space into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Click here.
Here’s a link to a paper written by Dr. Tallamy et al. Dr. Doug Tallamy Do non native plants contribute to insect decline
Guide to Selecting Plants for Pollinators for Eastern Vancouver Island, published in 2019 by the Pollinator Partnership and the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. Click here.
The Island Pollinator Initiative’s mission is to preserve and protect pollinators on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands through education and outreach, habitat preservation and creation, and collaborative action. Click here for the website.
Pollinator Partnership Map created in 2021 Click here for the map.
Warning: Invasive species are plants, animals or other organisms not native to BC whose introduction and spread harms the province’s native species, economy and human health. Click here for the Invasive Species Council of BC’s 2021 “Grow Me Instead” guide to plant alternatives.
Warning: Bacteria can easily grow in potting mix. Legionella longbeachae is one species that breeds in the warm, moist conditions inside the bags, and inhaling the spores can cause Legionnaires’ disease. Click here and here for more information.
Warning: A virus can affect hostas. Click here and here for more information. It’s a good idea to check the leaves of your hostas to see if they’re showing signs.
Our About Us page has information about our Club’s Constitution, Annual Donation Policy and much more.
Our club belongs to the BC Council of Garden Clubs. Please click here to view their website.
Have you checked out our Gardening Questions page? Members are invited to submit questions and answers on garden-related topics.
Attention Committee Leaders: Please review the website pages relating to your event or area of responsibility for completeness and accuracy. Members depend on you to provide information to the website coordinator to keep the pages up to date and accurate. Thank you!!
Check back to this page to stay informed!