The fascinating and colourful world of irises will be explored at the next Comox Valley Horticultural Society meeting, with Dr. Richard Hebda, Monday, May 17, 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Learn about their diversity and adaptability, their outstanding long season of bloom along with the amazing range of iris species. Hebda will illustrate varieties from winter to fall bloomers and from miniature dwarfs to two-metre tall giants. He will explain how to choose, plant and grow these remarkable flowers, so wonderfully suited for our Vancouver Island inland climates.
With a PhD in Botany from UBC, Richard Hebda is passionate about his studies and research in vegetation and climate history in B.C. He joined the Royal BC Museum in 1980 and retired in 2017. Hebda was the curator of Botany and Earth History and has authored many scientific papers, books, and reports over the years. He is an adjunct faculty member at UVic and continues to teach in the Biology, Earth and Ocean Sciences, Environmental Studies program. He was the first faculty co-ordinator of the Restoration of Natural Systems program at UVIC, in which he still teaches.
It is hard not to get caught up in Hebda’s infectious spirit, as he discusses the roles that the remarkably diverse iris can play in future climate change gardens. British Columbia’s climate is changing rapidly with warming winter temperatures, summer droughts, and a longer growing season. Learn strategies and techniques to adapt your garden to the future and keep it beautiful. Now is the time to start transforming our gardens!
Wishing to attend? Advanced registration is required for both members and non-members. Current members will receive a separate Zoom invitation. Registration for non-members ($5.50) is simple - visit www.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 14, as it requires a couple of days to process. This same website can also be used to process to purchase an annual membership ($20 single or $30 family).
Also, don’t forget to mark your calendars for Monday, June 21 at 7 p.m., when CVHS will host its next Zoom presenter - nutritionist Natasha Asselstine, who will chat about the health benefits of eating within the season.