This edition features Head Gardener's Message: "Tomato Days" and more tomatoes, Featured Garden = Rhododendron & Hosta Garden, Arts & Music reminder, Community Ed, & HCP Kids Youth program highlights, Pollinator Days, plus the Bookend.  This newsletter is somewhat long, but we hope you enjoy it.

Horticulture Centre of the Pacific - May 2025 eNews

Our Mission is to bring a diversity of people together to learn, enjoy and participate in the rewards of horticulture and environmental stewardship.

We will have a wide range to choose from, including several Heirloom varieties. Tomatoes List for 2025

We are trialing some of Karen Olivier’s (Northern Gardener) tomato varieties in our HCP veggie gardens this year. We will have her Oh Canada plants available at the sale. Named to evoke national pride, its large, bright red, slightly flattened beefsteaks capture the essence of the tomato maple leaf.

Herbs and veggie starts are also available and our Plant Sale area is fully stocked with new plants, just in time for the May long weekend.

The Victoria Master Gardeners will be on site to answer all your gardening questions.

We sell out quickly so come early for best selection !

Tomatoes. So many choices! Rich colors, beautiful shapes, different sizes, different flavors, different uses.  The luscious rich heirloom slicer or the tangy-sweet pop of a sun warmed cherry straight from the plant. No other plant offers the diversity of tomatoes in the garden.

As many differences as there are in the thousands of available tomato varieties, they share similarities in cultural needs and some simple advice to help grow amazing tomatoes applies no matter which varieties you decide to grow in your garden.

Sun and Warmth: Tomatoes are a warm season crop so choosing varieties that are suited to the length of our season then hardening them off and planting them out when nighttime temperatures are around or above 10 C in a location where they will receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct bright sunlight every day will get you off to the right start.  Healthy bright green and unblemished transplants are what you are looking for and a great selection (including some of mine) will be available to buy at the HCP tomato day.

Water and feeding: Tomato plants are hungry and thirsty. Providing consistent water and using mulch to help maintain an even and consistent moisture level will help to prevent the development of blossom end rot. Using clean mulch under plants serves a second important purpose which is to prevent soil from splashing up onto the lower leaves which helps prevent fungal disease.  Supporting plants upright by staking, caging or trellising will make them easier to manage and keeps them up off the ground promoting good airflow and allowing easier picking.

Feeding: Soil rich in nutrients is critical for optimal growth and production. Regular feeding of potted plants is especially necessary.  My method is to start with a good compost-based potting mix enriched with a big handful of organic slow-release tomato food added at planting and then monthly.  Additionally, I supplement every couple of weeks with a drink of soluble fertilizer with kelp extract. (Kelp is magic for tomato plants!).

Tomatoes can be a little tricky to learn to grow well, especially the large slicers but the rewards are worth all that effort.  A slab of luscious sun-ripe tomato on a slice of buttered toast is the ultimate gardener’s reward and I hope that one day Canadian gardeners will consider one of the tomatoes I bred their special favorite.  With names like Tundra, Chinook, Midnight Sun and Oh Canada, my tomatoes are selected specifically to grow well in a Canadian Garden.

24 varieties (and counting!)  from my Canadian Garden to yours.  Have a wonderful season!

Karen Olivier,

Northern Gardener Canada

"Our 31st annual Arts & Music in the Gardens at HCP, this August 9th and 10th!  Admission is $10 (including members), children under 12 are free.

100% of admission proceeds goes toward keeping the Gardens growing."

We hope to see you there! If you are interested in becoming a vendor or musician for the event please contact artsandmusic@hcp.ca for an application or more information. "

Next time you're exploring the gardens, be sure to stop by our cozy little, ever-expanding gift shop. Explore a curated selection of locally crafted treasures, including handmade soaps, wood-burned coasters, flower-embedded resin earrings, and gardening essentials like West Coast Seeds, 'Hori Hori' garden tools, books and more.

Look out for new arrivals, including seed sprouters, Queen Bee Farm teas, and adorably crafted ceramics. Whether you’re treating yourself or finding the perfect gift, our shop has something special to take home and remember your visit by. 

HCP KIDS BIRTHDAYS - click on the title to request a booking

90 minute birthday program includes a garden component and time for visiting with your guests. Up to 12 participants

Themes:  Mythical Creature Gardens such as Fairy, Dragon, Pet, Unicorn and other special characters, as well as Tea and Pollinator gardens. We also offer Flower Pressing for older youth. 

HCP Kids Workshops

• • Tea Brewing - 25 May, 10:00 am till noon
  • Father's Day Pizza Planter - 7 June, 1:30 - 3:00 pm

Suited to ages 4 and up (under 6 with an adult assistant

Save on workshop fees by becoming a Family Member.

Fall registration is now open!

• Garden Nature Academy - starts 18 Sept (12 weeks, Thursdays 9:30 am - 12:00 noon)
• Garden Club - starts 20 Sept (8 weeks, Saturdays 9:30 am -11 &  9:30 am -11:30 am)

SCHOOLS  -  Our gardens offer many seasonal opportunities to connect with indigenous plants and food crops, experience demonstration gardens and explore wilderness spaces.  We offer programs that are 1 hour and  1.5 hours as well as an optional 30 minute self guided activity in the gardens for an additional fee. Program fees include entrance into the gardens. 

Contact our School & Youth Program Coordinator; youthprograms@hcp.ca for more information or use this link to request a booking. 

HCP KIDS CAMPS

Summer Camps 2025  June 31 through to August 15, 2025 - Fully Booked

HCP KIDS CAMPS - Registration opens June 15th for Pro D Day Camps for this fall's 2025/26 school year

GROUP BOOKINGS - are available for all workshops and programs. Contact us at  youthprograms@hcp.ca

HCP Memberships offer a wealth of benefits for the body, heart & Spirit. Share your love of plants and nature with a friend.

Reminder -  

Check your membership expiry date - renew before the Tomato Day

This will speed up the process at check out time 😉

Members receive a 10% discount

You can purchase a new membership or Membership Renewal by using the link.

Family and community friendly activities in The Gardens at HCP on Sunday June 22 (9:00 am – 2:00 pm) will be featured to celebrate the amazing role that pollinators of all shapes, species, and sizes contribute to our planet.

• Visit Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s touch tables featuring bird pollinators and other interesting activities.
• Attend Wild Birds Unlimited free talks and see their pollinator display of products.
• Visit the Victoria Master Gardener Association information and question table featuring lots of pollinator friendly planting suggestions.
• Join local children’s author Cynthia Mackey for a reading of her newly published book “If a Butterfly Lands on Your Toe”. Also, Cynthia will also be available for a Meet the Author open forum.

The Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents by Terry Hewitt

The recent surge in popularity of cacti and succulents is understandable. They are extraordinary! Not only do they look intriguing, they are tough. Their highly specialized anatomy, designed to survive prolonged drought, enables them to become dormant in severe conditions. The Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents is an excellent reference for these unique plants. 

Beyond a simple globe or column, cacti and succulents come in many shapes, colours and sizes. Long snake-like stems! (Mammillaria matudae). Rich purple-red! (Haworthia coarctata). Over 12 meters tall and 150 years old! (Carnegiea gigantea). But there are some that don’t get beyond 2.5cm and live for only 5 years (Frithia pulchra aka pink baby’s toes).  Read more

Drop by the HCP Library to borrow this fascinating book. And while you’re there, check out our stellar specimen of Sansevieria trifasciata (aka mother-in-law’s tongues).