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Horticulture Centre of the Pacific - December 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.
December is a time of reflection and celebration for many. At HCP we would like to celebrate the efforts of our volunteers, students and staff. We have a lot to share with you this month as we reflect on what has been accomplished in The Gardens with the help of donors, volunteers and students of PHC. So find a comfy spot, pour yourself a cup of cheer, and enjoy! (P.S. please don't try to print the newsletter, it is a long one)
We are coming to the end of another successful year at the HCP.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year.
I want to wish a joyful holiday season to our entire HCP community.
Here's to planting seeds of joy for the year ahead!
Happy Holidays!
Linda
Please enjoy the garden highlights of the year from our Volunteer Lead Stewards.
Lead Steward Stories of the Gardens in 2025
Cutflower Garden - The 2025 season saw many changes in the cutting garden. PHC students enlarged the planting area, and upgraded the irrigation system as part of their practical skills program. The changes to the irrigation from patchy coverage with drip lines to sprinkler heads made a huge difference. It was a pleasure to work with consistently moist and malleable soil.
The students added pavers as stepping stones to improve access to the beds and to emphasize the focal point created by the standard willow tree. Creeping ground covers thrives around the pavers. The two obelisks were replaced with new ones built by students and painted a neutral green as a foil to all the bright flowers. New varieties of flowers were tried, some more successful than others, but the garden was lush and lovely and provided many colourful bouquets.
Bird, Bees & Butterflies Garden -This year the garden was overflowing with a wave of colour from many varieties of plants, but in the spring, unfortunately, the rabbits feasted on the emerging Rudbeckia, which, unfortunately, never survived after being the cuisine of the month, and subsequently left a bare patch of ground which seemed immune to produce anything new which I planted. However, it was a bountiful year for the Helianthus Lemon Queen, Buddleja globosa with its gorgeous orange balls attracting many species of bees, and the Hydrangea paniculata with its huge pinkish blossoms. Looking forward to the spring and the many bulbs which have been planted and to see the Dierama pulcherrimum finally blossoming.
The Lily Garden
In the Lily Garden, we volunteers from the Victoria Lily Society feel that the last year was definitely the most successful to date.
One of our main goals was to have a fabulous showing of stems in early July, as we planned to host the North American Lily Society 75th Convention in Sidney. Many enthusiasts from all over North America came to enjoy the lilies and other aspects of the HCP.
Establishing more winter colour and interest has also been something we are working to improve. We have added some small trees and shrubs that bloom throughout this season and into early spring.
Some of the beds of bulbs have been reworked, as is required from time to time to keep them performing well.
The Native Plant Demonstration Garden
We have been clearing invasive plants from the western woods including blackberry, broom, daphne, ivy, english hawthorn, etc. Also we check along the fence line for deer incursions while we are out there and keep the paths free of branches and deadfalls.
In the demonstration garden we have been clearing paths and overhanging branches. We received a trailer load of leaf mulch and have used that to apply to shrubs and any plants that are susceptible to drying out in the hot summers. A number of weeds pop up this time of the year and we are removing them as they appear. We have native plants in our holding beds and have transplanted some to fill in spaces.
Rhododendron & Hosta Garden
The Rhododendron and Hosta Garden is maintained by members of the Victoria Rhododendron Society. As well as weekly maintenance chores such as raking the paths, deadheading, pruning and repairs to the irrigation system, we remove dead rhodos and after considerable discussion, replace them with new varieties.
We were extensively involved in the construction of the new Demonstration Patio Garden on the eastern side of HCP.
The Victoria Rhododendron Society also maintains a "Grow-On" compound where cuttings from our club propagators are stored. Our main focus for the coming year will be the purchase and installation of a new in-line drip irrigation system.
Highlights from the Doris Page Winter Garden in 2025
The seven volunteers in the Doris Page Winter Garden have devoted considerable time and energy this year to a major renewal of Bed C. This area has a great deal of shade, so the vision for the renewal was to extend the woodland garden vibe that exists in nearby garden beds. Initial work involved the removal of most of the existing plants which were not suited to the conditions and placed in other garden beds at HCP. Newly purchased plants, more suited to a shady woodland garden were planted in interesting groupings, once the bed was cleared and the soil amended. Our group received valued help from a group of students and staff in completing the renewal of this bed. Despite the irrigation challenges this summer and thanks to volunteers taking turns to hand water during the driest times, these plants have settled in well and we look forward to seeing the renewed Bed C flourish in the coming year.
We also have another renewal project planned for Bed E which will extend into the spring of 2026. Students have cleared a large area of the existing plants and the soil has been amended. In the spring we will plant a selection of new hellebores. The goal is to provide visitors with an opportunity to observe and compare some of the newer hellebore varieties.
Celebration Garden *
This year witnessed the Celebration Garden fully develop into a colourful and interesting setting which we had first envisaged in the Spring of 2023 when the re-design was introduced. All of the transition steps were only possible thanks to the many hours of effort by staff, students and three dedicated volunteers.
The inclusion this month of so many thriving David Austin 'The Poet's Wife' rosebuds in seasonal wreath-making workshops testified to our shared commitment to produce colour and beauty at the garden throughout an extended growing season!
*The Bridal Garden and Mediterranean Garden are now known as the Celebration Garden
HCP Tour Guides
The team of 7 master gardeners gave 19 tours totalling 336 visitors from Ont., USA, South Korea and the Niagara School of Horticulture.
We already have 10 tours booked for 2026 including one for a group from Japan.
Propagation Teams
HCP has two teams of volunteers who propagate many of the plants offered for sale at the Annual Spring & Fall Plant Sales, Tomato Days and in the Plant Sale Area.
Over 8,300 plants were sold this year including 758 tomato starts
Construction and Maintenance Teams
What would these have in common?
Chief of Staff, Maritime Forces Atlantic, and Captain HMCS Margaree and HMCS Preserver. Naval Warfare Officer.
Production Coordinator, Power Production, Queen Elizabeth Power Station
Chief of Staff Maritime Forces, Captain of a Class D Naval Destroyer
Red Seal - Journeyman Carpenter, Construction Manager
Application engineer & database consultant
Production Coordinator, Power Production
Portfolio Management, Chartered Financial Planner
Chartered Professional Accountant
They are all part of the two HCP volunteer crews who create and maintain the many structures in the Gardens at HCP. The newest structures are the art niche in the Takata Garden and the storage shed for Herb Garden.
Pollinator Pocket Forest
This new garden was designed in late 2023 and planted with the help of children participating in HCP Kids youth programs in the spring of 2024. It was the project for a Pollinator Stewardship certification (Fall 2025) to provide native pollinator habitat and funded by Pollinator Partnership. These native pollinator friendly plants have grown very quickly to fill in the allotted space.
This area was designed to demonstrate function and aesthetics and will require very little maintenance going forward. This hub has been a draw for many garden visitors and photographers. Pollinator monitoring has begun and will continue using iNaturalist. Stay tuned for more information in the new year of how the public can contribute information to this new project to monitor native species and the plants that support them.
Thank you to everyone for sharing your stories and images about the gardens you tend so lovingly throughout the year.
Thank You Volunteers!
We are so grateful for our dedicated and talented volunteer team!
206 active volunteers put in almost 12,000 hours this year.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP) please contact volunteers@hcp.ca
The Pacific Horticulture College Graduation ceremony was a night of celebration, where students were granted not only their certificates, but also some notable awards including the Joyce Parker Plant ID award, a Top Attendance Award, an Excellence in Design Award, the Jill Stewart Bowen Scholarship and a new award called the Russell Nursery Citizenship award in honor of Sue Tice. These awards have contributed to our growing success and we’d like to formally thank all of those for helping us celebrate the achievements of our students.
13 students Graduated from the full-time Landscape Horticulture Certificate Program.
HCP hosted 92 workshops with over 1,000 participants, including
2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the Master Gardener Program with 25 Master Gardener Graduates (now that'sserendipity!)
HCP Kids provided 64 programs including 23 workshops, 7 School programs, 16 camps and 18 birthday parties.
The summer camps are especially popular with many children returning each summer, some even becoming junior camp leaders.
The gift shop has is an ever-changing space with new items arriving with each new season many created by local artists.
In 2025 we welcomed over 2,800 customers; gardening gloves, art cards, tea and hand-crafted butter knives were popular items this year.
HCP Memberships offer a wealth of benefits for the body, heart & spirit with discounts on courses, plants, events and partnering organisations that also share a love of plants and nature.
In 2025 HCP had 0ver 2900 members including 1,118 new members and 403 who rejoined.
Garden entrance is discounted to $9 with a same-day C&Q receipt {children under 16 receive complimentary entry}.
FEEL WORLDS AWAY | DINE WITH THE FLOWERS "Charlotte & The Quail" has called The Gardens home since 2010. "Our lives have forever changed with the time spent here. The Gardens have given us perspective, peace & patience. The seasons have offered us repetition, reminders & reassurance."
Hours: Everyday 9am-3pm
Visitors to the Gardens - 16,621
Charlotte & the Quail patrons = 3793
General Admission = 4390
Members & their Guests = 6181
Arts & Music = 2257
Our cozy HCP cottage library welcomed 781 visitors this year! First-timers were amazed at the size of our collection.
We added 126 new titles, for a total of just under 3,000. Hot topics included permaculture, native plants, children’s books and our Books for Sale.
Be sure to check the recent acquisitions section of the HCP website. We have books on all aspects of gardening for everyone from children, students, and home gardeners to professionals.
A library volunteer current favourite is The Serviceberryby Robin Wall Kimmerer. A beautifully bound and illustrated book about reciprocity in the natural world. An inspiring book with the theme of sharing and giving.A lovely holiday read.
Check out our online cataloguefor more books by Robin Wall Kimmerer and other Indigenous authors.
Future plans for the library include building an Online Resources webpage of internet links of interest to our gardening community. Send us an email at library@hcp.ca if you have a favourite website to share.
A big Thank You to all who have supported the library this year. We appreciate you!
HCP was the site of over 90 different social and corporate events in 2025 ranging from Celebrations of Life, Birthday Parties, Corporate meetings, and workshops to weddings of all sizes from elopements to the full ceremony and reception.
Thank you so much for your generous support!
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported HCP throughout the past year. Your continued patronage, commitment, and passion have made a meaningful difference.
On behalf of the entire HCP team, please know that your efforts do not go unnoticed. They are evident in every corner of the gardens, throughout the college, and in the success of our community events.
We are grateful for the time, energy, and care that everyone contributes, and we look forward to 2026. ~ Lynn Evans
All of the staff at HCP wish you all the blessings of the season and look forward to seeing you at the Gardens in the New Year.
The Gardens at HCP will be closed from 22 December to 4 January 2026.
Thank you for reading, we hope you enjoyed the content, it was another busy year in the Gardens. hcp.ca
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