Master Gardeners Association of Alberta

Calgary Horticultural Society Presents the Gardener's Market.
2024-04-27 10:00 - 16:30 (America/Edmonton)
Ignite your imagination for this gardening season! The Calgary Horticultural Society is back with a festive in-person event that carries on a Calgary gardening tradition. A market with educational talks, classes, friendly competitions, and over 50 exhibitors to help gardeners ignite their imaginations for the gardening season. Attend and get tips and products to help you create the garden you desire even in Calgary’s unique climate.
Join us at The Commons in ATCO Park on April 27 from 10:00 am t0 4:30 pm for a great opportunity to learn about gardening here, connect with other gardeners, and shop for unique goods for gardeners. Look for the MGAA table and come talk to us!

MGAA: Book Club - Plant Science for Gardeners, Robert Pavlis
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Join us for Robert Pavlis as he discusses his book, Plant Science for Gardeners
April 17th at 7 p,m.

Members only
This is a zoom talk

MGAA: The Art of Rock and Crevice Gardening with Paul Spriggs
2024-04-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton)
Paul Spriggs has been rock gardening for roughly 26 years and building crevice gardens for about 19 years. He is an avid plant explorer, photographer, mountaineer, owner of Spriggs Gardens Landscaping company, and past President of the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. He has a passion for all wild plants especially those of dwarf stature and collects and cultivates them at various gardens in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada. Paul has learned the craft of crevice garden building directly from one of it’s innovators, Zdenek Zvolanek, of the Czech republic, and in the past decade and a half, has built many gardens in public parks and private homes that range in size from small feature troughs, to large installations involving many tonnes of stone. Paul is passionate about spreading the word of this style, through speaking to garden clubs all over the world, and by giving workshops for those keen on learning the finer points of this developing art form. He has just finished his work on the first North American book on Crevice gardening With co-author Kenton Seth of Colorado, released in summer 2022.
This is an On-line Zoom talk
Free for MGAA Members, $15.00 Non-Members, Tickets on sale at Eventbrite

MGAA: Book Club - Book Discussion -- Plant Science for Gardeners, Robert Pavlis
2024-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Edmonton)
If you would like to participate please email VolunteerHours@MGAAB.org, a zoom link will be sent out closer to the event date. All members are welcome to sign up.
March 27th, 7-9 p.m.
Members only.

Edmonton Seedy Sunday
2024-03-24 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton)
March 24, 2024: 11am to 4pm
​Alberta Avenue Hall: 9210 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB
To check out the speaker line-up (including Beginning Gardening with Mark Stumpf-Allen) check their website at:
http://www.edmontonseedysunday.org

Vancouver MGs: Spring Seminar 2024--Gardening Well in Today’s World
2024-03-24 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Edmonton)
Sunday March 24th, 2024 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Michael J Fox Theatre, Burnaby (Recording also available)
Speakers:
Taking the Easy Road – Adapting My Garden to a New Climate – Thomas Hobbs
A Garden Revival – Jeff de Jong
Making Friends with the land: Using Native Plants for Beauty, Health and to Give Back. – Nancy Shackelford
Invasive Species Update – Diane Watson
More speakers to be announced!
Plus, a used book sale, Sea Soil Sale, a vendors’ fair, door prizes and more.
Cannot Attend in Person – We are offering Recordings of our Speakers
Tickets are $50 early bird and $60 on February 1st to attend in person, includes recordings for one month viewing.
Recordings Only $35 for one month of viewing
We hope you will join us!

Tickets at: https://www.karelo.com/register.php?BID=435&BT=10&Ev=21642

MMGA: Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour
2024-03-23 11:00 - 17:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Manitoba Master Gardeners Assoc. presents Niki Jabbour
Join award-winning author Niki Jabbour as she shares her techniques for growing more food, reducing pest problems, and dealing with unpredictable weather in her Nova Scotia vegetable garden. With the special challenges of Manitoba’s climate in mind, she’ll spotlight a wide variety of season extenders like shade cloth, row cover, cold frames and poly-tunnels, as well as show you how to use garden covers to prevent damage from deer, flea beetles and cabbage corms. She’ll also share some of her stand-out crops and varieties for fall and even winter harvesting.
Niki Jabbour is the best-selling, award-winning author of four books including The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Growing Under Cover. She’s a two time winner of the prestigious American Horticultural Society Book Award, and has been a radio host for 16 years. Find Niki on SavvyGardening.com
Members $10. Non-members $15.
www.mgmanitoba.com
March 23rd, 11 a.,. CMT

Calgary Seedy Saturday
2024-03-23 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Edmonton)
March 23, 10a.m to 3 p.m.
Bowness Community Assoc.: 7904 43 Ave NW, Calgary
This is a free, drop-in event.

MGAA Member Movie Night: Painting The Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse
2024-02-26 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Join us for an inspirational garden movie. “For many great artists the garden has long been considered a desirable subject for the expression of colour, light and atmosphere.” This movie explores the Impressionist’s gardens and the paintings they inspired. Sorry, Members Only.
Monday, Feb. 26th, 7 p.m.
Email Event-south@mgaab.org

Kelowna Garden Club: Gardening into the Future
2024-02-24 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton)
Host Don Burnett, Speakers: Mario Lanthier, Sigrie Kendrick, Ken Salvail, Laverne De Yaegher
Trinity Church, 1905 Springfield Road, Kelowna

Tickets are $50 with Complementary Lunch.
Tickets available on Eventbrite

MGAA: Introduction to Mushrooms: Common Garden and Urban Mushrooms with Martin Osis
2024-02-21 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Martin Osis is passionate about wild mushrooms!
Martin has been actively involved with learning about and teaching mushrooms since 1987 (that is close to 40 years!).
Holding various positions in the Alberta Mycological society as well as the North American Mycological Association. He has a special interest in local mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms and his newest study area is in the soil web and soil remediation.
Hope you can join us for this event of learning about mushrooms. It will be fun and educational!
$15.00 for Non-Members – Free for MGAA Members
Tickets at Eventbrite
This is an online Zoom talk.

CRAGS (Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society) Small Daphnes and their Cultivation, with Jiri Papousek
2024-02-11 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Jiri Papousek: Small Daphnes and their Cultivation
Jiri Papousek is an expert rock gardener who visited CRAGS in June 2017. His garden is situated at altitude 200m, 10 km from Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. There are crevice rock gardens, various planted troughs, a woodland area with peat blocks, and an alpine tunnel with tufa wall. He has 35 years of experience of growing and exhibiting alpines at Prague Rock Gardens shows, and was part of the International Czech Rock Garden Conference committee in 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2023.
Daphnes are small shrubs with showy flowers, often evergreen, that are ideal for the rock garden. Many are hardy in Calgary’s Zone 3-4 climate. Usually the flowers are fragrant and they generally require well-drained soil. This genus is in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to Asia, Europe and north Africa.
CRAGS February speaker will be Zoom-only. Non-members may register on Eventbrite to attend this meeting (cost $8). A recording of the talk will be available for a limited time.
Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/jiri-papousek-on-small-daphnes-and-their-cultivation-tickets-797414687797?aff=erelexpmlt

MGAA Member's Seed Exchange, Packaging and Social Event
2024-02-11 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton)
Bring your seeds and join us for a get-together to clean and package them for our table at the Calgary Seedy Saturday and Calgary Horticultural Society Spring Event.
Beverages can be purchased at the Teaja kiosk in the YMCA . Trays, envelopes, pens and snacks will be provided.
RSVP or questions can be directed to VolunteerHours@Mgaab.org

Quarry Park Library in the Remington YMCA (108 Quarry Park Rd SE Calgary, Ab.)

The Calgary Horticultural Society's Think Spring! is back in 2024!
2024-02-10 09:30 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton)
We are excited to announce big plans for our growing-season-launching event!
Winter is time for planning your garden, so the theme for 2024 Think Spring! is landscape design. Topics to be covered include curb appeal, edibles, being water-wise, and lawn and lawn alternatives.
Think Spring! is being hosted on Zoom and is a day of online learning. This year there is one stream of talks, so you don’t have to choose. You can attend them all online!
Keynote:
The event will be opened with a keynote presentation by Carson Arthur.
Carson is a landscape designer and TV personality who has taught homeowners how to raise the value of their homes through outdoor renovations, while maintaining a focus on environmentally friendly choices.
Afternoon Sessions:

Water-wise Landscapes: Kath Smyth (Calgary Horticultural Society)
Edible Landscapes: Joanna Tschudy (Inhabit Landscapes)
Turf Landscapes: Lawn and Lawn Alternatives: Nathan Gill (Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply)

Talks will be recorded and, once posted, will be available until 11:00 pm on Monday, February 19.
Cost: $5 for CHS members and $10 for non-members (+GST)
Online: Zoom
For more information contact: https://www.calhort.org/whats-happening/think-spring/

MGAA Member Talk: Lyndon Penner: Native Plants for the Short Season Yard
2024-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Join us as Lyndon discussed his book ‘Native Plants for the Short Season Yard.
Sorry, Members Only.

A zoom link will be sent to members by Communications.

AHA: Dr. Doug Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope is You!
2024-02-03 10:00 - 23:30 (America/Edmonton)
The Alberta Horticultural Association is excited to host a webinar with Dr. Doug Tallamy, New York Times Best Selling Author!
Nature’s Best Hope is You! Gardening with a focus on the little and big things that matter most.
During his webinar Dr. Doug Tallamy will help us understand how insects interact with plants and how those interactions affect the diversity of bird, and other animal communities. His talk will touch on why we as gardeners need to be aware of invasive species and be diligent about controlling them due to their effects on the ecosystems in our gardens and in the larger landscape. Most importantly, Dr. Tallamy will give us concrete ways that we as gardeners in Alberta can make big contributions to biodiversity and the health of our local ecosystems through how we design and plant our gardens. Bring your questions for the Q&A following Dr. Tallamy’s presentation.Your participation helps the AHA fund education programs, working together with the network of horticulture societies and clubs across the province.
For more information contact us at: ab.hort.association@gmail.com www.ab.horta.ca
Register on Eventbrite at: https://AlbertaHorticulturalAssociation-Tallamy.eventbrite.ca

If you have any questions, we would be happy to hear from you.
Saturday, February 3, 2024. 10:00-11:30 AM on Zoom.

MGAA: “All About Soil” presentation by Robert Spencer, Spencer Horticultural Solutions
2024-01-31 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Hope you can join us for an evening of learning about soil! Making amendments and improvements to the soil is best done with a firm foundation of information about the soil. This session will address soil sampling, interpreting the results of a soil test and what the component parts mean in terms of soils, as well as some of the ways that soils might be amended and improved. It
will include a brief question period at the end of the webinar.
Rob Spencer is well known by vegetable and fruit growers across Alberta. For over 17 years, as the Provincial Commercial Horticulture Specialist, Rob hosted many workshops and field tours, wrote horticulture production manuals, and covered all aspects of production and marketing in many editions of the monthly Hort Snacks newsletter. In March 2020 Rob started Spencer Horticultural Solutions, delivering customized horticultural consulting services to a range of clients.
Rob has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in Horticulture and a Master of Science (Plant Sciences) from the University of Saskatchewan. He resides with his family in Olds, AB. Rob is currently a full-time instructor of Horticulture at Olds College.
Free for members — 15$ for non-members. Tickets at Eventbrite @ https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/learning-about-your-soil-tickets-804391766427?aff=oddtdtcreator

17th Annual Gardeners Day- Sangudo Horticultural Club
2024-01-20 09:00 - 15:30 (America/Edmonton)
Carmen Lamourex, Urban Farm Permaculture Project . via Zoom.
Practical Resilient Gardening Strategies
Creating resilient growing systems is essential to meeting our needs in an ever-changing world. While satisfying our fundamental needs for food security is key, our gardening practices need to address more than the need for nutrient-dense food. As mindful gardeners, we acknowledge that we are connected to, and dependent upon, the ecosystems that support us. We see the value in employing practical strategies that not only nurture the whole system into health, but also nurture our own place within the garden.
Join me as I take you through the garden gate of my Calgary property, the Urban Permaculture Project, and illustrate the various strategies we have in place that allow us to build deep levels of resilience, enhance productivity, support soil nutrient cycling, nurture robust ecosystem health and create beauty and sanctuary for myself and my family.
Clara Qualizza. Meadow & Thicket Farm Flowers. New Perennials Design- An Adventure on the Boreal Edge- 2023 update
The New Perennial Movement is a natural answer to our extreme growing conditions. A wonderful range of perennial plants are used, including many cultivars of plants native to North America. Using a dense planting plan, once established the tightly knit tapestry hardly allows rooms for weeds. The designs draw inspiration from natural plant communities found on the Prairies, benefit pollinators, and create a four season dream of a landscape!
Landscape designer Maria Beers and flower grower Clara Qualizza collaborated to design a demonstration bed at the historic George Pegg Botanic Garden, near Genevis, Alberta. With the help of volunteers, the bed was planted in 2022. In her short presentation Clara will outline the journey from planning to planting and will highlight some of the outstanding plants.

Jenn Brennan: Jenn Brennan is a horticulture (Landscape Management) graduate of Olds College with over 20 years of experience. She is currently the president of the Gibbons Community Garden Society, and works at Sunstar Nurseries in Edmonton. Jenn has a wealth of horticultural knowledge and is always there to help identify a flower, bug or bird in the garden. She is Sunstar’s resident native plant expert and an integral part of the team.
Cassidy Madsen: Cassidy Madsen is a Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist with 7 years of experience in the industry. She received her Journeyman status through the Olds College Landscape Horticulturist Apprenticeship Program (LHAP). Cassidy’s love for horticulture stems from her background in Conservation. She loves being able to help others find the right plants to suit their needs, while helping educate them on proper planting practices and answering any other horticultural related questions. She currently works at Sunstar Nurseries in Edmonton but is hopeful to one day open her own design/consulting business.

Cassidy Madsen & Jenn Brennan. Sunstar Nurseries. Woody Ornamentals & Herbaceous Perennials- Microclimates & New Cultivars
Denise O’Reilly, A’Bunadh Seeds. Try Something New in Your Vegetable Garden
Tips and tricks of season extension with focus on plants you might not think will grow and produce here outside of the greenhouse. Focus will be on edible plants and vegetables, as well as some things you may not have heard of.
Mini Trade Show & Displays:

Throughout the day you’ll have time to meet our local vendors selling horticultural items. Remember to bring some cash as you are sure to find something to take home.
We have several community organizations with horticultural interests. Learn about their programs for 2024.
Sangudo Horticultural Club cookbooks for sale
44 Horticulture Hot Spots- take a virtual tour of Alberta and plan a summer road trip

Food & Fun:

morning & afternoon coffee breaks
catered lunch by the Jaded Kitchen. Soup & Sandwiches- includes gluten-free options
garden seeds for every participant
Tree Time gift certificate– place your bid to win the $50.00 voucher. Since 2005 TreeTime.ca has been providing a wide variety of shrub, tree, and berry seedlings to landowners via their online retail store. They are a western Canadian company that specializes in selling prairie hardy stock, including native and landscape species
door prizes

Thanks to our sponsors & partners:

Lac Ste. Anne County
TreeTime.ca

For more information:

Sangudo and District Horticulture Club on Facebook
SangudoHortClub@gmail.com
Visit www.AbHortA.ca events calendar

Registration deadline January 12, 2024
Enjoy a winter break with fellow gardeners & take home some new ideas for your yard!

Mayerthorpe Diamond Centre
Mayerthorpe, AB, Canada 4814-54 Street Mayerthorpe, AB T0E 1N0

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/17th-annual-gardeners-day-sangudo-horticultural-club-tickets-767126996497?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete

MGAA Christmas Zoom Party
2023-12-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Join us for an evening of seasonal botany, drinks, traditional recipes, prizes and fun.
Dec, 14th at 7:00 p.m.
Email events-North@mgaab.org or events-south@mgaab.org.

MGAA Christmas Party
2023-12-14 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton)
Join us Dec. 14th, at 7 p.m. for the
MGAA Christmas Zoom Party.
Seasonal Talks, Recipes and Prizes…
Members only. Email events@mgaab.org or vmwgardener@gmail.com

Grounded In Science: 2023 MGAA Fall Symposium
2023-11-25 09:00 - 15:30 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Rebecca McMackin, M.Sc. Adventures in Ecological Horticulture.
Who doesn’t love butterflies? Our gardens can be stunningly beautiful while also providing habitat for the wildlife that enriches our lives. Indeed garden design and thoughtful management must consider the many other organisms that also use our land. However,
traditional landscaping practices rarely take biodiversity into consideration. Cultivating habitat is central to landscape management. Join us to learn how to use ecological insight and
experimentation to develop new management strategies and, why careful observation and documentation of the insects, birds and other wildlife in your garden is crucial to their success
Rebecca McMackin is an ecologically obsessed horticulturist and garden designer. She spends her days developing strategies to help people create and care for beautiful gardens that also provide habitat for birds, butterflies and soil microorganisms. She believes passionately in the value of ecological horticulture as a vehicle for environmental justice. Rebecca spent a decade as the Director of Horticulture of Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) where she and her team used organic principles to manage 85 acres of diverse parkland. During her time overseeing the park ecology stick bugs, rare mantids, threatened bees ad extirpated lady bugs all returned to the park. The research conducted at the BBP , in, cultivating urban biodiversity and ethical management strategies has influenced thousands of people and entire urban parks systems to adopt similar approaches.
In her imaginary spare time Rebecca writes, designs public gardens, lectures and teaches on ecological landscape management and pollination ecology. She recently installed an 8000 sq foot native wildflower garden for the entrance to the Brooklyn Museum. Rebecca has just completed a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, studying ecological design and science communication. She loves to tell stories and has been published by and featured in the New York Times and the Landscape Institute as well as appearing on National Public Radio and PBS. In October of this year she did a TED talk.
Rebecca holds Masters degrees from Columbia University and the University of Victoria in landscape design and biology.
Tehreem Chughtai, Calgary AB.
Every garden has its own unique environment. Using the concepts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a useful tool for examining a garden’s ecosystem by looking at the “bigger picture” of the garden landscape and how to work with nature to manage it appropriately.
Garden friends and foes, natural pest management solutions and companion planting strategies will all be topics of discussion.
Tehreem Chughtai is a University of Calgary educated biological scientist whose research interests are entomology (the study of insects), ecology and public health. She works with the Calgary Horticultural Society as an instructor for the Master Gardening program and as a consultant. Tehreem was recognized as one of the Alberta Council of Status & Women’s ‘Women in STEM’ award recipients for her researches’ contributions to equality in the field of science. Tehreem is passionate about making scientific knowledge accessible and has shared her research findings on Global News, YouTube web series and published articles with the University of Calgary.

Kerry Ross, BASc, BArch, Green Roof Professional Green roofs are a renewed building technique initiated in central Europe and catching on in Alberta. The local green roof market is seeing greater uptake in commercial, institutional and also residential construction, bringing the multi-beneficial nature-based strategy to the roof.
Come learn the basics including defining the various types of green roofs, their design considerations and how they can help solve some of the most pressing ecological and developmental issues facing our communities. Kerry will share cold-climate case studies from nearby and abroad and highlight the new opportunities for gardeners, and discuss suitable plants for rooftops in Alberta.
Kerry Ross began working on one of the first buildings in Alberta to integrate contemporary green roof systems into the building’s design. Bison Courtyard, the project situated in the town of Banff, spurred her passion to learn more about green roof technology as an innovative method to lessen the impacts that buildings have on the natural environment. This experience, along with study and field research led her to become one of the first Green Roof Professionals in Canada. In 2010, she launched Green T Design, a company dedicated to green roof design, installations and maintenance. Kerry continues to champion the integration of green roofs where possible.

Tickets at: Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mgaa-fall-symposium-grounded-in-science-tickets-737555718007?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

General Public $50., MGAA Members $40., MGAA Students $30.

"Entropy in Garden Design: Five Disorderly Landscape Projects", with John Harper
2023-10-23 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Winnipeg) | via ZOOM
Join us for this illustrated talk by Winnipeg professional landscape designer and university teacher John Harper, about some of his naturalistic garden projects. Owner of Studio 169 Landscape Architecture, John is known for his sustainable landscape designs that incorporate ecological principles while meeting clients’ practical requirements.
If you’ve seen the MMGA’s Gardening in the Heart video series, you will recall, for example, his beautifully realized design for Master Gardener Lisa Renner’s naturalized garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKOj6OTxTQM . In addition to maintaining his landscape practice, John also teaches landscape design history at the University of Manitoba.
(The presentation will be recorded for registered participants to view later.)

MGAA Board Meeting
2023-10-11 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-09-13 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-08-09 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-07-12 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM

Rimbey and Area Love My Garden Tour 2023
2023-07-29 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Edmonton)
For more information and locations contact: lmorris4@telusplanet.net

Edmonton Horticultural Garden Tour
2023-07-22 10:00 - 2023-07-23 16:00 (America/Edmonton)
The EHS Annual Garden Tour is the most popular event of our year and the perfect way to spend a summer weekend in July.

Tour some of the Edmonton area’s best gardens
Chat with their gardeners
Learn what grows here
Get design and planting ideas
Soak up the beauty

Dates & Tickets: The next tour will be held July 22 and 23, 2023. Gardens are open from 10 am to 4 pm
Tickets on sale now! Click HERE to purchase online or visit one of these locations:

Greenland Garden Centre – 23108 AB-16, Sherwood Park
Apache Seeds – 10136 149 ST NW, Edmonton
Salisbury Greenhouse Sherwood Park – 52337 Range RD 232, Sherwood Park
Salisbury at Enjoy – 101 Riel Dr., St. Albert
Classic Gardens – 10008 6 AVE SW, Edmonton
Wild Birds Unlimited – 12204 107 AVE NW, Edmonton

Volunteering: If you want to do more than just visit the gardens, consider volunteering as a gate keeper. Gate keepers will receive a free ticket to tour all of the gardens.
Each year’s tour is self-guided. Your ticket will include the gardens, their addresses with driving directions, and a brief description of what makes each garden special. Start where you choose and proceed at your own pace. The tour goes rain or shine. We do not offer refunds.
The Gardens: The gardens are chosen for quality and variety. Their gardeners are passionate and ready to welcome visitors. Each garden has a particular charm and special features. Many are award-winning gardens. Each year brings new gardens.
Touring: This event is not to be missed if you enjoy gardens and beautiful plants. Make a day or a weekend of it. Invite a friend or two to join you. Stop for lunch at a favourite restaurant along the route. Take time to really enjoy each garden. Please show your appreciation by following appropriate garden etiquette.
Our thanks to those who make the tour a success.
Our warmest thanks and appreciation to the host gardeners who graciously open their private gardens to our ticket holders.
Each year our tour is made possible by local businesses who generously provide sponsorships, advertise in our ticket booklet, sell tickets and help to promote the tour. We salute you!

Free -- Botanical Gardens and Greenhouse Tour at the Crop Diversification Centre South
2023-07-21
Botanical Garden and Greenhouse Tour.
Friday, July 21, 2023, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
78 Horticultural Station Road (Range Rd 142A), Brooks
MGs, it’s time for a summer field trip! Let’s get together and tour the greenhouses and botanical
gardens at Alberta’s Crop Diversification Centre South, near Brooks. This is an interesting historical
and educational destination for tree and shrub enthusiasts. The botanical gardens include the:
 Heritage Rose Garden, with some one-of-a-kind results of early Canadian rose breeders
 Golden Prairie Arboretum, which encompasses four acres of trees, shrubs and over 100
lilacs
 Forever Green Pinetum, featuring many conifers
 perennial bed/rock garden border and an interactive sundial
Schedule
9:50 am – Meet in the parking lot of the botanical gardens
10:00 am – Hosted greenhouse tour
10:45 am – Self-guided tour of the botanical gardens
12:00 pm – Lunch at the picnic area
12:45 pm – Continue touring the gardens
Details
This field trip will proceed rain or shine, so come prepared with your sunscreen, insect repellent, and
umbrella or rain gear as needed. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Please be aware
that the greenhouses may be extremely warm inside.
Please bring your own bagged lunch, drinks, and snacks. (Food may also be purchased in Brooks.)
Public washrooms are available.
Cost and RSVP
There is no cost for this tour. Please RSVP to Linda at events-south@mgaab.org if you wish to
attend. Please feel free to bring a friend.
Maps and plant information will be provided for attendees upon arrival at the gardens.
Directions and Parking
The Crop Diversification Centre South is a two-hour drive from Calgary. To get there:
1. Follow Highway 1, heading east towards Brooks.
2. Turn south onto Highway 542 and follow Cassils Road E into Brooks.
3. At the Flying J Travel Centre, turn left onto College Drive E (Township Road 185B) and follow it
until it meets Horticultural Station Road (Range Road 142A).
4. Drive south on Horticultural Station Road until you reach the Crop Diversification Centre South.
There is free parking at the botanical gardens.

International Master Gardeners Conference 2023
2023-06-18 - 2023-06-22
