Master Gardeners Association of Alberta

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, 2023-06-14 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-05-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-04-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-03-15 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Edmonton) and 2 more dates | 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

MGAA Study Day
2023-06-17
Our First In-Person Study Day

The MGAA Learning Committee is very excited to present our first Study Day on June 17 in Calgary. This is an opportunity to increase your knowledge with Jane Reksten, a perennial expert and highly respected horticulturalist. After the morning presentation, participants will spend the afternoon touring two incredible local gardens. These two spaces are truly unique and showcase a level of horticultural excellence not often seen.
This is a member’s only event but we invite you to bring along a guest. Tickets are $25/person. Space is limited. For more information and to purchase tickets send an email to learning@mgaab.org.
Hope to see you there!
Ecological Gardening – perennials and their garden habitats
Gardeners that look beyond their garden gate will have found it hard to ignore the trend towards what is variously known as: ‘naturalistic planting design’; ‘designing with plants’; ‘new wave perennials planting’ or ‘wild-scaping’. They describe a philosophy of gardening which requires seeing plants for more than their flowers, embracing their form, structure, and how well they earn their keep after they have died back in the fall. Gardeners that follow this movement aim to use plants based on ‘ecological rather than purely aesthetic principles, which ultimately should lead to low-maintenance, sustainable gardening spaces.

In this workshop we will go beyond the simplified information typically found in plant catalogues and on tags. We will dig deeper into the true habits and growth patterns of plants, and discuss the importance of their origins – all of which allows us to use plants successfully. We will make a close examination of garden habitats, and study the difference between highly bred border perennials and native perennials, and their suitability for the garden.

Jane’s bio
Jane Reksten has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria in Microbiology and Environmental Studies and a Diploma in Horticulture from Olds College. She worked in the landscape maintenance and development industry for five years before joining the Calgary Zoo and Botanical Gardens, first as the Schoolyard Naturalization Project leader, and then the Botanical Education Coordinator and Manager of Continuing Education. Jane joined Olds College in 2011 and managed the Botanic Gardens and Greenhouses until 2020. She is now an independent consultant, and the Head Gardener for Lougheed House. Jane is a regular writer and speaker on a variety of gardening topics and has a particular interest in perennials and design.

CRAGS (Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society) Plant Sale
2023-06-03 12:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton) | Lakeview Community Association Hall, 6110 – 34th Street SW., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
CRAGS ANNUAL PLANT SALE: SATURDAY JUNE 3, 2023
CRAGS Plant Sale Saturday June 3, 2023:

Open to the public noon to 4pm.
Volunteers get early pick from about 11:15am to noon.
Setup starts about 9:45am.
Buyers: Please try to bring a tray or box for your purchases. Each vendor handles his or her own payments, so please bring some small denominations of cash.

CRAGS has been holding an annual plant sale for over 30 years! 2023 will be the 32nd year we’ve had a sale. The club’s portion of the proceeds go to pay for our speaker series, which features local and international speakers.
Over the years we’ve relied on our own members who produce specialty rock garden plants. Commercial vendors have come and, sadly, gone. We all miss the late Willi Roth and also Roger Barlow of BC. Lately we have at least one wildflower specialist and an orchid specialist who usually come to our sales.
But the variety and quantity of plants at our sale continues to amaze. Many member growers offer plants that have been started from seed under lights only a few months prior to the sale, or one to two years prior. These small plants are often successful transplants into a trough, crevice garden, or other rock garden, after a short period of hardening-off. Some members bring small self-seeded plants or divisions from plants in their garden, so you can be sure those are hardy in our areas. And the prices are below what a commercial nursery would charge, as their offerings are usually much larger and older.
Then there are the happy surprises such as Martagon Lily divisions from established perennial gardens, and even tomato seedlings, because even rock gardeners have other types of garden plants in their yards.
Holding the event outdoors since 2021 has been very pleasant, though the set-up is a little more work. (Volunteers always welcome for that!). We have the option to move indoors at the Lakeview Community Hall if the weather is bad.
If you are a grower planning to offer plants at the sale, or a member wishing to volunteer for setup, teardown, or other work such as cashiers, please contact Patti at president@crags.ca

Edmonton Horticultural Society Plant Share
2023-06-03 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Edmonton) | Edmonton Horticultural Society Office, 10746 – 178 ST NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton Horticultural Society Plant Share
Gardeners love to share! The EHS’s semi-annual Perennial Exchange is a great opportunity to find new homes for your extra plants, exchange them for new ones, and buy locally hardy plants at reasonable prices. You can donate and buy garden tools, too.
This event is held twice a year—each spring just as you are getting started and may have extra plants, and during fall clean-up when you may be dividing perennials or have seeds to share.
Here’s how it works:
For every plant you bring, you get one credit. During the exchange, you can trade your credits for plants that someone else brought. After the exchange portion of the event, remaining plants are sold for very reasonable prices. There are vendor and display tables to browse and the popular Garden Tools table, where EHS members and others can donate gently used unwanted garden equipment to be sold to benefit EHS.

Gallardia

Why participate?

To get new plants that grow well locally
To share your excess plants with others
To meet fellow gardeners
To have a good time

Prepare before you come.
Guidelines for preparing your plants:

Please pot healthy plants in individual, sturdy containers (not paper or plastic bags, please). Bulk, bare root stock (such as iris) is permitted but must be identified as to the quantity of tubers, bulbs, or corms, as well as the labeling requirements listed below.
Plants must be labeled. Please identify plants by botanical name, if known, and common name. It’s very helpful if you can also indicate height, spread, bloom colour, location preference, and bloom time.

Qualifiers

No guarantee is offered that there will be plant material available of equal value to your plants.
No credit is given for Chives or Goutweed.
We do not accept plants designated as noxious or prohibited noxious. For a complete list see the fact sheets at abinvasives.ca

Okotokes Plant Swap & Sale
2023-05-27 09:30 - 11:30 (America/Edmonton)

Calgary Horticultural Society Plant Share
2023-05-27 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Edmonton) | Calgary Horticultural Society Office, 2725 33 Ave SW in Richmond Green Park, CALGARY, Alberta, Canada
Save the Date!

The Society hosts two plant shares a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The objective of our Plant Share is sharing excess plant material between Society members. Members can also receive information about plants such as their needs and habits, as plant advisors are on hand to answer questions. They can also help you choose the right plant for the right location in your garden.

You can also share seeds at the Plant Share. At the seed exchange table, drop off your extra seeds. If there are seeds at the table that you want, make a seed exchange or a monitory donation. Seeds remaining at the end of the Plant Share will be donated to a garden in need.

Exhibitors
We are inviting our corporate and affiliate members and program partners to exhibit during the Plant Share. They will be able to sell products, services, and memberships at this event, as well as share information. While you wait for your letter to be called, visit their tables. To learn more about our corporate and affiliate members, visit the Friends of the Society Directory under the Membership menu.

Special to this Event
After sharing has wrapped up, around 11:00 am, the Society has a few special activities: the unveiling of a memorial bench, the member launch of the YardSmart Design- Garden Bed for Native Wildflowers garden, and the sharing of cake to celebrate the Society’s 115 years of serving Calgary and area gardeners. Plan to join us for the whole morning. We expect all our activities to be complete by noon.

Plan to attend. Registration is not required.
This is a members-only event.
Members may use their Bring a Friend benefit and invite a quest to attend with them.

CRAGS Webinar-Greening Rooftops in Alberta
2023-05-11 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Edmonton) | Lakeview Community Association Hall, 6110 – 34th Street SW., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
CRAGS Webinar-Greening Rooftops in Alberta
Thu, May 11, 2023 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM MDT
All are welcome at this in-person meeting which will be held at Lakeview Community Hall and online.
For Non-Members $8:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/greening-rooftops-in-alberta-with-kerry-ross-tickets-624396134647?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

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 residential construction, bringing the multi-beneficial nature-based strategy to the roof.

Come learn about the basics including what green roofs are, what they do, their design considerations and how they help solve the most pressing ecological and developmental issues facing our communities. Cold-climate case studies from nearby and abroad will be presented and discussed to highlight the beauty and benefits of adding more vegetation to the built environment. Green roofs can offer new opportunities to use alpine plants, and Kerry will discuss suitable plants for rooftops.
In 2000, 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 remains a local champion of incorporating green roofs where possible.
Non-members of CRAGS are also cordially invited to attend our in-person meetings, where they can find out more about our club and join up. If they prefer not to join, we would appreciate their $5 donation for speaker costs.

MGAA GARDEN CENTRE TOUR
2023-05-06 09:00 - 13:30 (America/Edmonton)
When: Saturday May 6th
Time: Starts at 9 AM
Where: Spruce it Up, Countryside Landscapes in DeWinton, Beaver Dam Nursery and Saskatoon Farm
Hello everyone: I am looking to organize an ad hoc ‘in person’ tour of some garden centers in the Calgary area & region on Saturday, May 6th.
SEE BELOW FOR APPROXIMATE TIMES

Spruce It Up
159 210 Avenue SW, Calgary
9 AM-10 AM (approximately)

Countryside Garden Centre
31-2255 DRIVE WEST,
DE WINTON, ALBERTA
10 AM-11 AM (approximately)

Beaver Dam Nursery
354152 76th St. E.
Okotoks
11 AM-Noon (approximately)

#20 80181 338 Ave East,
Foothills County
Noon-whenever
Restaurant Available

Please email me at events-south@mgaab.org asap if you are at all interested in participating in the tour.
Linda Mulligan
Director Events South

Bees In the Garden - A How To Guide supporting Bee Habitat in your design
2023-04-19 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton)
In this short session, Eliese will be sharing planting options for container, lawn alternatives, and garden plant selections to support native and not native bee species. She will also share ways in which you can design your space to encourage bee nesting sites and incorporate honey bee colonies into your garden design and summer time hobbies!
Free for Members. $10.35 for non-members

Crags (Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society) Rock Gardens of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
2023-04-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Nestled in the ski town of Vail, Colorado at 8,200ft, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is home to many alpine and rock garden plants from North America and beyond. Curator of Plant Collections, Nick Courtens, invites you on an exclusive tour of the various rock gardens that have been built throughout the past 30 years including several crevice gardens, trough gardens, rock walls and even an alpine house full of rare and unusual alpine plants. Learn about the construction of these rock gardens and the plants that grow in this 4.5-acre public botanic garden through stunning pictures and in depth stories.
Free to CRAGS members. Eventbrite link coming soon.

Trees & their ability to adapt to Climate Change
2023-03-29 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton) | via ZOOM
Event free to members of the Master Gardeners Association of Alberta

Aaron Cull is a Master Gardener, holds a Bachelor of Science in Botany & is an ISC certified Arborist. He has owned/operated Evergreen Ltd. for the past 15 years. Aaron decided to take his Master Gardening certification because his customers kept asking him gardening questions that didn’t relate to trees! Read Aaron’s talk outline below:
Trees and their ability to adapt to Climate Change.’ In this presentation I will be discussing best growing strategies to ensure long term survival of trees and improvements that can be made from current standards of practice. This presentation will take a look at nursery stock and progress to the backyard of the consumer. As well as the 5 best trees to grow in Alberta that are currently not susceptible to disease. This will draw from current literature and research studies which will be provided as a separate Literature Cited page at the end of the presentation for further reading.
I am not monetarily being funded by any third party or promoting any one product. All information is based on my company experience over the past 10 years and changing environmental conditions.

Edmonton Seedy Sunday
2023-03-26 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton) | Alberta Avenue Hall 9210 118 Ave NW Edmonton, AB
Edmonton Seedy Sunday
March 26, 2023
11:00 am to 4:00pm
​Alberta Avenue Hall
9210 118 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB

Calgary Seedy Saturday
2023-03-25 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Edmonton) | Winston-Heights Mountview Community Association (520 27 Ave NE)
Seedy Saturday will be happening on Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 10am to 3pm at Winston-Heights Mountview Community Association (520 27 Ave NE). This is a free, drop-in event.
Please note that while masking is no longer required, we respect the right of those participants wishing to wear masks.

Calgary Seedy Saturday is keeping the skill of growing from seed to seed alive in Calgary. As large commercial seed companies consolidate and only offer more hybrids and patented varieties, we are increasingly losing the regionally adapted collections that have developed in our unique prairie climate.

Calgary Seedy Saturday is part of the worldwide Seedy Saturday/Sunday events that celebrate open-pollinated seeds.

Contact Information
You can reach us at calgaryseedysaturday@gmail.com, or visit our facebook page.

Mixing it up - Evolving Gardens 2023
2023-01-21 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Vancouver)
Register
