School & Youth Programs Spring Break Camp Staff  The Gardens at HCP is a public garden for learning in Saanich, BC. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP) is a not-for-profit society focused on the provision of horticulture education and the development and maintenance of 103 acres of educational gardens and conservation lands. We are currently looking for  two secondary school students to fill our Spring Break Camp Staff positions. The successful candidates will work with the School & Youth Programs Coordinator to assist with the planning and delivery of the spring cam ..read more

By Bethany Couture Permaculture can be challenging to define, but at its core, it is based on creating sustainable systems that mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature. Its holistic approach aims to integrate human activities with natural systems. In the context of gardening, it seeks to establish a harmonious coexistence of people, plants, animals, insects, and the elements to foster a more self-sustaining ecosystem with less need for external inputs. Think of it like orchestrating a symphony where each element of the garden plays a vital role, contributing to the overall health ..read more

The Gardens at HCP (https://hcp.ca/) is a public garden and place of learning in Saanich. The HCP is a non-profit society and charitable organization focused on the provision of horticulture education and the development and maintenance of 103 acres of educational gardens and conservation lands. ABOUT THE JOB… The Operations Manager should be a high-energy professional who is proactive and self-motivated with a demonstrated ability to think and plan strategically. Ideally, a qualified Operations Manager of a Non-profit will wear many different hats and have experience in the different facets c ..read more

This year at Arts & Music in the Gardens we are excited to be hosting a Silent Auction as a fundraiser. Please visit the Pavilion at Arts & Music in the Gardens (August 12 & 13) to view the items on auction and place your bid. To view a list of items, please visit the Silent Auction page HERE. One of the items on auction was donated by our front desk volunteer, Louisa Bartlett. Here is a description of the beautiful hand made quilt she created during Covid. COVID Quilt Number One by Louisa Bartlett Quilt is made of 100% cotton strips of material from left over mask material, sewn o ..read more

Introducing Barb DeRousie Enjoy a sneak preview of one of our vendors who will be exhibiting at Arts & Music in the Gardens this year. We are very excited to introduce Barb DeRousie who will be at Booth #25. To learn more about Arts & Music in the Gardens, please visit the EVENT PAGE. To learn more about Barb DeRousie, please visit her WEBSITE. PreviousNext 1234 By Barb DeRousie “I began painting with watercolour in the winter of 2012, and in the Spring of 2013, I entered a student art show and, to my surprise, sold eleven paintings! I continued my newfound passion of pai ..read more

Special Topic: Forest Grooming  Student Blog Post by Lynsey Saunders and Felicia Pedersen When envisioning plans for a new garden design, or even when considering day-to-day maintenance and your gardening To-Do list, do you think about wildfire damage prevention and wildfire preventative maintenance? When applying to Pacific Horticulture College, I never imagined myself learning about or factoring wildfire resiliency into my horticultural practises, until Jennie Sparkes of Fire Break Garden Restoration Services came to present Forest Grooming for one of our Special Topics classes. So, wh ..read more

For more information about this position, please visit the link below: College Director Job Posting Spring 2023 Final The post We Are Hiring – College Director appeared first on Horticulture Centre of the Pacific ..read more

By Marnie Dangerfield (with support and input from Nathan Docksteader and Linda Petite) Meadow Making at HCP Gardens You may notice a new soil covered area next to the children’s food garden during your next visit to the gardens. On Friday, March 24th, 2023, with the help of some keen volunteer students from the Pacific Horticulture College (PHC), and guidance from Nathan (of Coevolve Gardening and Horticultural Services, as well as an instructor at PHC), along with support and assistance from Linda, Head Gardener at HCP, we began the first steps in transforming a lawn area to a more biodivers ..read more

An Introduction to Beekeeping Student Blog post by Kathryn Alvarez and Braedan Drouillard Recently, the Pacific Horticulture College’s 2023 cohort were treated to a presentation by local renowned beekeeper, Gordon Mackay, who shared an introduction to beekeeping as well his passion for apiculture. In this blog post, we provide an overview of what to keep in mind for “new-bees” who are interested in learning about beekeeping, as well as a first-hand account by Braedan of his experiences as a backyard beekeeper. Apiary Site If you are interested in having your own hive and you live in the Capita ..read more

by Linda Petite Last week one of our instructors emailed me to ask if I noticed the unusual parallel cuts on the bark of the Arbutus unedo in the Drought Tolerant Garden. After standing there in awe of the amazing patterns this unknown rodent or bird had created , I decided it best to take some pictures and send it out to a few local experts.     Nobody knew for sure what was doing the damage, but it looked like something with teeth! We went to look for something to wrap the trunk with to deter the unknown culprit and there it was busy at work! Busted! A red- breasted sapsuc ..read more