You may pay for events by credit card. Returns/Cancellation Policy: Event ticket sales are all final and no returns will be given. If an event needs to be cancelled on the published date due to circumstances outside the OBGS control then an alternative date will be offered and if unsuitable then a refund will be given.

Upcoming Talks

The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson Monday, April 26th, 2010 (NOTE DATE CHANGE) "From Parking Lot to Paradise; The Making of an Urban Garden"

Photo credit Ned Pratt The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society continues to bring to Ottawa important speakers who enlighten and excite us about the world of horticulture. To that end, we are pleased to announce that The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson will speak to our members and the general public on Monday, April 26th, 2010, about building her new garden in Toronto where a six-car parking lot once stood. Our former Governor General is a keen gardener, has hosted the Canadian Peony Society national show twice at Rideau Hall, and she and her husband, John Raulston Saul were instrumental in making the splendid gardens at the official residence of the Governor General what they are today. When: Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 7:00 pm Where: The Library and Archives Canada 395 Wellington Street (ample parking available in large lot east of the Archives) Cost: $20 individual members of the OBGS $23 group members of the OBGS $25 general public Current members (2010) will have priority purchasing through the month of January. Tickets will be available to the general public as of February 1st, 2010. To become a member, or to renew membership, click here. To purchase a ticket, send your cheque in a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society P.O. Box 74009, 5 Beechwood Avenue Ottawa, ON, K1M 2H9 or purchase your ticket with a credit card. For further inquiries, call: 613-747-0600 or email: eventcoordinator@ottawagarden.ca

Upcoming Workshops

TBA

Previous Talks & Tours Sponsored by the Ottawa Botanical Garden Society

Winter Wreath Workshop in a Heated Shed for 15 Members only! Sunday, November 29, 10:00am to 4:00pm Presented by Sue and Tim Dyer at Kings Creek Trees and Ornamentals located near Munster, about 40 minutes from downtown Ottawa Cost is $60 including hot lunch and one wreath made by you! To make a second wreath or a centrepiece costs an additional $45 You will prune and gather your own material in the woods with the experts! Unusual Christmas trees and holiday goodies for sale!

Summer Garden Tours in Ottawa A Dry Garden Tour: July 22 and July 23, 2009 Tour of Fleurette Huneault's Dry Garden

Rideau Canal Garden Tours July 31 to August 3, 2009

The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society and the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association jointly presented: Julie Moir Messervy: Home Outside Award-winning author and landscape designer, Julie Moir Messervy, presented both an evening lecture/slide show, and a morning workshop on composing gardens of beauty and meaning to create a “home outside” the home. Inspired by her upcoming book, Home Outside, released early in 2009, these presentations were geared toward home gardeners, designers and landscape contractors. www.juliemoirmesservy.com Julie Moir Messervy inspires Ottawa Landscape Ontario : Thursday April 9, 2009 Julie Moir Messervy Event Photos by Angela Snowdon The Lecture, "Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love" Wednesday February 25, 2009 at Centrepointe Theatre, Julie guided the audience through a landscape artist’s thought process by sharing her six critical steps to creating a ‘home outside.’ Her ideas have encouraged a new generation of professionals and homeowners to create inspired gardens that reflect an inward vision deeply rooted in outdoor archetypes, childhood imagination and aesthetic impulses. The Workshop, Creating Home Outside: Techniques and Tips for Homeowners, Designers and Builders, on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at the RA Centre: a three-hour, hands-on design workshop/seminar limited to 100 people. Elaborating on the six critical steps to making “home outside” outlined in her lecture, Ms. Messervy focused on design details, construction techniques, and invaluable tips. Press Releases & Bio Press Release Home Outside Creating the Landscape You Love Book Release Julie Moir Messervy Biography The Ottawa Citizen: January 31, 2009 "Thinking outside the box - 'People long for landscapes that bring pleasure,' says designer, who shares her winning secrets next month" By Laura Robin

Monday, December 8, 2008 at Library and Archives Canada, 7:00pm The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society and the Ottawa Valley Rock Garden and Horticultural Society jointly presented: "Grasses and Grasscapes: From the Four Corners of the Earth to You, A Talk by Dave Demers" Dave Demers, a modern day plant hunter and garden designer, delighted his audience with his sumptuous photographs of grasscapes in the wild, and in cutting-edge gardens. Mr. Demers, who has traveled the world to discover plants in their native habitats, outlined and described the best grass cultivars for our northern landscapes. Dave currently owns Cyan Horticulture, a design-build landscape company in Vancouver,www.cyanhorticulture.com For ticket information, please see the flyer. For the Press Release, please click here. Dave Demers   Josie Pazdzior (President of the Ottawa Valley Rock Garden and Horticultural Society), Dave Demers, Jane Panet (Chairperson of the Ottawa Botanical Garden Society)   back row: Louise Tanguay, Beth Stikeman front row: Dave Demers, Mary Pratte   Many thanks to Dave for allowing me to photograph him for this website. His youth, enthusiasm, and knowledge of grasses and their use in the home landscape, were inspiring. Thank you. Angela Snowdon

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at Library and Archives Canada, 7:00pm The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society and the Ottawa Horticultural Society jointly present: "The Edible Landscape: Growing Food in the City" A talk by Laura Berman Laura Berman, is a guerrilla gardener with a background in landscape architecture, graphic design, and horticulture. Now she is a photographer who will talk about "edible landscapes" and our increasing interest in growing healthy and organic food in our cities...places where the red and green lettuces, sugar snap peas, and rainbow chard share beds with the perennials! For ticket information, please see the flyer. For the Press Release please click here.

August 1,2,3,4, 10:00 a.m. Rideau Canal Garden Tours

June 14 and June 15, 2008 "OVER THE HEDGE" A Country Garden Tour with a Twist!

May 13, 2008 Des Kennedy The Gardens of Ireland and Passionate Encounters in the Garden The fourth and last talk of the 2007/2008 garden talks sponsored by Waste Management of Canada was a presentation by award-winning journalist, environmental activist, and unrepentant gardener Des Kennedy. For the first half of the evening, Des delighted a large and enthusiastic audience with a visual and literary exploration of the lush landscapes and gardens of the Emerald Isle. For the second half, he read an excerpt from “Passionate Encounters in the Garden,” a steamy satire on the passionate life of the gardener. Des Kennedy Many thanks to the Barrhaven Garden Club which co-sponsored the talk by Des Kennedy. (L-R) Barrhaven Garden Club executive member Anne Moon; Freda Godby, President; Des Kennedy; Jane Panet, Chair Ottawa Botanical Garden Society; Virginia Theoret, executive member of the Barrhaven Garden Club. Photographer Angela Snowdon writes, "My sincerest thanks to Des Kennedy for allowing me to photograph him. He was warm, accommodating, and very down to earth. It was truly a pleasure to meet him face-to-face." Flyer "Des Kennedy's Eastern and Southern Ontario Speaking Tour 2008"

March 12, 2008 Alexander Reford (flyer) Plant Hunters of the Himalayas Alexander Reford, Director of Les Jardins de Métis/The Reford Gardens, historian and armchair explorer, recounted the courageous and sometimes foolhardy adventures of the plant hunters of the Himalayas. He regaled his audience with stories of the men, and a few adventurous women, who traversed dangerous mountain passes while fleeing wild tribes, enduring leeches and snakes and suffering the extremes of the wild alpine climate, all for the sake of finding unusual plants for themselves and their patrons. Back Row left to right: Mary Pratte, OBGS Programme Co-ordinator Alexander Reford, President and Director of the Reford Gardens (Les Jardins de Métis/The Reford Gardens), author and historian. Jane Panet Chairperson, the Ottawa Botanical Garden Society Front row: June Norgaard, Past President, the Ottawa Garden Club Anstace Esmonde-White, Former PBS co-host of "From a Country Garden", co-author of "Vegetables from a Country Garden" Sally Hutchison, President, The Ottawa Garden Club Alexander Reford "My sincerest thanks to Alexander Reford who gave me permission to use his image on our site. He was not only knowledgeable and easy to listen to, but a charmingly delightful person. Angela Snowdon"

December 5, 2007 The Magic of Thai Gardens Internationally acclaimed Canadian photographer Louise Tanguay gave a photo tour of exotic Thai gardens. The Embassy of Thailand generously donated bouquets of orchids which were given away as door prizes and provided a sampling of Thai food. Popular garden radio host Ed Lawrence introduced the speaker.

October 22, 2007 How to Make a Garden -- Even Better Marjorie Harris, author of over 13 books on gardening and and Editor-in-Chief of Gardening Life magazine, based her talk on her recent book "How to Make a Garden: The 7 Essential Steps for the Canadian Gardener". The talk was a joint presentation of the Ottawa Horticultural Society and the Ottawa Botanical Garden Society.

August 2007 Bus Trip to International Flora Montreal The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society and the Friends of the Farm jointly sponsored a one-day bus trip to this international garden festival in the Old Port of Montreal.

June 2007 -- A Passion for Gardens A tour of seven private gardens.