By Elaine Scott
The Vancouver Island Heather Society is planning to hold its 2022 sale on Saturday, April 2 at 10 a.m. until noon or until sold out. Current COVID protocols will be respected. We have not been able to hold our annual sale for the past two years and are very excited to be able to offer you more than 1,000 very interesting plants for sale.
Wilson’s Nursery and Ground Effects will be the suppliers of the plants. This is the last year that heathers will be offered by Wilson’s Nursery. Unusual heathers such as the ever popular tree heaths and old favorites such as Erica williamsii “Ken Wilson”, Erica tetralix “Alba Mollis” and Erica vagans “Mrs. F.D,. Maxwell” come from this nursery. Thus, this sale will probably be the last one in which you will be able to buy quite a wide variety of rarely offered cultivars.
If you are new to gardening on Vancouver Island you may be asking yourself why you would plant heathers in you garden. These plants are known to grow very well on Vancouver Island. They give year-round colour both from the flowers and foliage, have wonderful ground cover qualities without being invasive, are evergreen, hardy and require little maintenance. They are relatively free from pests and disease and, last but not least, other than bud bloomers the flowers provide wonderful nectar loved by our native bees. Just watch your winter flowering heather on a sunny February day and you will agree with me.
Before you go to the sale think about where in your garden you intend to plant your heathers. Remember that they will need lime-free, well-drained well-cultivated soil, at least five to six hours of direct sun daily, will not tolerate boggy areas and need to be watered at least once a week to ensure that they do not dry out during the heat of the summer. Avoid using manures as they are too rich for these plants.
Also, you may wish to do your homework before attending the sale. You will be able to visit the listing of both the cultivars and the kits that will be on sale by visiting the Vancouver Island Heather Society web site at www.bcheathersociety.org. By going to the sale armed with your list of plants you wish to buy you will be more likely to be able to purchase your favorites.
Past customers know full well that it is important to get to the sale early in order to be able to buy those plants that are “must haves” for your garden. The sale will take place at the Stu Armour Building, Cobble Hill Fairgrounds (Fisher Road). Members of the Society will be on hand to help you make your choices and members of the Victoria Master Gardener Association will be there to answer general gardening questions. Please note: payment at the sale can be by cash, cheque, and e-transfer.
Elaine Scott is a member of the Vancouver Island Heather Society.