Look for our booth at this free event celebrating Richmond Hill and hosted by Deputy Mayor Godwin Chan.

More info.

With food costs rising and food insecurity being a frequent news and discussion topic, it’s no surprise that many people are interested in learning how to grow their own food. Have you ever wanted to plant a vegetable garden but thought you did not have enough space for one? Well, think again! “Small Space Vegetable Gardening” will cover how you can have a garden and maximize your yields in a very small space. Tonight’s speaker will explain how square foot garden design and use of containers can be leveraged to overcome space constraints.

Master Gardener and Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society Director Sally Hossain has been gardening for more than 40 years, and her education includes a BSc in Biology and additional horticultural studies at the University of Guelph. Sally has prepared and presented compelling educational materials on topics such as pollinators, native plants and vegetable gardening for organizations including the University of Guelph, the City of Richmond Hill, libraries, our local hospital staff, and horticultural societies. She is a dynamic individual with years of experience leading teams to define our horticultural society’s Speaker Program, Greenhouse production, Plant Sales, and Hill House Hospice Garden Maintenance.

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Tonight's guest speaker is a resident of Richmond Hill and will be participating in-person.  Additionally, a representative of the York Region Food Network (YRFN) will briefly speak about the YRFN.

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea

As we age, we often see decreasing physical ability (e.g., lifting and balancing) which can reduce and restrict our ability to carry out certain gardening activities. An older gardener might ask, “When did the decline begin?” A younger gardener might ask, “Is the decline inevitable?” And, as our winter slumber ends, most gardeners should be asking, “How can I physically prepare for all the tasks of the gardening season?” Dave will answer these questions while discussing prevention and risk reduction strategies, so we can live well, garden better, and garden longer, by preventing the preventable and risk managing the rest.

Richmond Hill Garden and Horticultural Society member David McCulloch is a certified personal trainer and an avid gardener. Following 34 years as a meteorologist, he became a personal trainer in 2013 to help others reach their health and fitness goals and to compliment his skills as a karate instructor. He quickly focused on working with the 50+ demographic and began specializing in working with populations such as those with low back pain, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Dave and his wife, Heather Auld, also a meteorologist, focus their gardening efforts on adding native species and implementing weather and climate smart gardening practices. Their garden is considered a popular, "must visit" stop on local Garden Tours.

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Tonight's guest speaker is a resident of Richmond Hill and will be participating in-person. 

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea

Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society volunteers will be on hand at the Central Branch of the Richmond Hill Public Library between 11 am and 12:30 pm for the "Sprouting into Spring" portion of today's agenda to:

• Give away free packets of seeds, including for veggies and pollinator-friendly flowers
• Answer general gardening questions
• Promote membership in our society

Please stop by to say, "Hello," to our friendly volunteers.

And, please check back closer to the event date for more information.

Plantsman, nursery owner, and author Gary Lewis travels the world in search of beauty and inspiration in gardens and nature both on personal trips and while leading garden and botanical tours. In this talk you’ll travel across Canada, the US, and Mexico and then to Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia discovering many unforgettable features of some of the world’s most beautiful gardens and wild landscapes. This talk will be packed with design ideas for hardscape and softscape, cool plants, dynamic plant combinations, garden art, and more. Whether you’re a home gardener or a landscape professional, this talk will inspire you with new ideas to take your space(s) to the next level – all while taking a whirlwind trip around the world!

Gary Lewis has had a lifelong passion for plants. While completing a Masters of Science degree in Botany, Gary became the owner of Phoenix Perennials on his 28th birthday. Since then, he has greatly expanded the business into a dynamic, award-winning, destination nursery for Western Canada. In 2013 Phoenix Perennials launched Canadian mail order to bring their unique plant selection to a broader audience and now ships more than 2,500 plants a year to avid gardeners from coast to coast to coast. Commendations include earning the title, “Communicator of the Year” in 2013 by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association.
Gary is a regular speaker at garden clubs and has appeared many times on radio and television. In addition to writing articles for gardening magazines such as Fine Gardening, he authored the award winning, “The Complete Book of Ground Covers,” published in 2022.  

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The guest speaker for our sixteenth annual Barker Lecture is planning to attend the meeting via Zoom. A live video broadcast of his remote participation will be projected onto a large screen in the auditorium.

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea

Pollinators face threats from climate change, habitat loss, misuse of pesticides, and also invasive species that impact their ability to thrive and survive. This presentation will highlight ways gardeners can help through actions such as selecting pollinator friendly plants and providing habitat essential to pollinator survival.

Master Gardener and Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society Director Sally Hossain has been gardening for more than 40 years, and her education includes a BSc in Biology and additional horticultural studies at the University of Guelph. Sally has prepared and presented compelling educational materials on topics such as pollinators, native plants and vegetable gardening for organizations including the University of Guelph, the City of Richmond Hill, libraries, our local hospital staff, and horticultural societies. She is a dynamic individual with years of experience leading teams to define our horticultural society’s Speaker Program, Greenhouse production, Plant Sales, and Hill House Hospice Garden Maintenance.



Tonight's guest speaker is a resident of Richmond Hill and will be participating in-person.  



Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea

Peonies are beloved for their gorgeous blooms and captivating fragrance. They are adaptable, easy to grow plants that fit into any garden style. Tonight’s speaker will reveal the different types of peonies that can be grown in our gardens, and highlight variances in flower forms and colours. She will also share how we can achieve 6 weeks of peony blooms in our gardens, and tips for dealing with the few pests and diseases that can plague peonies.

Ingrid Janssen is a horticulturist, speaker, blogger and master gardener. She has been gardening for most of her life and is a passionate, some would say, “Crazy” gardener. Ingrid is an inspirational speaker who has appeared on TV and has spoken at Canada Blooms several times. She has both ornamental and food production gardens on her country property and has been a dedicated native plant enthusiast for more than 30 years. Ingrid earned a Horticulturist Diploma from the University of Guelph and is an active member of several horticultural and plant societies, as well as the Durham Master Gardeners.

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Tonight's guest speaker is planning to participate in-person.  

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea