Get Ready to Attend the ArtisTREE Festival July 26 and 27

Government House grounds will be transformed by 150 juried artisans, art installations, painters, interactive workshops, Indigenous creators, and live music at the bandshell during this family friendly, free event 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

President Elspeth beside the eye-catching floral arrangement at last year’s ArtisTree event.

Friends of Government House Gardens Society greeters eager to share details of Friend volunteer activities and where to purchase greeting cards, fresh cut flowers, and everlasting bouquets to take home, will welcome visitors from their booth at the front gate.

The costume museum will be open from 12 to 4 p.m., and a free tour is offered at 3 and 4 p.m. both days.
Your donations are welcome to help support both the non-profit organization running the festival, and The Friends volunteers who maintain the gardens year-round.

 Please note:  There is no on-site parking.

Our Most Senior Greeter

Gerry Houlden holds the title of “vintage” volunteer for the Friends. “I joined the Friends in November 2019 when my wife, Junine, got me started. We found a spot as Greeters which we enjoy and can do together, says Gerry. As well, he says, “I also spend time at the downtown harbour Visitors Center as a member of Destination Greater Victoria. Meeting and helping tourists is very enjoyable.”
      He was born on October 3, 1925, in South Burnaby, B.C.and attended school where Metrotown now stands. He enjoyed most sports and excelled in baseball and soccer.
      His first job was at the Vancouver CPR Depot
Purchasing Dept. He ordered food from requisitions
provided by the chief stewards of the B.C. Coast
Steamships, now known as the C.P. Pacific Railway Coast Service. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy at 18 and served for two-and-a-half years during World War II.
      Following his discharge, Gerry worked for Chevron Canada for 38 years in locations
throughout southern B.C. and Alberta. “During early retirement in Victoria, he joined a
group of men andwomen to form a slow-pitch team that won gold medals in the first senior provincial tournament in Vernon in 1988.“My first wife passed away after 41 years of marriage. I met and married Junine 35 years ago. We have three daughters, six grandchildren, and four great grandchildren,”says Gerry. He has volunteered extensively over the past 40 years.
      When asked his secret to longevity, Gerry says, “It seems I have been blessed with
good genes. Exercise and a good diet are also important.

Rudi’s Tea Room, the Costume Museum,
and the Nursery Garden Now Open

Enjoy dishes from Rudi’s new menu, or revisit some of your favourites. The hours are from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. Volunteers enjoy a cup of coffee or tea for only $2.50. Be sure to wear your Friends’ name tag to receive your discount.

The “Mews Crew” also begins its new season on May 20.  Its experienced greeters are ready to welcome you, answer questions, give directions, or suggest finishing a tour of the gardens with well-deserved refreshments at Rudi’s. The Nursery Garden hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon.

 

Hi Ho The Flower Arrangers:   
Government House gardens were abuzz with activity for Mother’s Day bouquet sales.

Roz (left) and Elizabeth harvest lilacs by the bucket full.

For their annual Mother’s Day floral arrangements, 12 volunteers harvested 30 buckets of floral materials which were then conditioned and stored on the Cottage porch overnight.  The next day, 18 volunteers began transforming these garden finds into 30 vases and six teacup arrangements. Says Liz Thompson, Floral Arrangers Cutting Garden coordinator,“We are never certain of what flowers will be available because of the unpredictable spring weather.  However, this year’s offering exceeded all expectations with stunning results.”  The volunteers used fresh, bright greens, lilacs, candelabra primulas, blue bells, hellebores and many more plants to create their bouquets.

(From left): Bernadette, Margaret, and Iris.

The arrangements are then taken to the Bruce Pavilion for the customers who have pre-ordered the bouquets. 
Says Liz, “We were thrilled to share these beautiful arrangements with our regular, and many new, clients. It is a great start to this year’s garden bouquet offerings.”  Fresh cut flowers will be available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the Tea Room.

 

 

Raising High the Roof Beams
– Well, In This Case, the Vegetable Beds

(from left) Debbie, Susie, and Mary.
The eye-catching field of lime green caps atop each rebar support are there to protect our volunteers from possible injury.

Mary (Vegetable Garden co-ordinator), and her hardworking volunteers, prepared 12 vegetable garden rows for planting on April 15.  The group raised the beds to make it easier to plant, weed, and harvest the many vegetable varieties they raise each year. Most of the produce is sold to Friends’ members, some is used in the tea room, approximately 10 per cent goes to charity throughout the season, and a basket is given to Her Honour each week.
Mary says, “These permanent frames widen the growing surface and will help increase our production of lettuce, salad greens, beets, spinach, carrots and radishes.  And, by keeping the soil in the beds, we gain wider aisles for easier working access.”  Spinach and spring salad mix should be ready by the end of May.