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Adventure Gardening
BRAVE NEW PLANT WORLD
» Thursday 26 March 2009 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan HOME. Join us as naturalist and author Eva Durance, xeriscape specialist Lisa Masini, community gardening activist Teresa Banka, and horticultural therapist Kenna Bridge stimulate our green imaginations.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Scratching the Spring Green Thumb Itch
Spring is sprung, at least if you ignore the current temperatures, intermittent snow flurries, and black ice in the morning. Officially though, the calendar has moved us into the season of waving daffodils, new growth, blossoms on the trees, and all those highly appreciated signs that summer is on the way.
On Thursday, March 26th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Adventure Gardening: Brave New Plant World, featuring a range of horticultural experts offering timely information on local growing needs, especially the use of native plants in personal landscapes. Xeriscape landscaping, as well as community gardens, are the focus of our attention and this session should prove valuable to all those local green thumbs itching for the frost to fade. Speakers are Penticton naturalist and author Eva Durance, xeriscape specialist Lisa Masini, community gardening activist Teresa Banka , and horticultural therapist Kenna Bridge.
 Eva Durance is a life-long gardener, naturalist and writer, with particular interest in indigenous plants of North America. As a landscape designer, she specializes in public and private xeriscapes which incorporate native plants. Eva is author of Cultivating the Wild, the first comprehensive guide to gardening with native plants of the semi-arid Northwest. Gardeners will find plenty of information and design ideas in this publication while all readers will appreciate the wealth of information on plants systems of the Interior ecosystems. Eva's talk will provide similar information on combining native and non-native plants in local landscaping.
 Lisa Masini is the first Okanagan landscape designer specializing exclusively in creating xeriscape environments based on low water and chemical use. Her passion for the environment began while completing a Masters in Cognitive Psychology at UBC, where she learned that natural landscapes benefit body and mind by reducing stress and anxiety. She has since completed certificates in Landscape Horticulture and Landscape Design. Her business focuses on helping Okanagan home-owners reconnect with nature by creating relaxing, beautiful outdoor spaces. Lisa is a co-founder of the non-profit Okanagan Xeriscape Association, is involved in the "One Block at a Time" Kelowna streetscaping project, and has lots of xeriscape expertise to share with listeners.
 Teresa Banka is a mother of four who has enjoyed gardening in Kelowna for 14 years. Teresa was instrumental in the Rutland Elementary Parental Advisory Committee's decision to secure a plot in the Harman Road Community Garden so school children might raise their own vegetables. Teresa serves as the school's "garden parent", is a volunteer coordinator of the Hartland Road garden, and is a member of the Central Okanagan Community Garden Society. Teresa also assists is the creation of local gardens on school properties. As a local gardening activist, Teresa will certainly have many green strategies to share with her audience.
 Kenna Bridge states "For most of us, our vision of paradise is linked to nature. We are hardwired to the earth. It nourishes and delights us. Our parks, gardens and green spaces speak of the making of home and community, and the health and wellness of all within." Kenna is a professional landscape designer, horticultural therapist and student of her own garden. She brings with her a background in education and a lifelong passion for design and will be speaking on the elements of a wellness garden. Kenna's passion for the environment will strike a chord with an audience just emerging from a long winter season.
Adventure Gardening: Brave New Plant World takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 83rd event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that have gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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