In February the Friends of the Gardens partnered with the En’Owkin Centre to host a presentation on Native pollinators. Hosts were Eva Antonijevic and Harron Hall. Featured speakers were Richard Armstrong, a knowledge-keeper for the Penticton Indian Band, and Lincoln Best, a well-known bee taxonomist. The En’Owkin Centre was filled to capacity, and attendees feasted on indigenous foods prepared by members of the Centre. The project was funded by the Okanagan Basin Water Board and TD Friends of the Environment Fund.

Volunteer Coordinator Connie Davis hosted another successful Volunteer Orientation in early March. Volunteer opportunities were described, a workshop on —and fun prizes were given out. A number of new volunteers signed up at the end of the event.

Connie Davis also organized the first Seedy Saturday put on solely by FOG as a fundraiser. Held at the Summerland Alliance Church, it attracted a full house of vendors and steady all-day attendance. And it didn’t snow!

Two spring workshops that were well attended were one on pruning trees given by Scott Austin. Given the inclement weather, he brought branches into the house to demonstrate correct pruning techniques

In late April, Kathryn McCourt offered a workshop entitled “Xeriscape Your Veggie Garden” in keeping with FOG’s focus on water conservation.

The big event of spring is always the Plant Sale. Once again our gardeners outdid themselves in growing beautiful bedding plants in the greenhouse and potting up perennials from the Gardens. Using our new tent to store the extras removed much of the weather worries. Volunteers turned out in full force to make it the best plant sale ever.

Rick Sauder took the stage in June and July to lead another popular Rose Tour and a Rose Propagation workshop. The world’s favorite flower never fails to attract a crowd.

And new volunteer Jessie Collinson presented an excellent workshop on native pollinators, along with a tour to find those pollinators. Our new sighting book is filling up with visitors’ discoveries in the 3Bs beds.

In early July, rosarian Rick Sauder helped another capacity crowd select and prepare rose cuttings for rooting at home.

FOG launched a series for free tours of the Gardens inJuly and August of 2019. Attendance varied but they were generally well-received and will be continued in the summer of 2020 with a variety of leaders.

The Art and Music in the Gardens events were very well attended in both July and August. Over a dozen visual artists painted, wove and/or displayed their creations to the visitors. At both events, the Valley Winds entertained with music from a variety of genres.

Our Fall Garden Sale attracted many customers and raised enough money to again hire a third gardener for the busy spring months.

The year concluded with “FOG comes to Main Street”, an Open House collaboration with Summerland Library. Information was available on seed-saving, water conservation, weed identification and native pollinators. We are looking forward to making it an annual event.