Squamish gardening enthusiasts are on pins and needles awaiting the return of award-winning, best-selling author Steve Whysall, who will be imparting his expertise at Quest University April 12 thanks to a Squamish Gardeners group initiative.
Whysall, who is well known in B.C. having been the garden columnist for almost 20 years, spoke at a capacity crowd in Squamish several years ago. For his second visit, he will be presenting Great Gardens Home and Away.
Part of the draw is due to Whysall's In The Garden page, which appears in the At Home section of The Sun every Friday.
He regularly gives talks at garden shows and to garden clubs, and he's sure to entertain - as a popular speaker, in 1999 he was the first to receive the B.C. Landscape and Nursery Association's Communicator of the Year Award.
Born in Nottingham, England, Whysall worked for several newspapers in the UK before coming to Canada in 1975.
He has written articles for Gardens West and GardenWise magazines as well as four books: 100 Best Plants for Coastal Gardens, The Vancouver Sun's Best Plant Picks, The Blooming Great Gardening Book, and 100 Best Plants for Ontario Gardens. The first three of these books were number bestsellers in B.C.
Whysall's Garden blog includes a comprehensive A to Z guide to the best trees for coastal gardens plus more seasonal gardening information on everything from bulb plantings to indoor gardening ideas.
His In the Garden podcasts provide guided tours of some of the best public gardens in Metro Vancouver plus how-to information on a wide range of gardening topics.
And his website, stevewhysall.com, provides links to his columns, blogs, podcasts and a host of other sources for all things gardening.
Whysall's presentation takes place in the multipurpose room of the Quest library building at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 12. Free underground parking is available at the university and the cafeteria will be open for those wishing to have dinner before the presentation.
Tickets are $12 or $10 for Squamish Gardeners members, which includes a chance on a door prize.
Tickets are available at Billie's Bouquet, The Bookshelf, the Adventure Centre, Garibaldi Nurseries and The Village Garden Centre, as well as at the door.
