It is always exciting when our trees leave the Garry Oak Nursery! As time goes on, more and more of our little oak are being adopted out into the community and planted into their permanent homes. Local couple Liz and Dan sent us these photos of an oak they picked up this May being planted into their yard. It is wonderful to see one of our seedlings help to naturalize our local landscapes!
As the health & safety of our members, volunteers & interested public are paramount, the Garry Oak Meadows Preservation Society (GOMPS) has POSTPONED our Annual General Meeting in accordance with Government Health directives. GOMPS Board of Directors will be in touch with members when we have determined how best to proceed in this regard.
While our Garry Oak Nursery no longer has official volunteer work parties, our Board members work to ensure the nursery continues to function. We have just finished planting the collected fall 2019 sprouting acorns! The Nursery work area is structured to ensure social distancing, so interested volunteers are welcome to join us weekly on Sunday mornings from 10am to 1pm.
During this challenging time, GOMPS deeply appreciates the SUPPORT shown by our members & interested public through their memberships and donations.
Even though there is uncertainty, please know that we continue to advocate for Garry oaks and their associated ecosystems as well as growing Garry oak seedlings for planting in our communities!
If you are concerned about Garry oak trees (and other mature trees too) please consult our links to the Tree Protection Bylaws in your municipality or electoral region.
As a resident, voter and tax payer you hold the power to help stop the decline of trees in your region. Get started by consulting with our FAQ page and learn more about protecting and caring for Garry oak trees.
Hello Garry oak growers,
This is a gentle reminder of the upcoming Garry Oak Nursery work party on Sunday, April 28th from 10am to 1pm. We’ve just begun the push to get all the acorns planted: we have 375 in the soil so far! Come join in the particularly pleasant task of planting these acorns and soon we’ll be able to see their cute little leaves sprouting out of the soil!
As a reminder, there is a proper toilet (porta-potty type) on the premises. Gloves, tools & refreshments are provided. Weather appropriate clothing & good work boots are recommended!
Learn more about volunteering
Hello again, Garry oak growers!
The schedule of upcoming work parties has been confirmed. They will continue weekly on alternating Saturdays and Sundays. The Saturday work parties will be from 2pm to 5pm and the Sundays will be from 10am to 1pm.
See the schedule below:
Learn more about volunteering here!
Hello and happy spring to all you Garry oak growers!
The GOMPS Garry oak nursery is back up and running smoothly, with a new shelter erected and the irrigation system turned back on. A recent visit to the Nursery saw slightly dry pots but otherwise healthy oaks with no signs of winter damage.
Work parties are scheduled for the following dates:
Judith and Judy will be hosting the upcoming work party on Sunday, March 31st from 10am to 1pm.
As a reminder, there is a proper toilet (porta-potty type) on the premises. Gloves, tools & refreshments are provided. Weather appropriate clothing & good work boots are recommended!
Learn more about volunteering here!
Due to February’s snowstorm, the frequent below 0° temperatures and some infrastructure upgrades on site, we have temporarily put our Nursery work parties on hold.
Our nursery location in Central Saanich tends to receive the most snow when it does snow in the region, as you can see in the photo from late February. The good thing is the snow insulated the trees and a gradual melt was not a bad thing from that perspective.
Now that the snow is gone we’re in the process of installing a new work shelter that will make future work parties more comfortable and efficient.
We will recommence work parties shortly, though we don’t have a date set yet. There are a few different consideration to take into account as we plan for our next volunteer event at the Nursery. As summarized by our resident forestry expert:
“I see no need to hasten work parties for other than weed removal. Cold weather can return at nearly any time, compromising the benefit of re-potting any of the 2018 germinants in the small cavities. I suggest mid-late April as a better time. By then warmer temps will favour root development into the new soil material and larger cavity size. Leaf emergence likely will need more time – likely a month later.
Assuming we do not have such a heat blast as last May’s, we should have top growth regulated by the healthy roots and our tending: weeding, watering and fertilizing.”
What that means for us is that we likely won’t be planting acorns or repotting our oaks until the weather warms up enough. Weeding can still happen in the meantime, so that might mean work parties will start again pretty soon once the new shelter is up and ready.
Stay tuned as we’ll be back soon with more info!
At this work party we had four volunteers contribute 13.5 hours of work.
What we accomplished:
Thank you to the amazing anonymous donor-advisor who gave us a grant of $1722.16 through the TD Private Giving Foundation!
