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The Cowichan Valley Garden Club – Memories of Times Past Left to right: Sally Smith, Shirley Garriock, Ellen McEwan. Photo Jillian Kondrat
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With a long tradition in growing flowers, fruits and vegetables, the Valley was the home of the world famous Crosland Seeds, famous for their sweet peas. For many years they supplied English firms with their seeds.
did not exist except for small backyard nurseries; people swapped plants, seeds and cuttings. Ellen (a past President of the Club), joined the National Sweet Pea Society in Britain in her twenties. She enthusiastically grew sweet peas, entering them and winning the trophy for several years running at the Cowichan Exhibition. Ellen also remembers going to the garden Centre at Eaton’s in Duncan. It was open only briefly in the spring up to May 24th. Shirley, another long-time Club member, has a yellow rose still blooming in her garden that she purchased from Eaton’s many years ago.
On a lovely summer morning in July I had the pleasure of reminiscing with three members of the club, Sally Smith, Ellen McEwan and Shirley Garriock, whose memories go back to childhood . Sally now lives on part of the original property where the Crosland brothers grew their famous sweet peas, and recalls that nurseries and garden centers
Another founding member, Mrs. Edna Green, who lived on a hillside overlooking Somenos Lake, was a daffodil expert. In 1937, she began importing the bulbs from Ireland where the plants were being hybridized. At one time, Edna had the largest single private collection in Canada, featuring over 150 varieties from all over the world. Mrs. Green was the
n the early 1950’s, Mr. J. W. Parkinson, F.R.H.S. was teaching night school classes on gardening. His pupils were keen and wanted more, so in 1953 the Valley Garden Club was founded. The first meeting was held in St. Mary’s Church Hall on Somenos Road with Mrs. Vera Lundahl as president. Initially the Club had 30 members.
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Cowichan Community