May 26, 2025

“Gardening with Rhododendrons” by Chris Southwick

Chris Southwick had the good fortune to be born into a family that loves the outdoors, gardening, and rhododendrons in particular. Her grandparents were Ted and Mary Greig, who were pioneering rhododendron and alpine plant enthusiasts (Royston Nursery).

Chris has been gardening all her adult life. When she moved back to Nanaimo from the Fort Nelson, B. C. area in 1992 she purchased a property just off Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo and began gardening with rhododendrons in earnest, at that time having purchased some lovely rhodos with that property.

Joining the Nanaimo Rhododendron Society in 1994, Chris became involved with that chapter and served as program chair, treasurer, vice-president, president, and board member for most of the years since joining the Society. She has co-chaired the annual Show and Sale, judged shows for other Vancouver Island clubs, and was co-chair of the 2012 Fall ARS Regional Conference. She was honoured with the NRS Bronze medal in 2008 and the ARS Silver Medal in 2022. As a rhododendron species proponent, Chris currently serves on a committee that helped create the Greig Rhododendron Species Garden at Milner Gardens and Woodland in beautiful Qualicum Beach. After retirement from being a school administrator, she became a certified Master Gardener to carry on learning about plants and giving back to the gardening community. She is currently on the executive of the Nanaimo Rhododendron Society and a past president of the Vancouver Island Master Garden Association. She is also on the Board of Milner Garden and Woodland and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden.

Chris built a new home in 2008 on just over half an acre. She enjoys sharing her garden of several hundred rhododendrons, including many dwarf species rhodos, many native flowering plants, ferns, Japanese maples, dogwoods, primulas and …. vegetables.

This will be a ‘hybrid’ in-person and Zoom meeting:

1. All ZOOM meetings will begin at 7:00 pm.
2. All IN-PERSON meetings: doors will open at 6:30 pm, meetings start at 7:15 pm.
3. In-person meetings (presentation only) may also be accessible by ZOOM from your home.

HOW TO ATTEND:

All current CVHS members will receive a Zoom invitation before this meeting.

IN-PERSON Meeting: Doors will open at 6:30 pm, meeting starts at 7:15 pm.

NOT A MEMBER?

If you are not a CVHS member and would like to join us, please CLICK HERE to purchase a guest pass by Friday, May 23, no later than 5:00 pm, for $5.50

Please join us!