Dear Friends,

On Valentine’s Day, as I bask in the warmth of the sun and admire the vibrant bouquet on the table, I’m reminded of the joy this day brings—the feeling of being cherished and chosen. ​ It’s an intense, focused celebration of love. ​ Yet, in contrast, the fulfillment from volunteering offers a broader, more enduring sense of purpose. ​ Rooted in the desire to contribute and connect with a larger community, volunteering fosters a deep sense of belonging and meaning. ​ Unlike the exclusivity of romantic love, it emphasizes communal responsibility and creates a stable, lasting form of well-being. ​

Care and Sharpening of Your Gardening Tools

Sean Rustemeyer is the owner of Soil ‘N Green Landscaping based in Nanaimo, B.C. 

His company uses ecological practices such as working with zero emission battery powered equipment, installing native plant gardens that promote biodiversity and gardening without the use of synthetic pesticides.

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2025, 10 AM – 2PM 
COWICHAN VALLEY RHODODENDRON SOCIETY
ANNUAL PLANT SALE

Volunteers and Plants Greatly Appreciated

Rhododendron ‘Snow Sprite’: ‘Snow Lady’ x moupinense is more compact than its parents. The leaves are oval elliptic, persistent glossy green. Its flowers are pure white with chocolate anthers.

• Helleborus ‘Cotton Candy’

• Cardamine trifolia

• Chionodoxa

• Helleborus

• Hepatica nobilis

Matteuccia struthiopteris, commonly known as Ostrich Fern, is native to much of North America, and very hardy, growing in Zones 2 – 8.

Magnolia wilsonii is a shade tolerant, wide-spreading, multi-stemmed tree, with elegant, nodding, bell-shaped flowers. Each fragrant flower is composed of nine pure white petals (more correctly called tepals) surrounding a showy central ring of rose-red staminodes.

Please join us for this fabulous 5-day event on Vancouver Island, British Columbia