Speakers

The Garden Festival has welcomed many garden experts over the years, including local Authors and TV personalities, Landscape Designers, Horticulturists, Master Gardeners, Specialty Farmers, Sustainability advocates and Community garden specialists. Some of our past speakers include:

Thomas Hobbs has been featured in numerous gardening magazines including ‘Horticulture’, ‘House Beautiful’, ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ and ‘Garden Design’. He has his own weekly TV gardening show, and has appeared in ‘Martha Stewart Living’. He is also the author of ‘Shocking Beauty’, the bestselling celebration of dramatic garden design and most recently the critically acclaimed ‘The Jewel Box Garden’.

Brian Minter, BC's go-to garden expert through his experience at both the garden centre and the display gardens. As such, he has hosted countless radio and television shows, is a frequent gardening columnist, and author, and the President and General Manager of Country Garden Store.

Des Kennedy, an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, author and environmental activist who is widely known across Canada. He has lived for the past 30 years on Denman Island, British Columbia, and the gardens he and his partner Sandy have created on their island acreage have been featured in numerous books, magazines and calendars.

Steve Whysall, the garden writer for The Sun for more than a decade. His column appears every Friday along with two other garden features he writes, Flowering Now and The Minute Read. Steve is the author of three books and a lecturer at garden shows and garden clubs, he has also written for magazines including Gardens West and Garden Wise.

Ruth Olde Carolyn Herriot Connie Kuramoto Bill Saunderson

The current Festival program is available now.

The Nanaimo Bulletin Pullout is available now.