Sept 21 Alleyne Cook, Gerry Gibbens, Bill Herbst, Douglas Justice: 'Diverse Experiences in the Woodland Gardens at Windsor Great Park'. Three of the speakers served apprenticeships under Alleyne Cook in Stanley Park, then, upon Alleyne’s recommendation, worked as apprentices under John Bond at Windsor Great Park, where Alleyne himself had worked as an apprentice many years earlier. It might be pointed out that later in the year, in April, our speaker will be Mark Flanagan, who is the present Keeper of the Gardens at Windsor Great Park.

 Oct 19 Steve Hootman, Director,  Co-Director of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, Washington. As most of you know, this garden belongs to the Rhododendron Species Foundation. And most of you know, too, that Steve Hootman, who has spoken to us on more than one occasion in the past, always provides a fascinating account of his expeditions searching for plants in Asia. We keep inviting Steve back, both because his talks are so good, and because he keeps going on new trips which ultimately provide our gardens with extremely valuable new plants. His title, ‘The British-American Salween Expedition of 2000’, obviously reflects his subject this October, the trip to China he made last spring, a trip on which he saw more rhododendrons than on any of his previous trips, about 90 species in all, and from which he brought back a considerable amount of propagating material. This included at least one rhododendron species not presently in cultivation, and also reintroduced two that have not been collected since the 1920s – R. mallotum and R. tephropeplum – the former having been collected only once. Both species are very beautiful, R. tephropeplum relatively small and delicate in leaf and stature, and R. mallotum a spectacular tree with gorgeous orange indumentum and large pure red flowers.

Nov 16 Peter Wharton, Curator, David C. Lam Asian Garden, UBC: Our November speaker certainly needs no introduction to most VRS members. Peter Wharton, Curator of the Asian Garden at UBC, is something of a household name in fact, and has spoken to our group on several occasions. Peter is at the centre of the great success of the Asian Garden, and has played a crucial role in giving the garden the international reputation it has acquired, and on which it is constantly improving. An extremely important part of his job is to explore in Asia for new plants, just as Steve Hootman is doing under the auspices of the Rhododendron Species Foundation. Plants are beginning to enter our gardens under both their collection numbers, which is good for conservation and for the advancement of botanical and horticultural knowledge, as well as being a boon to our gardens. In the past Peter has spoken to us on various subjects, his plant exploration expeditions as well as such specific topics as big-leaf rhododendrons and magnolias. This month he will be speaking on a recent trip to China, but to a different area than the one Steve Hootman told us about last month. Peter’s trip was to a place called the Wuyishan. The title of his talk, ‘Good ‘Fortune’ in the Wuyishan’, is a play on the fact that this area is known for stands of Rhododendron fortunei, but I believe there are many other interesting plants as well, especially rhododendrons of course. In any case, the illustrated accounts of these expeditions provide us with a valuable education, and give us exciting vicarious experiences without the physical discomforts. Like Steve, Peter keeps getting repeat invitations to address the VRS because his lectures

Jan 18 AGM, Elections, Members' Slides.

Feb 15 Keith White, Salem, Oregon; plant explorer and photographer: ‘Rhododendron Species: In the Wild and in Cultivation’. Keith is on the Board of Governors of the Rhododendron Species Foundation, and Chairman of the Photography Committee. He spoke to the VRS a couple years ago and his photographs, especially, are spectacular.

Mar 15 Thomas Pakenham, County Westmeath, Ireland; Chairman of the Irish Tree Society; author, The Scramble for Africa, The Boer War, The Year of Liberty, and Meetings with Remarkable Trees: subject TBA, but likely to be on trees.

Apr 19 Mark Flanagan, Keeper of the Gardens at Windsor Great Park; formerly Director of Wakehurst Garden: 'Woodland Gardens of Britain'.

Apr 28, 29 Spring Show and Plant Sale, UBC Botanical Garden.

May 17 Walk in Stanley Park, led by Gerard Picher and Alleyne Cook.

June 21 Potluck Picnic at the home of Michael Bale.