All Photos: Espace pour la vie (Mathieu Rivard)The Great Gardening Weekend LiveEvents May 15, 2022 1731 The Garden as a Meeting Place 25th Edition of the Great Gardening Weekend at the Jardin Botanique Every spring, we have a deep-seated need to reconnect with nature—this year more than ever. Espace pour la vie invites visitors to reconnect with each other and with nature in the garden during the 25th Great Gardening Weekend of the Jardin botanique, which kicks off the gardening season. This year’s theme is The Garden as a Meeting Place. Sharing the fruits of our labour, flowers, vegetable garden crops, seeds and advice with friends, neighbours and family is a true pleasure. Gardening is an opportunity for a close and privileged contact with nature, and a chance to cultivate a sense of solidarity with others. It’s a way to participate concretely in the socio-ecological transition! Following the tremendous success of last year’s hybrid edition, the festive event will be held in two phases this year: an entirely virtual component from May 24 to 26, followed by meetings with producers and exhibitors on the site of the Jardin botanique, from May 27 to 29. From the comfort of your home or in person, the 2022 Great Gardening Weekend will be ripe with meaningful encounters. THE VIRTUAL COMPONENT: EVERYONE’S INVITED May 24, 25 and 26 – The free virtual conferences are back (in French). Wherever you are in Quebec, take part in fulfilling exchanges with gardening experts happy to share their vision, experiences and special connection with nature and humans. Let their projects inspire you! To attend the virtual conferences broadcast live on Facebook, visit the Espace pour la vie Facebook page at the time of the conference or your choice. Or better yet, sign up in advance so you don’t miss this important event! Tuesday, May 24: 5 pm to 6 pm Cultiver des communautés solidaires (in French) – Learn about urban agriculture projects that help build supportive and resilient communities Roundtable discussion moderated by Julie Corbeil Walsh of Espace pour la vie with: Marie-Anne Viau – President of Cultiver Montréal; Sylvie Chamberland – Co-Executive Director of Carrefour Solidaire, community food centre Magali Casaubon – Manager of the urban agriculture program at Santropol Roulant Tuesday, May 24: 7 pm to 8:30 pm La culture de légumes asiatiques biologiques au Québec (in French) – Step into the world of Asian vegetables and bring something new to your garden… and your plate! (Speaker: Stéphanie Wang, founder of Le Rizen and co-editor of the book “Légumes asiatiques : jardiner, cuisiner, raconter” to be published by Parfum d’encre) Wednesday, May 25: 7 pm to 8:30 pm Notre jardin nourricier… nourricier bien au-delà de la panse! (in French) – Draw inspiration from a permaculture project that sprouted in a community in Beauce, a great source of abundance—from the garden to the forest to the chicken coop… (Speaker: Martin Boisvert, permaculturist, founder of Néo-Terra, coordinator and initiator of a unique collective permaculture project in Saint-Isidore, Beauce) Thursday, May 26: 7 pm to 8:30 pm Jardiner en famille : semer des graines… on n’aura jamais si bien dit! (in French) – A conference brimming with anecdotes and experiences on the activities that are most likely to awaken your child’s “nature” side (Speaker: Julie Boudreau, teacher at the Centre de formation horticole de Laval as well as publisher and editor of Planète Jardin) GET-TOGETHERS TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AND KNOW-HOW From May 27 to 29, come to the Jardin botanique to meet more than forty exhibitors, including local producers, who will hand out plants, products and valuable advice to help you carry out your gardening projects. As a bonus, every afternoon from 1 pm to 4 pm, DJ Amalia will be on hand to create a festive atmosphere. Come and discover plants of unparalleled quality and diversity and meet the Jardin botanique’s Friendly Societies. Learn how to bring biodiversity into your home with the My Space for Life Garden program, chat about horticulture with the team from École des métiers de l’horticulture de Montréal, participatory science with Mission Monarch, and urban agriculture with Cultiver Montréal. And if you’re passionate about research, take a look at the booth of the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale! The Great Gardening Weekend is the perfect time to ask all your questions about ecological gardening, purchasing locally and more, in a perspective of socio-ecological transition.. The 25th edition of the Jardin botanique’s Great Gardening Weekend is sure to be the must-see event this spring! Visit the Espace pour la vie website for a complete list of exhibitors and what they have to offer. Don’t forget to bring your reusable bags! Book your tickets online at www.espacepourlavie.ca The event runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm Booking tickets online prior to your arrival is highly recommended.
