加拿大BC省南考伊琴海湾的社区园艺团体
Mill 海湾花园俱乐部（Mill Bay Garden Club）于 1985 年由 6 位园艺爱好者在加拿大 BC 省南考伊琴海湾社区创办，最初的几位成员之一 Mary Gale 长期担任俱乐部历史记录员直至 2022 年去世。俱乐部如今已有近 200 名会员，主要服务于 Mill Bay、Cobble Hill、Shawnigan Lake 与 Cowichan Bay 四社区，另有少数成员来自 Duncan。
每月例会与园艺知识分享
例会通常在每月第四个周二晚 7 点于 Mill Bay 社区联盟礼堂举行，礼堂与 Kerry Park 休闲中心共用停车场，7 月与 8 月休会。晚 6 点半开门，会员可在 7 点正式开会前浏览图书角、植物销售桌与 Brag Table 上的当季花艺作品。讲座主题涵盖本地野花、中国杜鹃花、堆肥与气候变化下的园艺实践，会员之间也会交换蔬菜苗与种子。
社区花卉展与年度开放花园
社区花卉展（Community Flower and Garden Show）是俱乐部最大规模的活动，2026 年 6 月 6 日上午 9 点至下午 2 点在 Cobble Hill 礼堂举办，展出花卉、果蔬与可食用作物数百项，设有人民选择奖与草莓茶义卖；常年配合 Plantaholics 销售推出的春季植物销售会也是俱乐部固定收入来源。俱乐部同时鼓励会员在春夏开放自家花园，跨团体与考伊琴山谷其他园艺组织互相走访。
图书馆藏与会员教育资料
俱乐部图书室藏书超过 250 本，涵盖蔬菜种植、多年生植物、鳞茎、玫瑰与堆肥等方向，主要由会员捐赠并由俱乐部内的 Master Gardeners 每年推荐新书补充。例会当晚开放借阅，旧书可续借，新书按月轮转以保证更多会员有机会借到。常年保存的内部简报可追溯到 2010 年，并由 Master Gardener Barb Kohlman 与 Fran Benton 提供全年园艺日历与专栏文章。
奖学金与本地社区公益捐赠
俱乐部每年向有意攻读植物学或生态学相关专业的本地学生提供两项奖学金，并在年终将节余资金捐赠给本地公益机构。历年受赠机构包括 Providence Farm、CMS 食物银行、Cowichan 临终关怀基金会、Nourish Cowichan、Clements Society、Warmland House 与 Cowichan SPCA。会籍年费 20 加元，新会员可先以访客身份参加一次例会，会员联系信息以俱乐部公开网页上公布的为准。
A South Cowichan Community Garden Club on Vancouver Island
Mill Bay Garden Club was founded in 1985 by six keen gardeners in the South Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Original member Mary Gale served as the club historian until her passing in 2022. Today the club has nearly 200 members and welcomes gardeners from Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, Shawnigan Lake, Cowichan Bay and Duncan.
Monthly Meetings and Knowledge Sharing
Meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at the Mill Bay Community League Hall, sharing its parking lot with Kerry Park Recreation Centre. Doors open at 6:30 pm for the Library and Plant Sale Table; the Brag Table and raffle tickets round out the social half hour before the short business portion, a show-and-tell segment and a guest speaker address recent topics from native urban plants to rhododendrons in China and climate change.
Community Flower Show and Open Garden Tours
The annual Community Flower and Garden Show anchors the club calendar, with the 2026 edition held Saturday June 6 from 9 am to 2 pm at the Cobble Hill Hall. Hundreds of flower, plant and edible classes from across the Cowichan Valley compete for the People’s Choice Award, and the Strawberry Tea luncheon and a large silent auction benefit local charities. Members also open their own gardens during the summer and exchange reciprocal visits with neighbouring horticultural societies.
Library, Newsletters and Member Resources
The club library holds over 250 donated books covering vegetables, perennials, bulbs, roses, winter flowering plants, design and composting. New titles are added each year on the recommendation of the club’s Master Gardeners. Newsletters archived on the website reach back to 2010, and Master Gardeners Barb Kohlman and Fran Benton contribute monthly calendars and feature articles drawn from local growing experience.
Bursaries and Community Donations
The club funds two annual bursaries for local students entering post-secondary study in botanical or ecological fields. Surplus funds at year end are donated to community organizations including Providence Farm, the CMS Food Bank, Cowichan Hospice Foundation, Nourish Cowichan, Clements Society, Warmland House and Outreach, Cowichan SPCA and the Cowichan Estuary Restoration Society. Annual membership dues are 20 CAD; new members are welcome to attend a meeting as a guest first.
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