NPSG Talk with Paul Spriggs: Island Alpine Plant Hunting

Join us in person for a fascinating talk by Paul Spriggs all about his adventures hunting for alpine plants on islands! Discover the unique flora, stunning landscapes, and cool stories from the field. In this talk, Local author, speaker, and rock gardener Paul Spriggs will talk about his travels in search of nature's most beautiful plant jewels, the alpines! We will visit a number of mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest that are hotspots for alpine plant diversity.Perfect for plant lovers and nature fans looking to learn something new and get inspired. Don't miss this chance to dive into the world of island alpine plants with an expert guide!

🌿 Native Plant Study Group Presents 🌿

Paul Spriggs: Island Alpine Plant Hunting in North America's Westernmost Mountain Ranges

🗓 Thursday, January 15 2026

🕖 7:00 PM

📍 Swan Lake Nature House and Online

Online Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VYHZRIhqQD2lhjFRSIE1CQ#/registration

Speaker Bio:

Paul Spriggs has been rock gardening for roughly 27 years and building crevice gardens for about 20 years. He is an avid plant explorer, photographer, mountaineer, owner of Spriggs Gardens Landscaping company, and past President of the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. He has a passion for all wild plants especially those of dwarf stature and collects and cultivates them at various gardens in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada. Paul has learned the craft of crevice garden building directly from one of it’s innovators, Zdenek Zvolanek, of the Czech republic, and in the past decade and a half, has built many gardens in public parks and private homes that range in size from small feature troughs, to large installations involving many tonnes of stone. Paul is passionate about spreading the word of this style, through speaking to garden clubs all over the world, and by giving workshops for those keen on learning the finer points of this developing art form. He is co-Author (with Kenton Seth of Colorado), of the first North American book on Crevice gardening, entitled The Crevice Garden. How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places, released Summer 2022

🌱 By donation admission (free for members)

🌱 All are welcome

🌱 Bring your questions and curiosity!

Location:

3873 Swan Lake Road at the Nature House, unceded Lekwungen territory.

What to expect:

A short welcome and intro, then sit down talk by speaker for about an hour, then after tea and treats, and chatting. Followed by a native plant raffle!

6:30-7:00: Volunteer setup inside and socializing (everyone welcome to help for 3 free raffle tickets!)

7:00-7:15 Introductions and Welcome

7:15-8:15 Presentation by Speaker, Q&A

8:15-8:30 Treats and Tea break

8:30-8:45 Famous Native Plant Raffle!!

8:45-9:00 Clean up together

What to bring:

🍵A mug for herbal tea or decaf coffee

🔆A headlamp or flashlight

💰🍪Some small change for cookies, tea, or raffle tickets

🌿Native plants or native seeds if you have extra to share

No RSVP needed.

The Native Plant Study Group respectfully acknowledges that we meet on the unceded territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lekwungen Peoples. We are a garden group with a strong interest in gardening with native plants for their aesthetic, intrinsic, and conservation values. We gratefully recognize the longstanding stewards of these plants and ecosystems, as well as their cultural significance.

We encourage a safe and respectful space for everyone to learn along with us in our individual and collective pathways of decolonization.

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