Past events
April 2026: Misadventures of a morel
mushroom hunter
On April 20, local resident Francesco Galle intrigued the crowd with his adventures in morel hunting. This well attended and informative event had us playing "where's Waldo" to find the morels in his slide!
February 2026: Sweet remedies
and syrups
On February 16, Pamela Fillion shared the art of “sweet remedies” with members of the MW Horticultural Society – an overview of how to preserve and concentrate plant (and fungi), ingredients using sweet syrups, elixirs, decoctions and more. She emphasized
the benefits of common plants often considered weeds, such as plantain, which many of us pull from our gardens. After the talk, Fillion shared a dark, mysterious-looking concoction made of chaga and reishi mushrooms, spices including cardamom and star anise, maple syrup and brandy
December 2025: Holiday Celebration
Members gathered for a relaxed get together featuring some low cost ideas for crafting, and prizes were raffled!
November 2025: How Your Garden
Came to Be: The Evolution of Plants
Dr. Christie Lovat guided us through the remarkable origin story of plants, from the first algae that ventured onto land to the flowering species that make up our gardens today. Tracing four major evolutionary leaps—mosses and ferns, towering seed plants, resilient gymnosperms, and finally the rise of angiosperms—she revealed how each chapter transformed life on Earth. With living fossils still at our feet and ingenious adaptations shaping every leaf and flower, the talk left us seeing our gardens as vibrant echoes of hundreds of millions of years of evolution.
October 2025: Myths and legends
of plants
Around forty residents gathered in the Montreal West Town Hall music room for an engaging evening with horticulturist, lecturer, and Laidback Gardener blogger Julie Boudreau. With her trademark warmth and humour, Julie led the audience on a journey through the myths and legends rooted in the plant world—touching on everything from the origins of botanical names and Linnaeus’s early classifications to the symbolism of the Québec flag, ancient Greek lore, and even the love stories hidden in poplar trees. Blending science, superstition, and storytelling, she reminded us that plants have always inspired wonder—and that their stories are meant to be shared.
