My profession has been for 31 years a Registered Massage Therapist specializing in deep tissue massage, postural and structural work and therapeutic treatments ‘by day’. I am a Manitoba Master Gardener ‘by night’ (and on the weekends) mostly tending to my home gardens which have been used frequently for weddings, renewal of vows, wedding photo opportunities, memorial services, fundraisers and other events during the summer months. I have been a dedicated gardener for over 30 years with a confession for having a weak spot for tall flowering perennials and a favourite idol, world famous Dutch gardener, Piet Oudolf.  

As a result of having my more recent homes on umpteen garden tours, I became irrevocably addicted to them with no desire to find a cure which eventually led becoming the coordinator for Nature Manitoba’s Gardens of Distinction garden tours for the past 5 years, a fundraiser event which had their inception 24 years ago.

I am also a beekeeper of 4 hives right on my home property. My gardens comprise of umpteen perennials, clematises and fruit trees which led to the addition of bees as a natural progression beyond growing flowers. My gardening interests keep changing yearly from one variety of perennials to another. As well, one of my personal goals has been to try to maintain my gardens in bloom in some form or fashion from early spring to late fall in a prairie zone of 3/4.  The progression is slowly happening.  It just takes time and patience.

Dr. Meera Sinha has retired from her long career in obstetrics and gynaecology in Winnipeg and University of Manitoba. She now follows her curiosity and passion for nature and nurture through gardening. She is a member of CAPE (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment) and of the Manitoba Master Gardener Association. In retirement she volunteers her time to The Prairie Garden publications, spreading news of zone 3 horticulture across the Prairies.

I have been interested in gardening since about four years of age. I remember waking up very early one summer morning and wandering outside in my pyjamas and bare feet onto the wet, dew-covered grass to see my father occupied with all these wonderful tiny green things in little brown pots.  My education carried me onto a totally different path as I ended up becoming a nurse - first working in the ICU and, when I grew tired of working every second weekend, being away from family on many holidays and switching back between day and night shifts, I became an instructor at Winnipeg’s Red River College. I retired after chasing nursing students around the hospital wards for 25 years. My love of gardening sustained me in a career that had many highs but also many lows. That love continues to this day and I still go out many a summer morning in my pyjamas and bare feet to see how all the “tiny green things” in my garden are doing.  

Born in Winnipeg, Rick lived his formative years in Dauphin, in the backdrop of the extraordinary landscape of the Riding Mountain National Park and Duck Mountain Provincial Park. In the Parks he snowshoed with his family, photographed long-eared owls, and learned to love the quiet and beauty of the forest. This led him to Lakehead University where he graduated with his honours degree in Forestry in 1978. His first job was prestigious with the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, but the sunsets and wheat fields of the prairies were calling him back! He returned to Treherne Manitoba where his mother had grown up and he had often visited as a child. He bought land and started his company, Prairie Shade Nursery. This is where his passion for tree research and development began; his well-known Discovery® Japanese Elm had its roots at the Treherne farm.

He later moved his nursery to near Portage la Prairie, where he also set up a home with his wife and two children. Over the next 30 years, at the Portage farm, Rick continued to evaluate research plots of woody ornamental cultivars and develop new trees and plants for the prairies. He developed over 20 tree and shrub cultivars at Prairie Shade Nursery, such as Gladiator®, a top selling flowering crabapple. During his years in Portage, he also worked part-time for Jeffries Nurseries for 18 years as Manager of Research & Development. At Jeffries, he developed and participated in introducing and promoting over 30 cultivars of perennials, trees and shrubs. A highlight of his career with Jeffries was the introduction of Amber Jubilee® Ninebark. It was a seedling of the controlled cross he made between ‘Diabolo’ x ‘Darts Gold’, and was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

From 2011 to 2013, Rick was the Research Coordinator for the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. His primary role with CNLA was to coordinate the evaluation of all the roses and other woody ornamentals from the federal government (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) research centres, located in L’Assomption, Quebec and Morden, Manitoba. From CNLA he went on to spend a decade as the project leader of the Western Nursery Growers Group tree trials.

Thirteen years ago, Rick moved with his wife to West Kelowna and took the position of Plant Development Coordinator at Bylands Nurseries. So far, he has developed eleven new tree cultivars such as Top Gun bur oak, Alpha aspen and Raging Bull maple, a couple new perennials and the Quartet rose. He took pride in writing the comprehensive, “Plants for Colder Climates” published by Bylands. Rick has recently “retired”, but not really! These days you’ll still find him collaborating with Bylands on tree R&D, and whenever he has a chance, he’s back on a plane to Manitoba too evaluate his research tree selections at his son Carl’s Futura Farms.

Brent joined The Prairie Garden Organization in April 2019 and currently holds a position on the Executive as the Secretary. He and his wife Marie have been avid gardeners for over 40 years. He enjoys all types of gardening but specializes in the growing of vegetables. He has written several articles for The Prairie Garden about growing vegetables. He loves to experiment with new vegetables and methodologies each year, and sees his garden as much as a lab as it is a garden.  He has really embraced the concept of no till gardening in recent years. His interest in experimenting is a direct spin-off from his education background in the field of biological sciences. He often refers to his new plantings and strategies as his ‘Sunday Experiments’.

Laurie Fan is a CPA with nearly a decade of experience in public accounting and currently serves as a Controller at a manufacturing company. With a strong background in financial reporting, taxation, and assurance, she brings a practical, detail-oriented approach to financial management, process improvement, and organizational efficiency. As Treasurer, Laurie is passionate about contributing her financial expertise to support the organization's financial health, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

Outside of her professional life, Laurie enjoys gardening and has a love for plants, both indoors and outdoors. She is particularly passionate about vegetable gardening and finds great satisfaction in growing fresh produce for her family to enjoy throughout the summer, as well as preserving some of the harvest to enjoy during the winter months.