Satinflower Nurseries: Native Plants, Seeds & Consulting

06/20/2026

As we prepare to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day tomorrow, we’re honoured to share the return of the Hiýáḿ Project for its sixth year!

💜 Created in partnership with Sḵwálwen Botanicals Skwálwen Botanicals, the Hiýáḿ Project supports Indigenous communities, individuals, and organizations by sharing native seed packets featuring a culturally significant plant species each year. Hiýáḿ, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh word meaning “return home,” was selected by Styawat Leigh Joseph to reflect the ways “plants can lead us home, to ourselves, to the land, and our families”.

🌱 This year’s featured species is Camassia quamash ssp. maxima, known as Spánanexw in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, SPÁNW̱ in SENĆOŦEN, qʷetłal in lək̓ʷəŋən, and Speenhw in Hul’q’umi’num’. To learn more about this species, visit the Hiýáḿ Project page on our website or linked in our bio.

🐸 A special thank you to W̱SÁNEĆ Nation artist Sarah Jim Sarah Jim of W̱SIKEM (Tseycum), whose beautiful artwork has helped bring the Hiýáḿ Project seed packets to life year after year. Her work celebrates the lands, waters, and skies stewarded by the W̱SÁNEĆ People since time immemorial and is an important part of the project’s identity.

🌸 Since 2021, the Hiýáḿ Project has distributed thousands of seed packets through partnerships with Indigenous communities, educators, restoration practitioners, cultural programs, and organizations. We’re grateful to everyone who has helped grow this initiative and share these plants within their communities.

✨ Visit the link in our bio to learn more!

If you have partnered with us previously, we’ll be reaching out soon. If you are an Indigenous community member, organization, educator, or program interested in receiving seeds or becoming a Hiýáḿ Project partner, please reach out and we would love to connect.

📷 First image taken by Skwálwen Botanicals

06/10/2026

It’s hard to believe that we’re just a few weeks away from the final session of MeadowMakers 2026 🌸

🌱 Over the past months, this incredible group has been learning about native plants, pollinators, traditional ecological stewardship, restoration, and so much more. From hands-on field activities to thoughtful discussions, this year’s program has been full of unforgettable moments. We’re so inspired seeing participants grow their knowledge and make meaningful connections with each other and the land throughout the program.

🍓A heartfelt thank you to this year’s MeadowMakers cohort, instructors, and supporters and Peninsula Landscape Supplies for helping make this program such a special experience. We can’t wait for our final session!

06/03/2026

This past growing season, we had the pleasure of hosting the Visionary Gardeners film crew at our nursery and seed fields while they filmed an episode featuring our work with native plants and ecological restoration 🌿

We’re excited to share that Season 3 premieres on VisionTV on June 8, 2026, and that our episode, #305: “The Native Plant Garden,” will air on Monday, July 6 at 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT on VisionTV.

A very special thank you to Ian Toews, who we were so fortunate to get to know through the filming process. Ian’s love for the natural world is evident in both his work and the way he connects with people. Through his thoughtful storytelling, he cultivates stories of connection and hope, sharing them in ways that inspire and resonate with a broad audience. We’re so grateful for his creativity and dedication to bringing these stories to life through film.

Many thanks the entire Visionary Gardeners team for the opportunity to be part of this season. We’re looking forward to seeing the finished episode and sharing it with our community!

You can watch the Season 3 trailer and learn more about the upcoming season through the link in our bio or at www.visionarygardeners.ca

Photo: Ian filming our crew at the Cobble Hill seed field during production of the upcoming season.

06/03/2026

Have you visited the Wild Allies: Native Plants & Pollinators exhibit at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea yet? 🐝🌼

Our newest blog post takes you behind the scenes of the exhibit and the native pollinator garden growing just outside the aquarium in Sidney. Learn how the garden was designed to support native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators through thoughtful planting, habitat features, and collaborative stewardship.

The exhibit celebrates the relationships between native plants, pollinators, and people in the Salish Sea bioregion, featuring photography, restoration stories and artwork by W̱SÍḴEM artist Sarah Jim and many other local artists and naturalists. The outdoor pollinator garden can be visited anytime, and exciting expansion plans are already underway!

We hope this story inspires you to think about the ways native plants can support biodiversity in your own garden and community.

A special thank you to Leah Thorpe at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea whose vision, creativity, and collaboration have helped bring this project to life!

Read the full blog post here: https://satinflower.ca/blogs/learn/native-pollinator-gardens-at-the-centre-for-the-salish-sea and be sure to visit the exhibit while it’s still on display through Summer 2026 🌿

05/27/2026

🥕 Calling all local growers and farmers! 🥕

Join us on TUESDAY, JUNE 2ND for the first day of a two-day Hedgerows for Habitat workshop to learn everything hedgerows: the benefits of native plants, attracting pollinators, and fostering biodiversity. We’re thrilled to be joined by HAT , Satinflower Nurseries , South Island Farmers’ Institute , Pollinator Partnership Canada .ca , Sea Bluff Farms , and Peas n’ Carrots Farm .
Learn more and RSVP here: https://sifarmersinstitute.ca/event-6694771 🐝

This is a free workshop with many thanks to financial support provided under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

05/27/2026

Remember the Julia's Orangetip eggs on our Tower Mustard? The caterpillars are large and active now! 🧡Julia’s Orangetip lay eggs on native mustards (Brassicaceae) like Tower Mustard and American Wintercress. After hatching, the larvae feed on flowers and seed pods before pupating, overwintering, and emerging as adults from mid-March through May.

05/23/2026

This June, participants in the Mini Bee School workshop will be visiting Satinflower Nurseries for a hands-on field day! 🐝

🌸 Hosted by the Native Bee Society of BC and the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific , this two-day workshop is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the amazing diversity of native bees found across BC.

🌿 Have you ever wanted to learn how to identify the bees visiting your garden, understand their nesting habits, or discover how to better support pollinators in your landscape? This beginner-to-intermediate workshop combines classroom learning with practical field experience.

Day 1: June 5, 2026
Classroom session at the HCP Pavilion in Victoria
Topics include bee anatomy, identification strategies, bee diversity, habitat support, and more using digital microscopes and specimens.

Day 2: June 6, 2026
Field Day at Satinflower Nurseries
Participants will put their new skills into practice by observing and identifying native bees and their plant associations in the nursery fields.

🌞 Visit the link in our bio to learn more & register!

05/20/2026

Master gardener Linda Gilkeson has a great webinar coming up on May 31st 🌸🌿
She will be focusing on how to grow a low-maintenance, high-yield food garden year-round while saving money and adapting to our changing coastal climate.

Grow the Most Food for the Least Money, All Year Round! Sunday, May 31, 2026 | 2pm–4pm | Live On Zoom. With increasing costs and climate change making it harder to rely on grocery stores, there has never been a better time to grow your own food. If you live along the West Coast, join renowned gard...