NPA lecture by Wilf Nicholls - The plants and gardens of Newfoundland: native flora, heritage perennials and conservation

Sunday, November 18 - 1 pm

by Julie King

Wilf Nicholls brings a deep knowledge of plants on both edges of the continent, with decades of experience in the conservation of native flora, plant research, breeding and the introduction of new plants to horticulture. His NPA lecture will focus on the plants of Newfoundland, and will include how they connect to the Pacific Northwest. He will share his interest in heritage perennials introduced by settlers and his work to introduce them into horticulture.

Wilf has actively worked to introduce plants to horticulture, both in the Pacific Northwest and the island of Newfoundland, on the Atlantic coast of Canada. For nine years, he was a research scientist for the internationally acclaimed Plant Introduction Scheme of the University of British Columbia. His plant breeding and field explorations introduced new plants, including the hybrid honeysuckle ‘Mandarin’.

Now at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Wilf directs the Botanical Garden and also teaches plant biology. He has recently established Plant Atlantic, a program to bring new and under-used ornamental plants into the Atlantic horticulture industry. He has joined with others to conserve the native flora of the Limestone Barrens, a unique environment on the island of Newfoundland.

In addition to lecturing, Wilf has written articles for the horticulture industry press and a column for the Vancouver Sun.  He hosts Homegrown, a gardening show, and is a regular guest on both Canadian and American gardening programs.