Get Involved
Become a Member, Volunteer, or Donor.
BECOME A MEMBER
You can support Darts Hill Garden by becoming an annual member of the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society. For a low fee, your annual membership provides many benefits including opportunities to provide input into decisions affecting the Garden and to enjoy additional time in the Garden on days not open to the general public.
Membership Benefits
- Free admission to the garden.
- One free $4 plant for a new membership.
- Two guest passes per year.
- On Members’ Days, guided tours at 11:30 am and access to Darts House including tea/coffee and the opportunity to visit with other members or peruse Francisca’s catalogued book collection and horticultural periodicals. (Note: Francisca’s Collection is a non-circulating library.)
- The Oracle, an on-line newsletter reporting on special plants, seasonal interest, and garden activities.
- An enhanced Annual General Meeting featuring guest speakers, door prizes, luncheon, and garden tours.
- Opportunity to join our enthusiastic corps of volunteers.
Additional Membership Benefits
An advantage of becoming a member of the DHGCTS is that you save money when shopping for plants and garden supplies. Members receive a discount (usually 10%) on purchases upon showing their membership card at select garden centres. These are:
- 99 Nursery & Florist Inc. 9376 King George Boulevard
- Amsterdam Greenhouses & Garden Centre, 191 Old Dewdney Trunk Road, Pitt Meadows
- Art Knapp’s. 4391 King George Boulevard •Clearview Garden Shop. 26350 56 Avenue
- Port Kells Nurseries. 8739 88 Avenue •Potters. 19158 48 Avenue
- WIG (Western Independent Greenhouse) 6151 Thorne Avenue, Burnaby (5% on plants only)
Note: Membership must be current, and card must be shown before purchase is rung up. Valid for regularly priced items and may not be valid for all purchases.
Annual Membership Fees
- Individual: $25.00
- Dual: 2 personalized cards/one address: $30
- Family: 2 adults and their children 12-17 (children under 12 are free): $40
- Student: proof of enrolment at accredited post-secondary school required : $10
Purchase/Renew Membership
- In person – at the Garden during open days and Members’ Days; payment by cash or cheque. This option may not be available at this time.
- By mail – by downloading and completing the Membership renewal & application form, enclosing a cheque, and mailing it to the address included on the form.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
Volunteering at Darts Hill Garden Park is a wonderful way to contribute to your community. All Darts Hill Garden volunteers are members of the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society (DHGCTS). If you are not a member and would like to volunteer, please become a member of the Society first.
Ensuring that Darts Hill Garden Park continues as a venue for learning is the purpose and the primary responsibility of the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society to the general public. It is in keeping with the Society’s constitution that the garden is ‘to be a place of horticultural learning’. Our volunteers all play a significant role in helping Darts Hill Garden Park function smoothly. They enjoy educating the public about plants, horticulture and Mr. and Mrs. Darts’ legacy. Every volunteer group, from Ambassador Tour Guides to the Workshop Coordinating Group, assists in making Darts Hill Garden Park a place of horticultural learning.
Whether you have just a few hours per year or significantly more time to help out, your contribution will be much appreciated. You’ll receive training, and you’ll be sure to enjoy your hours spent in the peaceful oasis of Darts Hill Garden Park amid a like group of friendly, helpful volunteers. Our volunteer groups include:
Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
Organizational profile:
Darts Hill Garden is the result of over 75 years of work and dedication guided by the clear vision of Francisca Darts. Along with her husband Edwin, Francisca took a logged piece of land, turned it first into an award-winning orchard and then into the unique garden that is Darts Hill Garden Park today.
Francisca’s curiosity and love of the new and interesting has resulted in the most diverse collection of mature tree and shrub species in the Pacific Northwest. Many were planted from seed collected from around the world.
In 1994 Edwin and Francisca Darts donated their 7.5-acre garden to the City of Surrey and its citizens. Their intention was to give Surrey its own garden to be used as a horticultural centre for the preservation, enhancement, and development of plants. The non-profit Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society works in partnership with the City of Surrey towards these goals.
Purpose:
The Volunteer Engagement Coordinator provides volunteer coordination and administrative support to the DHGCTS board, for various events and programs throughout the year.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with recruiting, orienting and retaining volunteers.
- Provide administrative support including, but not limited to, collating and reporting volunteer information for the DHGCTS
- Assist with training, orientation sessions and events including preparation, registration, and follow up communications
- Onsite event days to assist in providing direction to volunteers where needed
- Create outline for Training Manual
Skills, Attitudes, Knowledge Required:
- Previous experience working in an office environment
- Computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, familiarity with databases
- Detail oriented
- Excellent organizational and communication skills; ability to multi-task
- Previous volunteer coordination experience
Training and Orientation:
- Orientation to Darts Hill Garden Park and the roles volunteers play at the DHGCTS
- Role specific training with each sub-committee head
Time Commitment:
2 hours per week. A 1 year commitment is requested.
Authority/Decision Making:
Must be comfortable making decisions and problem solving with minimal supervision.
Volunteer Benefits:
- Grow and practice skills supporting and engaging large teams of volunteers
- Enhance administrative, organizational, and leadership skills
- Opportunity to work with a volunteer management professional in a well-respected non-profit
- Contribute your time and talents in an impactful way for a worthwhile cause
- Reference letter
Ambassador Tour Guides
After training and mentoring, the volunteers in this group work with the public in interpreting the history, development, and importance of this plantsman’s garden. They can be identified in Darts Hill Garden Park by their friendly faces and pink pashminas (scarves). Depending on experience, the members of this group will serve in one or more of the following roles:
(a) Guide ambassadors – wander at large in the garden, interacting with visitors, offering information, and answering questions about Mr. and Mrs. Darts, the garden, its plants, and its development.
(b) Leisure tour guides – guide one-hour tours on public open days or two-hour private tours to family, community, or seniors’ groups.
(c) Golf cart guides – take up to three people on one-hour golf cart tours through the garden.
(d) Horticultural guides – provide two-hour tours to knowledgeable groups such as garden clubs, arborists, and horticultural societies.
Responsibilities: (depending upon role being performed)
- Using training materials and attending training tours to learn about the garden and its plants.
- Visiting the garden regularly for self-learning and preparation for tours and events.
- Interacting with the public in a friendly, confident, and professional manner.
- Representing the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society (DHGCTS) and the City of Surrey, presenting a positive first impression.
- Guiding groups or individuals through the garden’s pathways, pointing out some of its interesting, rare, and important plants.
- Educating visitors about the history and development of Darts Hill Garden Park.
- Driving golf cart tours through accessible paths, stopping to point out areas of special interest; and ensuring the golf cart is operated safely and is properly put away and charged for the next user.
- Arriving early to open the garden and facilities for private groups, and closing at the end of the tour.
Qualifications:
- Basic plant knowledge and the time and interest to learn more about plants in the garden.
- Desire to share knowledge about Darts Hill Garden Park.
- Comfortable speaking informally to small groups.
- Flexible and able to adapt to varying groups and their needs.
- Organized, independent, and responsible.
Book Marketing and Publicity Committee
Written by Margaret Cadwaladr and published by the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society in 2019, A Secret Garden – The Story of Darts Hill Garden Park illustrates the life and times of Edwin and Francisca Darts, the garden’s founders. A delightful book, its colorful and well researched pages tells the story of their early life, the development of Darts Hill Garden Park and the ongoing horticultural legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Darts.
The main task of the Book Marketing and Publicity Committee is to promote Darts Hill Garden Park via the sale and marketing of the book. The tasks of the Committee include, but are not limited to (a) marketing & advertising; (b) inventory control, mailing out online purchases; (c) attending sales and marketing events; (d) sponsorship & cross promotion with other garden clubs/ organizations.
Responsibilities: (depending upon the role being performed)
1 year commitment is required from Book Marketing and Publicity Committee members. (~40 hours a year)
- Creating and executing marketing strategies.
- Networking with and attending sales events sponsored by other garden clubs.
- Make sure the book is available, displayed and promoted to the DHGCTS membership and the public.
- Tracking book inventory and the location of book sales.
- Collecting and sending invoices to appropriate clients.
- Selling books during the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society’s plant sale days and Annual General Meeting.
- Fulfilling online book orders
Qualifications:
- Strong organizational skills.
- Experience in sales and marketing or other business disciplines an asset.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the capacity to handle cross-team communications and tasks.
- Solid analytical skills and the ability to generate charts and reports on sales data.
- Enjoys working with the public.
Collections Committee
The Darts Hill Garden Park Collections Committee usually meets five to six times per year. It is an active joint working group composed of three to four DHGCTS members and several City of Surrey staff. The Collections Committee has developed a suite of Excel spreadsheets which use specific criteria to rate suggested plant additions to the garden and also plant removals. These spreadsheets are also used to update the Master Inventory of plants in Darts Hill Garden Park. The Collections Committee’s purpose is to continue the life work of Francisca Darts. Mrs. Darts sought out rare and unusual specimens for her garden from all over the world.
Responsibilities:
- Recommending to the Director of Darts Hill Garden Park purchases of new, rare and unusual plants and their planting locations in the garden.
- Recommending to the Director of DHGP plant removals, plant relocations and when/where significant maintenance such as Bed renewal is needed.
- Liaising with the Labeling Committee when new plants are acquired and older specimens are moved and/or removed from the garden.
Qualifications:
- Strong horticultural background and expert plant knowledge.
- Strong interest in furthering their knowledge about plants.
- Membership is by appointment by the Chair of the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society.
Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society Fundraising Team
The Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society is incorporated under the BC Societies Act and is a registered charity. Charitable No. 86285 7935 RR0001. In support of the mission and purposes of the Society, the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society Fundraising Team raises funds for Special Projects and the Welcoming Centre at Darts Hill Garden. Please visit our Support the Garden-Donate page to learn more. When you leave a gift to the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust, you are planting a seed. A seed that will grow into something for future generations to benefit from.
Labeling & Inventory
The Labeling Committee has an important role and strong interest in increasing the educational experience of visitors to Darts Hill Garden Park by labeling its plants. Volunteers in this group specialize in specific tasks, including (a) plant identification and label placement; (b) data entry, checking, and proofreading; (c) computer setup and design of the labels; (d) production of labels, using a laser engraver.
Responsibilities: (depending on task being performed)
- Correctly identifying plants in a bed using resources such as own knowledge, existing labels, plant inventories, reference material, and sometimes assistance from expert botanists and horticulturalists.
- Using various computer programs to accomplish one or more of the specific tasks listed above.
- Learning to operate laser engraver to produce top-quality labels.
- Placing finished labels correctly on plants.
- Maintaining the Darts Hill Garden Park Master Inventory of plants
Qualifications:
- Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, botanical naming conventions.
- Attention to detail and ability to achieve accuracy and meet deadlines.
- Ability and desire to follow established written procedures.
- For plant identification – strong horticultural background and knowledge of plants and identification methods.
- For computer work – knowledge of Excel, Word, or CorelDraw software.
- For operating laser engraver – willingness and ability to learn the specialized equipment and processes.
Membership & Hospitality
Our Membership & Hospitality volunteer team are the first to greet visitors to Darts Hill Garden Park on members’ days, some coupled with strolls and plant sales. They offer a friendly smile, garden maps and brochures, and advice to help our guests and members make the most of their visit. This group’s work occurs, once a month, throughout the year including the Annual General Meeting (excluding August & December closures). With maximum 2.5 hour shifts, it is the perfect volunteer job for those who have limited time to commit. In 2021 the role and duties of the Membership & Hospitality Committee are under review due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Responsibilities: Working with a partner, Membership & Hospitality volunteers’ responsibilities include:
- Greeting visitors at the welcome table on members’ days.
- Providing information on the garden and its seasonal highlights.
- Providing information on membership, and processing new memberships and renewals.
- Keeping track of visitor numbers and donations.
Qualifications:
- Enjoys working with the public.
- Responsible for turning up in all types of weather or finding a replacement.
- Interested in learning more about the plants and the legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Darts to enhance the educational experience of the visiting public.
Native Plant Group
The Native Plant Group plants and maintains the Native Demonstration Garden and the Native Loop Trail. Working with other volunteers from the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society, Little Campbell Watershed Society, and the City of Surrey, these volunteers come together for 2 1/2-hour work sessions five to six times per year. In addition, some volunteers with an educational focus may conduct short tours of the native area, organize and tend information tables, and in other ways promote the use of and educate the public about native plants.
Responsibilities: Native Plant Group volunteers commit to work sessions from time to time in the native area at Darts Hill Garden Park. Responsibilities may include:
- Removing non-native invasive species from the area.
- Weeding and maintaining the edges and mossy pathways.
- Weeding and mulching the native demonstration bed.
- Planting.
- Setting up and attending to native plant information tables.
- Conducting short tours of the native area during open houses.
Qualifications:
- Enjoys hands-on gardening.
- Willing to participate in a minimum of three activities – in most types of weather.
- Interested in learning about native plants and/or educating others.
- Enjoys working in a team with a group of other volunteers.
- Enjoys working with public during plant sales.
- Responsible children are welcome to come and help out.
Newsletter Volunteer Team
The Oracle has been distributed seasonally since the fall of 2002. Our newsletter provides details on upcoming events, plant education, City of Surrey operational activities, Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society membership opportunities, workshops, as well as historical facts. It is a great resource for seasonal photos of the garden. The Oracle is also an important source of archival information and an educational resource concerning the plant collections and the ongoing development of Darts Hill Garden Park.
Responsibilities:
Editors/photographers are asked to submit articles or images of interest every three months. The article could be of their own interest or of a special topic as it pertains to Darts Hill Garden Park. Responsibilities include:
- Writing an educational article of interest and submitting it to the Managing Editor of the newsletter.
- Walking through the garden to choose a particular plant or tree to highlight.
- Photographing plants at their peak or as related to their special interest.
- Proof reading of a final draft.
Qualifications:
- An interest in research, writing or photography.
- Some knowledge of Microsoft programs, such as Word.
- The ability to research plant information and accurately spell the botanical name (most plants are labelled) and provide the source of their research.
- An interest in compiling historical details of Mr. and Mrs. Darts legacy to further educate the membership and the public.
Plant Propagation & Sales
The Propagation & Sales team is the largest and most active of Darts Hill Garden Park volunteer groups, holding regular work sessions throughout the growing season. They propagate plants for replacement and expansion of the existing inventory as well as for fundraising purposes; and they hold plant sales during public openings. In addition, this group has created and maintains a perennial display garden at Crescent Beach’s Heron Park.
Responsibilities: Propagation volunteers commit to meeting for work sessions from time to time at Darts Hill Garden Park or Heron Park. Their responsibilities include:
- Taking cuttings, dividing perennials, potting seedlings, etc., learning various propagation techniques from other expert volunteers.
- Maintaining potted plants through mulching, weeding, re-potting, and watering.
- Maintaining the plant propagation area and plant display area.
- Assisting at plant sales by providing help and advice or processing sales.
- Labeling sales plants with their correct names and cultural requirements to encourage transplanting success when sold to the public.
- If desired, assisting with the maintenance of the perennial display garden at Heron Park at Crescent Beach.
Qualifications:
- Enjoys hands-on gardening.
- Willing to participate in most types of weather.
- Interested in learning about plants and propagation methods.
- Enjoys working in a team with a group of other volunteers.
- Enjoys working with public during plant sales.
Workshop Coordinating Group
The Workshop Coordinating Group organizes and coordinates workshops on behalf of the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust Society. The group provides educational opportunities to DHGCTS members as well as to the general public. The three main areas of responsibility for the group include developing workshop programs, coordinating logistical and financial matters for workshops; and fulfilling reporting requirements.
Responsibilities: (depending upon the role being performed)
A 1-year commitment is required from Workshop Coordinating Group members. (~40 hours per year)
- Designing and developing workshops with guidance from the DHGCTS Board.
- Inviting workshop speakers / facilitators.
- Publicizing workshop activities.
- Providing up-to-date schedules to the DHGCTS Board.
- Developing workshop promotional materials, distributing marketing material online and offline.
- Being accountable for budgeting, profit & loss reporting, and full business planning.
- Setting up and teardown of workshops.
- Checking-in and directing workshop attendees to the appropriate location.
- Processing workshop registrations, answering questions if they arise.
- Coordinating with workshop facilitators, ensuring all workshop materials and space requirements are met, arranging transportation if required.
- Liaising with other committees and operational units to ensure access to the garden before and after hours if required.
Qualifications:
- Strong organizational skills with a high attention to detail.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the capacity to handle cross-team communications and tasks.
- Enjoys working with the public.
- Experience in event planning or other business disciplines is an asset.