Don Burnett (proper) and his co-host Ken Salvail pose for an image. After almost 40 years of providing gardening tricks to radio listeners in Kelowna, Don Burnett’s Backyard Present is increasing to Victoria beginning Saturday, October 30, 2021.
Picture credit score: SUBMITTED / Don Burnett
After almost 40 years of providing gardening tricks to radio listeners in Kelowna, Don Burnett’s Backyard Present is increasing to Victoria beginning Saturday.
It is one thing Burnett by no means pushed for. It was the station supervisor from Victoria who got here up with the concept, simply because it wasn’t his concept to even begin an on-air backyard present. However he is actually trying ahead to taking up a brand new problem.
“I am not going to toggle an excessive amount of except we’re coping with two completely different climates,” he informed iNFOnews.ca. “They’re a pleasant stable 7 (climatic zone) and we’re a 5-6 selection. We now have alkaline soils and so they have acidic soils so there are some variations. Let’s face it, proper now they’re nonetheless in the course of the yearbooks and every thing. We could have frost this weekend and all of our yearbooks will probably be canceled. ”
There are vegetation that develop on the island that do not develop within the Okanagan, however the fundamentals are the identical, he stated.
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The AM1150 Backyard Present runs on Saturday mornings and is now additionally being carried out on CFAX in Victoria. Each are owned by Bell Media.
Brunette was recruited by CKOV radio in 1983 when a brand new program director determined to host a backyard present. He’d seen Burnett landscaping vehicles drive via city, referred to as Burnett, and the remainder was a narrative that has since been concerned with numerous radio stations and on-air companions.
Burnett employed Ken Salvail to work in his gardening enterprise within the mid-Nineteen Eighties and invited Salvail to be on the present in 2003, which he by no means left.
“Ken is a powerful a part of the present,” stated Burnett. “He is as sturdy as me now, although I began the present.”
Salvail introduced e-book classes that complement Burnett’s hands-on examine.
Burnett heard of the provide to air the present in Victoria this summer time. It took a couple of months to resolve the technical points like establishing a toll-free cellphone line for Victoria callers and syncing commercials and information bulletins throughout the two-hour reveals.
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Gardening fundamentals aren’t that a lot of an issue for Burnett, however he’ll perform a little research.
“Individuals say how have you learnt all this?” he stated. “I imply, possibly 150 questions are requested through the years and you may reply them in a different way to make it sound slightly higher. We now have enjoyable on the present, however we do extra than simply backyard, we make numerous historical past. And now I will do the identical for Victoria listeners. I’ll actually take care of the story of Victoria. ”
Whereas he’s involved that every thing will go easily, he’s not nervous as many Kelowna folks stay in Victoria.
“That is in all probability the simplest factor I’ve ever achieved,” stated Burnett. “I do not even suppose it is like that, you discuss to lots of people. I solely reply gardening questions. It is fairly call-driven in some ways. Every time somebody calls and asks a backyard questions, I’ve all the time been capable of reply them. If I can not, I will inform them I will examine. These days, because of the web, if I’ve an issue, I can look it up whereas I am on the air. ”
Burnett ultimately closed his nursery and “went” to the Bylands Backyard Middle, from which he retired in 2006. He nonetheless has a consulting agency referred to as The Backyard Professional. And he has his dwelling backyard that he can concentrate on greater than he may up to now.
“I’m fascinated by the number of vegetation,” stated Burnett when requested what he enjoys most about gardening. “I simply love the range of the flora. The plant kingdom has so many aspects from cacti and succulents to ferns and lichens to orchids and woody decorative vegetation. You by no means get to know a fraction of the vegetation which might be on the market. ”
Speaking about visiting the Glasgow Botanical Gardens in Scotland in 2016, he was overwhelmed after studying that the 30 acre backyard contained solely 2.5% of the world’s genera. (Genera is the plural for genus. Biology On-line says there have been an estimated 510,000 genera in 2016. Species with comparable traits comprise a genus).
This implies that there’s a lot new to study within the gardening world and never simply Burnett and Salvail taking on the instructing.
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“I consider the present as simply speaking to a different gardener over the again fence,” stated Burnett. “So we’re speaking to a bunch of gardeners and exchanging info. Many individuals name with recommendation, ideas, and residential treatments. We study so much on the radio. ”
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