True Canadian – Capital Floral Experience

OHS’s own Tina Liu happens to also be the National Capital Commission’s in-house landscape architect. The annual design of the NCC’s Capital Floral Program uses 250k annual plants of over 200 varieties every year. Tina will talk about the process of plant selection, and how new hybrids are introduced and cooperated in the design.

Tina is a landscape architect at the National Capital Commission (NCC). She leads the design of year-round floral displays in the nation’s capital, including the Canadian Tulip Festival in the spring, annual and perennial displays for the rest of the year. The floral program plays an important role in showcasing national pride and Canadian values to fellow Canadians as well as international visitors to Ottawa. Tina has been exploring innovative design techniques to enhance pollinator and wildlife habitats while adapting to our constantly changing climate patterns. She is also responsible for the Christmas Lights Across Canada program which promotes winter usage of open spaces in the urban areas.   Prior to joining the NCC in Ottawa, Tina worked in a multidisciplinary design firm in Toronto mainly focused on community planning, natural resource management, and ecological conservation landscape projects. Tina is also a certified LEED® accredited professional, a firm believer in the benefit of green construction and environmentally sustainable design. In her leisure time, Tina loves to work in her own garden. She appreciates plants for their natural shapes, textures and other beneficial properties, not just for the colours of their blooms. As an advocate of productive landscaping, Tina likes to use herbs, vegetables and medicinal plants as important design elements. She often experiments with new cultivars, hybrids and combinations in her own garden before introducing them to federal parklands. Also a judge for Communities in Bloom and gave a TEDtalk in Kanata in 2021!

This will be a hybrid meeting.  The presentation will be in person at St. Mark’s Church, and will also be broadcast via the OHS YouTube channel.